Chris Marlowe

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Before the Nuggets season started, someone asked me how this year’s squad would do. I told him: “The Nuggets are going to be a very good team this season—I’m just not sure when.”

Well, it’s time!  I’m highly optimistic things will continue to improve for the Mile High Crew and its fans in 2015.

With four straight wins, the Nuggets are starting to play the kind of basketball Coach Brian Shaw has advocated. Namely, during the win streak, the offense is averaging 108 points per game and the defense is allowing just 96 points per game.

In case you missed it, the “speedy one” has declared that he will shoot the basketball more. No longer will he pass up makeable shots, and defenders going under screens will pay a heavy price!

As a result, Ty has scored 20+ in four of his last five games.

Arron spent the first half of this season trying to fit in—learn about his teammates - be the good soldier.  Lately, he’s looked more like the physical scoring machine we were hoping for when he resigned with the Nuggets.

So far this January, AAA is averaging 23 points per game on 55% shooting, and is hitting 42% from downtown.  He’s also making 88.5% from the free throw line (23 of 26).  Maybe Afflalo made a New Year’s resolution he didn’t tell us about!

This athletic, young center has breathed a breath of fresh Bosnian air into the Denver Nuggets organization and, in short order, established himself as a major building block for this team in 2015 and beyond.

We have been shocked and excited by his skills.  Jusuf can score, rebound his position, pass well out of the post, defend the pick and roll and block shots.

But it’s not just his skill level that delights us; it’s the fact Nurkić has made the game fun again for the Denver Nuggets.

He plays the game with joy, a smile on his face, a certain élan. He will dive on the floor for loose balls and serenade the crowd when he gets a big ovation at Pepsi!

What other rookie center in recent memory would trash talk NBA stars Marc Gasol and DeMarcus Cousins?  The “Nurk” showed no interest in kowtowing to either player.

After the win in Sacramento, a fan came up to me and told me that he had “never seen anyone back down DeMarcus Cousins in the post.”  I told him: “Times are changing!”

By the way, in the Denver pipeline, there are two other European big-men making waves overseas. One is Joffrey Lauvergne (55th overall/2013 draft), currently playing for a Russian club team.  This 6’11” French power forward is physical, athletic and can run the floor.

I’m also told another Nuggets prospect, Serbian Nikola Jokic, is drawing rave reviews in Europe. The nineteen-year-old 7 footer was a 2014 second round draft pick (41st overall) who can shoot the lights out.

One other note, by virtue of the 2011 Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets will once again have the right to exchange first round picks with the New York Knicks in 2016!  It’s the gift that just keeps on giving.

Call me an optimist, but I still think the Nuggets can make the playoffs.

And with the “Bosnian Beast” on board, the future looks bright.

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Marlowe Blog: Be Optimistic

There are three rookies on the Denver Nuggets roster this season and I like them all!

Let’s start with Jusuf Nurkic the 16th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Jusuf, at 6’11” 280, has all the tools to be a terrific NBA player. He’s a big, strong, physical sort who likes to mix it up. What I didn’t know prior to this season is that he’s nimble, light on his feet, runs well, and has a definite feel for the game.

I believe his upside is Nicola Peković at the least, Marc Gasol at the best.

With JaVale McGee out for a time with leg issues, Nurkic is going to get plenty of minutes to learn on the job and show what he can do.

And what he can do is rebound, block shots, and score in the post. He can also pass the rock better than most of the other Nuggets bigs.

In summary, Jusuf is a keeper. Yes, at 20, he is young and inexperienced. But he will get older and more experienced—and when he does-watch out!

Gary Harris, meanwhile, was born to be a basketball player. His mom Joy was a star at Purdue and played in the WNBA.

He was the 19th pick in this year’s NBA draft and I believe that the Nuggets were lucky to get him.

Gary played two years at Michigan State under Coach Tom Izzo and learned his lessons well.

@thats_G_, as he’s known on Twitter, is already a NBA ready defender. He’s quick, fast and has the ability to spring up out of nowhere to cause deflections and intercept passes.

On offense Gary is a work in progress. He is a good standstill shooter, but needs to work on his midrange game and drives to the basket.

I think that in the next two years Harris is going to be a very good player for the Denver Nuggets. Defensively, he has the physical skills to be another Tony Allen. Offensively, Gary should aspire to be the next Monta Ellis.

Of the three Nuggets rookies, Erick Green’s future is the hardest to peg.

He is a shooting guard who is being asked to make the switch to point guard. Slowly but surely, he is coming along.

However, I have always wondered why a player has to have a label?

Back when “Hector was a Pup”, there were no guard monikers. Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Walt Frazier, Sam Jones, and Earl Monroe come to mind as players that could dribble, shoot, pass, and defend. They weren’t point guards or shooting guards—they were just guards!

In my opinion, that’s what Erick Green can be for the Nuggets-a scoring guard that can play either backcourt position equally well.

There you have it—three Nuggets rookies who figure to play big roles as the Denver Nuggets go forward.

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Marlowe Blog: The Rookies

It was an unusual season opener to say the least for your Denver Nuggets!

As the late Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi once said “What the heck is going on out there?”

The Mile High Crew held the Detroit Pistons to 79 points on 37% shooting. The Motor City got a flat tire in the 4th quarter scoring only 16 points.

I’m not surprised. Quietly, the Nuggets have assembled some very good defensive players.

Arron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler, JaVale McGee, Darrel Arthur, Alonzo Gee and Gary Harris are in that category.

I also think rookie Jusuf Nurkic has potential to be a standout defender. Already, he handles pick and rolls well. When he gets more experience he’ll be able to block shots and defend without fouling.

One more thing about the “Bosnian Beast”—he passes the eye test! When I watch him play I think of the Lithuanian Legend, and onetime Portland star Arvydas Sabonis.

One thing is apparent from watching Wednesday night’s opener—the Nuggets will have trouble offensively if Ty Lawson is not on the floor or struggles to put the biscuit in the basket.

Ideally, you would like to see Ty play at least 36 minutes a game-then fill in with Nate Robinson or Randy Foye for the remaining 12.

By the way, is Kenneth Faried as good as he looked against the Pistons? 22 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists would suggest he is. Defensive rebounding and making free throws will be the keys for Kenneth. If he can average a solid double- double this season, I believe he will make the All Star Team.

Finally, I know one game of good defense does not make a season. But Wednesday’s win over the Pistons was encouraging. Can the Nuggets keep it going?

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A View From the Booth: Nuggets Game 1

Monday’s Denver Nuggets Media Day was a scene!

Television, radio, newspapers, and bloggers all converged on the Pepsi Center hoping to ask questions and learn from the Denver Nuggets management, coaches and players.

I too wanted to know things—but not the things everyone else wanted to!

So I waded into the scrum with my trusty iPhone and got some fun answers to my direct questions!

DG: “Knee is good, it is stronger than before, I’m excited."

CM: “What is your activity level now—are you playing?”

DG: “I am playing 2 on 2 now and am looking forward to 5 on 5.”

CM: “Would you like to be captain of this team?”

CM: “Have you been a captain in the past and what kind of leadership skills does it take to be captain?”

AAA: “Yes—it’s all about your work ethic, it’s about your consistency.  You need to be vocal at the right time, understand your players, and most importantly be able to uplift everybody.
You need to be someone they can follow.”

CM: “How much better are you now than you were at last year’s media day?”

QM: “I feel like a completely different person…physically and mentally.”

CM: “How are you going to get playing time with Gallo and Chandler ahead of you?”

QM: “It’s tough…I have to find a way. Offense isn’t the issue…if you saw me in Summer League….it’s all about defense for me!”

CM: “You’re known for growing during the offseason—how tall are you and what do you weigh?”

QM: “I’m 6’11” 235….I got measured by our strength coach!”

CM: “How did you work on your 3 point shooting over the summer?”

DA: “I shot from 5 spots around the court and tried to shoot 50% from all the spots. It’s all about being consistent.”

CM: “Did you do anything interesting over the summer?”

DA: “I got married? Chariot is her name…”

CM: “Will being married make you a better player?”

DA: (with a big laugh) “I hope SO! I hope I get better. Don’t want to get worse!”

CM: “How will you be better this season?”

WC: “Better shape, healthier, stronger…I’ve worked on some new skills, I should be a much better player.”

CM: “Have you seen the guy on Twitter with the moniker “Ill Will’s Lost Tooth?”

WC: “I saw it awhile back…(LAUGHS) It is what it is.”

Meanwhile, Nate Robinson was holding court and wearing expensive looking earrings.

CM: “How much do those earrings run?”

NR: “They were a gift—one of my teammates bought them for me, Carlos Boozer—when I was in Chicago! He’s a very generous teammate.”

NR: “Well, I bought him a gold chain…”

NR: (with a snicker) “A nice pretty penny! He’s a great guy—he got me earrings and I got him a chain.”

CM: “You had great numbers last season…how do you make the All Star Team this season?”

TL: “You don’t make the All Star team in the West unless you are on a winning team…lot of point guards... We need to win games and be top 4 in the west.”

CM: “Coach says you are the first line of offense and defense…can you be better on D this season?”

TL: “Yes, I’ve been talking to the coaches a lot about that. Watching the finals and FIBA, I’ve noticed the guards are picking up the opposing PGS early, making the offense start further out, keep the other team from getting into a groove—that will start with me! I’ve been working hard on my conditioning to be able to do that.”

CM: “What was your reaction when you heard Arron Afflalo was coming to Denver?”

RF: “I thought it was cool-Tim (Connelly) called me and let me know what they were thinking—he said he thought we would work well together- that we both can play multiple positions.”

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Marlowe Blog: Media Day

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