Kenneth Faried: Definition of Going Hard

As playing time has opened up on the Denver roster due to injury, Nuggets Rookie Kenneth Faried has recently become a double-double machine. He doesn't have a sweet cross over, his three ball is non-existent, and his post moves are unrefined to say the least. But he does hustle his ass off.



Props to NBA Playbook

Disclosures: I prematurely sold a long position in Kenneth Faried before February 1st and now some other manager is reaping the fantasy rewards of this unstoppable force.

Carmelo Anthony Neck Stinger: Weird

Usually when a man goes down on the court, play stops and the injury is attended to. But in this situation the refs call a travel on 'Melo after he drives into Durantula and while 'Melo is lying nearly motionless on the ground, the refs GIVE THE BALL TO OKC TO INBOUND.

But wait.

THE CROWD STARTS BOO-ING! AND THE ANNOUNCERS TALK SHIT!

Well, now things are strange. And with their man advantage and nobody at 'Melo's side, The Thunder somehow TURN THE BALL OVER!! What the heck is going on here?

Last but not least, JR Smiff drives the lane, right next to a splayed-out 'Melo and shoots a finger roll that is about 5 feet short of the hoop. WTF IS GOING ON!? Did everyone in the arena somehow get brainwashed into thinking that 'Melo wasn't hurt? My Jebus!



Thanks to KD at BDL

Warriors vs. Nuggets: 1/21/10 orangino edit

"NOW WAIT A MINUTE! WAIT A MINUTE! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Tolliver should have gotten free throws at the end of regulation! Well, maybe not. But Monta does have a thing for fouling Nuggets at the end of quarters. To channel some Iverson "Practice" Press Conference: How is Monta supposed to be a franchise player if he's out there fouling at the end of quarters? Not getting outta the way. Not getting outta the way. But fouling. How's he supposed to make to make his teammates better by fouling? ("The Bears are who we thought they were!!")

Another amazingly efficient game for "Who's ready for" Maggette.........in the loss. And a big "suck it" to all the Maggette haters. I like the guy's hustle AND his hussle. Aside from the random ill-timed jumper (like Monta doesn't take any of those, does he?), which he doesn't take many of, he knows who he is and just gets to the line all frigging day. Teams know he is going to drive and can't do anything about it. And do I have to mention he makes almost every free throw? As always, enjoy the orangino edit:

Steve Hess: Nuggets Trainer

I've been trying to figure out how to release this video to The Nextians community in order to provide full impact, and I think I've figured it out. First, just watch the video in it's entirety. It won't be hard to do:



Do you notice Steve Hess? If you've ever watched a Nuggets game you definitely have seen him behind their bench. Steve's got amazing hair, he's a Kiwi, he's super intense, he's pushing some workout band product, and he's the Denver Nugget's trainer. The intensity in which he's working the HELL out of that host on "Skinny Wednesday" was off the chain. The host then asks if there are any single guys on the Nuggets which Steve Hess deflects like a true pro.

.....all the while you were trying to figure out just what the HELL, I mean, heck CBN was. Right?

Suddenly, Pat Robertson flashes on the screen and it becomes immediately apparent that you were watching the Christian Broadcasting Network. Trippy. You then realize, if you've read this story, that Pat Robertson has recently come under fire for suggesting the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti Tuesday was a because of a pact that Haitian leaders may have made with Satan 200 years ago. WHAT THE FUCK?

So, the question posed to you my Nextians, do you have a different view of the Nuggets now? Or are you just really confused? (Once again, thanks to Free Darko for the enlightenment.........oops, bad word to use).

My 2nd Favorite Team

I entered a contest on Ball Don't Lie Dot Com to win a free subscription to League Pass. The request was to write why you just can't miss an upcoming game on League Pass that you wouldn't see if you didn't have League Pass. Here's my half hearted entry:



My 2nd Favorite Team:

The December 16th, 2009 on NBA League Pass will begin the battle for my second favorite team: the Houston Rockets vs. the Denver Nuggets. A San Francisco Bay Area born and raised bleed-orange/blue/yellow Warriors fan at heart, the need for a second favorite team to follow has been always been apart of my NBA fandom dilemma. Heck, the Warriors are every other true NBA fan’s 2nd Favorite Team so it’s about time I choose one, starting this season. Relying solely on the soap opera that is this season’s Golden State Warriors without a backup team certainly points to an incredibly frustrating hit on not only my love of the Dubs (WHY IS RANDOLPH NOT GETTING MINUTES?!?!), but for my love of the NBA as a whole. I need a 2nd Favorite Team.

Basketball Prospectus devouring, daily Ball Don’t Lie reads, True Hoop RSS feeds, and intense analysis of Shoals prose on Free Darko and The Baseline have brought me to the epic December 16th, matchup between Houston and Denver.

Not a mortal enemy of the Warriors? Check. A solid organization who is trending upwards? Double check. A team that isn’t routinely touted by all of the talking heads on TV (Oklahoma City)? Oh heck yeah.

I am letting this matchup decide who my 2nd Favorite Team will be for the remainder of the season because at this point, I am honestly stuck on who to choose. Do I take a crew of outcasts and misfits that play with more intensity and swagger than anyone else in the league? A crew that somehow George Karl, of all coaches, has figured out how to harness and direct their craziness towards winning? Or do I go with the Dork Elvis created role players who will morph into a team that does whatever it takes to win. Ariza? Brooks? Scola? Will these guys emerge as top tier NBA producers? I need to become a true fan of one of these teams.

It won’t even say that the winner of this game will win my fandom. It will be a battle for my emotions which do not only recognize the score.

Skeets and KD, I need to see this game to decide! And without League Pass to see this game, this decision will haunt me for the entirety of the season.

Bracket Update: Overrated Hornets

I don't think this is Melo's fiance LaLa, the mother of his son Kiyan. An MTV VJ skank perhaps?

You know the Hornets were overrated by everyone when not one NBA "Expert" Nextian Bracket participant chose the Nug-Show to win 4-1. You would think that with a 2 seed playing a 7 seed that a 5 game victory by the 2 seed was a possibility, right? Well, the closest anyone got was a Nugget victory in 6 games. Chalk this mindbender up to a victory stew of Chancey actually knowing how to play in playoff games, further justification that AI wasn't a good fit for the Nuggets, Melo finally manning up, The Birdman flying, K-Mart's extreme defense, and the Hornets not playing like a team/giving up on their coach (Sportsguy). Here are the new standings:

18: Toomie
17: Matt
16: Scott S.
14: Cam
13: Nate, Bilbo, Fed, Nikki , Ryan, Todd, BK
11: Pablo, Straino

Slow-Mo Cheerleader Dance

Maybe this has been the reason why we rarely ever see hot shots of cheerleaders on TV while we're watching games.....it takes commentators out of their professional state?!

It makes sense, commentators for NBA, NFL, etc. would be sitting there jiber-jabbing away, then boom the camera man cuts to some sexy cheerleaders doing some hot, sexual innuendo dance. They would be pausing and stuttering all the time on live television. It never made sense to me why we rarely get to see cheerleaders doing their thang when cutting to a commercial or during a timeout, but I think I may have just figured out why. Imagine Jim Barnett going, "and the Warriors keys to the game are....and the warriors, uhm, uhhhh, and the keys to the...uhhh....are..." Ahaha, I think any straight guy would lose focus of what they're doing if they start seeing some 21 year old hottie dropping it like it's hot all of the sudden in some skimpy shit! Well, maybe not Jeff VanGundy.