Talking Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks

Feb 20, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) takes a shot against Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) in the 1st quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets are finally back on the court tonight after an eventful All-Star break. Since the Nuggets last took the court, the team has traded Arron Afflalo, Alonzo Gee and JaVale McGee; acquired Will Barton, Victor Claver and (for a minute) Thomas Robinson. The team has also seen its starting point guard and “leader” miss the first official practice of the second half of the season. Tonight, the team travels to Milwaukee to face a Bucks squad that moved its starting point guard (Brandon Knight) at the deadline, but still has a lot of buzz surrounding the young nucleus of their team.

More from Nuggets News

To preview tonight’s matchup, I participated in an interview with Adam McGee, editor of Fansided’s Bucks site, Behind the Buck Pass. I encourage you to check out the full interview over on Behind the Buck Pass, but here are a few highlights.

On what the advantage of moving Ty Lawson at the deadline would have been, and my feelings on the fact that he’s still a Nugget:

"“There’s no denying Ty Lawson is the closet thing the Nuggets have to a star on the current roster. He’s an amazing point guard who arguably should have been included on the All-Star roster as a reserve. That said, he has had stretches where he sort of disappeared this season and Brian Shaw had to call him out on his lack of scoring to get his attention. Plus, he’s had some off the court issues. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI, and just this week, he missed the team’s first practice back from the All-Star break. Just inexcusable stuff.I would have been content if the Nuggets found a way to move him ahead of the deadline…but here we are, and Ty is still a Nugget for the time being. I hope he gets his stuff together and emerges as the star of this franchise, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team moves him come draft day.”"

On how important Jusuf Nurkic is the the team’s future:

"“I think Nuggets fans hope and believe Jusuf Nurkic is the future. He’s strong on both ends of the floor, and if his offensive game develops, he could be something really special.”"

On whether Brian Shaw is the coach to lead the Nuggets to future success:

"“I wasn’t sold on Shaw earlier this year…but a funny thing happened on the way to the Nuggets plummeting in the standings: Shaw emerged as the coach Nuggets fans SHOULD love. He’s called out players for not giving maximum effort. That should be something we celebrate, not admonish. And he’s been more than willing to throw himself in the line of fire when it comes to not having his team prepared. I’m not 100% sure Shaw is the guy who can turn this team around from a system perspective, but I am all in with him in terms of holding players’ feet to the fire and demanding they give it their all on the court night in and night out.”"

We discussed a lot more, including what to expect during tonight’s Nuggets/Bucks matchup, so click over and check out the full post.

Next: Grading the Arron Afflalo Trade

More from Nugg Love

Home/Nuggets News