thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Robinhood has lured young traders, sometimes with devastating results

Richard Dobatse , a Navy medic in San Diego , dabbled infrequently in stock trading .
But his behavior changed in 2017 when he signed up for Robinhood , a trading app that made buying and selling stocks simple and seemingly free .
Dobatse , now 32 , said he had been charmed by Robinhood ’ s one-click trading , easy access to complex investment products , and features like falling confetti and emoji-filled phone notifications that made it feel like a game .
After funding his account with $ 15,000 in credit card advances , he began spending more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly lost money , Dobatse took out two $ 30,000 home equity loans so he could buy and sell more speculative stocks and options , hoping to pay off his debts .
His account value shot above $ 1 million this year — but almost all of that recently disappeared .
This week , his balance was $ 6,956 .
“ When he is doing his trading , he won ’ t want to eat , ” said his wife , Tashika Dobatse , with whom he has three children .
“ He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans have begun investing in recent years through Robinhood , which was founded in 2013 with a sales pitch of no trading fees or account minimums .
The ease of trading has turned it into a cultural phenomenon and a Silicon Valley darling , with the startup climbing to an $ 8.3 billion valuation .
It has been one of the tech industry ’ s biggest growth stories in the recent market turmoil .
But at least part of Robinhood ’ s success appears to have been built on a Silicon Valley playbook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has drawn inexperienced investors into the riskiest trading , according to an analysis of industry data and legal filings , as well as interviews with nine current and former Robinhood employees and more than a dozen customers .
And the more that customers engaged in such behavior , the better it was for the company , the data shows .
More than at any other retail brokerage firm , Robinhood ’ s users trade the riskiest products and at the fastest pace , according to an analysis of new filings from nine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The New York Times .
In the first three months of 2020 , Robinhood users traded nine times as many shares as E-Trade customers and 40 times as many shares as Charles Schwab customers , per dollar in the average customer account in the most recent quarter .
They also bought and sold 88 times as many risky options contracts as Schwab customers , relative to the average account size , according to the analysis .
The more often small investors trade stocks , the worse their returns are likely to be , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even worse when they get involved with options , research has found .
This kind of trading , in which a few minutes can mean the difference between winning and losing , was particularly hazardous on Robinhood because the firm has experienced an unusual number of technology issues , public records show .
Some Robinhood employees , who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation , said the company failed to provide adequate guardrails and technology to support its customers .
Those dangers came into focus last month when Alex Kearns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , killed himself after he logged into the app and saw that his balance had dropped to negative $ 730,000 .
The figure was high partly because of some incomplete trades .
“ There was no intention to be assigned this much and take this much risk , ” Kearns wrote in his suicide note , which a family member posted on Twitter .
Like Kearns , Robinhood ’ s average customer is young and lacks investing know-how .
The average age is 31 , the company said , and half its customers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited Robinhood ’ s headquarters in Menlo Park , California , in recent years to confront the staff about their losses , said four employees who witnessed the incidents .
This year , they said , the startup installed bulletproof glass at the front entrance .
“ They encourage people to go from training wheels to driving motorcycles , ” Scott Smith , who tracks brokerage firms at financial consulting firm Cerulli , said of Robinhood .
“ Over the long term , it ’ s like trying to beat the casino.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business is an incentive to encourage more trading .
It does not charge fees for trading , but it is still paid more if its customers trade more .
That is because it makes money through a complex practice known as “ payment for order flow.
” Each time a Robinhood customer trades , Wall Street firms actually buy or sell the shares and determine what price the customer gets .
These firms pay Robinhood for the right to do this because they then engage in a form of arbitrage by trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profit over what they give the Robinhood customer .
This practice is not new , and retail brokers such as E-Trade and Schwab also do it .
But Robinhood makes significantly more than they do for each stock share and options contract sent to the professional trading firms , the filings show .
For each share of stock traded , Robinhood made four to 15 times more than Schwab in the most recent quarter , according to the filings .
In total , Robinhood got $ 18,955 from the trading firms for every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Schwab made $ 195 , the Alphacution analysis shows .
Industry experts said this was most likely because the trading firms believed they could score the easiest profits from Robinhood customers .
Vlad Tenev , a founder and co-chief executive of Robinhood , said in an interview that even with some of its customers losing money , young Americans risked greater losses by not investing in stocks at all .
Not participating in the markets “ ultimately contributed to the sort of the massive inequalities that we ’ re seeing in society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only 12 % of the traders active on Robinhood each month used options , which allow people to bet on where the price of a specific stock will be on a specific day and multiply that by 100 .
He said the company had added educational content on how to invest safely .
He declined to comment on why Robinhood makes more than its competitors from the Wall Street firms .
The company also declined to provide data on its customers ’ performance .
Robinhood was founded by Tenev and Baiju Bhatt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stanford University in 2005 .
After teaming up on several ventures , including a high-speed trading firm , they were inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement to create a company that would make finance more accessible , they said .
They named the startup Robinhood after the English outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor .
In May , Robinhood said it had 13 million accounts , up from 10 million at the end of 2019 .
Schwab said it had 12.7 million brokerage accounts in its latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That growth has kept the money flowing in from venture capitalists .
Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates are among those that have poured $ 1.3 billion into Robinhood .
In May , the company received a fresh $ 280 million .
“ Robinhood has made the financial markets accessible to the masses and , in turn , revolutionized the decades-old brokerage industry , ” Andrew Reed , a partner at Sequoia , said after last month ’ s fundraising .
Tenev has said Robinhood has invested in the best technology in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the app have been compounded by its tech glitches .
In 2018 , Robinhood released software that accidentally reversed the direction of options trades , giving customers the opposite outcome from what they expected .
Last year , it mistakenly allowed people to borrow infinite money to multiply their bets , leading to some enormous gains and losses .
Robinhood ’ s website has also gone down more often than those of its rivals — 47 times since March for Robinhood and 10 times for Schwab — according to a Times analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website reliability .
In March , the site was down for almost two days , just as stock prices were gyrating because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Robinhood ’ s customers were unable to make trades to blunt the damage to their accounts .
Four Robinhood employees , who declined to be identified , said the outage was rooted in issues with the company ’ s phone app and servers .
They said the startup had underinvested in technology and moved too quickly rather than carefully .
Tenev said he could not talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post that said it was “ not acceptable.
” Robinhood had recently made new technology investments , he said .
Plaintiffs who have sued over the outage said Robinhood had done little to respond to their losses .
Unlike other brokers , the company has no phone number for customers to call .
Dobatse suffered his biggest losses in the March outage — $ 860,000 , his records show .
Robinhood did not respond to his emails , he said .
A Robinhood spokesman said the company did respond .
Dobatse said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial regulators for arbitration .
“ They make it so easy for people that don ’ t know anything about stocks , ” he said .
“ Then you go there and you start to lose money .
”

Richard Dobatse, a Navy medic in San Diego, dabbled infrequently in stock trading. But his behavior changed in 2017 when he signed up for Robinhood, a trading app that made buying and selling stocks simple and seemingly free.
Dobatse, now 32, said he had been charmed by Robinhood’s one-click trading, easy access to complex investment products, and features like falling confetti and emoji-filled phone notifications that made it feel like a game. After funding his account with $15,000 in credit card advances, he began spending more time on the app.
As he repeatedly lost money, Dobatse took out two $30,000 home equity loans so he could buy and sell more speculative stocks and options, hoping to pay off his debts. His account value shot above $1 million this year — but almost all of that recently disappeared. This week, his balance was $6,956.
“When he is doing his trading, he won’t want to eat,” said his wife, Tashika Dobatse, with whom he has three children. “He would have nightmares.”
Millions of young Americans have begun investing in recent years through Robinhood, which was founded in 2013 with a sales pitch of no trading fees or account minimums. The ease of trading has turned it into a cultural phenomenon and a Silicon Valley darling, with the startup climbing to an $8.3 billion valuation. It has been one of the tech industry’s biggest growth stories in the recent market turmoil.
But at least part of Robinhood’s success appears to have been built on a Silicon Valley playbook of behavioral nudges and push notifications, which has drawn inexperienced investors into the riskiest trading, according to an analysis of industry data and legal filings, as well as interviews with nine current and former Robinhood employees and more than a dozen customers. And the more that customers engaged in such behavior, the better it was for the company, the data shows.
More than at any other retail brokerage firm, Robinhood’s users trade the riskiest products and at the fastest pace, according to an analysis of new filings from nine brokerage firms by research firm Alphacution for The New York Times.
In the first three months of 2020, Robinhood users traded nine times as many shares as E-Trade customers and 40 times as many shares as Charles Schwab customers, per dollar in the average customer account in the most recent quarter. They also bought and sold 88 times as many risky options contracts as Schwab customers, relative to the average account size, according to the analysis.
The more often small investors trade stocks, the worse their returns are likely to be, studies have shown. The returns are even worse when they get involved with options, research has found.
This kind of trading, in which a few minutes can mean the difference between winning and losing, was particularly hazardous on Robinhood because the firm has experienced an unusual number of technology issues, public records show. Some Robinhood employees, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation, said the company failed to provide adequate guardrails and technology to support its customers.
Those dangers came into focus last month when Alex Kearns, 20, a college student in Nebraska, killed himself after he logged into the app and saw that his balance had dropped to negative $730,000. The figure was high partly because of some incomplete trades.
“There was no intention to be assigned this much and take this much risk,” Kearns wrote in his suicide note, which a family member posted on Twitter.
Like Kearns, Robinhood’s average customer is young and lacks investing know-how. The average age is 31, the company said, and half its customers had never invested before.
Some have visited Robinhood’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in recent years to confront the staff about their losses, said four employees who witnessed the incidents. This year, they said, the startup installed bulletproof glass at the front entrance.
“They encourage people to go from training wheels to driving motorcycles,” Scott Smith, who tracks brokerage firms at financial consulting firm Cerulli, said of Robinhood. “Over the long term, it’s like trying to beat the casino.”
At the core of Robinhood’s business is an incentive to encourage more trading. It does not charge fees for trading, but it is still paid more if its customers trade more.
That is because it makes money through a complex practice known as “payment for order flow.” Each time a Robinhood customer trades, Wall Street firms actually buy or sell the shares and determine what price the customer gets. These firms pay Robinhood for the right to do this because they then engage in a form of arbitrage by trying to buy or sell the stock for a profit over what they give the Robinhood customer.
This practice is not new, and retail brokers such as E-Trade and Schwab also do it. But Robinhood makes significantly more than they do for each stock share and options contract sent to the professional trading firms, the filings show.
For each share of stock traded, Robinhood made four to 15 times more than Schwab in the most recent quarter, according to the filings. In total, Robinhood got $18,955 from the trading firms for every dollar in the average customer account, while Schwab made $195, the Alphacution analysis shows. Industry experts said this was most likely because the trading firms believed they could score the easiest profits from Robinhood customers.
Vlad Tenev, a founder and co-chief executive of Robinhood, said in an interview that even with some of its customers losing money, young Americans risked greater losses by not investing in stocks at all. Not participating in the markets “ultimately contributed to the sort of the massive inequalities that we’re seeing in society,” he said.
Tenev said only 12% of the traders active on Robinhood each month used options, which allow people to bet on where the price of a specific stock will be on a specific day and multiply that by 100. He said the company had added educational content on how to invest safely.
He declined to comment on why Robinhood makes more than its competitors from the Wall Street firms. The company also declined to provide data on its customers’ performance.
Democratizing Finance
Robinhood was founded by Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, two children of immigrants who met at Stanford University in 2005. After teaming up on several ventures, including a high-speed trading firm, they were inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement to create a company that would make finance more accessible, they said. They named the startup Robinhood after the English outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor.
In May, Robinhood said it had 13 million accounts, up from 10 million at the end of 2019. Schwab said it had 12.7 million brokerage accounts in its latest filings; E-Trade reported 5.5 million.
That growth has kept the money flowing in from venture capitalists. Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates are among those that have poured $1.3 billion into Robinhood. In May, the company received a fresh $280 million.
Two Days in March
“Robinhood has made the financial markets accessible to the masses and, in turn, revolutionized the decades-old brokerage industry,” Andrew Reed, a partner at Sequoia, said after last month’s fundraising.
Tenev has said Robinhood has invested in the best technology in the industry. But the risks of trading through the app have been compounded by its tech glitches.
In 2018, Robinhood released software that accidentally reversed the direction of options trades, giving customers the opposite outcome from what they expected. Last year, it mistakenly allowed people to borrow infinite money to multiply their bets, leading to some enormous gains and losses.
Robinhood’s website has also gone down more often than those of its rivals — 47 times since March for Robinhood and 10 times for Schwab — according to a Times analysis of data from Downdetector.com, which tracks website reliability. In March, the site was down for almost two days, just as stock prices were gyrating because of the coronavirus pandemic. Robinhood’s customers were unable to make trades to blunt the damage to their accounts.
Four Robinhood employees, who declined to be identified, said the outage was rooted in issues with the company’s phone app and servers. They said the startup had underinvested in technology and moved too quickly rather than carefully.
Tenev said he could not talk about the outage beyond a company blog post that said it was “not acceptable.” Robinhood had recently made new technology investments, he said.
Plaintiffs who have sued over the outage said Robinhood had done little to respond to their losses. Unlike other brokers, the company has no phone number for customers to call.
Dobatse suffered his biggest losses in the March outage — $860,000, his records show. Robinhood did not respond to his emails, he said. A Robinhood spokesman said the company did respond.
Dobatse said that he planned to take his case to financial regulators for arbitration.
“They make it so easy for people that don’t know anything about stocks,” he said. “Then you go there and you start to lose money.”


thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Saunders: DJ LeMahieu rocks; expanded playoffs beyond 2020 a mistake; 4 good things about Rockies

Odds and ends as this weird season nears the finish line : * In case you missed it , last Tuesday , Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu took a 48.7 mph pitch thrown by Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal and launched it into the left-field seats .
Espinal was mopping up in the ninth inning of New York ’ s 20-6 blowout win at Yankee Stadium .
It was the slowest pitch recorded since the pitch-tracking era that began in 2008 .
* Broncos Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater was known as the “ Smiling Assassin.
” LeMahiue is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little but he ’ s a killer on the baseball field .
* LeMahieu , a Gold Glover , entered the weekend hitting .373 with 10 home runs , a 1.067 OPS and a 189 OPS+ .
He signed a two-year , $ 24 million contract with the Yankees that ranks as one of the great steals in recent memory .
LeMahieu wanted to stay in Colorado and his teammates desperately wanted him back .
Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich thought otherwise .
* Instead , the Rockies signed Daniel Murphy to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murphy is a below-average fielder and has lost his job as the starting first baseman to Josh Fuentes .
In his time with the Rockies , Murphy has hit .270 , with 16 homers , a .745 OPS and an 81 OPS+ .
* Commissioner Rob Manfred wants baseball ’ s expanded , 16-team playoffs to remain in place after the 2020 season .
“ I ’ m a fan of the expanded playoffs , ” Manfred said during an online event hosted by Hofstra University .
“ I think getting back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a positive change .
I think the initial round could have the kind of appeal you see in the early couple days in the NCAA Tournament .
It ’ s going to be crazy — just a lot of baseball in a compressed period of time .
We ’ re going to have a bracket , obviously .
People love brackets and love picking who ’ s going to come through those brackets .
It is one of those changes that I hope becomes a permanent part of our landscape.
” * @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one season it ’ s great , but not forever .
Why does baseball keep thinking it has to be like the NFL , NBA or NHL ?
Joe Posnanski , a senior writer for The Athletic and one of the best baseball writers of our time , expressed it better than I could : “ The people running baseball used to understand that the playoffs are antithetical to the balance and rhythms of the sport .
Baseball is a game for the long season .
It ’ s a game meant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of spring through the humidity of summer and into the falling leaves of autumn .
While other team sports like football , basketball and hockey are built around matchups and two-minute drives and last-minute shots and desperately pulling your goalie , baseball greatness comes out of a 162-game march , finding a way to take two out of three series after series , playing through the slumps , riding the waves for as long as possible , winning with your fifth starter on the mound and your backup catcher hitting eighth and your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a row.
” * Finally , I was speaking on the radio with KKFN ’ s Sandy Clough and he asked me to find some positive aspects to a Rockies season that began with such promise and has turned into a disaster .
Four things popped into my mind : 1 .
The resurgence of left-handed starter Kyle Freeland .
2 .
The emergence and maturation of right-handed starter Antonio Senzatela .
3 .
The blossoming of Raimel Tapia as a leadoff hitter , though he still has work to do as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of closer Daniel Bard , who started out just wanting to make the team and turned out to be Colorado ’ s best reliever .

Odds and ends as this weird season nears the finish line:
* In case you missed it, last Tuesday, Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu took a 48.7 mph pitch thrown by Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal and launched it into the left-field seats. Espinal was mopping up in the ninth inning of New York’s 20-6 blowout win at Yankee Stadium.
It was the slowest pitch recorded since the pitch-tracking era that began in 2008.
* Broncos Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater was known as the “Smiling Assassin.” LeMahiue is the “Silent Assassin.” He says little but he’s a killer on the baseball field.
* LeMahieu, a Gold Glover, entered the weekend hitting .373 with 10 home runs, a 1.067 OPS and a 189 OPS+. He signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Yankees that ranks as one of the great steals in recent memory. LeMahieu wanted to stay in Colorado and his teammates desperately wanted him back. Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich thought otherwise.
* Instead, the Rockies signed Daniel Murphy to a two-year, $24 million deal. Murphy is a below-average fielder and has lost his job as the starting first baseman to Josh Fuentes. In his time with the Rockies, Murphy has hit .270, with 16 homers, a .745 OPS and an 81 OPS+.
* Commissioner Rob Manfred wants baseball’s expanded, 16-team playoffs to remain in place after the 2020 season.
“I’m a fan of the expanded playoffs,” Manfred said during an online event hosted by Hofstra University. “I think getting back to that three-game series in the first round is a positive change. I think the initial round could have the kind of appeal you see in the early couple days in the NCAA Tournament. It’s going to be crazy — just a lot of baseball in a compressed period of time. We’re going to have a bracket, obviously. People love brackets and love picking who’s going to come through those brackets. It is one of those changes that I hope becomes a permanent part of our landscape.”
* I hate this idea. For this one season it’s great, but not forever. Why does baseball keep thinking it has to be like the NFL, NBA or NHL?
Joe Posnanski, a senior writer for The Athletic and one of the best baseball writers of our time, expressed it better than I could:
“The people running baseball used to understand that the playoffs are antithetical to the balance and rhythms of the sport. Baseball is a game for the long season. It’s a game meant to be played every day from the beginning of spring through the humidity of summer and into the falling leaves of autumn. While other team sports like football, basketball and hockey are built around matchups and two-minute drives and last-minute shots and desperately pulling your goalie, baseball greatness comes out of a 162-game march, finding a way to take two out of three series after series, playing through the slumps, riding the waves for as long as possible, winning with your fifth starter on the mound and your backup catcher hitting eighth and your bullpen depleted after three close games in a row.”
* Finally, I was speaking on the radio with KKFN’s Sandy Clough and he asked me to find some positive aspects to a Rockies season that began with such promise and has turned into a disaster. Four things popped into my mind:
1. The resurgence of left-handed starter Kyle Freeland.
2. The emergence and maturation of right-handed starter Antonio Senzatela.
3. The blossoming of Raimel Tapia as a leadoff hitter, though he still has work to do as an outfielder.
4. The remarkable comeback of closer Daniel Bard, who started out just wanting to make the team and turned out to be Colorado’s best reliever.


thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Grading the Week: Broncos fans don’t have Garett Bolles to kick around anymore (or at least until Su

Grading the Week: Broncos fans don’t have Garett Bolles to kick around anymore (or at least until Sunday)

It ’ s a Saturday morning in September , and one day from now we ’ ll have a Broncos game in Pittsburgh followed a few hours later by a Nuggets playoff game against the Lakers in Florida .
This is the weird we ’ re here for , 2020 .
More of this , less of all that natural disaster/public health emergency/social unrest stuff .
We ’ re just going to throw this out there : Did you think about Garett Bolles once during Monday night ’ s game against the Titans ?
The Grading the Week staff sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least not until there was about four minutes left and the thought occurred to us that we hadn ’ t once cursed the Broncos starting left tackle ’ s name .
That , dear readers , is progress .
Not that we should be completely surprised by it .
Bolles was actually solid-to-good during the second half of the 2019 season .
Unfortunately , all of those penalty flags in games 1-8 ( nine to be exact ) really stuck in Broncos ’ fans collective craw .
Once general manager John Elway declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that only added to the public ’ s clamor for the Bolles ’ era to end .
We ’ re here to tell you : Things could be a lot worse .
Bolles ’ biggest sin on Monday night , according to Ryan O ’ Halloran ’ s excellent game charting , was allowing one quarterback knockdown .
And keep in mind , Bolles was matched up opposite former No .
1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney for a few snaps .
All in all , that ’ s a pretty solid evening for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Broncos fans won ’ t have Bolles to kick around anymore .
Well , at least until Sunday .
The back and forth is over .
We will have high school football in Colorado this fall .
Or , at least some schools will .
The Colorado High School Activities Association split the baby , as it were , by voting to allow school districts to choose which season they wanted their teams to play — fall or spring .
( And telling us about it at 10 p.m. Wednesday , not that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems like the best possible compromise , and a great win for prep athletes across the state — even if they had to endure several weeks of hope followed by crushing disappointment .
Is it the right thing to do ?
The Grading the Week staff ’ s medical credentials aren ’ t substantial enough to answer that question with total certainty .
There ’ s always the fear that holding games could unwittingly spread the virus to other parts of the community that are more vulnerable , which is presumably part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t as hot on the idea .
But there is one thing we can all agree on : Everyone wants to see Friday night lights .
Now we just have to cross our fingers and hope it all works out .
It does not matter what happens from here on out .
Whether the Lakers win in four or the Nuggets stampede all the way to the Larry O ’ Brien trophy , this season can only be seen as an unmitigated success for Denver ’ s NBA franchise .
Whether it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ twice ! )
or making the necessary adjustments in each series to turn the tide , coach Michael Malone has come out smelling like roses in these NBA playoffs .
And suddenly , the world is Denver ’ s oyster .
If a prominent free-agent hits the market looking to be the missing piece for a title contender , or a star wants out of a bad situation , who do you think gets the first phone call ?
Tim Connelly and the Nuggets .
Of course , thanks to the loaded roster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Nuggets may not have to do anything at all .
They could just wait for potential future stars Michael Porter Jr. or Bol Bol to blossom next to current superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray , and let everyone else engage in the NBA rat race .
Take notes , Jeff Bridich .
This is how it ’ s done .

It’s a Saturday morning in September, and one day from now we’ll have a Broncos game in Pittsburgh followed a few hours later by a Nuggets playoff game against the Lakers in Florida.
This is the weird we’re here for, 2020.
More of this, less of all that natural disaster/public health emergency/social unrest stuff.
Garett Bolles — A-
We’re just going to throw this out there: Did you think about Garett Bolles once during Monday night’s game against the Titans?
The Grading the Week staff sure as heck didn’t — at least not until there was about four minutes left and the thought occurred to us that we hadn’t once cursed the Broncos starting left tackle’s name. That, dear readers, is progress.
Not that we should be completely surprised by it. Bolles was actually solid-to-good during the second half of the 2019 season. Unfortunately, all of those penalty flags in games 1-8 (nine to be exact) really stuck in Broncos’ fans collective craw. Once general manager John Elway declined to pick up his fifth-year option, that only added to the public’s clamor for the Bolles’ era to end.
We’re here to tell you: Things could be a lot worse.
Bolles’ biggest sin on Monday night, according to Ryan O’Halloran’s excellent game charting, was allowing one quarterback knockdown. And keep in mind, Bolles was matched up opposite former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney for a few snaps.
All in all, that’s a pretty solid evening for the 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman.
Perhaps Broncos fans won’t have Bolles to kick around anymore. Well, at least until Sunday.
CHSAA — B
The back and forth is over.
We will have high school football in Colorado this fall. Or, at least some schools will.
The Colorado High School Activities Association split the baby, as it were, by voting to allow school districts to choose which season they wanted their teams to play — fall or spring. (And telling us about it at 10 p.m. Wednesday, not that we’re bitter.)
This seems like the best possible compromise, and a great win for prep athletes across the state — even if they had to endure several weeks of hope followed by crushing disappointment.
Is it the right thing to do? The Grading the Week staff’s medical credentials aren’t substantial enough to answer that question with total certainty. There’s always the fear that holding games could unwittingly spread the virus to other parts of the community that are more vulnerable, which is presumably part of the reason Denver Public Schools isn’t as hot on the idea.
But there is one thing we can all agree on: Everyone wants to see Friday night lights.
Now we just have to cross our fingers and hope it all works out.
Michael Malone + Tim Connelly — A+
It does not matter what happens from here on out.
Whether the Lakers win in four or the Nuggets stampede all the way to the Larry O’Brien trophy, this season can only be seen as an unmitigated success for Denver’s NBA franchise. Whether it was rallying his team from down 3-1 (twice!) or making the necessary adjustments in each series to turn the tide, coach Michael Malone has come out smelling like roses in these NBA playoffs.
And suddenly, the world is Denver’s oyster.
If a prominent free-agent hits the market looking to be the missing piece for a title contender, or a star wants out of a bad situation, who do you think gets the first phone call? Tim Connelly and the Nuggets.
Of course, thanks to the loaded roster assembled by Denver’s top executive, the Nuggets may not have to do anything at all. They could just wait for potential future stars Michael Porter Jr. or Bol Bol to blossom next to current superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and let everyone else engage in the NBA rat race.
Take notes, Jeff Bridich. This is how it’s done.


thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Ask Amy: “Frequent Flyer” explains landing at home

Dear Amy : After reading so many parents ’ questions about adult children returning to the nest , I thought I ’ d weigh in — as a “ frequent flyer.
” While I generally agree with the advice you give to parents , I wanted to add another voice .
My parents have been very generous over the years , helping me to save money or letting me stay with them between major moves .
Recently , I was home during the pandemic and it truly made things so much better for me , but let me say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home .
Try as I might , as soon as my head hits the pillow in my childhood bedroom , it ’ s like I ’ m 16 again .
It ’ s hard to treat my parents like roommates , and to see myself as an adult .
Talking with my friends who ’ ve also lived at home , we frequently laugh about the immature arguments we get into with our parents and say , “ We don ’ t have these problems with roommates.
” Sometimes , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This includes parents who keep treating us like teenagers .
Last Saturday , after I had worked a late shift , my dad banged on my door and told me I was sleeping the day away !
Sometimes we feel shame around coming home , as if we ’ ve failed our grown-up life .
Sometimes it ’ s hard for parents to accept new coping mechanisms we ’ ve developed in adulthood ( yes , sometimes I do want an afternoon beer ! )
.
It ’ s hard to act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s hard for parents to treat us like adults .
Apologizing frequently ( and humor ) helps .
And if parents find themselves saying , “ It ’ s my house and my rules , ” they shouldn ’ t be surprised if a teenage tantrum follows .
I am grateful that my parents have let us all keep trying .
Dear Frequent Flyer : Yes , it can be rewarding and frustrating – on both sides and in equal measure — when a “ frequent flier ” repeatedly comes home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weird time-travel teenage transformation that occurs when you sleep in your childhood bedroom ( I remember it well from my own visits home ) .
However , you seem to equate your parents with roommates .
Your parents aren ’ t your roommates .
When you have a roommate , you two are sharing the housing expense .
You are peers , on equal footing .
When you bounce back home to save money , you are a non-rent-paying beloved child who is accepting your parents ’ generosity .
You sound like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Your parents seem to have raised you well .
But they are your parents , and – teenage tantrums and all — it will be ever-thus .
The invitations for his big 75th birthday celebration requested no gifts , saying “ Your presence will be your present.
” But at the event , he showily opened gifts that had been brought anyway , pointing out and thanking the gift-givers — much to the embarrassment of those who respected the “ no gifts ” request .
What do we do if the situation repeats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mention to his wife how uncomfortable this display made us feel ?
Dear Red-faced : I agree with you that your friend should have opened his “ no gifts ” gifts ( and expressed his gratitude ) privately , but it ’ s his party .
You should respect his “ no gifts ” wishes this year , anticipate the possibility that he will give a repeat performance , and just roll with it .
Pour yourself a cup of coffee , enjoy an extra piece of cake , and nod politely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar situation as “ No Peace , ” with a 26-year-old son who lived at home and did not contribute to the household and showed no inclination to ever live an adult life .
As a stepmother , I wanted my husband to start charging his son rent to at least cover our expenses .
He was not comfortable with that , or with asking him to move out , and because of the increasing tension we finally sought out a counselor .
She had a brilliant suggestion : Charge him rent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ account to give to him for when he finally did move out .
Well , the nest egg never got very big because within six weeks he had found a better job and a place to live .
He is now married with three children , and is thankful that we gave him the push that he needed to move forward with his life .
Dear Win-Win : The answer is to make expectations reasonable , clear , and consequential .

Dear Amy: After reading so many parents’ questions about adult children returning to the nest, I thought I’d weigh in — as a “frequent flyer.”
While I generally agree with the advice you give to parents, I wanted to add another voice.
My parents have been very generous over the years, helping me to save money or letting me stay with them between major moves. Recently, I was home during the pandemic and it truly made things so much better for me, but let me say, it is hard to be an adult at home.
Try as I might, as soon as my head hits the pillow in my childhood bedroom, it’s like I’m 16 again. It’s hard to treat my parents like roommates, and to see myself as an adult.
Talking with my friends who’ve also lived at home, we frequently laugh about the immature arguments we get into with our parents and say, “We don’t have these problems with roommates.”
Sometimes, it’s hard to shake off old habits. This includes parents who keep treating us like teenagers.
Last Saturday, after I had worked a late shift, my dad banged on my door and told me I was sleeping the day away!
Sometimes we feel shame around coming home, as if we’ve failed our grown-up life. Sometimes it’s hard for parents to accept new coping mechanisms we’ve developed in adulthood (yes, sometimes I do want an afternoon beer!).
It’s hard to act like an adult around your parents and it’s hard for parents to treat us like adults. Apologizing frequently (and humor) helps.
And if parents find themselves saying, “It’s my house and my rules,” they shouldn’t be surprised if a teenage tantrum follows.
I am grateful that my parents have let us all keep trying.
— A Frequent Flyer
Dear Frequent Flyer: Yes, it can be rewarding and frustrating – on both sides and in equal measure — when a “frequent flier” repeatedly comes home to roost. You have described the weird time-travel teenage transformation that occurs when you sleep in your childhood bedroom (I remember it well from my own visits home).
However, you seem to equate your parents with roommates. Your parents aren’t your roommates. When you have a roommate, you two are sharing the housing expense. You are peers, on equal footing. When you bounce back home to save money, you are a non-rent-paying beloved child who is accepting your parents’ generosity.
You sound like a loving, lovely, perceptive person. Your parents seem to have raised you well. But they are your parents, and – teenage tantrums and all — it will be ever-thus.
Dear Amy: A dear friend is turning 80 next year.
The invitations for his big 75th birthday celebration requested no gifts, saying “Your presence will be your present.” But at the event, he showily opened gifts that had been brought anyway, pointing out and thanking the gift-givers — much to the embarrassment of those who respected the “no gifts” request.
What do we do if the situation repeats itself for his next party?
Should I mention to his wife how uncomfortable this display made us feel?
— Red-faced Friends
Dear Red-faced: I agree with you that your friend should have opened his “no gifts” gifts (and expressed his gratitude) privately, but it’s his party.
You should respect his “no gifts” wishes this year, anticipate the possibility that he will give a repeat performance, and just roll with it. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, enjoy an extra piece of cake, and nod politely.
Dear Amy: We had a similar situation as “No Peace,” with a 26-year-old son who lived at home and did not contribute to the household and showed no inclination to ever live an adult life.
As a stepmother, I wanted my husband to start charging his son rent to at least cover our expenses.
He was not comfortable with that, or with asking him to move out, and because of the increasing tension we finally sought out a counselor.
She had a brilliant suggestion: Charge him rent, but put it in a nest egg account to give to him for when he finally did move out.
Well, the nest egg never got very big because within six weeks he had found a better job and a place to live.
He is now married with three children, and is thankful that we gave him the push that he needed to move forward with his life.
— Win-Win Scenario
Dear Win-Win: The answer is to make expectations reasonable, clear, and consequential.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)


thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Nuggets’ Jamal Murray: Lakers try to “manipulate” refs’ whistles

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. – Nuggets guard Jamal Murray knew exactly what happened during Friday ’ s lopsided second quarter , he was just careful where he was casting the blame .
The Lakers took 24 free-throw attempts in the quarter , including eight during a pivotal 17-1 run over the first five minutes .
The Nuggets never recovered from the landslide , which also featured six turnovers and a Murray technical foul .
The Lakers finished their 126-114 Game 1 win with a 37-28 advantage on free-throw attempts .
“ If you watched the game , you could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Yeah , if you watched the game , then you could tell.
” But when asked how he can adapt to the whistle , he let out a laugh knowing it was an unavoidable theme .
“ Just try to play through it , ” Murray said .
“ It ’ s tough .
( The Lakers ) want to talk about every call and have full conversations and try to manipulate what happens , but you can ’ t worry about it .
We know how it ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the younger team .
We ’ re just going to play through it .
We ’ re going to find a way and we ’ re not going to go away so easy.
” Malone was similarly coy .
He rarely offers opinions on officiating , preferring to keep his money and avoid readily available excuses .
“ I ’ m looking forward to watching the film to see where all these fouls were called , ” Malone said .
“ Obviously , in the second half things got evened out , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lakers in that first half .
So watch the film , see the fouls that are being called , why they ’ re being called , should they have been called , and then try to learn from it and get better for Game 2.
” The Lakers missed 10 free throws ( 27-of-37 ) , but it was the foul calls that undercut Denver ’ s mission .
Nikola Jokic picked up three fouls in just 13 minutes over the first half , and his fourth came less than a minute into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the Lakers headed to the fourth with a convincing 24-point lead .
Teammates Murray and Paul Millsap both had to be careful as well after picking up three each in the first half .
“ I ’ m not going to sit here and just blame it on the refs , ” Murray said .
“ That ’ s not what I ’ m doing .
We just got to play through it and earn the respect .
”

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Nuggets guard Jamal Murray knew exactly what happened during Friday’s lopsided second quarter, he was just careful where he was casting the blame.
The Lakers took 24 free-throw attempts in the quarter, including eight during a pivotal 17-1 run over the first five minutes. The Nuggets never recovered from the landslide, which also featured six turnovers and a Murray technical foul. The Lakers finished their 126-114 Game 1 win with a 37-28 advantage on free-throw attempts.
“If you watched the game, you could tell,” Murray said diplomatically. “Yeah, if you watched the game, then you could tell.”
But when asked how he can adapt to the whistle, he let out a laugh knowing it was an unavoidable theme.
“Just try to play through it,” Murray said. “It’s tough. (The Lakers) want to talk about every call and have full conversations and try to manipulate what happens, but you can’t worry about it. We know how it’s going to be. We know we’re the younger team. We’re just going to play through it. We’re going to find a way and we’re not going to go away so easy.”
Malone was similarly coy. He rarely offers opinions on officiating, preferring to keep his money and avoid readily available excuses.
“I’m looking forward to watching the film to see where all these fouls were called,” Malone said. “Obviously, in the second half things got evened out, but it was an extreme advantage for the Lakers in that first half. So watch the film, see the fouls that are being called, why they’re being called, should they have been called, and then try to learn from it and get better for Game 2.”
The Lakers missed 10 free throws (27-of-37), but it was the foul calls that undercut Denver’s mission. Nikola Jokic picked up three fouls in just 13 minutes over the first half, and his fourth came less than a minute into the third quarter. He had five before the Lakers headed to the fourth with a convincing 24-point lead. Teammates Murray and Paul Millsap both had to be careful as well after picking up three each in the first half.
“I’m not going to sit here and just blame it on the refs,” Murray said. “That’s not what I’m doing. We just got to play through it and earn the respect.”


thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Obama says GOP must be consistent on court vote

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama is calling Ruth Bader Ginsburg “ a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist ” who “ inspired generations , from the tiniest trick-or-treaters to law students burning the midnight oil to the most powerful leaders in the land.
” Obama issued a statement Friday after Ginsburg ’ s death from cancer complications at age 87 .
He says Ginsburg should be remembered for fighting to the end of her life , through her cancer “ with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals.
” The former president says Republicans , who in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court vacancy eight months before an election , must follow the same principle now .
The 2020 election is a month and a half away .
He says a basic principle of the law and everyday fairness “ is that we apply rules with consistency , and not based on what ’ s convenient or advantageous in the moment.
” Obama noted that early voting in the presidential contest has already begun in some states and said questions pending before the court and expected to reach it in the coming years “ are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through anything less than an unimpeachable process .
”

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama is calling Ruth Bader Ginsburg “a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist” who “inspired generations, from the tiniest trick-or-treaters to law students burning the midnight oil to the most powerful leaders in the land.”
Obama issued a statement Friday after Ginsburg’s death from cancer complications at age 87. He says Ginsburg should be remembered for fighting to the end of her life, through her cancer “with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals.”
The former president says Republicans, who in 2016 refused to consider his nominee for a court vacancy eight months before an election, must follow the same principle now. The 2020 election is a month and a half away.
He says a basic principle of the law and everyday fairness “is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on what’s convenient or advantageous in the moment.”
Obama noted that early voting in the presidential contest has already begun in some states and said questions pending before the court and expected to reach it in the coming years “are too consequential to “to be filled through anything less than an unimpeachable process.”


thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Kiszla: Yes, the Nuggets got punked by the Lakers and NBA refs. But whining won’t win the Western Co

Kiszla: Yes, the Nuggets got punked by the Lakers and NBA refs. But whining won’t win the Western Conference finals.

The Nuggets got punked .
By King James .
And by NBA refs .
Cry foul into a crying towel , if you want .
Whining about life ( or the refs ) not being fair won ’ t get Denver anywhere but a one-way ticket out of the playoffs .
After getting dunked on and dissed during a 126-114 loss in Game 1 Friday in the Western Conference finals , it ’ s obvious that the league regards the Nuggets as little more than props in this Lake Show , starring James and Anthony Davis , who hammered Denver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ugly and frustrating the entire fourth quarter stunk like garbage time .
“ I ’ m not going to sit here and blame it on the refs .
That ’ s not what I ’ m doing , ” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said .
“ We ’ ve got to play through it and earn their respect.
” In 2020 , when life ’ s not fair , in any way , it ’ s easy to think the world is conspiring against us .
But think that way and it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refs did the Nuggets no favors in this L. But Murray didn ’ t whine after the game .
He ’ s a winner .
Lobby the refs all you want .
But beg for their mercy ?
That ’ s not how it works in this league .
Crying foul gets an up-and-coming team nowhere .
Yes , the Lakers attempted two dozen foul shots in the second quarter alone , when Los Angeles took control of the game , with a big assist from a very friendly whistle .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in one quarter .
Twenty-four times in a quarter , which is an extremely high number , on pace for 100 , ” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone , who watched the refs with the same disbelieving eyes as many fans back in Denver .
There is Sistine Chapel artistry to the way James plays basketball , but when he lowers shoulders that are hard as anvils on a drive to a basket , a defender would have an easier time giving a hug to a bull in Pamplona than slowing down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classic rope-a-dope strategy , L.A. blew them out of the Magic Kingdom with a 17-1 start to the second quarter .
Maybe the worst moment in the period , at least in the eyes of Denver fans , was when LeBron made a dent in Murray , hit a shot and was given a free throw , as well .
Malone formally protested , demanding a video review by the refs .
I get the idea of standing up for your guys .
But you ain ’ t going to win that battle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rings gets the calls .
Malone ’ s objection ?
Denied .
Bron sank the free throw to put the Lakers up 56-41 with six minutes , 25 seconds , remaining in the first half .
If Malone is going to complain about refs showing James too much respect , I ’ m afraid he is going to be miserable for as long as it lasts .
And it won ’ t last long .
Or as analyst Charles Barkley punked Nuggets Nation on the TNT telecast prior to opening tip : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they can make it a series … I tell you what , America .
Lakers in five !
” Bottom line : The refs didn ’ t beat the Nuggets .
Here ’ s what did : The Lakers shot way too often from point-blank range , taking great glee in slamming Denver with don ’ t-mess-with-us dunks .
L.A. scored 54 points in the paint .
“ We were giving up layups after scored baskets ourselves , ” Malone said .
“ To me that indicates our sense of urgency to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to where it needed to be.
” Belying his sweet Big Honey reputation , there ’ s a quietly stubborn competitiveness deeply embedded in the DNA of center Nikola Jokic .
He won ’ t back down against the Lakers , as his 11 points during the opening 11 minutes of the first quarter reassured us all .
The problem ?
L.A. can send big bodies in waves at Joker , from JaVale McGee to Dwight Howard .
This series is going to leave a dent .
If Denver is going to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to have to take it .
He needs to average at least 25 points per night .
He scored 21 in Game 1 .
But it didn ’ t matter , because starters Paul Millsap , Jerami Grant and Gary Harris came up painfully small , shooting a meek 7-of-23 from the field .
After only four quarters in this best-of-seven series , the Nuggets are in a tough spot .
The refs aren ’ t going to bail Denver out .
Not only has Malone kept this team together when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also cracked the most memorable soundbites heard in the Nuggets camp since the prime of Doug Moe .
On the eve of this series , Malone quipped : “ We petitioned the league to see if we could start the series down 3-1 , save everybody a lot of time.
” The Nuggets have made us all believe that impossible is nothing .
But go down 3-1 to the Lakers and it will be all over except the told-ya-so cackling by Sir Charles Barkley .

The Nuggets got punked. By King James. And by NBA refs.
Cry foul into a crying towel, if you want. Whining about life (or the refs) not being fair won’t get Denver anywhere but a one-way ticket out of the playoffs.
After getting dunked on and dissed during a 126-114 loss in Game 1 Friday in the Western Conference finals, it’s obvious that the league regards the Nuggets as little more than props in this Lake Show, starring James and Anthony Davis, who hammered Denver with 37 points. It was so ugly and frustrating the entire fourth quarter stunk like garbage time.
“I’m not going to sit here and blame it on the refs. That’s not what I’m doing,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said. “We’ve got to play through it and earn their respect.”
In 2020, when life’s not fair, in any way, it’s easy to think the world is conspiring against us. But think that way and it’s nearly impossible to overcome. The refs did the Nuggets no favors in this L. But Murray didn’t whine after the game. He’s a winner.
Lobby the refs all you want. But beg for their mercy? That’s not how it works in this league. Crying foul gets an up-and-coming team nowhere.
Yes, the Lakers attempted two dozen foul shots in the second quarter alone, when Los Angeles took control of the game, with a big assist from a very friendly whistle.
“They went to the foul line 24 times in one quarter. Twenty-four times in a quarter, which is an extremely high number, on pace for 100,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who watched the refs with the same disbelieving eyes as many fans back in Denver.
There is Sistine Chapel artistry to the way James plays basketball, but when he lowers shoulders that are hard as anvils on a drive to a basket, a defender would have an easier time giving a hug to a bull in Pamplona than slowing down the King.
With the Nuggets employing their classic rope-a-dope strategy, L.A. blew them out of the Magic Kingdom with a 17-1 start to the second quarter. Maybe the worst moment in the period, at least in the eyes of Denver fans, was when LeBron made a dent in Murray, hit a shot and was given a free throw, as well.
Malone formally protested, demanding a video review by the refs. I get the idea of standing up for your guys. But you ain’t going to win that battle against the King. He who has the rings gets the calls.
Malone’s objection? Denied. Bron sank the free throw to put the Lakers up 56-41 with six minutes, 25 seconds, remaining in the first half.
If Malone is going to complain about refs showing James too much respect, I’m afraid he is going to be miserable for as long as it lasts. And it won’t last long.
Or as analyst Charles Barkley punked Nuggets Nation on the TNT telecast prior to opening tip: “I don’t even know if they can make it a series … I tell you what, America. Lakers in five!”
Bottom line: The refs didn’t beat the Nuggets. Here’s what did: The Lakers shot way too often from point-blank range, taking great glee in slamming Denver with don’t-mess-with-us dunks.
L.A. scored 54 points in the paint. “We were giving up layups after scored baskets ourselves,” Malone said. “To me that indicates our sense of urgency to get back was not remotely anywhere close to where it needed to be.”
Belying his sweet Big Honey reputation, there’s a quietly stubborn competitiveness deeply embedded in the DNA of center Nikola Jokic. He won’t back down against the Lakers, as his 11 points during the opening 11 minutes of the first quarter reassured us all.
The problem? L.A. can send big bodies in waves at Joker, from JaVale McGee to Dwight Howard. This series is going to leave a dent.
If Denver is going to have any shot against the Lakers, Murray is going to have to take it. He needs to average at least 25 points per night. He scored 21 in Game 1. But it didn’t matter, because starters Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant and Gary Harris came up painfully small, shooting a meek 7-of-23 from the field.
After only four quarters in this best-of-seven series, the Nuggets are in a tough spot.
And guess what?
The refs aren’t going to bail Denver out.
Not only has Malone kept this team together when hope appeared gone, but he has also cracked the most memorable soundbites heard in the Nuggets camp since the prime of Doug Moe.
On the eve of this series, Malone quipped: “We petitioned the league to see if we could start the series down 3-1, save everybody a lot of time.”
The Nuggets have made us all believe that impossible is nothing. But go down 3-1 to the Lakers and it will be all over except the told-ya-so cackling by Sir Charles Barkley.


thedenverpost--2020-09-19--Nuggets 3-Pointers: It’s hard to beat LeBron James at any time

1.You can ’ t beat the Lakers when… From a physicality standpoint , Game 1 felt like the varsity ( Lakers ) against the freshmen ( the Nuggets ) .
And every time one of the varsity mugs ran over somebody or threw an elbow , the referees got awfully quiet .
Whenever the kids got a little chippy , the whistles came flying .
The Lakers ’ 32 trips to the free-throw line in the first half were the third-most ever for an opening two quarters in NBA postseason history .
Ridiculous .
2 .
Mid-game blues .
Felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Clippers series didn ’ t it ?
The Nuggets started strong , matching the top seed ’ s intensity for a quarter and change — and then fell apart and never got off the mat again .
Los Angeles outscored Denver 67-41 in quarters 2 and 3 , stretches of the game that belonged to the Nuggets during their stunning comeback against L.A. ’ s other club .
In the second stanza , Denver turned it over seven times and committed 10 fouls .
3 .
Dwight Howard makes us miss Jordan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t stop coming off the Jazz bench and getting under your skin ?
That ’ s Howard ’ s role in this series , only the skin he ’ s getting under is Nikola Jokic ’ s .
Once Superman entered the game , the Joker was all over the place , picking up three fouls by the early part of the second quarter and looking entirely out of sync , even by Big Honey standards .
Meanwhile , the Lakers ’ 34-year-old big man finished with 13 points and two blocks .

1.You can’t beat the Lakers when… From a physicality standpoint, Game 1 felt like the varsity (Lakers) against the freshmen (the Nuggets). And every time one of the varsity mugs ran over somebody or threw an elbow, the referees got awfully quiet. Whenever the kids got a little chippy, the whistles came flying. The Lakers’ 32 trips to the free-throw line in the first half were the third-most ever for an opening two quarters in NBA postseason history. Ridiculous.
2. Mid-game blues. Felt a little like that opening tilt in the Clippers series didn’t it? The Nuggets started strong, matching the top seed’s intensity for a quarter and change — and then fell apart and never got off the mat again. Los Angeles outscored Denver 67-41 in quarters 2 and 3, stretches of the game that belonged to the Nuggets during their stunning comeback against L.A.’s other club. In the second stanza, Denver turned it over seven times and committed 10 fouls.
3. Dwight Howard makes us miss Jordan Clarkson. Remember how Clarkson couldn’t stop coming off the Jazz bench and getting under your skin? That’s Howard’s role in this series, only the skin he’s getting under is Nikola Jokic’s. Once Superman entered the game, the Joker was all over the place, picking up three fouls by the early part of the second quarter and looking entirely out of sync, even by Big Honey standards. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ 34-year-old big man finished with 13 points and two blocks.


thedenverpost--2020-09-20--President Trump pledges woman for court, pushes Senate to move on pick

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday promised to put forth a female nominee in the coming week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay .
Taking the stage at a North Carolina rally to chants of “ Fill that seat , ” the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats ’ objections .
And , after conducting what he joked was a “ very scientific poll ” of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice would be “ a very talented , very brilliant woman.
” He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose .
“ We win an election and those are the consequences , ” said the president , who then seemed to signal that he ’ d be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame duck period after the election .
“ We have a lot of time .
We have plenty of time .
We ’ re talking about January 20th.
” But one Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Susan Collins , who is in a tough reelection battle , said Saturday that she believed replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected Nov. 3 .
Three more defections from the GOP ranks would be needed to stop Trump ’ s nominee from joining the court .
At stake is a seat held by a justice who was a champion of women ’ s rights and spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the court ’ s liberal wing .
Senate Majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call a vote for Trump ’ s nominee , but Democrats countered that Republicans should follow the precedent that GOP legislators set in 2016 by refusing to consider a Supreme Court choice in the run-up to an election .
The impending clash over the vacant seat — when to fill it and with whom — scrambles the stretch run of a presidential race for a nation already reeling from the pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people , left millions unemployed and heightened partisan tensions and anger .
McConnell pledged to Trump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the choice to a vote though he has not said if it would be before the election .
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said any selection should come after Nov. 3 .
“ Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider , ” he said .
The president this month added 20 more names to his roster of potential court nominees , and aides in recent days have focused on a short list heavy on female candidates , according to four White House aides and officials close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations .
Those under close consideration for the high court include three women who are federal appeals court judges : Amy Coney Barrett , beloved among conservatives and an early favorite ; Barbara Lagoa , who is Hispanic and comes from the battleground state of Florida ; and Allison Jones Rushing , who clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and for Neil Gorsuch , when the current Trump-appointed justice was an appeals court judge .
At least one man , appeals court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under consideration .
A McConnell ally from Kentucky , he has been screened by Trump ’ s team for past openings and he would be the first Asian-American on the high court .
McConnell , who sets the calendar in the Senate and has made judicial appointments his priority , declared unequivocally in a statement that Trump ’ s nominee would receive a confirmation vote .
In 2016 , McConnell refused to consider President Barack Obama ’ s nominee months before the election , eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ York convened a conference call with Democratic senators at midday Saturday , according to a person on the private call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity .
He told senators the “ number one goal ” must be to communicate the stakes of the confirmation vote .
Schumer also warned that if Republicans push through the nominee , “ nothing is off the table ” for Senate rules changes to come , the person said .
Ginsburg ’ s death seemed certain to stoke enthusiasm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could now be viewed as referendum on the high court ’ s decisions , including the future of abortion rights .
Hundreds of mourners gathered for a second night outside the Supreme Court building , holding candles in honor of Ginsburg and listening to a succession of testimonies and rallying speeches .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass.
, eulogized Ginsberg as “ an icon , a trailblazer and a friend ” and accused McConnell of seeking to cynically hijack the confirmation process .
“ Today Mitch McConnell and his henchmen think they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 45 days before the election , ” she said .
“ What Mitch McConnell doesn ’ t understand is that the fight has just begun.
” Democrats raised more than $ 71 million in the hours after Ginsburg ’ s death , indicating her passing has already galvanized the party ’ s base .
A confirmation vote in the Senate is not guaranteed , even with a Republican majority .
McConnell has launched a risky , unprecedented strategy .
It could motivate conservative voters to rally behind Trump and GOP senators or it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see the Senate stick to norms or are fearful of a right-leaning court stripping away women ’ s right to choose an abortion .
Typically , it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee , and time is short before November .
Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election .
With a slim GOP majority , 53 seats in the 100-member chamber , Trump ’ s choice could afford to lose only a few .
McConnell did not specify the timing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lame-duck session after the Nov. 3 election , if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate , would carry further political complications .
Democrats immediately denounced McConnell ’ s move as hypocritical , pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Garland 237 days before the 2016 election .
The 2020 election is 46 days away .
The average number of days to confirm a justice , according to the Congressional Research Service , is 69 , which would be after the election .
But some Republicans quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 42 days .
Obama waited more than a month to nominate Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016 .
John Fischetti , who waited in line more than two hours to enter Trump ’ s Fayetteville rally , said replacing Ginsburg would inflame tensions but was within the president ’ s rights .
“ I would assume it would make everyone more energized , ” Fischetti said of the political repercussions .
“ Trump ’ s people want him to always press forward.
” Four GOP defections could defeat a nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broken by Vice President Mike Pence .
After Collins ’ decision , focus grew on Sens .
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah , who have been critical of Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate .
And because the Arizona Senate race is a special election , that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30 — which would narrow the window for McConnell if the Democratic candidate , Mark Kelly , wins .
The next pick could shape important decisions beyond abortion rights , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2020 election .
In the interim , if the court were to take cases with eight justices , 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court ; for instance , the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court .
Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance .
His campaign reiterated Saturday that it would release names before the election .
Lemire reported from New York .
Peoples reported from Montclair , New Jersey .
Additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ashraf Khalil in Washington and Kevin Freking and Bryan Anderson in Fayetteville , North Carolina .

Jonathan Lemire, Lisa Mascaro, Steve Peoples

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday promised to put forth a female nominee in the coming week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pushing the Republican-controlled Senate to consider the pick without delay.
Taking the stage at a North Carolina rally to chants of “Fill that seat,” the president said he would nominate his selection despite Democrats’ objections. And, after conducting what he joked was a “very scientific poll” of the Fayetteville crowd as to whether supporters wanted a man or a woman, he declared the choice would be “a very talented, very brilliant woman.”
He added that he did not yet know whom he would choose.
“We win an election and those are the consequences,” said the president, who then seemed to signal that he’d be willing to accept a vote on his nominee during the lame duck period after the election. “We have a lot of time. We have plenty of time. We’re talking about January 20th.”
But one Republican senator already broke ranks. Maine’s Susan Collins, who is in a tough reelection battle, said Saturday that she believed replacing Ginsburg should be the decision of the president who is elected Nov. 3. Three more defections from the GOP ranks would be needed to stop Trump’s nominee from joining the court.
At stake is a seat held by a justice who was a champion of women’s rights and spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the court’s liberal wing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. vowed to call a vote for Trump’s nominee, but Democrats countered that Republicans should follow the precedent that GOP legislators set in 2016 by refusing to consider a Supreme Court choice in the run-up to an election.
The impending clash over the vacant seat — when to fill it and with whom — scrambles the stretch run of a presidential race for a nation already reeling from the pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 people, left millions unemployed and heightened partisan tensions and anger.
McConnell pledged to Trump in a phone call Friday night to bring the choice to a vote though he has not said if it would be before the election. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said any selection should come after Nov. 3. “Voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice to consider,” he said.
The president this month added 20 more names to his roster of potential court nominees, and aides in recent days have focused on a short list heavy on female candidates, according to four White House aides and officials close to the process. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations.
Those under close consideration for the high court include three women who are federal appeals court judges: Amy Coney Barrett, beloved among conservatives and an early favorite; Barbara Lagoa, who is Hispanic and comes from the battleground state of Florida; and Allison Jones Rushing, who clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and for Neil Gorsuch, when the current Trump-appointed justice was an appeals court judge.
At least one man, appeals court Judge Amul Thapar, has also been under consideration. A McConnell ally from Kentucky, he has been screened by Trump’s team for past openings and he would be the first Asian-American on the high court.
McConnell, who sets the calendar in the Senate and has made judicial appointments his priority, declared unequivocally in a statement that Trump’s nominee would receive a confirmation vote. In 2016, McConnell refused to consider President Barack Obama’s nominee months before the election, eventually preventing a vote on Judge Merrick Garland.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York convened a conference call with Democratic senators at midday Saturday, according to a person on the private call who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. He told senators the “number one goal” must be to communicate the stakes of the confirmation vote.
Schumer also warned that if Republicans push through the nominee, “nothing is off the table” for Senate rules changes to come, the person said.
Ginsburg’s death seemed certain to stoke enthusiasm in both political parties as the election could now be viewed as referendum on the high court’s decisions, including the future of abortion rights. Hundreds of mourners gathered for a second night outside the Supreme Court building, holding candles in honor of Ginsburg and listening to a succession of testimonies and rallying speeches.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., eulogized Ginsberg as “an icon, a trailblazer and a friend” and accused McConnell of seeking to cynically hijack the confirmation process. “Today Mitch McConnell and his henchmen think they can ram through a Supreme Court justice only 45 days before the election,” she said. “What Mitch McConnell doesn’t understand is that the fight has just begun.”
Democrats raised more than $71 million in the hours after Ginsburg’s death, indicating her passing has already galvanized the party’s base.
A confirmation vote in the Senate is not guaranteed, even with a Republican majority.
McConnell has launched a risky, unprecedented strategy. It could motivate conservative voters to rally behind Trump and GOP senators or it could push away moderates who prefer to see the Senate stick to norms or are fearful of a right-leaning court stripping away women’s right to choose an abortion.
Typically, it takes several months to vet and hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, and time is short before November. Key senators may be reluctant to cast votes so close to the election. With a slim GOP majority, 53 seats in the 100-member chamber, Trump’s choice could afford to lose only a few.
McConnell did not specify the timing. But trying for confirmation in a lame-duck session after the Nov. 3 election, if Trump had lost to Biden or Republicans had lost the Senate, would carry further political complications.
Democrats immediately denounced McConnell’s move as hypocritical, pointing out that he refused to call hearings for Garland 237 days before the 2016 election. The 2020 election is 46 days away.
The average number of days to confirm a justice, according to the Congressional Research Service, is 69, which would be after the election. But some Republicans quickly noted that Ginsburg was confirmed in just 42 days. Obama waited more than a month to nominate Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016.
John Fischetti, who waited in line more than two hours to enter Trump’s Fayetteville rally, said replacing Ginsburg would inflame tensions but was within the president’s rights.
“I would assume it would make everyone more energized,” Fischetti said of the political repercussions. “Trump’s people want him to always press forward.”
Four GOP defections could defeat a nomination, while a tie vote could be broken by Vice President Mike Pence. After Collins’ decision, focus grew on Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, who have been critical of Trump and protective of the institution of the Senate.
And because the Arizona Senate race is a special election, that seat could be filled as early as Nov. 30 — which would narrow the window for McConnell if the Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, wins.
The next pick could shape important decisions beyond abortion rights, including any legal challenges that may stem from the 2020 election. In the interim, if the court were to take cases with eight justices, 4-4 ties would revert the decision to a lower court; for instance, the Affordable Care Act could then be struck down by a lower Texas court.
Biden has promised to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. His campaign reiterated Saturday that it would release names before the election.
___
Lemire reported from New York. Peoples reported from Montclair, New Jersey. Additional reporting by Darlene Superville, Alexandra Jaffe and Ashraf Khalil in Washington and Kevin Freking and Bryan Anderson in Fayetteville, North Carolina.


thedenverpost--2020-09-20--Kiszla: How should cute, little Nuggets fight back against big, haughty Lakers? One sharp elbow at a

Kiszla: How should cute, little Nuggets fight back against big, haughty Lakers? One sharp elbow at a time.

We are sensimilla mellow and soft as jello here in Colorado , so I would never suggest the Nuggets begin an NBA playoff game with a hockey fight .
But if Nuggets forward Paul Millsap , whose most notable athletic ability at age 35 is raw man strength , doesn ’ t knock Lakers star Anthony Davis or L.A. knucklehead Dwight Howard to the floor with a hard foul before halftime of Game 2 in this playoff series , what are the Nuggets paying Millsap $ 30 million for ?
The Lakers regard our cute , little team from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and timid of spirit that they can fluster center Nikola Jokic by applying muscle and sweep Denver out of the Western Conference Finals .
“ As soon as I step on the floor , I ’ m going to let ( Jokic ) know I ’ m there , ” Lakers center Dwight Howard vowed after thoroughly flustering Joker in Game 1 , which left Denver begging for mercy from the referees during a 126-114 loss not nearly as close as the score might indicate .
Soft ?
Yeah , that story ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Colorado .
But from the cheap seats , you can hear NBA graybeards such as Charles Barkley and Chris Webber chortle that the Nuggets arms aren ’ t long enough to box with Lakers superstar LeBron James .
Know what ?
Sir Charles just might prove to be correct .
“ The first game of a series , you always try to feel out and see what the other team comes with , ” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said Saturday .
The Lakers swung a hammer .
How does Denver respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not your father ’ s rough-and-tumble NBA .
Bill Laimbeer isn ’ t walking through that door with elbows sharpened to a stiletto point .
But there ’ s nothing subtle about the Lakers ’ strategy here .
They think it ’ s possible to bully Jokic and the Nuggets .
And that ’ s not all .
Howard , whose career has been defined by being a goofball a little thick between the ears , wants to do more than bruise Jokic ’ s body .
Howard wants to mess with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked directly about his obvious intent to push around Jokic by Kyle Goon , a fine Lakers reporter working inside the NBA bubble for the same media company that employs me , Howard suggested his idea of fun and games had only just begun .
“ Since we ’ re staying at the same hotel , I might meet ( Jokic ) right outside his room and let him know : ‘ For the rest of the series , I ’ m going to be right there , locked on you , ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nuggets by trying to interrupt a Denver team huddle on the floor during the series opener .
The backup Lakers center also expressed sincere appreciation for Jokic ’ s skillset , so I ’ m pretty sure he was joking about that stalking part .
But I ’ m dead serious about the Nuggets standing up for themselves or packing for home .
Millsap ’ s most meaningful contribution during a postseason in which he ’ s averaged a meager 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds was when he stood up to Marcus Morris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no longer going to take any more guff from them during Round 2 of the playoffs .
I hope Nuggets coach Michael Malone saved a video of Howard ’ s comments and forwarded it to our buddy Kiki Vandeweghe in the league office .
Maybe the smartest way to protest the 37-28 free-throw disparity , built largely in the second quarter of Game 1 , would be to point out the Lakers aren ’ t even trying to hide their intent to knock Joker off his game with physical play .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really take root and get us to lose our focus .
We can ’ t let that happen , ” Malone said .
“ We ’ re going to have enough of a hard time beating the five ( L.A. ) guys on the floor .
We can ’ t worry about playing five against eight , and the referees are part of it.
” If Millsap can ’ t throw his weight around , Malone should seriously consider removing the veteran forward from the starting lineup in favor of Torrey Craig , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give Denver somebody on the floor with a chance to slow down a runaway King James during his outta-my-way forays into the lane .
I ’ m not advocating basketbrawl .
But if James gets to lower his shoulder with impunity on drives to the cup , then how can anyone complain if Millsap or Mason Plumlee employ a little rough stuff of their own ?
With great optimism and near certainty , I ’ ll offer a Barkley guar-an-tee the refs give a more favorable whistle to Denver in Game 2 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive team usually makes more trips to the free-throw line .
The Nuggets aren ’ t soft , but every NBA roster has its flaws .
Denver could use a little more meat and mean on its bones .
Wouldn ’ t somebody like tough Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell look good protecting Jokic ’ s back right about now ( or next season , for that matter ) ?
Rather than beg the refs for respect , how should Nuggets battle back against the Lakers ?
One , sharp elbow at the @ @

We are sensimilla mellow and soft as jello here in Colorado, so I would never suggest the Nuggets begin an NBA playoff game with a hockey fight.
But if Nuggets forward Paul Millsap, whose most notable athletic ability at age 35 is raw man strength, doesn’t knock Lakers star Anthony Davis or L.A. knucklehead Dwight Howard to the floor with a hard foul before halftime of Game 2 in this playoff series, what are the Nuggets paying Millsap $30 million for?
The Lakers regard our cute, little team from the Rocky Mountains as so weak of body and timid of spirit that they can fluster center Nikola Jokic by applying muscle and sweep Denver out of the Western Conference Finals.
“As soon as I step on the floor, I’m going to let (Jokic) know I’m there,” Lakers center Dwight Howard vowed after thoroughly flustering Joker in Game 1, which left Denver begging for mercy from the referees during a 126-114 loss not nearly as close as the score might indicate.
Soft? Yeah, that story’s getting old for those of us in Colorado. But from the cheap seats, you can hear NBA graybeards such as Charles Barkley and Chris Webber chortle that the Nuggets arms aren’t long enough to box with Lakers superstar LeBron James. Know what? Sir Charles just might prove to be correct.
“The first game of a series, you always try to feel out and see what the other team comes with,” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said Saturday.
The Lakers swung a hammer. How does Denver respond?
OK, I fully acknowledge this is not your father’s rough-and-tumble NBA. Bill Laimbeer isn’t walking through that door with elbows sharpened to a stiletto point. But there’s nothing subtle about the Lakers’ strategy here. They think it’s possible to bully Jokic and the Nuggets.
And that’s not all.
Howard, whose career has been defined by being a goofball a little thick between the ears, wants to do more than bruise Jokic’s body. Howard wants to mess with Big Honey’s head.
When asked directly about his obvious intent to push around Jokic by Kyle Goon, a fine Lakers reporter working inside the NBA bubble for the same media company that employs me, Howard suggested his idea of fun and games had only just begun.
“Since we’re staying at the same hotel, I might meet (Jokic) right outside his room and let him know: ‘For the rest of the series, I’m going to be right there, locked on you,'” said Howard, who clowned the Nuggets by trying to interrupt a Denver team huddle on the floor during the series opener.
The backup Lakers center also expressed sincere appreciation for Jokic’s skillset, so I’m pretty sure he was joking about that stalking part.
But I’m dead serious about the Nuggets standing up for themselves or packing for home. Millsap’s most meaningful contribution during a postseason in which he’s averaged a meager 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds was when he stood up to Marcus Morris and told the Clippers that Denver was no longer going to take any more guff from them during Round 2 of the playoffs.
I hope Nuggets coach Michael Malone saved a video of Howard’s comments and forwarded it to our buddy Kiki Vandeweghe in the league office. Maybe the smartest way to protest the 37-28 free-throw disparity, built largely in the second quarter of Game 1, would be to point out the Lakers aren’t even trying to hide their intent to knock Joker off his game with physical play.
“We allowed that second quarter free-throw discrepancy to really take root and get us to lose our focus. We can’t let that happen,” Malone said. “We’re going to have enough of a hard time beating the five (L.A.) guys on the floor. We can’t worry about playing five against eight, and the referees are part of it.”
If Millsap can’t throw his weight around, Malone should seriously consider removing the veteran forward from the starting lineup in favor of Torrey Craig, whose length and defensive tenacity at least give Denver somebody on the floor with a chance to slow down a runaway King James during his outta-my-way forays into the lane.
I’m not advocating basketbrawl. But if James gets to lower his shoulder with impunity on drives to the cup, then how can anyone complain if Millsap or Mason Plumlee employ a little rough stuff of their own?
With great optimism and near certainty, I’ll offer a Barkley guar-an-tee the refs give a more favorable whistle to Denver in Game 2. But that being said, the more aggressive team usually makes more trips to the free-throw line.
The Nuggets aren’t soft, but every NBA roster has its flaws. Denver could use a little more meat and mean on its bones. Wouldn’t somebody like tough Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell look good protecting Jokic’s back right about now (or next season, for that matter)?
Rather than beg the refs for respect, how should Nuggets battle back against the Lakers?
One, sharp elbow at the time.
Let’s rock it old school.


thedenverpost--2020-09-20--How Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. gained Michael Malone’s trust

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. – Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. didn ’ t expect the backlash that came from his postgame comments after Denver fell behind the Clippers 3-1 in the Western Conference semifinals .
He didn ’ t anticipate how his words would be spliced and his intentions deciphered .
Frustrated after a Game 4 loss that he felt he could ’ ve contributed more to , he wasn ’ t trying to bury anybody , let alone Nuggets coach Michael Malone or his teammates .
His point — well-intentioned but not artfully delivered — was that everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a defense as suffocating as the Clippers ’ .
In the aftermath , before a film session , the team briefly addressed his comments .
Both Malone and Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly spoke , according to a league source .
The message was that on this stage , with a platform as large as the NBA playoffs , players needed to be even more careful about what they said in front of a camera .
The point was clear : In the future , when issues come up , address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a postgame news conference .
After it was addressed , the meeting shifted to a film session that got at the core of Porter ’ s comments .
The coaching staff knew there was truth to what he ’ d said .
So rather than belabor the manner in which it was delivered , the session focused on what Porter could do to get himself more involved .
“ I stand by what I say , ” Porter said after Game 5 when a second-half rally kept the Nuggets ’ season alive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it in any type of disrespectful way or anything like that.
” There are any number of turning points the Nuggets could cite when looking for the moment the Clippers series flipped and paved the Nuggets ’ path to the Western Conference finals .
It could be that team meeting , the Paul Millsap-Marcus Morris flare-up in Game 5 , or even Game 3 , which left the Nuggets smarting over a potential win they let get away .
But when Porter connected on a clutch 3-pointer late in Game 5 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was clear there were no hard feelings .
The Nuggets would win Game 6 with another elimination-defying rally and take Game 7 convincingly to reach their first conference finals since 2009 .
And throughout the three fourth quarters in Games 5 , 6 , and 7 , only Jamal Murray averaged more minutes ( 10.8 ) than Porter ( 9.9 ) .
“ I think our coach has done a great job challenging him and also empowering him , ” Connelly told The Denver Post .
“ It ’ s been fun to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Malone would trust Porter to that extent , a round after he ’ d benched him for his defense , was stunning .
“ In those games , the games that you talk about when he ’ s on the floor when so much is hanging in the balance , that ’ s invaluable for a young player , ” Malone said Saturday , one day ahead of Game 2 of the conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers .
“ I think what ’ s earned him those minutes is that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and committed to the defensive end of the floor .
“ The offensive end comes easy for Michael .
He ’ s so talented , he ’ s so skilled , and he can go on a scoring run all by himself .
His rebounding has always been there .
But for him to get those minutes to close games , he has to be able to defend .
And I think from Game 1 in Utah , round one , all the way through now starting the Western Conference Finals , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Despite not shooting it as high a clip as he ’ s capable of , Porter has still rebounded at a tremendous rate and his defensive awareness has improved drastically .
“ The biggest part that I ’ ve seen improvement in is his rotations , ” his dad , Michael Porter Sr. , said .
“ I think he ’ s come a long way in understanding , ‘ Ok , yeah , for a minute this is my guy , but once we start rotating , it ’ s a scramble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy in this corner , but then I got ta show on the roller , tag the roller , and then I might have to get out to the opposite corner to get the shooter.
’ ” Porter ’ s dad has been inside the “ bubble ” here for nearly a month .
Depending on if it ’ s a game day or not , father and son will alternate between breakfast and dinner together .
“ It has meant everything to me to be here to see it in person , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lose or draw , being here and seeing these guys play and specifically my son progress the way he has is just blessings on top of blessings .
… He ’ s never lacked confidence as to whether or not he could play at this level , but I think this bubble experience has even reinforced to him that , ‘ OK , man , I take care of my business , I can play and be really effective at this level.
’ ” For months , Murray has been an active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In practice or games , Murray is always chirping at Denver ’ s budding rookie .
And it ’ s because he recognizes his talent and knows he ’ s only begun to scratch the surface .
Murray has never publicly commented on what Porter had to say that night , but his answer Saturday suggested he ’ d seen a change in Porter ’ s approach .
“ I just think his patience right now , ” Murray said .
“ He might not touch it every single time on the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look , we know he ’ s gon na put it up and most likely make it .
His rebounding is incredible .
He ’ s got a really good nose for the ball .
Shot blocking ’ s there .
So , all his instincts are there .
… I think he ’ s going to be a big factor in this series against the Lakers.
” It would ’ ve been a stretch to say that a month ago during the Utah series .
But his dedication to staying on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — is a giant development in Denver ’ s quest for a championship .

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. didn’t expect the backlash that came from his postgame comments after Denver fell behind the Clippers 3-1 in the Western Conference semifinals.
He didn’t anticipate how his words would be spliced and his intentions deciphered. Frustrated after a Game 4 loss that he felt he could’ve contributed more to, he wasn’t trying to bury anybody, let alone Nuggets coach Michael Malone or his teammates.
His point — well-intentioned but not artfully delivered — was that everybody needed to touch the ball to beat a defense as suffocating as the Clippers’. In the aftermath, before a film session, the team briefly addressed his comments. Both Malone and Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly spoke, according to a league source.
The message was that on this stage, with a platform as large as the NBA playoffs, players needed to be even more careful about what they said in front of a camera. The point was clear: In the future, when issues come up, address them internally and not in the emotion of a postgame news conference.
After it was addressed, the meeting shifted to a film session that got at the core of Porter’s comments. The coaching staff knew there was truth to what he’d said. So rather than belabor the manner in which it was delivered, the session focused on what Porter could do to get himself more involved.
“I stand by what I say,” Porter said after Game 5 when a second-half rally kept the Nuggets’ season alive. “I didn’t mean it in any type of disrespectful way or anything like that.”
There are any number of turning points the Nuggets could cite when looking for the moment the Clippers series flipped and paved the Nuggets’ path to the Western Conference finals. It could be that team meeting, the Paul Millsap-Marcus Morris flare-up in Game 5, or even Game 3, which left the Nuggets smarting over a potential win they let get away. But when Porter connected on a clutch 3-pointer late in Game 5, and the bench erupted in celebration, it was clear there were no hard feelings. The Nuggets would win Game 6 with another elimination-defying rally and take Game 7 convincingly to reach their first conference finals since 2009.
And throughout the three fourth quarters in Games 5, 6, and 7, only Jamal Murray averaged more minutes (10.8) than Porter (9.9).
“I think our coach has done a great job challenging him and also empowering him,” Connelly told The Denver Post. “It’s been fun to watch his development.”
To think that Malone would trust Porter to that extent, a round after he’d benched him for his defense, was stunning.
“In those games, the games that you talk about when he’s on the floor when so much is hanging in the balance, that’s invaluable for a young player,” Malone said Saturday, one day ahead of Game 2 of the conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. “I think what’s earned him those minutes is that he’s really bought in, grown and committed to the defensive end of the floor.
“The offensive end comes easy for Michael. He’s so talented, he’s so skilled, and he can go on a scoring run all by himself. His rebounding has always been there. But for him to get those minutes to close games, he has to be able to defend. And I think from Game 1 in Utah, round one, all the way through now starting the Western Conference Finals, his defensive improvement’s been remarkable.”
Despite not shooting it as high a clip as he’s capable of, Porter has still rebounded at a tremendous rate and his defensive awareness has improved drastically.
“The biggest part that I’ve seen improvement in is his rotations,” his dad, Michael Porter Sr., said. “I think he’s come a long way in understanding, ‘Ok, yeah, for a minute this is my guy, but once we start rotating, it’s a scramble, and I might be guarding a guy in this corner, but then I gotta show on the roller, tag the roller, and then I might have to get out to the opposite corner to get the shooter.’”
Porter’s dad has been inside the “bubble” here for nearly a month. Depending on if it’s a game day or not, father and son will alternate between breakfast and dinner together.
“It has meant everything to me to be here to see it in person,” Porter Sr. said. “Win, lose or draw, being here and seeing these guys play and specifically my son progress the way he has is just blessings on top of blessings. … He’s never lacked confidence as to whether or not he could play at this level, but I think this bubble experience has even reinforced to him that, ‘OK, man, I take care of my business, I can play and be really effective at this level.’”
For months, Murray has been an active participant in MPJ’s improvement. In practice or games, Murray is always chirping at Denver’s budding rookie. And it’s because he recognizes his talent and knows he’s only begun to scratch the surface.
Murray has never publicly commented on what Porter had to say that night, but his answer Saturday suggested he’d seen a change in Porter’s approach.
“I just think his patience right now,” Murray said. “He might not touch it every single time on the court, but when he gets a good look, we know he’s gonna put it up and most likely make it. His rebounding is incredible. He’s got a really good nose for the ball. Shot blocking’s there. So, all his instincts are there. … I think he’s going to be a big factor in this series against the Lakers.”
It would’ve been a stretch to say that a month ago during the Utah series. But his dedication to staying on the floor — acknowledging and addressing his defense — is a giant development in Denver’s quest for a championship.


thedenverpost--2020-09-20--PHOTOS: Hundreds rally at the Colorado Capitol demanding prosecutors drop charges for arrests of six

PHOTOS: Hundreds rally at the Colorado Capitol demanding prosecutors drop charges for arrests of six local activists

Darian Michel , center , stands beside Kauwela Gomez as they chant during a rally in response to the arrests @ @ @ @ @ The Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center on Colfax on Saturday , Sept. 19 , 2020 .
@ @ @ @ @ at 16th Street Mall when they decided to join the other demonstrators .

Rachel Ellis, The Denver Post
Darian Michel, center, stands beside Kauwela Gomez as they chant during a rally in response to the arrests of local activists outside of The Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center on Colfax on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. Michel and Gomez were shopping at 16th Street Mall when they decided to join the other demonstrators.