Frank the Tank, Hornets in Denver to face Bosnian Beast, Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets return home for their season-long eight game homestand, that spans from Jan. 10th to Jan. 25th. The team will finally get a chance to collect their breath and head coach Michael Malone should have ample time to get some practice in for his team on the mend.

The Nuggets could be without Jameer Nelson, who has started in place of the injured Emmanuel Mudiay for the past 14 games, who is dealing with a left hip flexor strain. The team also might not have Kenneth Faried, whose second child was born over the weekend, as both The Manimal and Nelson are listed as questionable for tonight’s game. Mudiay is listed as probable and could return to the court in front of the home crowd.

This will be the third game in which Mudiay will try to make his return from a right ankle deltoid strain. Mudiay was unable to play in Minnesota on Jan. 6th or in Memphis on Jan. 8th. If Mudiay and Nelson miss tonight’s game, it’ll be up to Randy Foye to man the point guard spot, with Will Barton, Gary Harris and Danilo Gallinari tasked with handling the ball more frequently. Both Malone and GM Tim Connelly have referenced Nikola Jokic being a former “fat” point guard from his earlier days playing the game, perhaps he can fill in at point guard in a pinch, I joke.

Hornets Buzz: 

Charlotte was sitting pretty at 17-13 after a 108-98 victory at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 28th, but things have been going downhill since that night. The Bugs are currently on a six-game losing streak dropping games against the: Clippers, Raptors, Thunder, Warriors, Suns and Clippers again.

The Hornets are led by Kemba Walker and Nic Batum, the two lead the team in scoring with 19.3 points and 16.3 points, respectively. In the absence of center Al Jefferson (injury, suspension, injury), the Hornets began to find a groove with a small ball lineup that sees Marvin Williams at power forward. Williams has found a nice home with the Hornets, and that’s good for the former North Carolina Tar Heel. Williams has started all 36 games for the Hornets and averages 9.4 points in nearly 30 minutes of action.

It’s always fun to see Jeremy Lin play as he’s established himself as Walker’s backup. Lin is averaging 12.4 points in 26.5 minutes per game and my colleague Harrison Wind is excited to see which hairstyle Lin will go with today. Will he have his Super Saiyan look? Only time will tell.

Rookie big man Frank Kaminsky has also worked his way into coach Steve Clifford’s rotation as he’s averaging 20.2 minutes and scoring 6.9 points per game. Kaminsky also averages a paltry 3.6 rebounds per game and this will be our first look at the 22 year-old out of Wisconsin.

Nuggets Notes: 

The Nuggets recently cut ties with small forward Kostas Papanikolaou on Jan. 7th, waiving him before his $800,000 salary became guaranteed for the season. Papa walked away with $350,000 and leaves the Nuggets with a void behind Gallinari. Tim Connelly now has an open roster spot, and there’s no telling what the team may do with the flexibility.

With Papa gone, Gallo played 35 minutes against the Grizzlies and is averaging 37 minutes in January to go along with 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the month. The Nuggets have changed starters so much this season that Gallo and Co. have been unable to get in a groove, but the team is starting to get the right players healthy.

Jusuf Nurkic’s return to action has been a much welcomed sight. The Bosnian is averaging 15 minutes per game, his initial minute restriction, but has played 18 minutes and 22 minutes in Denver’s last two games. In those contests, Nurkic has shown flashes of what he’ll bring to this team. Against Memphis he got into a mini-tussle underneath the hoop and was constantly battling Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. His toughness is a major key for the Nuggets.

We’ll see if Mudiay and Nelson are able to go, hopefully one of the two will play to take some heat off of Foye, who is not a natural point guard. At tonight’s game the Denver Sidekicks will also be making their debut — a group of fans that have purchased a large chunk of tickets to show their support for the team.

Start the New Year off with a BANG ? become a #sidekick today join us on Jan 10! Go Nuggets! https://t.co/jqDqv4KWdO pic.twitter.com/sT3fgMAcHk

— The Denver Sidekicks (@denversidekicks) December 30, 2015