The above video is just a series of clips from today’s practice. Ty Lawson spoke publicly for the first time since his arrest for suspicion of DUI on Thursday night. A few clips feature coach Melvin Hunt working with Jusuf Nurkic and J.J. Hickson on positioning. Danilo Gallinari and Alonzo Gee stayed well after practice and went one on one for a long time. Gallo needs a buddy to work with after practice is over, and he seems to have forged a very good relationship with Gee (Gallo used to do the same with Timofey Mozgov after practice).
In general, we all know the Nuggets are a mess right now. This much is true. However I find it just a bit on the funny side that, after virtually ignoring the Nuggets all season, suddenly there have been throngs of media last night (just for Shaw’s pre-game presser, all the TV cameras were absent post-game) and today. Due solely to Lawson’s legal issues.
I've said this repeatedly, but the way the media in Denver treats the Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and to a certain (although less severe extent) Colorado Rockies makes my blood boil. If this was, say, New York, or Los Angeles or heck, even one of the great cities in Texas, you'd see far more media at Nuggets games and practices than you do here. While everyone acknowledges this is a Broncos town, to flat out ignore the local NBA team, unless there is controversy going on, is insulting.
How long will the "this is a Broncos town" excuse go on? It's revisionist history to say that the Nuggets have to be "good" in order to get attention. I remember the 57 win 2012-13 year very well, and I don't recall the Nuggets getting more (local) media attention then versus now. You'd think that they would at least bother to pay attention to the team every once in a while. All the local TV cameras were at practice today. I can count maybe three days this year when I can say that, and we are half a season in.
The guy who "broke" the Nuggets story, Darren McKee (aka DMac) from 104.3 the Fan in Denver, is someone who (if you listen to him) has no clue what the Nuggets are doing. It almost feels like he's being forced into talking about them, and only bothered to even notice them when the Lawson incident happened. If you hear his basketball segments with Alfred Williams (they rarely talk basketball) they are woefully ill-informed and quite frankly vapid. The fact that DMac is the one who broke the Lawson story makes the absurdity of the local media's sudden attention on the Nuggets all the more laughable.
Don't give me the "Well, if the Nuggets were any good" bull roar. It's life in Denver and it's the worst part about it. That's why I appreciate guys like (obviously Chris Dempsey) Les Shapiro, Sandy Clough, Paul Klee, Michelle Tuckner, Raj Sharon, Zach Marburger, and others who actually attend games and bother to inform themselves on what's going on with the Nuggets.
Media attention holds all organizations to higher standards. Scrutiny is good and quite frankly, I think the Nuggets could use some. Don't just ride into town when there's controversy going on. You'll learn more at a mundane Monday afternoon practice than you will the Saturday after a controversy. Every time.
Just wish everyone bought in to that notion.
