Denver Nuggets Blog – Roundball Mining Company

Gallo couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn in this game. His 13 points came from 17 shot attempts, and he went 1-9 from the arc. It’s easy to see that he wants to be the man on this team, but this seems to lead to somewhat selfish play at times. He needs to recognize when his shot’s not falling and try harder to set up his teammates.

The Manimal had his best game of the season tonight, and tied for leading scorer on the Nuggets with 22 very efficient points. It’s unclear why he, like so many other Nuggets players, was M.I.A. in the first two games, but the energetic, supercharged Faried we all know and love finally showed up. His performance was even more commendable given that he was assigned the daunting task of defending LeBron James, which he handled as capably as might be expected from a mere mortal.

Koufos could do absolutely nothing to slow down the offensive onslaught of Chris Bosh, who tallied his highest score as a Miami Heat player with 40 points on 15-22 shooting. From the opening tipoff Bosh had his way with him, scoring ten points in the first eight minutes. Kosta wasn’t able to contribute much on offense either, and Karl only played him 14 minutes.

Ty was very quiet to open the game, going shotless and scoreless in the first quarter. He did find a mode assertive mode of play as the game went on, however, and at times did a good job of driving to the basket. Still, he needs to develop more consistency. He seems to have an on/off switch when it comes to his effort and aggression, and when it’s off the Nuggets offense tends to sputter.

This was the Iguodala Nuggets fans have been waiting for. Andre did a solid job of defending Dwyane Wade, who shot 5-12 for just 14 points. It was by far his best offensive performance with Denver, as he tied Faried’s 22 points and notably hit two of his five 3-point attempts. In the fourth quarter he also showed signs of being a reliable go-to guy in the clutch, which should be important as the season rolls on.

Brewer continues to earn his minutes with his effortful defensive play. It seems that Karl has given him the green light to shoot 3-pointers at will, but until he can demonstrate the ability to drain them more consistently at a higher percentage, it would be a mistake to have him continue averaging over six attempts per game. But his energy remains valuable, and he probably gains as many possessions for the team in steals and scrambling for loose balls as he loses with errant threes.

JaVale is another Nugget who had his best game of the season tonight. He delivered his 16 points with great efficiency, not only shooting 6-9 from the field but also (gasp!) knocking down four of his five free throw attempts. He played a more fundamentally sound game, which was nice to see. He did a good job of altering shots near the rim, but unfortunately he couldn’t do much better than Koufos in slowing down Bosh.

It’s somewhat odd to give such a high grade to Miller in a game in which he had only one assist, but Dre is a huge part of the reason why the Nuggets even had a chance to win this game. There were a couple of stretches in the third quarter when Miami started building a lead, but Miller did a great job of stopping the bleeding before things got out of control and keeping Denver in the game. And the play in the second quarter when he backed down Wade in the post and put in a short jumper right in his face was a thing of beauty.

Gallo was about the only player on the Nuggets roster who was looking to be aggressive. He also made an effort to play hard, which can’t be said for most of his teammates. This is the type of Gallo the Nuggets need in order to be a real threat in the West.

What the hell is going on with Faried? For the second game in a row he played more of a complimentary role than that of the starter he truly is. His head is down. He’s not even trying to rebound. Something is clearly going on between the ears because this is not the fun-loving, energetic Faried we’ve come to know.

Koufos was just kind of there tonight. He didn’t make his presence known at all, especially on the glass like we’ve become accustomed to in the preseason. If he’s going to play this much he needs to turn up his level of aggressiveness in a major way.

The energy was there tonight for Lawson. He was trying to make things happen; they just weren’t. There’s a certain amount of blame that should be put on his shoulders, but at this point, it’s nothing compared to what his teammates need to be shouldering.

I’m a little bit confused as to what Iguodala’s role is on this team right now. People were so excited about landing him, but the fact is, Denver’s most pressing need has always been a top dog who can get buckets when the chips are down — which is perhaps why Al Harrington had such a successful season last year. Iguodala just isn’t that type of guy, which is a bit disconcerting if you ask me.

Corey Brewer: Great energy guy; not a great leading-role type of guy. The reason he bounced around so much after being drafted as a top 10 player in Minnesota is because his role has always been in question. But after winning a title with the Mavericks it became clear: great energy guy; not a great leading-role guy. Karl’s trying to make him the latter. Enough said.

I do not know why Jordan Hamilton isn’t seeing more time. I really don’t. Is there a reason? Is it just because he’s young? The only thing I can think of is that he’s sometimes a little reckless with his shot attempts. But at this point, he’s the perfect remedy for what the Nuggets are missing. Even if he takes several bad shots, at least he’ll be out there trying to make things happen. Plus, is there any doubt he won’t get at least 15 points if you give him ample playing time?

Another dumbfounding stat line, highlighted mostly by the 11 minutes played number. You can’t do anything in 11 minutes. It was the same story last game when Hamilton started buy only played a little over 10 minutes. It’s just not enough time to do anything.

I thought Miller was the other guy out there hustling, playing smart and playing good basketball in general. Even on defense he’s turned up the heat, which is a definite improvement from last year.

Chandler is not playing in the flow of the offense right now. He’s lost. He doesn’t know when to attack and where, or how, for that matter. Everything he’s doing is off. In time he will improve but until then he should step it up on defense to make up for his wavering offensive skills.

Again, can’t say much here. It would have been nice to see him knock down a shot but he was playing in garbage time anyways.