Now that the Nuggets season is over it’s time to start thinking about the future. Let’s talk about the upcoming Lottery/Draft and what kind of player the Mile High Crew might go after. The Nuggets finished with the seventh worst record in the NBA. According to the draft order, if they stay at No. 7, they will have a 4.3% chance at the No. 1 overall pick. Also, according to the odds, the Nuggets will have a 15% chance at a top 3 pick overall. OK, lets just say fortune SMILES on the Mile High City and the Nuggets get... Continue reading

As you may have heard, a young Frenchman named Joffrey Lauvergne has signed with your Denver Nuggets! So I thought a primer on Joffrey would be valuable for Nuggets fans everywhere! First, his name is pronounced JOFF-reeLOW-verne. He speaks English, a fact Blake Olson will be happy to hear. I have discovered Joffrey is on Twitter, his handle is twitter.com/@1JOLOLO , and I have just joined his legion of 19,000 followers. He is 23 years old and hails from Mulhouse in Eastern France. As the son of a professional basketball player, Joffrey lived in a number of French cities as... Continue reading

Before the Nuggets season started, someone asked me how this year’s squad would do? I told him “the Nuggets are going to be a very good team this season—I’m just not sure when.” Well, it’s time! I’m highly optimistic things will continue to improve for the Mile High Crew and its fans in 2015. With 4 straight wins, the Nuggets are starting to play the kind of basketball Coach Brian Shaw has advocated. Namely, the offense during the win streak is averaging 108 ppg and change and the defense is allowing just 96 ppg. First and foremost, among the reasons... Continue reading

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There are three rookies on the Denver Nuggets roster this season and I like them all! Let’s start with Jusuf Nurkic the 16th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Jusuf, at 6’11” 280, has all the tools to be a terrific NBA player. He’s a big, strong, physical sort who likes to mix it up. What I didn’t know prior to this season is that he’s nimble, light on his feet, runs well, and has a definite feel for the game. I believe his upside is Nicola Peković at the least, Marc Gasol at the best. With JaVale McGee... Continue reading

Social media (sigh...) That's how we communicate nowadays, through our iPhones, Twitter feeds and our Facebook postings. It's fast and easy, but it's just so un-emotional. It's a quick fix of information to store away and remember later at the water cooler. It's too much, or maybe it's not enough. Come to think of it, it's both. What happened to having a cup of coffee with a friend? Two chairs, one table, two cups of coffee, and some EYE CONTACT. You can learn a lot about somebody from having a cup of coffee. Think about it, there's nothing else coming...no... Continue reading

It was an unusual season opener to say the least for your Denver Nuggets! The team fought through a sub-par shooting night and clawed their way to a 10 point victory! As the late Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi once said “What the heck is going on out there?” Can you say defense? The Mile High Crew held the Detroit Pistons to 79 points on 37% shooting. The Motor City got a flat tire in the 4th quarter scoring only 16 points. I’m not surprised. Quietly, the Nuggets have assembled some very good defensive players. Arron Afflalo, Danilo... Continue reading

Calling all Altitude viewers! In my almost ten years at Altitude, I have covered it all. Nuggets, Avalanche, Mammoth, Rapids, college, and high school sports. (And a little rodeo mixed in there). Although I have totally and thoroughly enjoyed it all, I was given an assignment this last year that has been unlike any other. It was to tell the story of the Vail Veteranʼs program, which is a non profit charity based in Vail that helps Wounded Warriors through outdoor programs. Think skiing, snowboarding, rafting, and zip-lining in a beautiful and relaxing setting. I instantly fell in love with... Continue reading

I was a captain twice in my career. The first time didn’t go so well. In 1976, I was named captain of the U.S. National Men’s Volleyball Team for my skills on the court. Off the court, I broke curfew and received a demotion. The second time around, I’d learned my lesson and things went much better. As captain of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Volleyball Team, we won the gold medal in Los Angeles. I had matured. I waited to celebrate until after the games. Suffice it to say, careful consideration is paramount when choosing a team captain. A good... Continue reading

Green Day was wrong when they said, “Summer has come and passed the innocent can never last…..wake me up when September ends”. Seriously Billie Joe? It’s August 26th and the last thing I want is 35 doses of Ambien. WAKE UP people, hockey season is here. I played in Joe Sakics’ Celebrity Golf Tournament benefitting The Food Bank of Colorado last week and saw plenty of reasons to be wide-eyed for this upcoming Avalanche season. First and foremost, Joe Sakic looks like he could still log 20 minutes of ice time, crippling defensemen along the way. He’s in amazing shape.... Continue reading

Almost every day this summer, someone has asked me, “How are the Denver Nuggets going to do this season?” I answer them with both barrels! First, I tell them that the Denver Nuggets will be MUCH better this season. In fact, I believe that the Mile High Crew will rebound and MAKE the playoffs in the West. “Really?” they reply. “How can they do that?” I explain. To begin, I ask them if they realize how badly severe injuries decimated the team last year. Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee, and JJ Hickson all were lost for varying parts of the year.... Continue reading

Refereeing decision handed the Rapids a lifeline and they grabbed it with both hands It feels so much better when you score a late equalizer rather than concede one, and the Rapids have experienced both sides of that particular coin in their two most recent games. Earning a point, or more, on the road is not to be sniffed at but Saturday’s showing at Philadelphia – while showing pluck and spirit – also highlighted deficiencies defensively. Two out of the three Rapids goals were as a result of good movement and precision passing, in addition to neat finishing. Sadly, all... Continue reading

It’s been two months and 24 days since the Denver Nuggets played a basketball game. That changes Saturday when the Nuggets Summer League team tips off in Las Vegas against the Toronto Raptors. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to watch our Summer League squad work out. It was very informative. My first impression was that this team could be pretty good. At first glance, the Nugs have talented guards, plenty of players with overseas experience, and a go-to guy in third-year forward Quincy Miller. It is a big summer for Miller. Still only 21 years old, Q would... Continue reading

By Father and daughter duo Chris and Grace Marlowe Chris: As you know, the NBA Draft is just around the corner—Thursday June 26th. Everybody I know, including my family, is talking about the Nuggets pick at #11! Just whom will the Nuggets select? Being the Nuggets play-by-play announcer for Altitude Sports gives me some insight into the process. And considering I played collegiately at SDSU, and have broadcast over 1000 basketball games in my career, I guess MY guess will be as good as anyone’s! Grace: Just as my dad was honest with his qualifications, I’ll be honest with mine:... Continue reading

The NBA Draft Lottery is coming up fast—May 20th! As I detailed in my last blog, the Denver Nuggets have a 5½% chance of landing a top three lottery pick. If that happens, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly will be on cloud 9! He will have a number of outstanding talents to choose from--including Duke’s Jabari Parker, and Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid. That should be fun—kinda like choosing between Beyoncé, Kate Upton and Halle Berry! Now let’s look ahead--what happens if the Nuggets don’t come up with a top 3 selection? Then, most likely, the Mile High Crew will... Continue reading

Denver has 5 percent chance to land a top-three pick The Denver Nuggets have a chance to win the lottery and the top overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Yes, it’s a small chance – but certainly one worth salivating over! Here’s how it works: Denver finished with the 11th worst record in the NBA, so the Nuggets will most likely draft 11th or 12th unless…. We get lucky. On May 20, each of the 14 lottery teams will have a chance to draw into the top-three slots in the draft. The worse record you had, the better chance... Continue reading

Denver has 5 percent chance to land a top-three pick The Denver Nuggets have a chance to win the lottery and the top overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Yes, it’s a small chance – but certainly one worth salivating over! Here’s how it works: Denver finished with the 11th worst record in the NBA, so the Nuggets will most likely draft 11th or 12th unless…. We get lucky. On May 20, each of the 14 lottery teams will have a chance to draw into the top-three slots in the draft. The worse record you had, the better chance... Continue reading

With 23 points and a career-high 29 rebounds, Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov had the game of his life against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. Am I surprised? Did I ever have doubts about the Flushin’ Russian? Nyet!! With the possible exception of the people in his native Russia and his own family, I am Mozgov’s biggest fan. I like his game and I love his effort. No one on the Nuggets (except Manimal) plays harder. Mozgov is big, strong and physical. He runs the floor well and can score inside and out. Yes, he drops the ball sometimes, but... Continue reading

I donʼt know about you, but you couldnʼt pay me enough to go back to being twenty one years old again. I may have invented the term, “young and dumb.” While I had a blast, I to would not want relive some of those really, really stupid decisions I made. Ignorance wasnʼt bliss, it was just plain dangerous! Thatʼs why Avs captain Gabe Landeskog is so impressive to me. Gabe is also just twenty one years old, but carries himself like heʼs a wise forty year old man drawing from years of valuable life experience. When he was named the... Continue reading

Only 1 team wins in the end. Hard to imagine, that at the end of an 82 game season, all of “this” could be for nothing. I could spend all of these hours in front of my computer, studying other teams, breaking down lines, creating story-lines for shows, living and breathing every second of every play…and the Avalanche could end up short of a Stanley Cup. Would all the hard work be worth it? What about you? All of the money you spend on tickets, on your favorite players’ jersey, on your couch hanging on every moment they give you... Continue reading

Effort, execution have helped Denver thrive of late The Nuggets could become a top-10 defensive team if they continue to pressure the ball and contain the pick-and-roll. I like what I'm seeing from the Denver Nuggets. Mainly because I believe the Nuggets have now reached the junction where effort and execution are getting together. Since coach Brian Shaw held “clear the air” meetings, the Nuggets’ effort has been off the charts. It’s the effort level that Shaw has been asking for all season. Most encouraging is the fact that the players are now beginning to embrace Shaw’s defensive philosophy. It... Continue reading

Evaluating Denver's performance difficult without Gallinari, McGee Because of injuries, Nuggets starters JaVale McGee (left) and Danilo Gallinari have not played together since last April. NBAE/Getty Images Heading into their 30th game of the 2013-14 NBA season, the Denver Nuggets have been a mystery. Are they a playoff team, as good as their earlier seven-game win streak would imply? Or are they playoff pretenders, as evidenced by their recent six-game losing streak? I would suggest we won’t really know until the Nuggets are at full strength. The elephants in the Mile High room are Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee –... Continue reading

Team playing well under new coach Brian Shaw and general manager Tim Connelly Good vibrations are everywhere. Winning early certainly has something to do with it. The Denver Nuggets are 13-8 through 21 games, an improvement from last season when the team started 10-11 during a road-heavy first two months. But it’s more than that. It’s a new approach to winning. Nuggets President and Governor Josh Kroenke brought in new General Manager Tim Connelly, and together they hired new coach Brian Shaw. I had a chance to get to know Connelly a bit better on the recently concluded long-and-winding road... Continue reading

Sometimes I feel like “Larry Donner from Throw Mama from the Train” when I write a blog. What is a blog anyway, and who decided on the name “blog”? It sounds like a sock full of wet wood. The night was hot, wait wait wait… The night was humid…no that’s terrible. The night was wet. The night was wet and hot. Wait, that means humid. Anyway, 21 random thoughts as we venture into the 2nd quarter of the hockey season. I’m not sure I like Ken Hitchcock much. Maybe it’s just his face or the way he stands with his... Continue reading

Despite injuries, free-throw woes, Denver showed improvement in loss It was game No. 10 on the Denver Nuggets schedule, one-eighth of the way through the regular season. The Nuggets were on the road in hostile territory – Chesapeake Energy Arena – where the home team almost never loses. The opponent: the powerful Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that won 60 games last year and might have made it to the NBA finals if not for an injury to point guard Russell Westbrook. The Nuggets were missing two starters: Danilo Gallinari, perhaps their best all around front line “big,” and JaVale... Continue reading