Several Nuggets Too Proud Of Being In The NBA

Going into the game against OKC I was optimistic of two things for the Nuggets and Brian Shaw.  If they won the boards they would win the game (they did not), and if they played for each other they could finally discover themselves (they did not do this either).

This Nugget's team is good, probably really good verging on great.  Problem is they will be the second to last to know it.  The last to know it will be the NBA, because for now they see some scary stuff on tape, but a few key areas to exploit Denver as well.  The scary stuff is a coach who can pull out some incredible play from a different source every night.  The exploitation comes from the mystery of who it will be.

Right now these Nuggets are NBA players who play for their coach and not for each other.  The problem is when you let your coach carry your balls you end up with NBA, No Ball's At'all.  Shaw has inspired Jordan Hamilton from riding the pine to hittin' the showers early as he got tossed from his first game for swinging at an OKC opponent. At lease he fought.   If we need some balls lately, it takes J-Ham or Nate with attitude because Chandler, Foye and Faried have No Balls At'All.

Wilson Chandler has not only been instructed to shoot more, he has been aired out on television by the game commentator's who constantly share the coaches admonition.  Still, Chandler is struggling to put up 15 shots a game and almost none when the game is on the line. Chandler can do it all, but he thinks that you have to hit 3's in order to be ballin'.  If his 3 ain't fallin', he ain't ballin'.  He might be scoring because he always puts up points, but in his own mind he does not feel like he is rollin' unless he is hittin' the 3.

Foye is a capable 3 point shooter, but not if he has to defend a lot or put the ball on the ground . Faried is an awesome player, just as long as he is not shot putting balls at the rim hoping for good results like a game of ring toss.  On occasion he actually sets his feet and shoots a short jumper, but it looks so awkward that you feel awkward for him. Even if one falls no one on the court, especially Faried, believes he will hit enough of them to change the way you defend him.

For each of these players there is one very simple answer.  Get some balls, get the coach out of your head and hit the short jumper (or add Chandler to sweeten my trade plan for Pau Gasol).  The Nuggets have a dominant pick and roll game (when the big's actually roll).  Teams have had to adjust to the Nuggets skill in this area by forcing them to shoot the short jumper.  We get more looks at the short jumpshot than any team in the Association because we take and hit so few.

The Nuggets played pretty bad against OKC and still had a shot late in this game only to see it get snatched away by rebounds and second chance points.  Turnovers, rebounds, freethrows.  All of these things played a role, but not as much as confidence (or lack thereof).

In a special side note, Shaw seems to be getting as sick of Foye as I am as he went with Fournier late who only scored 5 points but got into the paint at will.
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