Gallinari, Nuggets better o≠ getting divorce
Readers talk and columnist Mark Kiszla responds
Goodbye, Gallo. It’s time for Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari to go. Jose, Vail
Kiz: For better or worse, Gallinari has been loyal to the Nuggets, in sickness and in health. But it’s time to end this marriage. Denver would be unwise to spend $20 million per year to retain Gallo as a free agent. Why? Since entering the NBA in 2008, he has played more than 70 regular-season games only twice in his career and never averaged 20 points per game. Gallo is good. But if he’s your franchise player, your franchise is going nowhere in the playoffs. Gallinari would be happier in Houston or Boston, where he doesn’t have to carry a team.
Frank discussion. Going through the Sports section to check the standings, I discovered your columns, which have reduced me to tears more than once. I have to confess, I didn’t know sportswriters could be so human (except for the late Frank Deford). Your column on Tiger Woods’ downfall was moving. You gave us all a glimpse of what Woods saw as he fell off that crumbling pedestal. Gerry, looks beyond the box score
Kiz: Even in my dreams, I am incapable of the eloquence and insight Deford brought to sportswriting. But I did learn a little something from Deford, who passed away last week at age 78. Although he became a legend with his profiles of Jimmy Connors and Bob Knight in a magazine called Sports Illustrated, Deford never believed he was writing about sports. Instead, he approached every story as the tale of a flawed and ambitious person whose great gift just happened to be excelling at sports.
Fairway phony. I think because Woods was exposed as being a serial cheater and, in the process, also as a fraud for his phony image, people don’t sympathize with him. Sam, Denver
Kiz: It has been a long time since Mr. Woods was the Tiger that was unbeatable on the golf course and portrayed as 10 feet tall and bulletproof by slick TV commercials and the adoring media. I get why America is reluctant to forgive Woods for betraying the trust of his wife and children, but I wonder if what many fans remain most ticked about is how they got fooled by the image gee-whiz journalists created for Woods. Nobody likes to be played for a fool.
Super question. It’s not a question whether the Broncos’ offensive line is better than last year. It’s a question if the line can be better than it was during the 2015 season, which ended with Denver winning the Super Bowl. Brandon, Denver
Kiz: Props to John Elway for getting serious about rebuilding his O-line. Ronald Leary is the real deal at guard. But can Menelik Watson give the team consistently strong play at tackle? That’s a real big gamble.
Ripe for hype. And today’s parting shot takes exception to the praise given the Rockies by the staff here at Kickin’ It Headquarters:
Wait until the end of September before saying the Rockies are for real. All claims before then are just more perennial homer hype. Gianni, card-carrying skeptic