No one respects the Nuggets???

by shaqfor3 on Nov 14, 2009 7:49 PM PST Comment 34 comments

Stop laughing Kobe, the Nuggets are for real...

Waking up today after yesterday's debacle, I saw an article on yahoo sports by Marc Spears about how the Nuggets proved themselves last night and showed up the people who have "disrespected" them such as the media and a few Laker players. To start off I do not believe that the Nuggets were being "disrespected," even before the game by anyone. Here I will dissect Marc Spear's article to show you why this is a myth.

The Nuggets are still haunted by their loss to the Lakers in last season’s Western Conference finals, still trying to prove they belong on the same stage with the league’s elite. They feed off disrespect, perceived or real, and they listened this summer as everyone gushed over the roster improvements made by their peers.

Hmm...they made it to the Western Conference Finals, and pushed a team that won 65 games in the regular season to 6 games. Isnt that already legitimate proof to everyone that they are a contender??? No way people with brains would call a team that made it to the Western conference Finals a fluke or an illegitimate contender.

The Lakers should know that by now. Prior to Friday’s game, Phil Jackson said he considered Denver "among the three or four" top teams in the West. Even then, however, he wasn’t ready to call the Nuggets a rival.
"The Sacramento Kings are our rivals," Jackson said. "They’re a California team. They’re close to home and all that stuff."

Sorry but on this I agree with Phil. This is not a rivalry...yet. Both teams have began playing at a high level only recently...it will take a few more playoff series in the future like the one last year for this to be considered a true rivalry like it was with the kings or spurs...not just a few regular season games and in no way should this be treated as a sign of disrespect.

"Nobody picked us to win nothing," Kenyon Martin said. "The so-called experts, basketball experts, people ain’t never dribbled a ball, ran a suicide or nothing, the so-called experts [doubt us]. Oh well, man."

Hmm...no one picked the nuggets to win anything??? The ones that picked the Lakers said they would win in 6-7 games. I know this is a tiny sample from the sports media world, but the idea that no one believed in them is completely absurd.

The bottom line is that the Nuggets have been getting much deserved respect and have been considered a true contender in the west by the media and other teams. The game last night was not a statement game in any way shape or form. It was a big win for them but it did not "prove anything" to begin with..

Shaqfor3: 1 Marc Spears: 0

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Good post

I only disagree on one thing. Rivalry. In recent years there are only two other teams that I, as a fan, detest more; Boston and San Antonio. Denver, with it’s cast of characters, is starting to crawl up that list…

by 99bc99 on Nov 14, 2009 8:16 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

San Antonio?

It like a freaking love fest between the players and coaches. Rivalry?

by Cool Dudes on Nov 16, 2009 11:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There have been more rivalries between players than true rivals between teams this past decade, it seemed.

by brianfbb on Nov 27, 2009 1:37 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

while Sac is mostly from the earlier part of the decade

but it did split the californian soil quite some.

still, the point is that the nuggets don’t even come close for a “rivalry” at the moment.

by Nostance on Nov 14, 2009 8:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

lol u give them no respect. Sure in order for their to be a true rivalry, both teams have to get wins, but under that definition, the kings/blazers were never our rival either since we always beat them.

The nuggets are pretty close to being our western conference rivals., Sure there is a long list of teams who want to be considered our rivals: the clippers, kings, mavs, spurs, warriors, suns, rockets, blazers…etc..

As far as actual disliked between teams however, the Lakers-Nuggets really dont like each other (sasha-smith, odom-birdman, etc). Sure you could make a case of portland, but we havent faced them in the playoffs with our latest laker team. Suns had a case, but they dont have the Bell-Kobe fued anymore.

Was yesterday a statement game: No
But is this a rivalry: Yes

In Kobe we trust!

by robi s on Nov 15, 2009 5:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

i always saw rivalry to do more with history/location, etc rather than just being top competition

the celtics and us share a long history of meeting in the finals (and the only team with more championships than us)
the kings from earlier in the decade were an instate rivalry (also nor vs. so cal)
the suns are at least within the same division
the spurs fought us for who has more championships in the last 10 years
even the clippers share a city (instant rivalry if they were good)
i’ve personally never really saw portland as a “rival”…but some may differ

just because i don’t consider the team as a rival doesn’t mean i don’t think of them as a good team. players hating each other and rivalry doesn’t necessarily have to go hand in hand. I consider that more of a feud than a rivalry. if we met them a few more times in the playoffs, then perhaps.
I hardly consider the magic a rivalry even though we saw them in the finals last year (i’m not sure how they feel, though)

by Nostance on Nov 15, 2009 6:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Top competition is where the seeds of rivalry are planted.

Kobe and Lebron are rivals, yet they dont have any of those things in common. As long as you have two parties doubting which team is better, there is a rivalry. Sure there arent very many in the nuggets camp, but there are still those people who say if trevor ariza doesnt make those steals, denver wins the series. Hard to argue with that since its true. Denver beating us, while no a big deal, it definately didnt silence the denver enthusiasts. So sure, its a rivalry.

In Kobe we trust!

by robi s on Nov 18, 2009 11:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

players being rivals are different from teams being rivals though (different timelines)

still, i think it takes more time to actually establish a “rivalry”. while competition is the seed planted, you actually need to wait for it to blossom in order to become a rivalry :p.

ie. the lebron vs. kobe debate wasn’t just something that started last season (it’s been on for a few years), while the nuggets were only on the rise last season.

a few more seasons of top competition, then perhaps it will become a rivalry. but as of now, i don’t see them as “rivals” yet.

by Nostance on Nov 19, 2009 12:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

to be fair, from their perspective we were responsible for their exit from the playoffs 2 years in a row. I dont know how much time ur asking to pass, but i remember when we got killed by the suns 2 years in a row, i, as well as most laker fans, considered them to be our rivals.

Maybe the suns didn’t feel the same way, but it doesnt change the fact the most of la felt their was a rivalry brewing between the suns. The fact that we were the ones that beat denver both times is clouding ur perspective.

In Kobe we trust!

by robi s on Nov 23, 2009 11:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

you're right...i forgot about 2008

still, i’ve never really saw the suns (not in 06 & 07) as rivals even though we’re in the same division. Just because I want to beat them doesn’t make them automatic rivals. For me, hating/disliking doesn’t automatically equal “rivalry”.
though, i have to say, with the re-emergence of the suns this year, it could become quite an interesting pacific division rivalry :)

but still, it’s the same idea as i don’t consider utah our rivals just because we exited them 2 years in a row. i’m not sure how utah fans think, though.

point is, there’s only 15 teams in a conference. chances are, teams will meet each other multiple times in the playoffs from year to year. if simply playing each other mutliple times in the playoffs make it a rivalry, then pretty much every other team will become your rivals. i personally believe “rivalry” should be reserved for only a selected handful that share more than just mere competition or being top competition.

Of course, meeting in the first round vs. meeting in the conference finals carry different weight. Mutliple meetings in the finals can definitely blossom into a rivalry because it is essentially the two best teams dueling each other out for a long period of time. Whereas 1st round (or even 2nd round) playoffs carry much less of the significance.

by Nostance on Nov 23, 2009 12:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

damn, no edit button

but i just wanted to add

at least if we were to look at 1st & 2nd rounds, perhaps it should at least be more than 2 years in a row.

by Nostance on Nov 23, 2009 12:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Good read

as I agree with you, Nuggets have gotten there share of hype and a game this early in the season proves nothing, especially a game without Gasol, now if this was Feb. with Gasol and Denver smacked the Lakers then that would be considered a statement and Denver hasn’t won anything important against the Lakers that would make the meetings between us be called a rivalry.

There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be commited against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the LimeLight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.

by BrittneyM on Nov 16, 2009 7:13 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Kenyon Martin

is such a fucking tool it disgusts me. Outside of never committing a foul in his life, he’s always playing the “no-respect” card:

He was drafted #1 overall, yet apparently wasn’t respected.

His team is picked to finish first or second in their division this season, yet that apparently doesn’t mean anything and is disrespect because people don’t think they’re better than the Spurs, who memory serves me, have 4 fucking titles in the Duncan era, and the majority of the roster that won three of them is intact yet.

Sorry K-Mart, you don’t get the non-blue light special treatment until you actually WIN a title. Dan Marino doesn’t go carping about looking for “championship respect”. You know why? He never won a title. Win a title, get to the promised land and WIN and you’ll get some “respect”. Until then, shut the fuck up and just play the game.

If you want to whine so much, why don’t you go cut a fucking rap album about how you’re “not respected” jerk-off.

Please consider any Hot Stove talk in the above comment is spoken under the assumption that the Cardinals are not signing Matt Holliday.

by fourstick on Nov 18, 2009 2:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

im tired too of them playing this card:

Leave Chad Billingsley alone!!!

by shaqfor3 on Nov 18, 2009 8:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

+10000000

Lakers 2009 Road to Redemption: TREVOR, DEREK, LAMAR, PAU & KOBE.
Play the game of which Lakers reminds you of: TA - TI, Shannon Brown - Chris Brown, Pau Gasol - Jesus, Machine - Luis Scola/Russell Brand, PJ with mustache and beard - Colonel Sanders.

by PeanutButterSpread on Nov 22, 2009 1:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

Perhaps Kenyon is responding to the fact that the Media DOESN’T actually favor the nuggets and view them as constant underdogs because when you play in the west you know that not only are the Lakers unfairly stacked but the refs and david stern are out to put them in the finals as often as possible…ie KINGS V LAKERS 2003….
“shut the fuck up and just play the game”….hilarious. why dont you ask Kobe to stop whining about "the flu’ and his groin and whatever the fuck else he needs to show the world he can “play through” and just be the silver spoon superstar he is….
and you can bet your fucking ass im a nuggets fan. see you three more times this year! dont underestimate us though because we might just surprise you.
hugs and kisses

by SternfluffsKobe on Nov 19, 2009 5:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Being afflicted with does not equal whining

Show me the quote where Kobe says “If I didn’t have the flu, we would have won the game” or the one where he says “The groin is what’s slowing me down”. You want to talk about Kobe whining, stick to his complaints on fouls (or lack thereof). He does whine about that, just like almost every other player in the NBA. Otherwise, Kobe never says a word about dealing with injuries, unless directly asked about it.

And seriously, you want to turn a supposed lack of respect into a conversation on favoritism? Leave your conspiracy theories at home if you want anybody here to care what you say, or just go back to the mountains.

by C.A. Clark on Nov 20, 2009 12:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ok

Then let’s just talk about favoritism. You really think that Kobe doesn’t get enough calls, or the Lakers aren’t favorites when it comes to what would be best for the league as far as who plays in the Finals? This is a business. Period. You want your biggest market teams to be there in the end for all sorts of reasons. Right?
I know your a giant fan. I get it. As am I for my team, but I’m not blind. How on earth did you guys end up with A) Pau Gasol and B) Ron Artest? It’s ridiculous.
I know, I know. I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist but one does have to wonder….
Getting back to how this plays into respect it doesn’t take that big of leap to ge there. Again, I bring up the KINGS/LAKERS series. Ask Sacramento if they feel like they got jobbed in game 6 and if they feel disrespected…I’ll bet more than one would say yes. But I digress…
The rivalry thing is a good question. I would say you guys are right that it’s not quite there yet, but you can’t say that the Nuggets aren’t your biggest threat in the west. The games are played tough and physical and can go any way on a given night….
GO NUGGETS!

by SternfluffsKobe on Nov 20, 2009 7:19 PM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

“This is a business. Period. You want your biggest market teams to be there in the end for all sorts of reasons. Right?”

Ummm, how do you explain the Spurs 4 championships again?

“Again, I bring up the KINGS/LAKERS series.”

Oh yeah, that series, I had almost forgotten about it. It’s been at least 5 minutes since a non-Laker fan brought that one up. You know George Mikan got away with traveling once in in 1952 so you might be on to something there.

“How on earth did you guys end up with A) Pau Gasol and B) Ron Artest?”

Well one was a free-agent, and the other one was from a trade. You know a trade right? In the NBA it’s this thing where you have to give roughly EQUAL value for what you get in return. By equal value I mean a) a very promising, good young center (who happened to be the MVP of the Euro league), b) a very promising young point guard (and first round pick), c) a draft pick, and d) a huge expiring contract (who also used to be a first round draft pick).

Wait, was that a rhetorical question, sorry, my bad.

Funny, I didn’t hear anything like this when we traded Caron Butler for Kwame Brown……..

Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."

by pslakerfan on Nov 20, 2009 7:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ok

You win this round going away. You’re team NEVER gets any unfair advantage because we can all EASILY say the NBA is on the up-and-up.
I now have to eat most of my words because we just lost to the Clippers…ouch.
Ps: I love coming to this site cuz you guys are really good at “putting the blinders on”. And I respect that.
Seriously though. Thanks for sparring a little. I’ll be back.
GO NUGGETS!

by SternfluffsKobe on Nov 20, 2009 10:52 PM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

One more thing

A fucking ref controlled win to that degree that happened in the KINGS/LAKERS series deserves to be brought up over and over and over and over and over….

by SternfluffsKobe on Nov 20, 2009 10:55 PM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

i think we all get that game 6 was shitty reffing to the max (and possibly rigged)
weve heard the same old tired story a billion times…
but the kings had plenty of opportunities to win that series
they blew a 20+ lead in game 4, vlade tipped the ball right to robert horry
plus they shot 50% from the free throw line in game 7. they have no to blame for losing that series but themselves.

Leave Chad Billingsley alone!!!

by shaqfor3 on Nov 20, 2009 11:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Dann

Your good at this. Clearly you have heard this a lot!

One more thing before I nod off:
I fucking hate the lakers….ugh.

by SternfluffsKobe on Nov 21, 2009 3:30 AM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah.....

we’ve heard it once or twice.

Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."

by pslakerfan on Nov 21, 2009 1:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I’m pretty sick of people who come here and complain about the Sacramento series. It happened years ago, get over it. You didn’t even get the year right, and you say we put the blinders on? That just blows my mind.

As for the ‘experts’ who chose the nuggets to win that series, I don’t blame them. The Nuggets looked really strong that year. But Hollinger flip flops, knowing he can always fall back on his equation. Abbott actually voted for Ginobili to win 6th man last year (did he not know Manu missed nearly half the season?), and Legler gave the Thunder the nod over San Antonio this year. …Really?

by brianfbb on Nov 27, 2009 2:06 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Boo on me for telling you off then not coming back for 10 days

Forgive me for the rote responses, but as you’ve found out, we get this crap every day.

Lakers/Kings Game 6 was one of the worst officiated games ever. No one on this site thinks otherwise. The Lakers got calls all night long. It was ridiculous. But Game 5 should have gone to L.A. and Sacramento won that game with the help of some dubious calls too. If you watch Games 5 and 6 of that series, the teams should have come out of those two games 1-1, and they did. Does it excuse what happened in Game 6? Absolutely not. But you see conspiracy because you want to see conspiracy.

If the NBA was actually willing to influence results to get the matchups they wanted, do you really think Amare Stoudamire would have been suspended for that playoff game for Suns/Spurs? The Suns aren’t exactly a major market, but they were sexy as hell at the time, and the NBA had just come off the lowest rated finals ever because the Spurs played incredibly boring (and efficient) basketball. But conspiracy theorists forget about that when claiming that the NBA is willing to directly get involved to ensure the matchups they want.

And yes, the Pau Gasol trade was ridiculous. So was the Vince Carter trade to Orlando, and the Richard Jefferson trade to San Antonio. Those aren’t major market teams, they are just teams that are willing to spend money to win right now.

Look, we know your shtick now, and we know it isn’t all bad. So I’m hoping you can hear the logic in this statement: The NBA has far more to lose by influencing results then they have to gain. Does the NBA smile when the Lakers make the Finals? Sure. But if they were caught influencing things so that the Lakers make the Finals, the results would be catostrophic to the game.

by C.A. Clark on Nov 30, 2009 9:11 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well said.............

10 days late =)

Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."

by pslakerfan on Nov 30, 2009 5:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Umm. Dan Marino?

Marino is FAMOUS for his sour grapes and “no respect” attitude…

Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

by Big Mickey D on Nov 19, 2009 5:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

if they don't get enough respect....

it’s not because of their basketball talent. it’s because of how they act on and off the court. if they ACTED like professionals, there’s a possibility people would treat them like it.

by rshinsec on Nov 20, 2009 11:09 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

You really wanna

Talk about “on and off court behavior”? Really. That’s a slippery slope with your guys…

by SternfluffsKobe on Nov 20, 2009 10:57 PM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

and to think..........

I almost gave you credit for keeping it above the belt. You held out longer than most so I suppose that is something.

Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."

by pslakerfan on Nov 20, 2009 11:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

I’m better than that, you’re right. But hey, when you’re embittered things just kinda come out…I couldn’t help myself. And you weren’t supposed to see that! It was a response to someone else!!! Don’t think less of me!

by SternfluffsKobe on Nov 21, 2009 3:27 AM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs