ekansekans's blog: "df"

DENVER -- Ty Lawson received a stream of text messages from his Denver Nuggets coach all summer asking the same thing: Are you leading right now? Leading? The speedy point guard was typically sleeping, since George Karl fired off most of the messages in the middle of the night. Still, Lawson understood his point. For the Nuggets to take another leap forward, Lawson has to step up and take charge. So on Monday at media day, Lawson made sure no one would sleep on the Nuggets, pronouncing his team the one to beat in the Western Conference. A rather bold statement for sure, given the rise of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers picking up Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in the off-season. "Were so deep, so talented, so versatile," said Lawson, who was donning the new gold alternate home jersey his team will wear this season. "You cant just game plan for one person on this team. "I think well be No. 1 in the West." To even entertain such a notion, though, Karl first has to figure out what hes got on the bench. The Nuggets didnt just tinker with Karls team in the off-season -- they overhauled it by shipping key contributors Al Harrington and Arron Afflalo to Orlando as part of the blockbuster deal that landed Howard in Los Angeles. In exchange, Denver wound up with All-Star Andre Iguodala, giving Karl the marquee player hes been missing since Carmelo Anthony was sent to the Big Apple. "Is he a bona fide star?" Karl jokingly asked. Sure, Iguodala qualifies -- at least as a defensive stalwart. "Well, cool," Karl said. "I cant deny that Ive been an Iguodala fan for a long time. Hes not a flamboyant player as much as hes a consistently solid, committed player at both ends of the court. He gives us another piece." Thats the thing: The Nuggets certainly have plenty of pieces. And once again, Karl will try to meld together this collection of parts in an attempt to make the playoffs for a 10th straight season. Karl relishes these kinds of projects. Hes been up at the Nuggets practice facility practically all summer, eager to get the ball rolling again after being eliminated from the playoffs last season by the Lakers in a thrilling seven-game series. Those same Lakers got that much better with Nash and Howard joining Kobe Bryant & Co. "I cant deny that I just despise the Lakers," Karl said. "Ive been beaten by them too many times." Just recently, Iguodala watched Game 7 against Los Angeles, just to see what transpired. Down big in the second half, the Nuggets rallied late to throw a scare at the Lakers before falling, 96-87. "You can see the fight and heart of the guys -- they kept getting after it," said Iguodala, who helped Team USA to a gold medal this summer at the London Olympics. "We could be down 20 and our intensity wont go down." Iguodala isnt precisely sure what his role will be with the Nuggets. The longtime Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward plans to assess the situation in training camp and mould himself to whatever the team needs. "Ill fit in just fine," Iguodala said. "It shouldnt be hard in this offence. Im just trying not to press too much early on and not be too unselfish." Not be too unselfish? "When you come into a new scene, you dont want to give off the wrong impression early, like being this guy who doesnt pass," Iguodala explained. "But at the same time, you want to work in, kind of want to get your mojo going. ... Let the guys know I can make plays for them." Theyre definitely counting on that. "To have him on the defensive end and offensive end, its huge for us," Lawson said. So was locking up athletic big man JaVale McGee, who signed a four-year deal in July. The 24-year-old 7-footer averaged 11.3 points and 2.16 blocked shots in 61 games last year for the Washington Wizards and the Nuggets, who acquired him in the Nene deal in mid-March. McGee came on in the playoffs, showing his potential against the Lakers. This off-season, McGee took his commitment up a notch as he travelled to Houston to hone his low-post moves under the watchful eye of Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. "He helped me with my confidence," McGee said. "Taught me a bunch of moves I can use." About the only concern Karl has with his revamped Nuggets is their 3-point shooting. Hes hoping Danilo Gallinari or Corey Brewer can pick up the slack with two of his best long-distance shooters -- Harrington and Afflalo -- now in Orlando. Wilson Chandler could chip in, too, once hes fully recovered from left hip surgery. "Were ready to go," Karl said. "Were stacked all over the place." Lawson couldnt agree more. Asked if the Lakers and Thunder were really all that worried about Denver, Lawson just grinned. "Im 100 per cent sure of it," Lawson said. "I know the Thunder is; the Lakers, too. We took them to Game 7 and they upgraded a couple of positions, but I think theyre still definitely afraid of the Nuggets." Notes: Karl said hes passed all of his tests. He was diagnosed with neck cancer in 2010. "Im actually feeling pretty energized," Karl said. ... Chandler will participate in training camp on a limited basis until his hip completely heals. Hes hoping to be ready by the season opener on Oct. 31 in Philly. ... The Nuggets will wear their alternate home gold uniform 18 times this season. ... Nuggets executive vice-president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri said talks on extending the contract of Lawson "have gone good. ... Its very, very positive." Robert Griffin III Womens Jersey . Citys unbeaten league start looked under threat when Steven Caulker headed Tottenham in front, but goals from Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko clinched a 2-1 win. As the champions fell two points behind United, Chelsea dropped a point further back in third after being held to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Robert Griffin III Jersey . Indians vice president Bob DiBiasio says Dolan was taken to the hospital Wednesday and will remain there for observation. http://www.dancewithmeusa.com/new.html . Voelker (24-8) has won his last three in Strikeforce. Cote (19-8) had been slated to meet Alessio Sakara in a rematch on the March 16 card at the Bell Centre.Brisbane, Australia (Sports Network) - Serena Williams advanced to the final at the season-opening Brisbane International after Victoria Azarenka pulled out of their highly anticipated semifinal because of a toe injury. Azarenka had a minor procedure performed on the toe, trying to make sure she is fully ready for the Australian Open, which starts in 10 days. "Its a right toe infection," said Azarenka on Friday. "Its been there for about 10 days and its been getting worse a little bit. I had to make sure I could be fully recovered and ready for the Australian Open. Its a compromise I kind of had to take. But its very unfortunate timing, because I was really excited to play today." Maybe not so much, though. Williams has dominated the series with Azarenka, winning 11 of the 12 lifetime meetings. "I like Vika. I think shes a great player. I love playing her. It sucks," Williams stated about not being able to play Azarenkaa, although she did have sympathy for her injury.dddddddddddd"I had that toe problem just a couple of weeks ago and its painful -- God, its so painful. Doesnt sound painful, but it is. You cant walk with that. I hope she gets better fast." Williams will meet Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Saturdays final. The Russian ended Ukrainian lucky loser Lesia Tsurenkos run with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 triumph in the only semifinal played Friday. Pavlyuchenkova will take a 3-1 lifetime mark in finals into Saturdays title match. She was last years runner-up at the U.S. Open tune-up in Washington and hasnt won a title since 2011 in Monterrey. Williams, meanwhile, is gunning for her 47th career title. She won seven times last year, including Wimbledon, the London Olympics and the U.S. Open. The 31-year-old American superstar has won all three lifetime meetings with Pavlyuchenkova, including a 6-2, 6-1 thumping in last years only matchup in Madrid. ' ' '