Finally! Nuggets basketball is back! I get, and actually appreciate, why Adam Silver has increased the length of the All Star break, but it sure feels like we haven’t gotten to watch our beloved Nuggets in forever. That all ends tonight. Denver heads to the capital of California, nestled between the American and Sacramento rivers, to face DeMarcus Cousins , Rajon Rondo , and the George Karl led (for now) Sacramento Kings. We will once again be able to watch Danilo Gallinari , Nikola Jokic, Emmanuel Mudiay, and all the rest of the Nuggets.
The ASB also saw the NBA trade deadline come and go. Both teams made small changes during this time. The Nuggets sent veteran combo guard Randy Foye to the Oklahoma City Thunder for DJ Augustine , Steve Novak and two second round picks in the upcoming draft. For the Nuggets, losing Foye’s leadership will be a blow, but his on court production has suffered this season. Augustine should be able to provide a more steady hand at the back up PG position. The Kings’ move was to further undermine their coach without actually firing him. Vlade Divak fired Karl’s offensive assistant coach Vance Wahlberg, vowing to add a defensive minded assistant. The move was a clear shot across the bow into the bulwark of Karl’s camp (yeah, I mixed nautical and land analogies…get over it). What appears to becoming more clear is that the Kings won’t fire Karl during the season, but they’re going to do everything in their power to make his working environment miserable, probably in hopes that he’ll quit. Sure sounds like a healthy, fun place to go to work!
Tonight's game should prove an interesting contrast between the two teams. The Nuggets have shown all season to be a group that is together, fights hard, and of late has consistently been competitive on court. The Kings have had a season of weirdness waffles wrapped in enigmatic bacon, topped with a dollop of sadness butter and dysfunction syrup. With that being said, Sacramento has a whole lot of talent. I honestly don't know what to expect with this game, especially with the long ASB layoff.
