Rocky Mountains

In the George Karl era, the Denver Nuggets have seemingly always been an enigma. Led by a coach with the basketball philosophy of a team being greater than the sum of its parts, with emphasis on ball movement, shrewd defense, and not necessarily deep, but strict rotations. Contrary to the win-by-committee ideology of Karl, Nugget head coach since 2005, the most successful Nugget teams to date under his watch have been led by a phenomenal talent and, indeed, franchise player in his own right, Carmelo Anthony.It should be noted, however, that the Nugget squad never truly turned the corner that took them to a Game Six in the Western Conference Finals until the acquisition of floor general and all-around team leader, Chauncey Billups. Billups invaluably balanced 'Melo's unique and then (still) unrivaled offensive abilities with a commitment to defense and consistent effort to involve others offensively.  

Since Carmelo Anthony's rather controversy-riddled departure for Broadway, The Mile High City has been left with a collection of pseudo household names whom, when coupled with savvy drafting (Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried) have developed a promising young nucleus in a high octane offense that wows NBA fans on a nightly basis. The Nuggets are riding a current home winning streak of 21 games and are fresh off a 15-game tear overshadowed only by the Heat's unprecedented power surge.

Despite their impressive, albeit unorthodox, play this season and their perch atop the Northwest Divsion (3rd in the conference), the Nuggets have been nagged by the lingering question posed by analysts at all levels of professionalism:

"To whom does this team go when the offense is otherwise stagnant and the game is on the line?"

Alas,  upon study of past champions (teams with superstars), history dictates that the house that Karl built is, in fact, made up of cards rather than bricks and will crumble when presented  with the stringent defense of the playoffs. Clearly, the style of play that favors the Nuggets is that of fluidity and finesse, contrary to the grind-it-out slug-fests that playoff games can become. This concern is legitimate and, frankly until they prove otherwise, hard to refute. With that said, bear in mind that this sixth place team of last year that pushed a then very relevant Laker squad to seven games has done nothing but matured over the past ten plus months and will now have at least one round's worth of homecourt advantage to help get them over the hump of first round loses.

As with any team, health plays an important role at this point in the waning regular season as experienced squads rest their players for the playoff run in lieu of jockeying for seeding position. The injury bug has bit the Nuggets hard late in the season and have even the small contingent of Nugget-supporters doubting their playoff expectations.

Many were quick to write off the Nuggets following Danilo Gallinari's season-ending ACL tear. Gallo has flourished in Denver after proving to be a pretty vexing player in New York' alternating between moments of brilliance and outright mediocrity. A Gallo at the top of his game was the popular pick for the one player on the Nugget "team" that could take the torch when times got tough. In a sense, the Nuggets lost their sleeper for the remainder of the year and that understandably dampened the spirits of Denver faithful.

Those who were eager to bury the Nuggets may not want to be too hasty in their assessment of the team heading into the playoffs. The team has continued its blistering play without their star point guard, Ty Lawson, struggling with a lingering heel injury, and have yet to lose without Gallo in the lineup, picking up impressive victories over Houston and San Antonio.

It is unwise to over-magnify essentially meaningless wins over a Spurs team without Tony and Manu and an intriguing Houston team. However, the emergence of the young rookie, Evan Fournier, averaging just under 13 points in his last five contests while contributing subtly, but invaluably, across the board, as well as the resurgence of the injury-plagued Wilson Chandler stepping up in Lawson and Gallo's stead respectively, speaks volumes about how committed to the philosophy of team the Denver Nuggets are. Andre Miller has discovered the fountain of youth of late, Corey Brewer's numbers are off the charts, and even the one-man-enigma, JaVale McGee, has seen more highlights than low-lights during Denver's recent push to be included amongst the league's elite. In addition, the Nuggets lead the league in offensive rebounding, a stat that doesn't appear to be in danger of falling off come late April.

Bottom line: There is no team in league where the phrase "next man up" is more apt and it's foolish and borderline hypocritical to criticize a team for not having a cornerstone and later in the same season, write them off for losing a single, though talented, player in Gallo. Players are rising to the challenge, and if the underwhelming Iggy can come to life late and Lawson can return healthy, this team is equipped to surprise many this May.

It is often said that the regular season is a time for players to play, while the playoffs are a time for coaches to coach. This late season has been anything but smooth for the Nuggets, but George Karl and the team have proven up to the task of navigating this rocky stretch. Heading into the post season, this is a Nugget team as locked in to Karl's ideals as any in recent memory. Even if faith outside of the Denver area has trailed off, the  confidence in the Nugget locker room is at a *sigh* Rocky Mountain High. With a team as invested in his big picture as ever, George Karl will have arguably his best chance yet to put his philosophy to the test and there's not a team in the West that wants to be the guinea pig.

Courts By Northwest

Denver Nuggets: There's no denying that the Nuggets will continue to have one of the most dynamic and entertaining offenses in the league and George Karl's teams have always been notorious for their depth and reliance, almost to a fault, on a 12 man rotation. The Nugget's ability to turn the corner will be determined by Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried's continued growth and development, for which both appear to be poised. The heady vet, Andre Miller, and a vet with a rather swollen head, Andre Iguodala in the Rockies. Part of the Nuggets success last season, pushing the Lakers to the the limit in the playoffs, was Danilo Gallinari's ability to step up and make big shots. He was about as close to a superstar as Denver had. Iguodala's addition creates an interesting wrinkle in the Nuggets' potential. Iggy's rise to semi-stardom after years of only talking the talk and not walking the walk had everything to do with Doug Collins' coaching and his time on the national team. Iggy's true niche on the court is that of a playmaker, when he had a proverbial leash on him and was not so dead set on being a shotmaker, both Iggy and the Sixers never looked better. If Iggy can maintain that playmaking mindset, the sky is the limit for both he and the Nuggets, but if he reverts back to old habits in this freer offense, the Nuggets organization my live to regret his acquisition. It should be noted that no matter what, Iggy has the potential to flourish in that fast-paced offense, and with Gallo and Iggy locking down the perimeter, if Javale McGee can play with his head on his shoulders consistently, as he did last post season, the Nuggets may fulfill Mile High expectations.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves finally appeared to have a team tailored for Rick Adleman's system and interest in Wolves basketball was at its highest since Kevin Garnett and, dare I reference him, Spree, suited up in the Twin Cities, then the injury bug bit and bit hard. Rubio's recovery will be something to monitor going forward, but there's no question that the real blow here concerns the implications Kevin Love's broken hand  The team will once again face an uphill battle until those two are on the court again, but there's a chance that some saving grace can be found in the rest of the roster. Obvious questions linger about how one-time superstar Brandon Roy's knees will hold up to the grind of the NBA season. The Wolves, likely didn't expect to have to lean on him as much as they might have to at the season's begining, but that surgery worked wonders for Kobe, and it should put some tread back on Roy's tires. If he can stay healthy, Kirilenko could flourish outside of Utah coming off a season overseas. Rick Adleman's offense isn't exactly free, but the change of scenery and a lack of other options could revitalize AK 47's once promising career. Love's absence will create ample opportunity for Derrick Williams to prove his mettle, and a banged up Luke Ridnour may well be a blessing in disguise for the the Wolves, as minutes will open up for the dynamic JJ Barea. As encouraging as all of this sounds, there's no replacing a Kevin Love, or even Ricky Rubio and the fact that your two best players otherwise are walking injury risks is beyond disheartening. As a Wolves fan, you have to hope you can tread water in their absence, but regardless, this team only goes as far as a healthy Love and Rubio lead them.

Portland Trail Blazers: To say that last year's season in Rip City was a disappointment is an understatement and this year will likely wind up being more of the same. However, up-and-coming rookie guard, Damian Lillard could go a long way in rewriting that script. Lillard's preseason indicated that he's prepared for the NBA game, and the prospect of him playing alongside the talented LaMarcus Aldridge is enough to have Portland fans salivating for basketball. The Blazers haven't been this excited about a rookie since the ill-fated Greg Oden. The Blazer rotation is rounded out by two versatile swingmen in, Nicolas Batum and Wes Matthews who still have a lot of upside to their game, but even if all three of these players play to their potential Portland's squad is still very young and, until proven otherwise, not very deep. The team will likely struggle and the time of them being perceived as the sleeper team in the West is behind them, but at least it will be good to know that Aldridge will not be out there playing alone, as it looked at times last season.

Oklahoma City Thunder: On paper, the Thunder's chances of repeating a trip to the Finals took a hit when they traded James Harden to Houston, but Jeremy Lamb as a long term investment may prove wise, the Thunder have a knack for making those calls, as Westbrook and Harden both had players projected to go before them when they were drafted by OKC. Also, let's not forget just how skilled a shoot Kevin Martin was outside of the context of last season's apparent rough patch. However, Martin likely won't get the volume of looks he did when he was in Houston as he plays third fiddle to Durant and Westbrook. If Martin gets licence to run the second unit as Harden did, Martin may pleasantly surprise. There's no question Martin doesn't fill the intangibles of defense, passing, and beard-growing that Harden did, but this is far from a one-sided trade. Health concerns circling Perry Jones resulted in him falling to OKC, if he can be healthy, he may prove the steal of the draft. Eric Maynor's return should help that second unit keep the pedal to the medal and leave opposing teams in the dust. The Thunder have one of the deepest front courts in the league with Perk, Ibaka, the under-sung Collison, and even Thabeet, who will likely play well with no offensive expectations on his shoulders. Oh yeah, then there's Durant and Westbrook who, already at the top of their profession, seem to improve every year. Bear in mind, a lot of the Thunder errors in the Finals were mental. Another year of maturity could do wonders for this squad as they undoubtedly march towards title contention.

Utah Jazz: This team looked pretty woeful by last season's end, but that had as much to do with San Antonio hitting its stride as it did the Jazz struggling. Mo Williams at point is an improvement over Devin Harris who appeared to lose all confidence in his game last season. The Jazz have one of the best starting front courts in the league in Jefferson and Milsap. Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors' continued development will shape this season's depth and perhaps, if Marvin Williams can finally meet his potential halfway, the Jazz could turn some heads. Odds are this team will again be in the awkward middleground of too good to break up, but not enough there to really compete. New found guard depth and Marvin Williams' promise at least keeps that glass half full in Salt Lake City.