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Never before in Denver sports history have the Broncos, Rockies and Nuggets all been so deserving of our support.  It’s a great time to be a Denver sports fan.

Before one of the Nuggets playoff games this past spring, I got into a cordial albeit somewhat contentious debate with Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien.   Despite having just met, I couldn’t help but bring up what a difference it was from the fans’ perspective to root for the 2008-09 Nuggets versus their 2007-08 predecessors.  Even though the teams were separated by a mere four victories, I tried explaining how a team of character instead of characters will always win over the hearts of Colorado fans.

Warkentien turned the conversation back on me for having foolishly, in his opinion, condemned Nuggets head coach George Karl and the organization in general during a 50-win season in 2007-08.  His point was that I had no clue how hard it is to win 50 games in an NBA season.  I tried (unsuccessfully) to explain to Warkentien that it wasn’t about the 50 wins, but rather the apparent lack of effort from the bench and on the floor, the routine off and on the court incidents that the players got themselves into, the fifth straight first round playoff exit and, the kicker, the sweep at the hands of the Lakers without putting up so much as a nominal fight.  

In other words, the 2007-08 Nuggets just weren’t a team worth rooting for.  And the same could be said of the last three Broncos teams, most of the Rockies teams in the post-Blake Street Bombers Era up to 2007 and most of the Nuggets teams in the post-Dikembe Mutombo / pre-Carmelo Anthony Era.

You see, unlike our counterparts in larger markets like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas or Boston, Denver sports fans have always been rooted (somewhat) in reality.  We don’t expect to win every game and recognize that our franchises, being located in one of the countries smaller markets by professional sports standards, are unlikely to outspend in order to win.  And thus, we live by a simple credo: as long as the players and coaches we root for care more about the outcome of the games they play than we do, we will support them with our dollars, time and emotions.  

It’s not necessarily about wins and losses, but rather the effort on the field, on the court and in the locker room.  Hence why it felt better rooting for Jeff Bzdelik’s 17-win 2002-03 Nuggets than Dan Issel’s 40-win 2000-01 squad. And why it felt great rooting for Mike Shanahan’s 8-win 1995 Broncos, but it just never felt right rooting for the teams he coached in his final three seasons even though they, too, were essentially 8-win teams on average.

In fact, since the Rockies arrival in 1993, I can’t remember a time when we could honestly say that the personnel running, coaching and playing for all three of our favorite teams – the Broncos, Rockies and Nuggets (sorry, I regard the Avalanche like an adopted fourth child and don’t know enough about hockey to comment on it intelligently) – genuinely cared more about winning as much, if not more, than we the fans did. 

Just months after the Nuggets completed their best season in NBA franchise history, we find the Broncos off to a stunningly wonderful 5-0 start, the Rockies in the playoffs for only their third time in team history (even though they’re down 2-1 to Philadelphia) and a possible third straight 50-win Nuggets season that could see them make another Western Conference Finals.

But again, it’s not about the wins but the guys producing these wins. Doesn’t it feel better rooting for the young, energetic, workaholic Josh McDaniels than the arrogant, how-dare-you-question-my-authority, resting on the laurels of past glory Mike Shanahan? Shanahan became so entrenched as the Broncos “coach for life” that he had the chutzpah to build a 34,927-square-foot home that includes a bowling alley, a racquetball court (I didn’t know people still played racquetball) and a shuffleboard table. I hope he has time to enjoy it when he’s commuting to Denver from Dallas next year. And on the field, it’s certainly more enjoyable rooting for the humble, team-first Kyle Orton than the cocky, me-first Jay Cutler.

Doesn’t it just feel right hooting and hollering in support of Jim Tracy, knowing that he won’t jerk his players around the batting order like his predecessor Clint Hurdle did?  And knowing that when the Rockies get themselves into a strategic pickle, Tracy’s captivation of numbers and scenarios – you know, Baseball Managing 101 – will often lead the Rockies to the right place?

And on the hardwood, it sure was nice seeing George Karl take a “my way or the highway” approach to the 2008-09 season rather than the “I’ll just enjoy this free courtside seat” version of Karl that we unfortunately became accustomed to from 2006 through 2008.  (I’m hoping that Karl’s eruption on his players during a meaningless preseason game against Partizan Belgrade during the first quarter last weekend is a sign of things to come this year.  How many times have I and the readers of this blog begged for “Fiery George” to rear his head again these past two seasons?)  And it goes without saying that “lunch pail” guys like Chauncey Billups, Arron Afflalo, Chris Andersen and Renaldo Balkman make $300 worth of Nuggets tickets go down easier than selfish divas like Allen Iverson, Ruben Patterson and Voshon Lenard.

1997-98 remains as the best period in Denver sports history and will probably never be topped.  Back-to-back Broncos Super Bowl victories will do that for you.  But even during that time, the fact that those two Broncos teams each won more games than the 1997-98 Nuggets taints it just a tad.

2009-10 has the potential to feel almost as good.  Let’s savor it while it lasts…

My apologies for not getting a game thread up in time, but Carmelo Anthony dropped 45 points, collected nine rebounds and even had two blocks to lead the Nuggets to a preseason win over the Pacers in Beijing.  Not bad for 24 minutes of work.  I’d say Melo is ready for the regular season.

The Nuggets face the Indiana Pacers in Taiwan in the first of two exhibition games to be played in Asia.  The game is televised on NBATV at 5:30 am MDT tomorrow.

With a new Nuggets season just weeks away, Denver Stiffs is wondering if 2009-10 is going to turn out like 1985-86.

By Nuggets franchise standards, the 1985-86 season was a success.  The Nuggets won 47 games (third best in the Western Conference, although it should be noted that three Western playoff participants were sub-.500 that season), a playoff series and took the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets to six games in the second round, culminating with a heartbreaking 126-122 double overtime Rockets victory at McNichols Arena.  But looking at 1985-86 from a broader view, it was a bit of let down as the Nuggets had come off an NBA franchise-best 52 win season and a Western Conference Finals appearance against the Lakers the year before.

Never one to be a glass-is-half-full kind of guy, I’m concerned that 2009-10 is already feeling like that 1985-86 campaign.  Consider the comparisons…

…after surprising the NBA with a 52-win season in 1984-85, the Nuggets surprised no one in 1985-86.  Just as they’ll surprise no one this year.

…the Nuggets division rival in 1985-86, a young Houston team led by talented twin towers Hakeen Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, was coming off its first playoff appearance in several years and was able to overtake the Nuggets by season’s end.  Despite this blog’s readers consistently – and I think, foolishly – writing off the Nuggets current division rival; a young Portland Trail Blazers team featuring its own pair of talented twin towers in LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden (certainly not to be confused with the greatness of Olajuwon and Sampson, when healthy), I wouldn’t be shocked if the Blazers overtook the Nuggets in April.

…rather than build off their success in 1984-85 by adding an impact player to help knock off the Lakers, the Nuggets returned virtually the same roster from the season before, sans Dan Issel who retired.  The 2009-10 Nuggets are also returning virtually the same roster, essentially swapping Dahntay Jones for Arron Afflalo (which will be an upgrade) while losing Linas Kleiza.

…like their 1985-86 predecessors, the 2009-10 Nuggets are led by an All-Star caliber small forward and point guard combined with gritty upfront players and solid depth.  Unfortunately, also like their predecessors they don’t have an All-Star caliber center (and no, Nene’s 14.6 ppg and 7.8 rpg are not All-Star numbers, regardless of what you’ve been reading) and their primary competition, in this season’s case the Lakers, Blazers and Spurs, are some of the taller teams in the NBA.  Lest we forget that the 2008-09 Nuggets didn’t have any problems in the postseason until they went up against a team with length. 

…looking to distance themselves even further from their Western Conference competition, the Lakers added a mercurial, tough veteran in Maurice Lucas for the 1985-86 campaign – similar to them adding the mercurial, tough Ron Artest this summer.  Of course, Lucas never punched a fan in the stands.

Throw in an exhausting trip to China, a Western Conference high 22 back-to-back games, and a much improved San Antonio Spurs, and I’m getting that feeling that 2009-10 is going to end up a lot more like 1985-86 than 2008-09.  

Let’s hope I’m proven wrong…

Denver Stiffs got our first look at the 2009-10 version of the Denver Nuggets. With the NBA dropping the ball on pre-season coverage we decided our best option was to head over to the Pepsi Center and catch some live action.

If you like to tally up wins and losses you’ll be glad to know the Nuggets pulled their pre-season record to 1-1 by beating Partizan Belgrade 102-70. But if you are like me, you use the pre-season to get a look at the new pups and to see if the “old dogs” have added any new tricks to their game.

First things first … Keith Brumbaugh, Joey Graham, Chauncey Billups, and Chris Andersen did not play last night. The crowd attempted to goad George Karl into playing the cult figure with chants of “Birdman,” but we all had to settle for a few wing flaps from the Bird instead.

Of the guys listed above, I really was looking forward to seeing Graham play. I wanted to see how his game has grown since his days at Oklahoma State, but I’ll have to wait to see how he goes about averaging his 6.4 career total points a game.

On to the guys that were in action …

Anthony Carter: He had his stroke going last night. Carter definitely falls into the “old dog … new trick?” category and it looks like this old dog has been working on his shooting. A.C. has some extra motivation heading into the season and that motivation is Ty Lawson … nothing will get you more focused than knowing there is a guy looming to take your job. I wish NBA.com or ESPN a box score up, but the Post has Carter’s numbers at 5-6 shooting on the night … I don’t remember him missing a shot! A.C. didn’t record an official assist, but he was pushing the pace and did toss an alley-oop to Nene … although it sailed a bit high and out of bounds. Carter’s job as Denver’s primary backup point guard does not appear to be in any danger … like it or not.

Ty Lawson: I sort of dismissed all the talk about Lawson being a small guard. I don’t tend to think that professional athletes need to be certain dimensions in order to succeed. Look at Elvis Dumervil of the Denver Broncos … all the guy hears is how he’s undersized … yet he accounts for 60% of the Broncos sacks this season. That being said, seeing Lawson in person for the first time … he’s among redwood trees out there. Lawson saw extensive action in the first half, but Dontaye Draper got the bulk of the minutes in the second half. When Lawson was on the floor he was looking to run when the ball came to him in transition. On two separate occasions Lawson was looking to push the ball up the floor, but had the ball jarred from his hands and committed two turnovers. Lawson hit a corner three and his shot, although unconventional, seems to be working at the NBA level. It looks almost like Lawson double clutches with his jumper as he loads up to shoot. I wanted to see him go to the rack a little more … but playing Partizan may have provided a new challenge for the ”Rook.” Lawson is going to have to earn his minutes this season, but I think he’s up for it.

Dontaye Draper: I was a bit surprised that Draper got so many minutes in the second half. Karl even utilized a Draper and Lawson backcourt for the last few minutes of the game that may have set some type of record the smallest guard combo in NBA history. I don’t see Draper earning a roster spot with the Nuggets, but he is using his time with Denver to audition for an NBA job. Draper is quick and handles the ball well in traffic, however, his shot doesn’t have much rotation on it and he was having trouble knocking down his jumpers.

J.R. Smith: Swish started last night and saw extensive action after missing the Jazz game. His three-point shot wasn’t finding the mark last night and I’m going to blame his shoes. Smith went an all black sneaker and they looked a bit out of place with the rest of the team (as most of the Nuggets wear a white shoe with some yellow and powder blue highlights.) What weren’t out of place were Smith’s two MONSTER dunks in the first half. J.R. got the crowd going with a two handed power dunk over 7′6” Slavko Vranes … yes, you read that right … SEVEN FOOT SIX INCH Slavko Vranes. Smith followed that dunk with a steal on the following Partizan possession and as he raced towards the hoop you could tell he was trying to determine how to dunk the ball on breakaway attempt with a defender in the lane … Smith went up left handed and threw down a southpaw tomahawk jam over his defender … Rocky Balboa would have been proud of that left! J.R. had a couple nice passes and was looking to attack the lane and he hit a nice fall-away jumper from the top of the key. I don’t know yet how much his game has grown since last season, but it was good to see him attacking the hoop. (It was also weird seeing J.R. in a #5 jersey for the first time.)

Arron Afflalo: Word around the camp fire (camp fire? what?) is that Afflalo has an incredible work ethic. I was excited to see him in a Nuggets uniform. There undoubtedly will be Afflalo and Dahntay Jones comparisons throughout the season, but make no mistake … the two do not compare. Afflalo looked to get his offense going last night and has a pretty release on his shot. He looked to lock down his man on defense and moves well in staying in front of his man. Afflalo is going to have a nice season and I don’t really see him not starting for the Nuggets.

Carmelo Anthony: Melo looks as good as ever. He was attacking the rim, throwing down dunks with authority, and hustling. He looks the same to me as he did at the end of last season … I didn’t notice a lighter Melo, but he looks to be in good shape. It’ll be interesting to see Melo’s motivation for the season and if last night was an indicator … I think we are in for good things.

James “Flight” White: White hit a nice three last night, but what I was waiting for was “Flight School” … as the arena announcer when White checked into the game. I was trying to figure out how many people at the game knew who White was and what he was capable of doing on a breakaway dunk. At roughly the 2:20 mark of the fourth quarter White got his chance to showcase his hops. On a Partizan turnover Draper threw the ball ahead to White and he was able to take off … he threw down a double-clutch two handed dunk with his chin about even with the rim to give Denver a 98-63 lead. If White makes the final roster we are in for some electrifying dunks.

Renaldo Balkman: When Balkman is on the floor … good things tend to happen. Balkman scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds last night. I’ve been a fan of Renaldo’s since he was hounding Melo as a member of the Knicks. The guy is all over the court and I don’t think he has ever heard the word quit. Balkman played a lot last night and I really hope he finds his way into the regular rotation this season.

Kenyon Martin: Andrew commented at the game that he thought K-Mart looked to be in great shape, I concur. Martin looks as fresh as he’s been saying. His jumper doesn’t seem to be improved, but I’ll take a healthy K-Mart. When Martin was not in the game he was WORKING THE REFS! The replacement officials definitely know Martin now … he didn’t let up barking at them the entire night. With under a minute to play he was still standing up and voicing his opinion.

Malik Allen: Allen played quite a bit in the first half and he’s a crafty veteran. On one defensive possession he opted to lower his shoulder and bull over a Partizan player in his way in the lane … but he was sneaky about it. If Allen proves capable of knocking down the 15-foot jumper he could earn some minutes this season. He has a big body and could help spell our bigs.

Nene: The Big Brazilian was active last night. For those of us concerned about his finishing around the rim … threw down a nasty power dunk over his defender for an And1 … I really think fatigue played a big part with Nene last year and it’ll be key to get the big fella some rest … that’s where hopefully Allen will provide some minutes here and there. Nene didn’t seem to have any discomfort in his arm and looks ready to go. And he better get it all going soon as he not planning on playing in the NBA much longer. (Click the link for his retirement talk.)

Johan Petro: I didn’t realize how big Petro is. He is a large man … not only tall, but he has some weight to him. Petro is pretty fascinating because he possesses speed and good athleticism for his size. He continues to show some promise as he had a nice up and under move where he finished strong with a nice dunk. Petro is still a project, but he’s a cheap one.

Overall the game was fairly sloppy. There was an “All-Star” game feel to the first half. Melo said through the Denver Post that Karl was not pleased with the game and I don’t think he should have been. Although it is the pre-season it’s important to start to get into the flow. The Nuggets will hopefully get things tightened up as they get ready to head to China.

It was great to get back to the Pepsi Center for a game. Now that basketball season is right around the corner it really doesn’t feel like it ever went away. There was a heavy Partizan crowd at the game and they were going NUTS all night! Chants, cheering, booing, and flag waving … that’s how the Partizan faithful rolled. I even took a picture for a guy that didn’t speak a lot of English, but was excited to see his team play.

ntimmons73@yahoo.com

photo courtesy of David Zalubowski

When I saw that the Nuggets only preseason home game would be played against Partizan Belgrade, I unfairly derided the boys from Belgrade.

After reading my immature dismissal of Partizan Belgrade, AOL Fanhouse’s Chris Tomasson emailed me a great article that he wrote about Serbian and Montenegrin basketball back when he was covering the 2004 Olympics for The Rocky Mountain News.  Tomasson’s article notes that Partizan heads a basketball “assembly line” for a country that has turned out terrific NBA players such as Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic and the late Drazen Petrovic (one of my all-time favorite non-Nuggets).

More recently, Partizan has racked up three straight Adriatic League (or NLB League) championships and won the Euroleague Championship back in 1992. 

The bottom line is that the Nuggets should take these guys seriously and spare themselves a repeat of their embarrassing performance at Utah this week.  Go Nuggets!

On a side note, the game doesn’t appear to be televised on Altitude (at least not according to my guide on DirecTV) nor is it being televised on NBATV.  Unless I’m missing something here and it’s magically being televised somewhere I don’t know about, I say shame on the NBA and Altitude/the Nuggets organization.  Not only should the game be televised locally for Nuggets fans, but it should at the very least – as should all preseason games for all NBA teams – be televised to NBA League Pass customers and/or on NBATV.  I really don’t need to see “Real Training Camp: Los Angeles” repeated all day as they’ve been doing on NBATV.  Get with the program, guys, and know what your fans (i.e. paying customers) want.  I see an angry letter from yours truly coming shortly…

I’m fortunate enough to have tickets to both the Nuggets preseason game against Partizan Belgrade at Pepsi Center on Saturday night and the Broncos/Cowboys game at Invesco on Sunday.  Guess which one I’m more excited about?

I love attending preseason basketball games for several reasons.  First, the stadium is always half, if not two-thirds, empty so you really get to hear what’s going on the floor between the players, coaches and (at least for now) replacement referees.  Second, I like being as close as possible to the players early to see if all the summer rumors about who’s in shape and who isn’t are true or false.  And third, even this early you can start gauging your team’s energy and enthusiasm entering a new season.  For example, last October you could just tell that the Nuggets had an extra gear in them, even before Chauncey Billups arrived.

So what will I be looking for on Saturday night?  (And yes, I’m skipping ahead to Saturday since I can’t watch tonight’s game at Utah.)

I want to see if Carmelo Anthony is indeed 15 pounds lighter, as has been reported.  And I’ll also be looking for offseason improvements – if any – like adding a new move around the basket, working on the consistency of his free throw shooting or better defensive footwork.

Along the same lines as Melo’s physique, I’ll be keeping a close eye on Nenê.  Did he maintain his conditioning this summer?  Or did have another one of his “Brazilian summers” as we’ve seen in year’s past as he recovered from that painful broken arm sustained in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals by laying on the beach?

Kenyon Martin is reportedly feeling better than he’s ever felt and has his hops back from his New Jersey days.  Hopefully we’ll get to see a thunderous dunk or two that backs this up.  K-Mart has been dishing out a lot of bold rhetoric lately, as well, and it will be fun to see if his body language matches up with his mouth.  I have to say, though, it’s nice having a Bill Laimbeer-type player on our team for once (in spite of the bloated contract) who deflects negative attention away from his teammates.

I won’t read too much into Chauncey Billups’ preseason performances.  At 33 years old and with seven consecutive conference finals appearances on his resume, Chauncey has earned the right to ease into the preseason and save his energy for the regular season – kind of like how the Colts use Peyton Manning during the preseason in the NFL.

Everyone in attendance on Saturday night will paying close attention to George Karl’s rotation and specifically, whether or not J.R. Smith starts.  Karl has already come out publicly saying that J.R. isn’t guaranteed to be starting as the Nuggets try to replicate last season’s success with one of the most explosive benches in the NBA.  The next question then is; did J.R. make any visible improvements in the offseason and how will he respond to staying on the bench?

And this leads us straight to Arron Afflalo, already assumed to be the Nuggets best offseason acquisition.  The Afflalo bandwagon is filling up fast and I’m a proud member of it.  But the downside of that is everything Afflalo does will be dissected and over-analyzed on Saturday night.  If Afflalo starts and plays well throughout the preseason, don’t be the least surprised if J.R. becomes the 2010 Sixth Man of the Year Award winner.

Speaking of new acquisitions, I’ll be looking to see if Ty Lawson can go through a game without getting his shot blocked routinely like we saw in Las Vegas Summer League.  Lawson’s learning curve is already being praised and we’re collectively hoping he’ll be replacing Anthony Carter as the primary backup soon.  I can’t wait to see this kid play on Saturday night.  

Another observation to make a note of is how Chris “Birdman” Andersen responds to his newfound job security and how Renaldo Balkman handles being a rotation fixture, assuming he’ll be filling in for the departed Linas Kleiza in backing up Melo.  And I think we all know we’ll get a good effort from A.C. even if a few turnovers come along with said effort.

And of course it’s always fun to see new players.  This weekend we’ll be watching where Malik Allen fits into the rotation, how Joey Graham and James White do in a Nuggets uniform and if training camp newcomers Keith Brumbaugh, Dontaye Draper and Kurt Looby have any shot whatsoever of making the opening day roster.

I can’t wait!  A Nuggets preseason game and a Broncos victory over the Cowboys in the same weekend?  It might be too much to ask…

On a side note, if any of you are coming to Saturday’s game, Nate and I will be getting there early and it would be great to meet up with some fellow Stiffs at the Blue Sky Lounge.  So drop us an email and let us know.

Photo courtesy of David Zalubowski, AP

Nenê has overcome a lot in his seven year NBA career: a language barrier in his early days in the league, a major knee injury, testicular cancer, and most recently, a broken forearm suffered during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. After playing in just 81 regular season games in a three season span from 2005-2008, Nenê was back with a vengeance last season and put up career numbers with 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The Big Brazilian is the Nuggets’ heavyweight contender with a lot still to prove.

When you talk about Nenê, well, there is plenty to discuss.

For starters, you can talk about when he was drafted. Looking back at the 2002 draft the Nuggets notoriously selected Nikoloz Tskitishvili with the 5th overall selection … bypassing proven college talent Caron Butler and the talented but controversial high school kid Amar’e Stoudemire. But Denver, as is often the case with trades, had the New York Knicks select a player for them at the seven spot to complete a deal that was presumably already in the works.

The trade … New York received 2001 All-Star Antonio McDyess, the draft rights to the 25th overall pick Frank Williams, and a 2003 second round pick (Maciej Lampe from Poland at 30th overall). Denver received Marcus Camby, a washed up Mark Jackson, and the rights to Maybyner “Nenê” Hilario. As a fan, I was very concerned that the Nuggets had just taken two rookies that I’d never heard of ahead of my favorite college player.

The trade was a risk for both teams as New York was hoping McDyess – a career 17.6 points and 8.7 rebounds guy at the time – would recover nicely from knee surgery that limited him to just 10 games for the Nuggets the previous season. And for the Nuggets, they were gambling that Camby would be able to help the team down the road after he recovered from injuries that limited him to just 29 games with the Knicks the previous season.

Knicks general manager Scott Layden was quoted as saying, “While we would like to thank Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson for all of their hard work over the years in a Knicks uniform, we felt this trade was not something we could pass up.”

The excitement of the trade for the Knicks would quickly fade as McDyess would miss the entire 2002-03 season and would appear in just 18 games for the Knicks in his only active season with the team in 2003-04.

For Denver … the trade quickly appeared to be more about this Nenê kid (who put up 10.5 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds in 28.2 minutes a game his rookie season) rather than what appeared to be an injury riddled Marcus Camby. But Camby would prove his critics wrong as he played in an average of just under 69 games a season with the Nuggets over his next five years with the team.

Camby would play a vital role in the resurgence of the Denver Nuggets, while Nenê’s once promising career started to unravel due to injuries and illness.

While watching any professional sports draft you’ll hear the words, “upside” and “potential” above all others … especially while watching the often unpredictable NBA draft. The words, for fans, often come with a negative connotation because more often than not … the guy that had so much “upside” never pans out. Well, it was starting to look that way for Nenê as his body kept betraying him. Nagging injuries began piling up and you had to start wondering if the kid just wasn’t taking care of his body, or if he was cursed with what in the car world is known as a lemon.

The rotation of Kenyon Martin, Nenê, and Marcus Camby had us all salivating at the possibilities on paper, but each season brought new tragedy. Who could forget that first game down in San Antonio in 2005 when Nenê checked into the game, played just three minutes, and then fell awkwardly under the hoop … shredding his knee and ending his season.

And then in 2007, Nenê looked to be on the road back by averaging 12.2 points and 7 rebounds in the 2006-07 season … but was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to miss practically all of the 2007-08 campaign as he battled for his life. It appeared that the talented Brazilian was indeed given a lemon of a body. When he eventually came back to play late in 2008 I remember grabbing tickets for his first game back because I wanted to be part of the standing ovation I knew he’d receive. The Pepsi Center was rocking and you could see #31 just wanted to get back on the floor and get his latest comeback under way.

Sports are often more about redemption than anything else and I found myself wanting Nenê to succeed for a new list of reasons. The once skinny, raw, but talented Brazilian added bulk to his frame and years of worry to his young mind. He had been with the team for six seasons, but it seemed like an eternity since I’d seen him on the court. I worried that along the road to personal recovery his basketball skills had declined … I was wrong.

Nenê came out last season and looked like a beast. He looked bigger and better than any former version of himself. He seemed to have a re-tooled game as well. He was hitting jump shots with regularity to go along with his inside game where he could finish around the rim with either hand. He put up career numbers in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and minutes played.

Although the amount of minutes may have worn him down towards the end of the season, along with guarding bigger, but slower players … it was easy for me to see why the Nuggets moved a speedy Nenê to center.

After the disappointing series loss to the Lakers there was a small blurb about Nenê breaking his forearm in game six. Would this set him back after such a great year? How bad was the break? We went nearly all summer without much news on the injury, but thankfully Chris Tomasson of AOL Fanhouse directed me to his story, “Does the West Have an All-Star Center?”

In the piece Tomasson breaks down the various candidates to replace Yao Ming (out again with an injury) and Shaquille O’Neal (now playing in the East) on next year’s all-star team. In specifically talking about Nenê … Tomasson wrote, “Nenê  is fully healthy after suffering a broken left arm in Denver’s last playoff game. He took about six weeks off, and said now his ‘arm is perfect.’”

(There are some nice quotes in the article from Nenê, discussing his goals for the upcoming season … click here.)

As we all know, #31 is going to be patrolling the middle again for the Nuggets this season. Nenê has a full season of playing center under his belt and he used his speed and superior athleticism to exploit many matchups. I like having a quicker guy down low … I think the NBA often falls in love with size too much. There are only so many Dwight Howard type players out there and the Nuggets are taking a bit of a different approach by using Nenê’s speed over some Stiffs size. It got the Nuggets to the brink of the NBA Finals a season ago and it got Nenê’s career headed in the right direction.

Nenê will again be asked to mix it up with the heavyweights in the post, and while he may be more of a light-heavyweight himself, his tools give Denver a puncher’s chance.

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Denver Stiffs is proud to bring you a sneak peek of Chauncey Billups‘ Got Milk? advertisement. I’ve been running across little bullet points in health magazines recently stating how good a glass of chocolate milk is for your body after a workout. I wasn’t sure it was true because I love chocolate milk (and you know what they say about if something tastes good), and if Billups is on the milk wagon … count me in! Click through to see the ad in its entirety.

Billups will be officially unveiling this advertisement today at the Pepsi Center. Check back later to see some more photos from the event.

Thanks to Weber Shandwick for providing the photos.

Nuggets to be featured on “Real Training Camp” TODAY…