Ty Lawson gives Denver Nuggets fans hop.

There is currently a lot of negative opinions about the Denver Nuggets and how successful they will be this season when/if the lockout is lifted. And it is pretty apparent why.

Last season, they traded Carmelo Anthony – who many considered as the best player in Nuggets history. They have to replace three players who played important roles for the team. Wilson Chandler, JR Smith and Kenyon Martin have each signed to play in China and won’t be able to play in the NBA until April at the earliest. Even when they return there is no guarantee they will play for the Nuggets. And lets not forget that the return of Nene, who was arguably the Nuggets most valuable player down the stretch last season, is in question after he declined a contract extension this summer.

But despite all of this, there is still reason to be excited about the Nuggets when/if the season begins. (more…)

A few injury notes to go over before game 3.

Kenyon Martin – Kenyon fractured his finger in game 1 but looked great in game 2 and shouldn’t be a problem going forward.

Carmelo Anthony – Melo sprained his ankle during game 2 but it didn’t seem to hamper his play at all. Carmelo said of the injury, “It’s sore, but I have 24 hours to get it right,” This shouldn’t be a concern for any Nuggets fan.

JR Smith – JR strained his calf at the end of game 1 and didn’t have much quickness in game 2. Smith said, “I can’t really jump off my right leg like I want to, but other than that, everything’s fine.” If only jumping wasn’t 95% of his value to the Nuggets, it would be ok. Of course he also said he’s going to be fine, and there’s no way he’s going to sit this game out.

Renaldo Balkman – Balkman was in street clothes for game 2 due to a sprained ankle and when asked about his status for game 3 he said, “I’ll go.” Not sure what the rush is, it’s not like George Karl would give him any playing time anyways.

Steven Hunter – The last time Hunter saw the floor for the Nuggets was during the end of a blowout against the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs last year. He missed the entire 2008-2009 season due to knee surgery. There is no way he will get any playing time in this series no matter how many players are injured or how big of a blowout the game is but George feels he’s healthy enough to wear a jersey and sit on the bench.

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