Paradox

I think that I must be living in some sort of strange alternate universe. I watched the Nuggets play mediocre defense against the Jazz. They lost. Tonight I watched the Nuggets play mediocre defense against the Mavs. They lost. It's like Groundhog Day, the same horrific situation repeated over and over. And I, a lowly Nuggets fan, cannot escape. It's the same thing night after night...and the same result. Save me, please!

A lowly Nuggets fan responds to the team's latest lost.

Yet no one, from the coaches to the commentators, seems to notice that the Nuggets have absolutely zero defensive ability. They play average defense for 10 seconds, and then they fall apart. Opponents make uncontested layups, they hit uncontested jumpshots, and the Nuggets, as a team, seem content to let other teams do pretty much whatever they damn well please. I know that Doug Moe is on the coaching staff, and I know that Moe is the mastermind of the matador defense, but something has got to give. I always understood that George Karl was brought in to bring some toughness to the team. He was brought in to give the team veteran leadership. . . and a defensive spark, especially given the dominant defensive teams he coached in Seattle. But maybe Karl has gone soft. While his visage remains that of toughened pugilist, perhaps on the inside he has become a Rocky Mountain Santa Clause - delivering bucket and bucket to opponents both naughty and nice.

Until the Nuggets learn to play solid team defense for 24 seconds, they will remain on the fringes of success. A.I. can score 30 points every night, and Melo can chip in another 30. But it won't matter if they give up 110 to every team they face. Where have you gone Jeff Bizdelick? I yearn for the days when the Nuggets approached every game with the underdog mentality and a toughness that hasn't been seen under Karl's soft underbelly of a team.

The photo that graces that team's defensive manual. Answers so many questions, does it not?