Denver Stiffs: For Denver Nuggets Fans

Storylines from the first two gamesSF CompetitionAre you convinced Michael Porter Jr. is for real?Malik Beasley looking strong Finishing up the preseasonJerami Grant vs. Paul Millsap rotationHow many minutes does Nikola Jokic need?What is your opening day rotation? Season predictionsMVPFinalsDenver Nuggets wins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Denver Nuggets were tested by a strong Los Angeles Clippers squad on Thursday night, illuminating some of their weaknesses on both ends of the floor in the starting unit.  To break down the game, Ryan and Zach hopped on call to discuss the finer details, including the small forward rotation, the down performances from Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, and the strong bench play, featuring both Juancho Hernangomez and Michael Porter Jr. at backup small forward. Is the starting small forward competition over already? Can Porter sneak into the Nuggets rotation? We discussed it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly two years of waiting to play basketball, Michael Porter Jr. finally returned to the court and showed Denver Nuggets fans exactly why they should be excited about the 2018 first round pick. His strong scoring performance, coupled with the strong debut of backup power forward Jerami Grant, offered Nuggets fans hope for the 2019-20 season and beyond. Ryan dissected the entire preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers, from the starting minutes of small forward Will Barton to the importance of Jamal Murray learning to let shots fly. Even with Nikola Jokic sitting, there's lots to talk about with this Nuggets team and many players who will contribute to Denver's success going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Training Camp Wrap upSo long Elijah Millsap/Jorge GuiterrezSF Competition Preseason Game 1 previewWhat are important things to watch for in game 1?What are you expecting to see out of Michael Porter Jr.? Preseason Over Unders20 minutes a game for Nikola Jokic13.5 ppg for MPJ1.5 Technical fouls for Michael Malone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Denver Nuggets training camp wrapped up in Colorado Springs, all that remains between now and the start of the regular season is four exhibition games. Nuggets fans are gearing up for an exciting preseason with the debut of Michael Porter Jr., the first minutes of Jerami Grant in a Nuggets uniform, and the return of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and many more.  To break down the end of training camp and where Denver goes from here, Ryan was joined by Jena Garcia and Gordon Gross in Colorado Springs to hit on the major takeaways. The group had five main takeaways to discuss and four major questions left to answer. After that, the trio discussed their biggest hot takes they actually believe on the 2019-20 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The predominant storyline in training camp so far has been the competition for both the starting and backup small forward positions in the Denver Nuggets every day rotation. Thus far, Will Barton has been limited by a hamstring injury, while Torrey Craig and Juancho Hernangomez have spent significant time with the starting unit. The ever important presence of Michael Porter Jr. complicates matters as a talented rookie who needs time to develop that the Nuggets may not have the luxury to offer. To break it all down, I brought on Gordon Gross to discuss the small forward position in its entirety. From the fit in the starting unit next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to the fit playing next to Monte Morris and Mason Plumlee, each spot in the rotation has different responsibilities and expectations. Which players fit where? Does MPJ play? Will players upset the locker room culture if they don't achieve their goal? To end the podcast, we also gave our predictions for who would start the first preseason game as we

Welcome in to the inaugural episode of the Denver Stiffs Show! This is the newest podcast on the Denver Stiffs podcast network and will feature the commentary of writers, reporters, and contributors at Pepsi Center every week. This podcast will usually appear on Friday during the season, but instead, the podcast debuted today with the Media Day festivities. Today, myself (Ryan Blackburn), Zach Mikash, Jena Garcia, and Brandon Ewing covered the event for Denver Stiffs, collecting videos, asking questions, and taking in the atmosphere at Pepsi Center. This episode will feature the major takeaways from the festivities, including reacting to an open competition at small forward as described by Michael Malone. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Media day headlinersNo G League team until 2021?What will be the team’s expectations for the season? Biggest names going into media dayMichael Porter JrNikola JokicBol Bol Media Day Over UndersHow many times will Michael Malone say “to your point”?Total minutes of Paul Millsap’s press conference?Fewest words in a Jamal Murray answer?Number of players who don’t speak to the media? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ah, player rankings, ye ol' faithful content producer. Every year at the end of the offseason, major news and analysis outlets release their annual NBA Player Rankings articles, and every year, the internet argues about it. In the final podcast before Denver Nuggets media day, I decided to bring on Adam Fromal, founder and editor of NBA Math and quality editor at Bleacher Report to discuss the rankings produced by Sports Illustrated and ESPN. First, we discussed the rankings process, from whether rankings matter at all to the criteria each of us believe should be most important. Then, we dove into the SI rankings, starting with the top 10 players and the Nikola Jokic vs Joel Embiid vs Anthony Davis debate. We talked about the rest of the Nuggets, including Jamal Murray and his placement among young star guards, as well as touching on the rest of the Nuggets roster. Finally, we moved into the ESPN rankings and expressing our concern for how that list came out. It was very weird. Learn more about your ad choice

The hype around the Denver Nuggets is steadily building before the 2019-20 season. Player rankings are coming out, predictions articles are slowly appearing, and Nuggets Nation is getting antsy to get this show on the road. The NBA world has their takes about the Nuggets, ranging from well-informed to not so much To help me get the pulse of the well-informed side of the national audience, I invited on Josh Eberley, currently of HOOP Magazine and NBA Canada, to riff on the Nuggets 2019-20 season outlook. Josh predicted the Nuggets would finish third in the Western Conference last season and his foresight proved to be correct. He has some interesting takes about the Nuggets this year as well, so make sure to listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News and Notes Denver Nuggets sign Tyler ZellerNBA cracks down on league tamperingTraining Camp preview Michael Porter Jr expectationsNBA Season Over Unders 1.5 western conference teams missing the playoffs who made it last year53.5 Wins for the Denver NuggetsNikola Jokic MVP Odds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the 2019-20 season rapidly approaching, the Denver Nuggets have one of the most talented rosters in the NBA from top to bottom. In this episode, I give my thoughts on who I believe will start games, be the primary backups, and sit the bench for the majority of the season. With so many candidates to start at small forward and an underrated decision to make at power forward, I dove into a short episode and broke down each position and what I expect to happen. (Note: this episode was recorded on Wednesday morning and posted on Thursday) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wrapping up the FIBA World Cup What do the Americans need to do to get back to the top?Thoughts on Nikola Jokic and Juancho Hernangomez performancesThe Small forward conundrum Who should be the starter? Who will be?Who gets left out of the rotation between Will Barton, Malik Beasley, Torrey Craig, Michael Porter Jr and JuanchoLooking forward to the season More important backcourt question: Can Harris stay healthy or can Jamal take next step?Which player is most likely to start the season outside of the Denver Nuggets rotation but finish the season as part of it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bol BolHow surprised were you about him only getting a two way?What are realistic expectations for him this season? World Cup of basketballWho do you think will winWho second best team in the world at full strength right now? Five years from now? Training CampWho do you think what they will do with the final roster spot?Whats one crazy line up you want to see? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an eventful few days at Denver Stiffs, I brought on Gordon Gross to discuss the big news of Adam Mares and Brendan Vogt stepping down from, reflect on the best and brightest moments during the Golden Era of Denver Stiffs, and tease the newest plans. Then, we discussed the FIBA World Cup, headlined by the struggles of Team USA against Turkey. Nikola Jokic and Serbia look like major challengers to the Americans, while Juancho Hernangomez and Spain also look the part. Finally, Gordon and I had a good discussion about the concept of Player Rankings, what they really mean, how to contextualize them, and which player should be considered the best in the NBA today. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Nuggets Numbers, Ryan breaks down the Denver Nuggets offense heading into the 2019-20 season. He focuses on where the Nuggets finished in 2018-19, how the team performed in a playoff setting, and the different roles created through opportunity and injuries for Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, and others. He then discusses reasons to be excited, reasons to be pessimistic, and makes five predictions about Denver's 2019-20 offense to end the episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carmelo Anthony appeared on ESPN's First Take to discuss his current free agency with Stephen A. Smith. He spoke about his time with the Nuggets, how his career has evolved, and some of the mistakes along the way. During the interview, he made references to the media giving him a bad rap as one of the reasons he isn't currently signed with an NBA team. To discuss his comments, as well as some detailed discussion on Denver's rotation decisions during the 2019-20 season, I brought on Zach Mikash, former Stiffs Deputy Editor and media member. Zach and I had a good time evaluating Melo's fit in Denver, choosing starters for opening night, and mapping out a congested rotation. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NBA offseason is clearly hitting the next stage in which nothing of major importance occurs for roughly a month straight. The upcoming regular season schedule will emerge some time in August. The FIBA World Cup will be played in late August and September. Player Rankings will be out of control. This episode of Nuggets Numbers focuses on none of that and instead looks ahead at 2020 free agency. The Denver Nuggets committed to continuity for the 2019-20 season, but with seven upcoming free agents in 2020, change appears to be on the horizon. With Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, Torrey Craig, Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Thomas Welsh, and newcomer Jerami Grant set to hit the market in 2020, how will the Nuggets handle the impending roster turnover? Will they shape rotations to match who will be in Denver long term? Will they make trades before or during the season? Will they plan on losing several players when the salary cap bill comes due? I break all of it down and more. Learn more about your ad choice

As it turns out, the biggest move the Denver Nuggets decided to make wasn't the Jamal Murray extension or exercising the player option on Paul Millsap's contract. The Nuggets acquired forward Jerami Grant on Monday morning using a traded player exception and a first round pick. I brought on a Denver Stiff alum in Gordon Gross to discuss the move, and Denver's new place in the Western Conference hierarchy, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the Kawhi Leonard free agency decision will potentially change how Denver Nuggets fans will view this offseason, enough has happened to warrant discussion on the changing landscape of the NBA. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are teammates on the Brooklyn Nets. The Philadelphia 76ers pivoted from Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick to Al Horford and Josh Richardson. The Golden State Warriors have D'Angelo Russell for some reason. To break it all down, Ryan brought on former second-in-command at Denver Stiffs Zach Mikash to discuss free agency and the Nuggets' place in it, including the Jamal Murray extension and where the Nuggets go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices