Basketball fans, the wait is over. The new NBA season is here. Last night we got out first taste of what this season has to offer, as we saw the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers raise a banner and the new-look Golden State Warriors flounder in their home opener.
Now it’s time for the Denver Nuggets to take the hardwood and kick off their season on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Right now, Colorado is booming, currently standing as the second fastest growing state in the country. There are a lot of people moving here with no idea about who or what this Nuggets team is about.
Coach Michael Malone told Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post that he believes the Nuggets can benefit from Denver’s newest residents.
“So now we have to take the next step. Can you be a team that has great culture, competes, plays together, fun to watch – and wins? At the end of the day we have to win games. The challenge is, and I talked to our marketing people, 15,000-17,000 new people coming into the Denver area per month. Now, when they come here, those people were not raised as Denver Nugget fans. So that’s the challenge: How do we connect with these new people coming in?
“As we met and we talked, to me our team is a microcosm of our city. We’re a young, growing team whose future is really bright. The city is not necessarily young, but it’s growing so fast from everywhere. So that’s what we’re doing. So I like to use that analogy: Come grow with the Nuggets. You’re here now, become a Nuggets fan. This city is going to be a great place to live, and we’re going to be a great team to watch and support for many, many years.”
The Nuggets are going to be a fun team to watch this season. Over the past three years, the Nuggets have been laying the foundation for what will hopefully become a championship contending team. They have an impressive young core, a solid veteran presence and a coach who loves to win and hates to lose (trust me when I say he HATES to lose).
Jamal Murray, Danilo Gallinari and Gary Harris will be draining shots; Kenneth Faried and Will Barton will provide acrobatic dunks; and Malone will be providing a sideshow of his own on, with the many facial expressions he demonstrates on the sideline during games.
It’s going to be a good time.
So, newcomers, come grow in Denver, and come grow with the Denver Nuggets as they could be the next big thing in the NBA.
The season will have its fair share of peaks and valleys, but it’ll be fun; that I can assure you.