I caught an interesting discussion between NBA blogger Matt Moore and Bullets Forever.com writer Mike Prada on the CBS Sports.com basketball podcast (episode on 10/4/12) the other day. The two were talking extensively about the Washington Wizards when Nene’s name came up.

Prada informed listeners that Nene’s plantar fasciitis was keeping him out of training camp and could limit him early in the season. This is a story all too familiar to Nuggets Nation. Things are different in Denver where there is a healthy battle of young big men doing battle. Kenneth Faried, Anthony Randolph, JaVale McGee, Kosta Koufos, and Timofey Mozgov have been killing each other in camp and that will only make the young guys better. Nene was a polarizing figure during his time in Denver. And now he’s dealing with questions about his decline in Washington, less than a year after the Wizards took a major gamble on him and his five-year and $67 million contract.

The Nuggets’ big gamble in that trade, JaVale McGee, did not get off to a hot start in Las Vegas against the Clippers – the city where he inked his new contract with the team. McGee’s performance was a major talking point among this Stiffs community and it’s nice to see the raised expectations from the fan-base, front office, and coaching staff in regards to the young big.

Nene will make his return to Denver with the Wizards on January 18, 2013 and the Nuggets head out to D.C. to face the Wizards on February 22, 2013. Full schedule here.

To the links …

NBA.com’s David Aldridge has his required reading out in the form of his “The Morning Tip” column. Some good commentary on Royce White (a player I was hoping would fall to the Nuggets in the draft), the Nets‘ new arena, and much much more. A must read for NBA fans … daily!

Benjamin Hochman, the Denver Post, takes a look at the Nuggets’ three-point shooting and how Jordan Hamilton looks to fill that void.

Speaking of Hamilton, our friends over at Roundball Mining Company have him ranked at No. 8 in their latest player ranking of the team.

And if you get a chance, check out Rerun Nuggets where Peter Sherwill and some guests are breaking down their NBA predictions. Some good homer-ism from a couple of his guests and some nice hoops talk from Peter and Justin Adams of 7-News (editor) and 710 AM radio.

Nate_Timmons on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nate_Timmons
ntimmons73@yahoo.com

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