Denver a Miserable Sports City?

According to Forbes Magazine, the answer is "yes." In a list of the top 10 most 'miserable sports cities,' Denver was ranked 7th. Contributing to this dubious distinction was our anemic post-season record and lack of championships. Losing the Rockies (NHL) was another blemish.

The Broncos--AFC Champs in 1 out of 6 seasons since 1977--are certainly a huge bright spot here, although they don't seem to get much credit in Forbes rating system.

Embarrassing DP Article

Okay, I know I've probably spent all my Denver Nuggets capital for one month at a Broncos blog, but this is too funny. Someone please send this guy an email and tell them the Nuggets already won this game (last night).

All's Quiet on the Western Front

Today is shaking out to be a break in the action for Broncos news. With the draft only 2 weeks away, its probably the calm before the storm. There's a bright side: I haven't had to choke through a single article pertaining to the Elway-Cutler-Marshall love triangle. Maybe my rant yesterday has the media doing a couple extra Hail Mary's this Friday a.m. Okay, okay, my head's not that big.

Did anyone catch the Nuggets-Warriors game last night? Holy J.R. Smith Batman! J.R.'s been more of a pariah since arriving in Denver than star. He was suspended for 3 games last season due to an assault allegation, his friend mysteriously died in his SUV, he was at the center of a brawl with the Knicks for which he was suspended 10 games, and he was benched by George Karl in game 4 of last years playoffs. The Hornets gave up on Smith because of his emotional volatility and immaturity. What do you expect when you draft a child in the first round? Smith was among nine 18-year-olds taken in the 2004 NBA draft. Did you think the kid would come out and immediately light-up the league? All excuses aside, he seems to be getting the message. Since the all-star break, Smith has shot a whopping 49% from 3-point land and averaged over 15-points per game.

Thinking playoffs, Smith's emergence could very well be the scorer Denver needs to make a deep run in June. With no formidable perimeter shooter on the roster, teams like San Antonio are able to dismantle Carmelo and AI. I still don't think this team is built well enough to win an NBA championship, but a first round upset suddenly doesn't seem preposterous.

Thinking long-term, Smith is only 22-years old. Another 2-3 years of development could see him emerge as a franchise-type player in the NBA. Once a skeptic of Smith, I'm beginning to see why he's garnered so much attention. Smith has all the physical tools needed to be a top-shelf 2-guard in the NBA; the maturity seems to be coming with time.

In an era of high-school-aged NBA rookies, perhaps we are too hard and hold unreasonable expectations of professionals that are so young. I have loads of empathy for the seemingly-insurmountable pressure placed on a talent like Jay Cutler. Imagine if he were 18? I doubt he could take it. On this matter, I side with Mark Cuban, who is an outspoken proponent of NFL-style age restrictions on NBA draftees.

If the weather where you live is anything close to what we've got here in Richmond, VA, stop reading this and go outside! Have a great day!