The Denver Nuggets Think Small-Market NBA Teams are Better

While everyone is busy planning for a Miami Heat/Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets say they’re not buying into the hype. In fact, the Nuggets are convinced that smaller market teams are better across the board in the League. Per the Denver Post: “If I really didn’t think we could win a championship before the season began, I don’t know why we’d be here, working hard to get better,’ Ty Lawson said. […] ‘We have an organization that has a nucleus we think is going to challenge the top echelon of teams,’ George Karl said. ‘I would bet on a small market coming out the West. I’m sorry. I’ll bet that. I know the Lakers are good and all that. But you have San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Denver, Memphis.’ Throughout the league, Karl added, ‘There are as many, or more, good small-market teams than there are big-market teams.’ Denver will never be confused with South Beach or Hollywood. What the Nuggets are trying to build is something more substantial: a culture of winning. Just because it’s been said 1,000 times that NBA superstars find Denver unappealing doesn’t mean it’s doomed to be true forever. ‘In football, any given team can win in any given year. In basketball, fans connect well with the dynasties. But you can always have those Detroit Pistons or San Antonio Spurs as an exception. Those hot spots like Miami? That’s always part of a cycle. Miami is a hot spot now, but one day it will be Toronto or someplace else,’ said Andre Iguodala, who joined the Nuggets in trade from Philadelphia.”