NFL:  BRONCOS & VIKINGS  //  NBA

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            UNTIL AFTER THE CURRENT NFL SEASON, “SPORTS NOTEBOOK” WILL POST NEW EVERY MONDAY INSTEAD OF ON TUESDAY, continuing with a new post every Friday.  Editor, Marvin Leibstone. Comments to: mlresources1@aol.com

NFL  ---   HOW might the Minnesota Vikings try to defeat the Denver Broncos on Sunday? Surely with priority given to disrupting the pass and rush protection that Denver quarterback, Tim Tebow, has been receiving in recent games, hoping Tebow will throw the football way too often and too abruptly, thus deliver a high number of incomplete passes; and by exploiting the possible loss of Denver linebacker, Von Miller, and of wide receiver, Eddie Royal, for neither could be afield on Sunday because of injuries (undecided as of this writing).

The loss of Von Miller and Royal could thin Denver’s strengths but not greatly. Yes, Von Miller can sack quarterbacks before they find actionable options for striking forward (he’s accrued 10 successful sacks during 11 games) and Royal is an above-the-margin receiver for Tebow’s handoffs and short passes, unplanned or otherwise. But with Von Miller gone, there’s still Denver’s LB, Elvis Dumervil, who has brought the sacking of QB’s to an art form, and for Tebow’s often preferred handoffs, or short passes, there’s Denver running back, Willis McGahee, and for the longer throw there’s swift and canny wide receiver, Eric Decker (fact: both can respond quickly and effectively to the unexpected Tebow innovation, time and again).

And if the Denver defense is as focused and impenetrable as it has been since defeating Oakland on November 6, the Vikings offense won’t be seeing much of the Broncos end zone. There’s a consensus that the Vikings could be scoreless if the Denver defense is as effective as it was last Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.

Important is that the Broncos defense think of the Vikings offense as a training element, specifically for what they’ll have to do when playing against the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots later in the month (the Vikings offense is close enough in style to the Chicago and New England offense squads for such to happen). It is from this notion that the Denver vs. Vikings game becomes pivotal for the Broncos, a necessary win + readiness preparation for Denver's continuing ascent toward post-season competition, a climb that can be reinforced significantly from wins vs. Chicago and New England.

A Denver win vs. Minnesota will support the team’s hold on second place in the NFL’s American Conference-West, behind the Oakland Raiders. Should the Broncos lose to Chicago and to New England, but not afterward to weaker Buffalo or to the Kansas City Chiefs (last two games of the season), the Broncos will then finish the NFL year at 9-7, destined for a go at the AFC championship .  .  .  It’s likely that the Broncos will take the Vikings down and rise to 7-5, and from more than a TD.

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NBA ---   THE hustle in many front offices for team development, in effect, for buys, trades and good riddances, will dominate the NBA until December 9, when franchises start training camp. Free agents will seek change, other players will resist trades, and what is seen today will seem different when America’s professional basketball heats up starting December 25.

In some cities, however, teams will eventually appear to be much the same, although names and numbers listed on rosters won’t be the same, that is, a lot of high hopes via buys and trades won’t be panning out: a handful of teams will learn that they obtained roughly the same as that which exited in the past, or something worse.  

Of course, models will emerge for handling change or no-change wisely, and one of the models could be from how the Denver Nuggets manage the challenges that the team is now faced with, namely that during the last regular NBA season it obtained a new/old team, in effect, players new to Denver’s playing style and head coach George Karl’s expectations, alongside team veterans, three of whom are now free agents: Nene, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, each vital to how Denver has planned to compete in the upcoming 66-game season.

If the three free agents choose to leave the Nuggets because the Denver front office hadn’t made an attempt to keep them on board, and Denver can’t obtain suitable replacements, well, the outcome won’t be pretty; and if Denver urges all three to leave and decides to save millions of dollars by gambling on acquisitions of questionable players, then the outcome could also be foul.

Making sense for the Nuggets, so it seems, is doing what it takes to keep the three on board. Here’s why: in spite of the number of years that the three have been with Denver, Nene, Martin and Smith haven’t peaked, they are still piling on sufficient value if not of high-end star power, and it’s obvious from readings of the mostly upward graph-lines of their performance records. Too, while the three are not among the top players in the NBA with regard to their particular position titles, they are extremely capable when it comes to crossing over from their positions to other positions. In other words, Martin can shoot like an effective point guard when neccessary and he has shown promise as a floor leader, and Nene can block and rebound like a center or forward and has shown an ability to provide the assist effectively and to innovate plays at the glass, and while Smith’s high card has been his three-point shooting he’s most capable of a swift drive to the basket for that shock-and-awe layup or dunk (so what if he's now and then difficult to get along with). Moreover, the three have served to help educate and lead the team’s new arrivals under game circumstances resulting from George Karl’s wise directions. What’s the real point being made here? How about a take on that old adage, “If it aint broke, why fix it?”

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