Nuggets back in action!

All right, I've lived off the non-glory of the Broncos' loss long enough, it's time to update this website and move on to the Nuggets.

We/I at Hole Punch move on with a heavy heart, because it feels like the Finals ended about a month ago, and sometimes it seems like the NBA is all I ever talk about here. (And in the middle of football season!)

Anyway, the Denver Nuggets open their season tonight in San Antonio (8 p.m. Eastern on TNT) against the defending champion Spurs, which is to say, we're looking at starting the season off at 0-1, especially with coach George Karl out for the first two games.

The question this year is, what will the carryover be for the George Karl effect? Returning primarily the same roster that finished last season with a flourish, the Nuggets look to build on the momentum and contend in the West this year.

A few key points, and a bunch of questions:

Strengths: The Nuggets are strong in the same areas they've been for the last two playoff seasons: namely, unusual frontcourt depth and the ability, when the spirit moves them, to run anyone out of the building.

Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin anchor a solid-rebounding and plus-defensive effort, and off the bench Nene nee Hilario is one of the league's best big-man reserves. And you might have heard of the other forward, Carmelo Anthony.

An already-potent point guard corps of Andre Miller and the Earl of Boykins was strengthened with the somewhat-curious addition of the Earl of Watson, late of the Memphis Grizzlies. At least it looks curious, considering Miller is a solid starter and Boykins is worthy off big minutes in reserve.

But late last season, Karl often played Miller and Boykins together to spark the offense. The acquisition of Watson is a good sign the Nuggets plan to play two point guards often this season and shows a commitment to the up-tempo game.

Weaknesses: The most glaring weakness last season was the complete lack of outside shooting following the loss of Voshon Lenard to a torn Achilles tendon. Indeed, you could say outside shooting was our Achilles' heel last year, but that's just lame. Anyway, the late-season pickup of Wesley Person mitigated that loss somewhat.

Lenard returns to the lineup this year (Person is gone), but will remain one of the last options in the offense. Will he be remembered in the half-court?

The Nuggets can put up points in bunches when they run, but when games slow down, they occasionally have a tough time scoring. But they'll be better this year than last, thanks to the return of Lenard and the continued development of Carmelo Anthony.

The other question (and it may seem odd given the Nuggets' aforementioned frontcourt depth): can the Nuggets rebound effectively against elite teams? The Spurs beat on us the boards by about five per game in last year's playoff series. And defensive rebounding is the key to a running offense.

Carmelo: Can Carmelo start the season with a bang, or will he play his way into shape like he has the past two seasons? Word on the street is that Anthony is ready to rumble this time around; but I recall hearing that last year, too.

Carmelo remains the key for the franchise, which is unsurprising considering how little the roster has changed. He's a fantastic finisher on the break as well as our best low-post and midrange offensive option. Will he continue to give an honest effort defensively? Can he be counted on in clutch situations? Has his jumper improved any? And will he continue to develop into a tougher rebounder, without jeopardizing his open court opportunities?

I think Carmelo will have a fantastic season and score in the mid-twenties per game, in addition to regaining his rookie year late-game mojo. He won't be a stopper defensively, nor will we ask him to be, but expect him to play hard enough to earn big minutes.

The Division: As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sports Illustrated predicts the Nuggets to finish with the No. 2 seed in the West and a division crown. While that seeding looks really high to a longtime Nuggets fan such as myself, the division win is very realistic-which would make us top three in any event.

Our competition in the Northwest is Portland, Minnesota, Utah, and Seattle. Seattle's good, Utah's dangerous when healthy, and I think Minnesota could bounce back from last season, if they can get any kind of decent point guard play out of Troy Hudson and Marko Jaric (okay, maybe I don't think they can bounce back).

In other words, we're in a sort-of deep division, but we ought to win it anyway (not unlike the Broncos in the AFC West).

The Coach: George Karl turned last season around; can he keep it rolling? He demands a lot from his players, which usually ends in them tuning him out for an underachieving finish to his tenure, but he's still early in his stay here. While I didn't think he was much of a pickup back in the day, he proved to be more than worth it. There are better coaches in the league (Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, and Gregg Popovich are all definitely a cut above), but he's as good as anyone in the division (I can't stand Jerry Sloan.)

The Outlook: To my own surprise and after a little research, I pretty much have to go with Sports Illustrated here. Barring major injury, the Nuggets will win the division. I'll say 54-28, and wouldn't that be great! I don't know what seed that will give us, but who really cares?

What do you think?