Do Nuggets have better shot to beat Golden St. or Dallas?
No Curry on the menu. There are three options on the table for the Nuggets in the playoffs. No. 1: Golden State without a healthy Steph Curry; No: 2: Dallas, and No. 3: Golden State with Curry in the lineup. I’ll take either of the first two options.
— Kasey, not picky
Kiz: The Nuggets will advance to second round, regardless of matchup. My story. Sticking to it.
Hedging his bets. Curry will come back from injury in time for the playoffs, so I would rather the Nuggets play the inexperienced Mavericks, because Denver is more likely to get a fair shake on calls. But without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, it will take a miracle to get out of the first round. It’s just too much to ask from Nikola Jokic. Now, if Murray comes back? Maybe.
— Chad, living on a prayer
Kiz: The hoops- lover in me is itching to see Murray take the floor. Is it wise for a player recovering from serious injury to jump straight into the playoffs? Maybe not. But here’s my guess: The Blue Arrow will come off the bench during first round. And the Denver crowd will go wild.
Joker needs a ring. Jokic is not in the convo with John Elway as the greatest player in Denver sports history until he wins a championship.
— Mitch, Denver
Kiz: When I proposed the debate of Elway vs. Jokic with my colleague Mike Singer, I knew it could be regarded as blasphemy in Broncos Country. But Joker is first legit candidate to challenge Elway for the crown.
A little Avs love. The corrected title for your debate: Is Elway or Joe Sakic the greatest player in Denver sports history?
— Ben, hockey lover
Kiz: Wrong, my friend. The greatest player in Avs history is Patrick Roy. No debate. Colorado doesn’t win one Cup, much less two, without him.
A new model. College football should adopt the European soccer model, with tiered divisions and teams moving up or down based on success. In that scenario, Colorado and Colorado State might not even be in the second tier. Maybe Tier 3?
— C. M., innovative thinker
Kiz: During his farewell appearance at the Final Four, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski suggested college basketball needs a total revamp. Shortly thereafter, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney predicted the structure of college football will be blown up. While I’m in favor of players earning money from name, image and likeness, Colorado and CSU simply can’t compete with Ohio State or Texas A& M in this new high- stakes game. Worse, the poorly thought- out regulations of the transfer portal threaten to reduce the Buffs and Rams to farm clubs for truly elite programs.
Keeping it real. And today’s parting shot is a reminder that hope might spring eternal, but it’s probably wiser to be realistic with our expectations for the scrappy little baseball team in Lodo.
I heard Rockies owner Dick Monfort on the radio before the seasonopener with an interviewer that blew in his ear, patted him on the back and pretended Monfort was an adult. Monfort claimed no other owner in the league worked as hard as he did. That reminded me of my dad’s caution: “If you don’t think too well, don’t think too much.” Just saying.