The third NBA season is typically when a player goes from getting his feet wet to becoming the basketball star everyone expects him to be. Some players fully realize their substantial upside during this time and make the transition to elite status. Stepping out the shadows of obscurity and taking their place as one of the best players in the NBA is a process and doesn’t happen overnight. As part of a three-part series, we will look at three leading men – Nikola Jokic, Devin B

It was a peculiar start to Jamal Murray’s career as a Denver Nugget. Even with a young backcourt of high first-round draft picks in point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and shooting guard Gary Harris, Tim Connelly and his front office didn’t think twice about drafting the shooter from Kentucky and selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Despite not taking a pre-draft visit with Denver, the 6-foot 4-inch guard from Canada was simply too good to pass up, even a

For the second time this offseason the Denver Nuggets have been linked to a high-profile point guard looking for a new town. Whether or not that comes to fruition is anyone’s guess. In an announcement that threatens to shift the balance of power even further from the Eastern Conference, All-Star guard Kyrie Irving voiced his displeasure in playing with LeBron James and asked for a trade out of Cleveland. Lots of talk and little action have come since then, but with the Clevel

It’s easier to find a star in the NBA Draft when you’re picking in the top five. Once the Lonzo Balls and Markelle Fultzs of the world are gone, it comes the real challenge for most GM: finding a rookie later on in the draft that can contribute to your team’s success. For every lottery-pick that flames out in the league, there are other success stories like a Steve Nash or Kawhi Leonard, who were lightly-regarded prospects that flourished under the right team. For the three p

The Denver Nuggets enter this upcoming season on the precipice of doing something they haven’t done since the 2012-2013, qualify for the NBA playoffs. In boasting some of the most promising young players in the NBA today, Denver is banking that the full maturation of those players, along with recent free-agent signee, Paul Millsap, will help them keep pace with the rest of the imposing Western Conference. Any team, from championship-contender to struggling franchise, has its

If the first days of NBA free-agency are like a kid in a candy store getting ready to spend his allowance on sweets, the following weeks are like a mom looking for deals and clipping coupons. Now that big names have either stayed with their old teams or joined new ones, this is the time when teams start kicking the tires on either finding depth for their roster or an under-the-radar player who can come in and help a team at a lesser cost. In looking at each of the players on

For as beautiful as the city of Denver can be, big name free-agents have avoided playing basketball in the Rocky Mountains as much as you or I avoid going to the dentist. The Nuggets made progress in reversing that trend last week, as power forward Paul Millsap, agreed to terms on a 3-year, 90-million-dollar contract that has a club option on the third year. It marks a change in the philosophy of the Denver front office that recently has seen them try to develop a homegrown n

What Happened Last Season: The Denver Nuggets are the Jekyll and Hyde of the NBA. One night, they looked like world beaters in taking games from the eventual NBA champs, Golden State Warriors, as well as the league runner-up, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Eastern Conference finalists, Boston Celtics, looking like a team on the rise. But, then you have to balance that with losses the team suffered to cellar-dwellers in the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings. Denver made considerabl

What Happened Last Season: The Portland Trail Blazers are in the same boat as teams like the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, good enough to just squeak into the postseason, but not enough of a threat to advance once they get there. The Blazers were in the thick of playoff contention for much of the year until a late-season spurt that, corresponding with a trade for center Jusuf Nurkic, saw them overtake the Nuggets to claim the eighth and final spot in the West

With the news that point guard Chris Paul is opting of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and testing the free-agent market, a surprising name among the teams he is interested in visiting is the Denver Nuggets. With the move of free-agents to join other high profile markets or hook up with other superstars on other perennial powers to create the dreaded “super team”, Denver didn’t fit seem to fit either of those categories. While it’s hard to infer what Paul is lookin

Can the Golden State Warriors finish a perfect 16-0 to capture a 2nd NBA Title? This was the question going into Game 4 and it was dashed in the first quarter of Saturday night’s game in Cleveland. The Cleveland Cavaliers raced out to an early 24-9 lead and never looked back, taking Game 4 with a resounding 137-116 win. For the first time in the series, Golden State looked vulnerable as Steph Curry had his worst game in the Finals and the Warriors had no answer for a laser-be

For a series that figured to be more competitive, the Golden State Warriors might be on the cusp of putting their foot on the throats of the Cleveland Cavaliers if they manage to score a win on the Cavs’ home floor. In racing out to a 2-0 lead, Kevin Durant has been nearly unguardable, Steph Curry is hitting circus shots from nearly half-court and the rest of the Warriors have played their roles to perfection in their quick start. On the other side, LeBron James has played up

The 117-104 final score in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals did little justice to the domination meted out by LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Finding an answer for everything the Celtics threw his way, James filled the stat sheet with 38 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In winning his 12th straight playoff game dating back to the 2016 postseason, it was hard for anyone watching, not to think that it’s only a matter of time before the Cavs are playing for their 2nd cha

In a series that was filled with theatrics, game-winning shots and surprising performances, the Boston Celtics did just enough to push their noses across the finish line to win the series against the Washington Wizards four games to three. Taking Game 7, 115-105, the C’s booked a date with the defending NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. In a rematch of a series from two years ago, the matchup pits the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference.

With the Washington Wizards’ 121-102 win yesterday, the series between the Wizards and the Boston Celtics is evened up at two games apiece. The Wizards showed resolve in battling back to tie up the series after losing the first two on the road. One of the great stories during this year’s playoffs, Boston’s star point guard, Isaiah Thomas, who is dealing with physical and emotional issues, dropped in 53 points in a May 2nd win. Through it all, Thomas is boasting an impressive

The Portland Trail Blazers needed to have big games from guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard if they were to have any hope of taking down the Golden State Warriors or at the least, making it a competitive series. Prior to the start of the series, Lillard even boasted that he was confident that Portland could take down the Dubs in six games. Coming off a stretch where the Blazers were nearly lights out in making the playoffs, it seemed that they had momentum going into the m

With the Denver Nuggets slightly ahead in the standings just weeks prior, Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers went on a tear. Winning seven out of their last ten, including a critical win over the Nuggets to leap frog them into the final playoff spot, the Blazers go into their first-round matchup with plenty of momentum. One of the few things that didn’t favor Portland is drawing the Warriors for the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. With Kevin Durant coming back f

Starting with the drafting of Carmelo Anthony back in 2003, the Denver-area experienced a basketball renaissance when they saw the typically-struggling team find a winning formula under then coach, George Karl. In going to the playoffs every year starting in 2003-2004 and ending in 2013, fans starving for good basketball were introduced to a squad that was consistently in the mix during the postseason. Whether or not the current Denver Nuggets make the playoffs (as of right n

It’s been a frustrating week for the Denver Nuggets, to say the least. A loss against the New Orleans Pelicans this past Sunday coupled with a defeat to the now playoff-bound Portland Trail Blazers has put the team on its heels. It wasn’t that the Nuggets lost to a very good Portland team or a Pelicans unit with one of the best and brightest in the league in Anthony Davis, it was how they lost both contests that proves worrisome. Whether it be a thirty plus point blowout loss