Nene No Longer a Nugget

Experts think a do-it-yourself napkin centerpiece would be an improvement for the Denver Nuggets. They are the softest team in the league, according to some experts. They lack the inside presence that, experts say, it takes to win a NBA Championship. 

These ‘experts’ can only be described as the greater population of Nuggets Nation.  

Nene leaving only makes for one large hole to fill. The big Brazilian opted out of his nearly $12 million contract earlier this week; Nene departs any semblance of a productive center in Denver.

Nuggets fans found a way to dislike the most proficient scorer in the league. He Big Bad Wolfed (blew) the top off the rest of the league in field goal percentage this year. He has the 11^th best percentage of All-Time. He is more proficient around the basket than a paper shredder. He’s not flashy, he doesn’t make the wrong play, he rebounds and Denver fans don’t like him one bit.

Nuggets fans, like a sad country love song, won’t know what they had until he’s gone. 

Nene may not be the best center in the league, he’s not in the ‘Elite Centers’ category. He may not even be in the top 5, but Nene looks great compared to many others. Zaza Pachulia or Joel Anthony? Or how about Omer Asik or Chuck Hayes?

The Nuggets do have the Russian Timofey Mozgov waiting in the wings. They will have cap room (pending the decision of higher management, and more likely the departure of Kenyon Martin and JR Smith) to go out and get a “quality” big man. 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1107/nba-top-free-agents/content.1.html

Nene will most likely go get a new, more welcoming home.

Meet @joeyjaws

He’s the most prolific eater ever to walk this planet. He has the most famous jaws since, well, Jaws. His Costco Shoppers card is Platinum. His chompers are little statues of ivory glory.

Joey Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs on Independence Day and he’s not even verified.

Twitter has obviously not taken hold on the MLE (Major League Eating) circuit the way back hair is so popular in NASCAR.

This is a call to arms. It’s a pledge to Americans everywhere. To the ones that laugh at a dime sized mustard stain and don’t consider relish and onions on their calorie counters.  We are people of just causes like a Triple Word Score to beat your mother on Words with Friends. We take pleasure in the nuances of life like, Lord help me, an anti-Bieber hash tag.

We need to rally around Joey Chestnut.

If you have a bumper sticker that says “I <3 the RED, WHITE and BREW” on your Chevy Eco… follow him. If you can admit (internally at least) that you wore your Stars and Stripes boxers for the second day in a row (as I just did)… follow him. If you can’t get that last no-good, rotten, brutal joke out of your head… follow him. If you have an autograph from a mascot of any kind… follow him.

IF YOU’RE AMERICAN…. FOLLOW HIM!

Expect Riots

The NBA and NFL are in sports jail. 

The neighborhood sports bars are putting up particle board to cover the windows. Coors Light is running ‘Sports are for Pansys” commercials. Nike is entering the board game industry. And David Stern and Roger Goodell were seen writing a dramatic romantic comedy screen play at Starbucks.

Expect riots.

People live for sports. They don’t play fantasy football to stimulate their brains. They don’t crop their best friend out of their wedding photos just because he wouldn’t trade Lamar Odom for JJ Redick and beer at next weekend’s BBQ. They don’t go to the YMCA and ride the elliptical to look cool. They don’t buy the same pare of Adidas sneakers to go with their tube socks. They don’t watch football on Sundays or basketball in March to get together with their pals. They most definitely don’t yell at their spouses to ‘Keep it down!’ during the most crucial of moments because they love the game more than them. 

Expect riots!!!

They do it because one day they may get THAT call from Jerry Jones or Jerry Bus asking them to be the interim general manager, backup point guard or assistant to the head coach. And IF, nay, WHEN, they get that call, they better be ready to go. 

EXPECT RIOTS!!!!!!

The Clock Strikes Midnight on the Big XII

Boulder extinguished the Big XII era in dramatic fashion. It was a time and place that seems so distant to right now.

At 12:01 AM early this morning the switchover became official. The University of Colorado-Boulder and Utah Utes are a part of the PAC-12 Conference. This is the dawning of a new era for all twelve components.

A mere 12 hours later on the CU campus people are excited. The bell struck twelve times. It did not happen for the time of day that students are so accustomed to, but rather the turning of a page in the prestigious universities history; a simple christening of future big things to come. 

Like a dark fog lifting over uncharted waters there is no telling what lies ahead.  No map to guide CU on their way.

The Buff nation, in purest of forms, has unbridled enthusiasm about the Pac-12. Students from the west coast, and pretty much everywhere else, are ready for this transition to begin. They are ready to move on like a Friday night after a big presentation; holding nothing back. 

All 30,198 students should be able to feel the pride in the air today as the Golden Buffaloes ring in the beginning of something truly special. 

http://www.cubookstore.com/p-63011-pac-12-all-teams-tee-white.aspx

International Game? Not quite.

If you can pronounce the names of the first 7 picks in the 2011 NBA Draft you either (a) cheated or (b) should take up something more productive, like croqueting or Frisbee golf, to do with your time.

The first heptad went a little like this:

#1- Kyrie Irving (DUKE)

#2- Derrick Williams (ARIZONA)

#3- Enes Kanter (TURKEY)

#4- Tristan Thompson (TEXAS)

#5- Jonas Valanciunas (LITHUANIA)

#6- Jan Vesley (CZECH RUPUBLIC)

#7- Bismack Biyombo (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO)

This is a whose-who of who knows. And the fact that 4 of these top 7 are from outside the continent is rather disturbing.

Is American college basketball down as a whole? Not really; Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger will be bidding to hit the #1 spot in 2012. Or are NBA General Managers losing it upstairs?

I point heavily toward the latter.

Lottery teams don’t pick player to fill holes. They don’t find the long term athletes that can mesh with a well-defined team. They pick the best athletes, All-Star hopefuls; the ones that the people in the front office think can turn the franchise around.

In the last 4 All-Star games, only 5 different International players have made the team. Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Mehmet Okur make up the grisly handful. And on the other side there have been a strong contingent of notable International busts.

We see the difference in numerous Worldwide competitions; the American basketballer is far the superior.

The NBA just won’t buy American made. They should.

Denver Lacrosse Surge

Lacrosse was invented – if sport can be truly invented – in the expansive American heartland. But the modern version of the sport primarily exists on the East coast.  But a radical shift back to its roots is upon us.

Denver is fast becoming the Mecca of lacrosse in the Western US.

The Denver Outlaws and Colorado Mammoth are now staples of both professional lacrosse circuits. The Denver University Pioneers hosted the first NCAA Men’s Lacrosse regional west of the Mississippi River. And numerous high school and pee wee programs are becoming rampant in the area.

Lacrosse is the Salisbury steak of the food world.

The Mile High region and Denver has everything the sport needs to bloom. The fan base is large enough to withstand another major franchise. These people are also extremely sports savvy and passionate about their teams. The right combination is here, now.

People want to be excited about sports in Denver. They want to go out and support a team that gives their all on every night, because they truly play for mere passion, enjoyment and it gets their competitive juices flowing.

There was an estimated 10,000 people on hand for the Outlaws win over the Long Island Lizards on Saturday. And they expect that number to grow at least 4 times for the fireworks game on the 3rd of July.
With the small market flavor and big market fire the Denver Outlaws, along with all the other lacrosse teams in the area, the sport is likely to see a rise.

Alec Burks a 'Potential' Top Five Pick

The 2011 NBA Draft could force Mock Boards to become supervised, it could make numerous Executives explain their pick reasoning via team website and, ultimately, it could be a historically unusual one. 

This Draft is not deep, it’s not a new format, and there will be plenty of David Stern jokes. 

But teams may have to be drafting for the future, and not the imminent future, some could be drafting for 2012 NBA season. And that looks to be mighty promising for the Colorado standout Alec Burks. 

An NBA lockout is no sure thing, but it’s also slightly more likely than the NFL Lockout. 

So as teams look for players to build around, for the 2012 season, they will be looking at upside. (Even more than usual.) The frightening word ‘potential’ will be used more frequently than ‘like’ at a sorority house. Players will be judged based on work ethic and what they should be able to contribute in only the somewhat near future.

For the 6’ 6” long armed, penetrating, athletic, raw talent Alec Burks this could go better than he dreamed it. His upside is practically limitless in the eyes of some. 

Burks averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in one of the best conferences in America. As a sophomore he almost carried a team to the NCAA Tournament. He did this all the while being too skinny, not a good enough shooter, and limited talent around him. Two or three years down the road Burks could ‘potentially’ be a reigning Rookie of the Year and All-Pro.

Most analysts have the CU guard going #11 to Golden State, but it be wouldn’t be surprising to see him go as high at #5 to Toronto.

Coverage of the 2011 NBA Draft Starts at 5 PM Mountain Time.