Exhale, please. Please keep the heat on the Nuggets for the nine-year failed experiment that is Nene. He is Mr. Softie. Nene plays semi-hard for no more than one quarter and is disinterested for the rest of the game. For a contract over $65 million, this guy should be a consistent 20-point, 10-rebound player. He’s a soccer player who has no courage, no drive and absolutely no fire in his belly. Nene was hurt during contract negotiations that fans were not respecting him. Really? For the good of the team, I hope he remains on the bench with his whiny, little injuries so our young talent can grow with a will to win. Nene is a nice guy who would be a great next-door neighbor in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, but he does not belong in professional sports.
Steve, needed to vent
Kiz: Mind if I make one tiny suggestion? Breathe. Out with the bad, in with the good. Maybe we’re a bunch of softies at Kickin’ It Headquarters, but we actually think Nene is a nice player. Emphasis on nice. But not $13 million per year nice. When your highest-paid player is soft, it’s hard to justify paying $75 for a ticket.
What’s Ginobili doing in Boulder? If you recall, one reporter asked Nene after his contract was awarded, “Do you feel that you’re the man on this team?” Nene’s reply was no, quickly adding he was just one of the players in Denver. To me, that said it all: Nene wants the money, but not the responsibility.
Manu, Boulder
Kiz: Remember that question well. I asked it. Nene still hasn’t forgiven me. He wishes I had followed Carmelo Anthony to New York. Sorry, Nene.
No more Mr. Nice Guy. I want to thank you for putting some attention on Nuggets coach George Karl, His coaching has been appalling, but for some reason he has been immune to criticism, maybe because he really is a nice guy in real life. Here are the obvious things wrong: 1) Injuries? Fatigue? Everyone is in the same boat, and we have one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Karl refused to use our bench and now we have injuries galore. 2) Karl never takes the blame! He has always passed the blame to his players. 3) We don’t have a set half-court offense. We just run, run, run. We just go with the flow. This might have worked when Denver had Anthony and Chauncey Billups, two of the league’s top finishers. But with a bunch of good players? You need a system. 4) Superstars? Karl doesn’t want them. This is the team Karl wanted, and he has to answer for not developing players.
Ali, tougher than Nene
Kiz: Here are the exclusive Kickin’ It rankings of the top five coaches in the Western Conference: 1) Gregg Popovich, San Antonio; 2) Rick Adelman, Minnesota; 3) Rick Carlisle, Dallas; 4) Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City, and 5) our man Karl.
Badger or Bronco QB will do. “I was watching the NFL combine and had a chance to see the quarterbacks working out. I think the Broncos could do well by drafting either Russell Wilson of Wisconsin as a match to Tim Tebow’s skills or Boise State QB Kellen Moore to help Tebow develop mentally. Back in the day, John Elway definitely benefited from having Gary Kubiak in the study room.
Todd, Colorado Springs
Kiz: Peyton Manning is throwing the football with more zip every day. If Manning hits the open market and the Broncos don’t at least take him to dinner at a fine Denver steakhouse, shame on Elway.
So Sioux me. What a sniveling fool you are! You completely missed out describing a great college hockey game between Denver and North Dakota by getting distracted by loud fans of the Sioux. Did you think it was a golf match? Have you ever been to a Michigan-Michigan State football game, or Duke-North Carolina basketball game? Sure, the visiting fans sit on their hands and politely sing “Kumbaya.” Rather than whining about North Dakota’s remarkable support, you might ask why DU’s support is so tepid. Get off the sports beat. You have no clue.
Ken, Centennial
Kiz: The weather today in beautiful downtown Grand Forks will be 19 degrees with snow. Guess hot air from Sioux fans is to be expected. They’re trying to keep warm.
Parting shot. And today’s parting shot wonders if it would be possible for all of the states east of the Mississippi River to fall in the Atlantic Ocean.
“I couldn’t agree more with you on Colorado State being a better basketball team than Connecticut. Every year I get all bent regarding the eastern control of the NCAA Tournament selections and seeding. We do need to move away from the East Coast and closer to reality. They’ve messed up our finances, and they continue to mess up our sports.”
Ev, Franktown
