Denver

The Denver Nuggets and the Seattle Supersonics both entered their respective leagues at the same time, 1967. Denver in the ABA and Seattle in the NBA. This is the first in a surprisingly very long line of shared history between the two cities that continued all the way to 2008. Some of the most pivotal moments in Nuggets/NBA history occurred between the Nuggets and the Sonics in that time span starting in 1969. The Denver Rockets of the ABA signed Spencer Haywood in 1969 after one year of college. Due to the NBA's "Rules of eligibility" at the time, Haywood couldn't sign with the NBA. Haywood's one season in Denver was spectacular, averaging 30 points and 19.5 (!) rebounds a game. Amazing talent in a fledgling league. It was inevitable that the ABA would be too small for the amazing talents of Haywood. In 1970 Haywood and the Seattle Supersonics agreed on a contract, putting them in direct violation of the NBA's eligibility rules. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and resulted in a landmark decision regarding eligibility for professional leagues. The two teams didn't intersect again until after the Nuggets entered the NBA. They met in the Western Conference Finals in 1978. The Nuggets were defeated in six games 4-2 and the Sonics went on to lose to the Washington Bullets in the Finals. The next year the Sonics would play the Bullets again in the Finals and win their only Championship. Three seasons later, in 1982 the Nuggets would trade troubled star David Thompson to Seattle for none other than the Stiffiest Stiff of them all ... Bill Hanzlik. The Nuggets and Sonics met again in the first round of the 1988 NBA playoffs. The Nuggets won 3-2 over a Sonics team featuring Xavier McDaniel, Tom Chambers and future Nuggets player Dale Ellis. They were coached by Bernie Bickerstaff. Fast forward two years ... in 1990 the Nuggets' pretend owners Peter Bynoe and Bertram Lee hired Bickerstaff as general manager. Four seasons later, the (then) upstart Denver Nuggets met the heavily favored Sonics in the first round of the 1994 NBA playoffs. We all know what happened there, NBA History. The Nuggets became the first-ever No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. A great moment for the Nuggets and the NBA (not so much Seattle or George Karl). The next year Bickerstaff brought in former Sonics sharp-shooter Dale Ellis. The Nuggets connection fell off until January of 2005 - the Nuggets hired Karl, former Sonics coach. He has been with the club ever since. The last "connection" and milestone was the NBA record 168 points in regulation that the Nuggets put on the Sonics in their last-ever season in Seattle in 2008. These are all moments that connect the Nuggets to the Sonics, a connection that runs just as deep as the one with the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs (the Nuggets have faced both of those teams six times in the NBA playoffs). I have to say, speaking for myself, it has been weird not seeing the Nuggets annual trek up to the Pacific Northwest. The back to back of the Portland Trail Blazers and the Supersonics was a tradition. The events of what happened in 2008 are well worn and covered extensively by the documentary Sonicsgate. You can understand the lingering animus and ill-feeling toward Commissioner David Stern and former Washington State Speaker of the House Frank Chopp after their ego-fueled showdown in 2006. After an attempt to purchase the Sacramento Kings by Hedge Fund Manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Billionaire Steve Ballmer this year was denied by the NBA, and David Stern started off his press conference on May 15th by saying "This is going to be short for me. I have a game to get to in Oklahoma City..." ... you can understand the hurt and enraged feelings. I'm going to set the Sacramento issue aside. It is settled in my mind and I'm happy that the people there get to move forward knowing their team will be there for the foreseeable future. Quite frankly, for a team that has been

What do you all think of this? I thought that we'd still get him, but I feel confident in our DLine and think we could still pick up Abraham. I'm not that worried about Freeney facing Clady, after all. What do you all think? Should we have given more effort in obtaining him, or will our DLine be sufficient to destroy the rest of the AFC West and beyond? I like Freeney, but am not entirely sad we missed out. I'd rather have Phillips. What do you all think of this? I thought that we'd still get him, but I feel confident in our DLine and think we could still pick up Abraham. I'm not that worried about Freeney facing Clady, after all. What do you all think? Should we have given more effort in obtaining him, or will our DLine be sufficient to destroy the rest of the AFC West and beyond? I like Freeney, but am not entirely sad we missed out. I'd rather have Phillips.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Dwight Freeney signed with the San Diego Chargers on Saturday, meaning two former teammates will face off twice a year. Freeney is good friends with Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning from their days with the Indianapolis Colts. He was once believed to be headed for a reunion with Manning in Denver, but instead will play for the rival Chargers. The question is, what does the Freeney signing mean for the Broncos? Whenever a division rival upgrades their talent base, it’s something to take notice of, but the Broncos should not be too concerned about Freeney with the Chargers. Firstly, Freeney is not the pass rusher he was four or five years ago as his sack numbers have decreased in recent years. He also benefited from playing with leads when he and Manning played for the Colts, making it easier to rush the passer. The Chargers are unlikely to be playing with big leads very often, especially versus the Broncos. Freeney also had Robert Mathis on the other side when he was with the Colts, an advantage he won’t have with the Chargers. Teams, including the Broncos, will be able to game plan for Freeney without having to worry about a second pass rusher. However, the biggest reason that the Broncos shouldn’t be too concerned about the presence of Freeney with the Chargers is Ryan Clady. Clady is one of the best left tackles in the NFL and is coming off of his best season as a pro. Throw in the fact that Manning knows Freeney and gets rid of the ball quickly, and the Broncos will be fine when facing the Chargers. What’s funny is the Broncos signed former Charger Shaun Phillips for a fraction of what the Chargers are paying Freeney, and I’m willing to bet that Phillips has a better year than Freeney. The new Charger may end up with more sacks, but Phillips will have more of an impact. Freeney had a chance to play with the Broncos and benefit from the leads that Manning is likely to build, but he passed on it and now has to chase his friend twice a year. Good luck with that. Follow me on Twitter @Jemorrone7

(Our first use of Raw Story’s innovative syndication system – Pols) Colorado GOP state senator ducks questions from Aurora victim’s father (via Raw Story ) The father of one of the victims of the July 2012 mass shooting in Colorado told Talking Points Memo on Friday that his state’s Senate Minority Leader, Bill Cadman (R), rebuffed him while sharing pictures of his son. “I walked right up to him, and I handed him one of the pictures, and I said, ‘…

Now that SB Nation's finally gotten their server apocalypse under control, I feel secure in resuming my normal blogging activities. It's been four days since the last rankings post, so as a quick reminder here is a quick run down of the power rankings so far: 32. Jacksonville Jaguars 31. New York Jets 30. Oakland Raiders 29. Arizona Cardinals 28. Buffalo Bills 27. Tennessee Titans 26. Dallas Cowboys 25. Carolina Panthers As for the Bucs, the only reason I put them slightly ahead of the Panthers is because I think they traded and drafted for players that will make an immediate impact from Day 1. 24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012 Record: 7-9) Buccaneers 2013 Draft Picks 2.11 Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State 3.11 Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina State 4.3 Akeem Spence, DT, Illinois 4.29 William Gholston, DE, Michigan State 5.14 Steven Means, DE, Buffalo 6.21 Mike James, RB, Miami In spite of the Darrelle Revis trade, the Buccaneers are suffering from horribly inconsistent offensive output and I don't see that trend improving anytime soon. Their draft was actually pretty good considering they gave up their first round selection for Revis. Josh Freeman showed really good potential in his rookie campaign, but has since floundered terribly. So much so that the front office are hoping third round draft pick in quarterback Mike Glennon will either beat out Freeman in camp or push him to play better. The problem is, I'm not sold on either guy and in a top heavy division that tells me they will be picking fairly high next year. I give them an A for effort, but until the quarterbacking issue is resolve, this franchise will continue to flounder. Previous: 25. Carolina Panthers Next: Tune in tomorrow at Noon MST Follow Me on Twitter!Like Me on Facebook! Poll Are the Bucs ranked too high or too low? Too High Too Low Just Right 0 votes | Results

As featured at Mugshots.com. That is, unless you live in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Sentinel's Paul Shockley reports on the final disposition in the domestic violence case against newly sworn-in City Councilor Rick Brainard: Grand Junction City Councilor Rick Brainard pleaded guilty Friday after a thwarted bid to end his domestic-violence case with something less than a guilty plea. Brainard, 51, tried to plead “no contest” under a deal with the Mesa County District Attorney’s Office in which he would have been placed on a deferred judgment and sentence for 18 months, aside from a suspended jail sentence. Brainard sought permission to travel out-of-state… “I will not accept a nolo contendere plea,” the judge said. “It’s guilty or not guilty.” And with that, Brainard was left with little choice but to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault. He received an 18 month suspended sentence, with a domestic violence screening and community service. If Brainard successfully completes these requirements, he can get the conviction expunged from his criminal record. As far as the public record is concerned, what's done is done. Shockley reports that another contingent of taped-mouth women protesters was present as yesterday's hearing. It still appears Brainard intends to live this conviction down and remain on the city council, but either way the difference between a nolo contendre and a guilty plea wouldn't have helped his popularity much with them. Laiche acknowledged his client “at some point and time needs to apologize to her.” …When confronted by an officer with details about the incident, Brainard admitted he’d grabbed her, pushed on her chest, pulled her hair and slapped her on the left side of her neck and cheek area, according to the affidavit. Brainard told the officer he slapped the woman because she needed to “shut her mouth,” the affidavit said. [Pols emphasis] This isn't some indiscretion in the distant past–Brainard assaulted this woman three days after winning office. As we've said previously, the indifference shown by Brainard in taking office after this is something we don't think would would be tolerated in many other parts of the state–and points to a, for lack of a better word, dysfunction in the culture of beet-red Mesa County, Colorado. Where are the civic leaders to say "enough, Mr. Brainard?" Each day is a welcome fresh opportunity to prove us wrong.

The Toronto Raptors have pillaged a few assets from the Denver Nuggets over the years; from Linas Kleiza to Gary Forbes and they were rumored to be interested in Wilson Chandler when the forward was returning to the NBA from his stint in China during the lockout. Now, the Raptors are after their former employee: Masai Ujiri, reports Adrian Wojnarowski. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is pursuing Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri to take over as the top basketball executive of the Toronto Raptors, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Masai, the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year, has emerged as the top choice of the search firm - Korn/Ferry International - that's been charged with finding a successor to Raptors president Bryan Colangelo, league sources said. MLSE has until Monday to make a decision on Colangelo's contract option for next year. It is possible that he could stay with the franchise under a new top basketball official. Ujiri's contract as Denver's general manager expires this summer and he has been in talks with ownership on an extension. Ujiri, 42, has a strong bond with Nuggets CEO Josh Kroenke, but new MLSE top executive, Tim Leiweke, has expressed a desire to make a serious financial and organizational commitment to an elite executive to turn around the franchise. I'm not sure how much money will play into things, but it's interesting to note in Woj's article: Ujiri is one of the NBA's lower paid GMs. In my opinion, it would be a huge mistake to let Ujiri's free agent status come to fruition. The Nuggets need to get a deal done with Ujiri before he's able to test the waters. He has done a remarkable job since coming to Denver and his vision for the team has not yet been realized. Let's hope Josh Kroenke can keep the Nuggets' front office in tact with Ujiri and Pete D'Alessandro staying put. The culture change in Denver has been taking shape under Ujiri's guidance and I think just about everyone in Nuggets Nation would agree. Keep Ujiri in Denver. And for fun ... with Ujiri earning the Executive of the Year he can easily reenact this famous scene:

Maybe you’ve already seen the photos of the new Sports Authority Field at Mile High scoreboards being installed. But today is your first chance to see the improvements live and in person. The other professional sports team that calls Sports Authority Field home will play their home opener at the stadium tonight. The undefeated Denver Outlaws (3-0), who appeared in the Major League Lacrosse title game last year, take on the Rochester Rattlers (1-2) at 7 p.m. MDT tonight at Sports Authority Field. Tickets are still available for the game and may be purchased online or in-person before the game starting at $10. The Outlaws game will be preceded by the Class 4A and 5A state championship lacrosse games, which face off at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Admission to both of those high school games is free with the purchase of an Outlaws ticket. Today’s lacrosse tripleheader offers the first look at the $30 million of improvements that include a brand new 220 foot by 40 foot high-definition scoreboard on the south side of the stadium. The new scoreboard is believed to be either the third or fourth-largest in the United States.

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Charles Woodson has come and gone. We know the Broncos made him an offer but seeings how he is not on the roster, we can assume the offer was too low for Woodson’s tastes. The Raiders now appear more and more likely to sign Woodson but the Giants, Panthers and even the Lions have recently emerged as interested suitors. I doubt there isn’t a team that would benefit from his experience and skills but so far no organization seems interested in offering a substantial down payment for them. Woodson has gone from demanding a top salary to demanding he play for a contender to confessing that he is just a ball player looking to play ball. Where ever he ends up it is hard to see him as a Bronco at this point. John Elway and company aren’t afraid to spend money, of course. Reference Peyton Manning’s  contract as evidence of that or just look at the sizable compromise they were reportedly ready to offer Elvis Dumervil. Sure, it was a pay cut, but it was still a sizable offer. The Broncos were one of the most aggressive teams in free agency this year as well. The minute the free agency clock started ticking this off season, the Broncos went on a shopping spree that only Kim Kardashian could top! Still, that doesn’t mean the Broncos have to have the best free agent safety on their team in order to remain an elite squad. Woodson would be a nice addition and the Broncos have $7 million in cap room remaining. However, the Broncos don’t need him. For all the talk of Rahim Moore’s postseason blunder, the Bronco secondary was terrific last season. As many have said over and over again, Moore has to learn from that and move on. The consensus from the coaching staff is that he can and will. Furthermore, it’s not as if the Broncos haven’t already made moves to sure up their defensive back field. They added Shaun Phillips to replace Dumervil’s production. While Phillips is not a defensive back necessarily, pressure is a defensive backs best friend. Adding Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will allow Chris Harris  to either line up as a corner or line up as one of the best cover safeties in the AFC. As good as Harris was at corner last year it is easy to forget his natural position is actually safety. Additionally, the Broncos added Kayvon Webster in the third round of this year’s draft. The knock on Webster isn’t his skill set or his potential. It was that many felt the Broncos’ reached too far to acquire him. Still, Webster is a versatile play maker who can line up in coverage and also tackles with authority. Just watch the film on this guy. I’m not going to go crazy and say Steve Atwater but then again, I just did. Sure, picking up Woodson would be a statement. It would be an upgrade as well, no one is denying that. Who knows, he may end up a Bronco. Stranger things than that have happened. The one thing we’ve seen from this organization during the off season, however, is that they move decisively. Only Dumervil slipped away and that wasn’t because the Broncos didn’t make their offer and intentions clear right away. When they have wanted a player, they have been able to obtain him quickly and without unnecessary negotiations. Like previous visitors Dwight Freeney and John Abraham, Woodson left without a contract. It speaks volumes to the confidence the Broncos have in the pieces they already have in place. This team can win a championship without Woodson. Of course, he claims he’d like to play for a contender. Well, Charles, there is one in Denver. Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.

"The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception." –Friedrich Nietzsche