Unofficially, My Favorite Day of the Year!

Denver Magazine Has the Keys to This Seasons Success on Their Cover

Today marks the day that myself, a grown man, wakes up before sunrise and starts getting ready for my favorite day of the year. Like a child on Christmas, peaking around the tree and shaking boxes, I am gearing up for the Nuggets’ season opener against the Utah Jazz.

Now it is no secret that the Jazz fall somewhere between hemorrhoids and Brent Musburger on my “Things That Irritate me” list, so nothing would make my favorite day of the year like a victory tonight.

There has been a lot of buzz that this may be the breakout year for Melo. A lot of analysts have him high on their MVP radars already and I must agree. He has vowed to be more aggressive in taking the ball to the hole and now that the officials are giving him the calls, he will get even more trips to the free throw line.

Chauncey Billups, Denver’s favorite son, is more focused than ever and ready to pick up where he left off. With an entire offseason to work with the team and his uncanny ability to lead and produce, look for him to seal his fate in the Hall of Fame.

A few of the new faces who joined the team this season are lead by Arron Afflalo. Afflalo will look to be that defensive presence on the perimeter that was lost when Dahntay Jones left. Afflalo is a better scorer than Jones and through the preseason has looked to be everything Jones was as a defender.

Ty Lawson also joins the mix. The Nuggets are high on his abilities and look for him to back up Billups. Lawson has a very high basketball I.Q. and is going to be one of the fastest players with the ball in the NBA. He also has the advantage of learning the most difficult position in the game from one of the finest. Chauncey has taken Ty under his wing and is setting the young man up with all that he needs to become a great floor general.

Look for the Nuggets to beat up on the Jazz tonight as Utah is hindered with injuries yet again. With Kyle Korver and CJ Miles not playing and Ronnie Brewer questionable, the Jazz will be stretching their bench thin.

J.R. Smith will begin his seven game supension tonight for the Nuggets and his scoring will greatly be missed, so look for Afflalo, Lawson and either Nene or Kenyon Martin to step up big and take on some of that scoring load.