The situation in Cleveland wasn’t much better. Their leading scorer was Ricky Davis, whose 20 points per game came at the cost of about 20 shots a night. Imagine J.R. Smith as a team’s top option and that pretty paints the picture of the Cavaliers 2002-2003 season.

But that was all about to change, as these two franchises would be forever altered with the incoming 2003 draft class, widely regarded as one of the best (if not extremely top-heavy) in recent memory.

Four of the top five were easy to remember: the high school sensation that was already being compared to Michael Jordan, the amazing scorer who just led his coach to his first ever NCAA Championship, the explosive slasher who took his less-talented Marquette team to a Final Four and an athletic young big man who could shoot, post, and run the court.

Four of those amazing first five have gone on to lead all-star, and in some cases all-time careers. Many consider LeBron James a top five player in NBA history. Dwyane Wade has a Finals MVP to his name and is likely a top-20 player all-time. Bosh is a five time all-star and gold medalist, and he led his talent-deprived Toronto team to its first ever division title.

Then there was Carmelo Anthony who would revive basketball in Denver.

Despite all the hate and disapproval out there, Melo was a force to be reckoned with during his time in Denver. He never missed the playoffs, and helped spark a massive turnaround in the franchise’s fortunes long-term. Sure there was no championship to be had, but consistent playoff appearances were welcome after finishing near the bottom of the league.

At this time only one of those players remains with the team that drafted him: Dwyane Wade. James and Bosh famously took their talents to South Beach and Melo forced his way out of the Mile High City.

But while Denver, Cleveland and Toronto lost out to their homegrown stars’ big city hopes and dreams, the three franchises couldn’t be further apart ten years later.

The Cleveland Cavaliers just won the NBA Draft Lottery for the second time in three years after another season of failure. The Toronto Raptors haven’t recovered enough to even register in the minds of all but the most die-hard NBA fans. The Denver Nuggets captured the third seed in the powerful Western Conference, and albeit suffering a painful upset loss to the young Warriors, have seen the playoffs every season since that fateful draft.

So what’s the difference? Why have the Nuggets kept up their successful ways while the other two star-losing teams have plummeted back into struggle and irrelevance?

It all comes down to an attempt, even an insistence, on winning or at least trying to win.

When Bosh and LeBron deserted their original teams, they left behind nothing more than a cloud of dust and a bunch of bad draft picks. Toronto and Cleveland decided that the best course of action was to tear it all down and rebuild it from the base. It seemed all well and good. After all, that’s the accepted way to build a winning team in this league: rebuilding from the ground up with young early-twenty-somethings and multiple draft picks every year.

Unfortunately the truth of the matter is a bit different. Rebuilding in the NBA almost never goes according to plan. Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cavs, pretty much admitted as much after his team netted the No. 1 pick.

“We were hoping regardless of what pick we got that this would be our last lottery,” Gilbert said. “We thought originally after everything had to be reset that it would be a three-year process. You never know. It could be four. We thought three years, but having No. 1 and 19, we’ve got a pretty good chance of this being the last one for a while.”

The Nuggets, on the other hand, have tried their darndest to compete every year, even without a bona-fide superstar. And from the looks of it, their plan is working a bit better than the other franchises’.

By not absolutely tearing the team down after Carmelo and La La skipped town for the big city lights, the Nuggets have kept their team not only in the playoffs every year, but have built them up to a point where it looked like they at least had a shot to make a deep run in the 2013 playoffs.

The front office and ownership decided, smartly, that instead of risking everything on Tristan Thompson or Dion Waiters, they would get the most proven NBA talent they could in return for their star and continue to build the team for success. By netting Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Ray Felton for Melo instead of a bunch of worthless picks, they proved that they weren’t taking their chances on the always unpredictable nature of a complete rebuilding process.

As we all know, the NBA Draft is a roll of the dice (unless it’s 2003). This year’s top prospect, Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel, is a big man with almost no offensive game and a torn ACL.

Too many teams load up on draftees with no guarantee that they’ll live up to their potential . Too many teams have been left with a mish-mashed group of tweeners that were never NBA quality to begin with.

Rebuilding with a ton of draft picks is almost never a path to greatness, simply because so few draftees become anything more than rotation players. Sure, once in a while along comes a Tim Duncan, LeBron James, or Derrick Rose. But tearing everything down for that slim chance is recipe for long-term suffering and a bunch of 20-win seasons.

Both the Cavaliers and the Nuggets were put in impossible situations after their beloved homegrown star player decided there were bigger and better things elsewhere. But ten years after that fateful draft, a quick look at recent history proves the two franchises couldn’t have treated their situations any more differently.

Thankfully for Denver fans, the Nuggets chose correctly.

For more Nuggets news, CLICK HERE.

And now, those who helped him get there are starting to get recognized as well.

Former Bronco offensive lineman Tom Nalen was announced as the 24th member of the Ring of Fame on Wednesday. Nalen will be formally inducted Sept. 29 when the Broncos host the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tom Nalen has been named to the Broncos Ring of Fame.

— Denver Broncos (@DenverBroncos) May 22, 2013

Nalen was picked in the Seventh Round by the Broncos in 1994 and retired in 2008. In 14 seasons with the team, Nalen played two Super Bowls and five pro bowl appearances.

Nalen’s 188 starts are the second most in the franchise only behind John Elway. The Broncos had 11 1,000 rushing yard seasons.

For more Broncos news, CLICK HERE.

The demand was needed after a quick sell out due to Memorial Day weekend and hopefully, the four game unbeaten streak the Rapids are currently on.

The bleachers will be put up behind sections 101 and 134 in the northwest and northeast corners of the stadium. Tickets for the seats will cost $25. The game against Chivas is expected to be the first sellout of the 2013 season.

For more Colorado sports news, CLICK HERE.

Tracy used to draw the ire of Rockies fans for his tendency to trot out a lineup on Sundays that featured a cast of bench players, and today Walt Weiss decided to do the same.

After spending the early part of the season resting starters intermittently with the intention of keeping at least some continuity in the lineup on off days, today Weiss opted to give several regulars a blow. Without further ado, here is today’s lineup:

1. Eric Young Jr-RF
2. DJ LeMahieu-2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez-LF
4. Dexter Fowler-CF
5. Nolan Arenado-3B
6. Todd Helton-1B
7. Yorvit Torrealba-C
8. Jonathan Herrera-SS
9. Jorge De La Rosa-P

In fact only two position players, Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton, maintain their normal spots in the lineup. Perhaps the most bizarre move by Weiss was the insertion of the slumping Dexter Fowler in the cleanup spot. Fowler is hitting .221 in the month of May.

It is also worth noting that Josh Rutledge, the club’s starting second baseman, has been held out of the lineup to days in a row, yielding to the red-hot DJ LeMahieu. LeMahieu is hitting .429 in six games since being called up from AAA Colorado Springs earlier in the month. Rutledge, by contrast, is hitting .242.

The ‘B-Team’ lineup is a strange move for two reasons: First, the team has an off day tomorrow. Second, the Rockies have an opportunity to pull even with the Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West with a win today, and go 5-2 on the recent home stand before heading to San Francisco this weekend for a three game set.

For more Rockies news, CLICK HERE.

The Rockies are hopeful Betancourt will not be needed for Wednesday’s game and with Thursday off, that gives Betancourt two days rest. He is currently listed as day to day.

Rafael Betancourt left tonight’s game with a tight right groin. Listed as day-to-day.

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 22, 2013

Betancourt has been great for the Rockies, posting 10 saves in 10 opportunities and a 1.56 ERA

If Betancourt were to take some time off the Rockies would need someone to step into the closer role with another big series this weekend against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

The biggest favorite among fans would be Rex Brothers. Brothers has looked outstanding this season with a 0.44 ERA and 21-8 strikeout to ball ratio. However Wilton Lopez has been improving during the month of May and is familiar with a closing role, which he held last year with the Houston Astros.

For more Rockies news, CLICK HERE.

Along the way, there are also some amazing sights. With sweeping vistas and drastic elevation changes, nature has provided views to behold. And man has added a few unique touches, too.

To highlight a few of those spots, places that every golfer in Colorado should see at least once, we’ve put together the following “Golf Scavenger Hunt.” It’s a list of destinations that should be on every player’s to-do list, from the weekend hacker to the everyday scratch golfer.

Seeing these one-of-a-kind locations is reward enough. But we’re adding to the prize, by dipping into our bag of goodies to provide an added bonus.

Take a photo of yourself at any of these places, tweet it to @milehighsports and be eligible to win everything from free green fees to golf balls to tickets to the Solheim Cup.

Enjoy the journey!

***

1. Arrowhead Golf Club – No. 13
Precision Matters – Over brush and trees, in between to huge rock formation and in front of water, this 173-yard par-3 offers plenty of challenges.
arrowheadcolorado.com

2. The Golf Club at Bear Dance – No. 6
The Bear Claw – The sand trap shaped like the claw of a bear isn’t just one of the best things on this course, it’s a signature spot across the entire state.
beardancegolf.com

3. Breckenridge Golf Club – No. 5
Postcard – The entire course is a postcard waiting to happen, but the pond and clubhouse nestled in front of the Ten Mile Mountain Range is perhaps the best spot.
townofbreckenridge.com

4. Buffalo Run Golf Course – Clubhouse
Where They Roam – On the northeast side of town, this course provides plenty of challenges; but the intimidation starts right away, with the enormous buffalo statue.
buffalorungolfcourse.com

5. City Park Golf Course – No. 13
Skyline View – As players make their way through this hole, it’s hard not to be distracted by the sweeping view of Denver and the Front Range.
denvergov.org/golf

6. Eagle Vail Golf Club – No. 10
Bombs Away! – This 197-yard par-3 features a 185-foot elevation drop, making it feel like tee shots are falling from the sky.
eaglevailgolfclub.com

7. Flatirons Golf Course – No. 17
The Silo – This 80-year old track is a Boulder legend, providing vistas of the nearby mountains, but the silo on the 17th green is the most-distinct feature.
bouldercolorado.gov

8. Fossil Trace Golf Club – No. 14
Heavy Equipment – The two-tier green on this 205-yard par-3 is unique, but the antique mining equipment nearby is even more one-of-a-kind.
fossiltrace.com

9. Fox Hollow Golf Course – No. 18
The Bridge – All three courses (Canyon, Links and Meadow) meander around streams, with one final crossing on the landmark bridge at No. 18.
lakewood.org

10. Haymaker Golf Course – No. 11
Watering Hole – The green on this par-4 is a peninsula, making accuracy the key. Before or after your pitch, stop and enjoy the view.
haymakergolf.com

11. The Greg Mastriona Courses at Hyland Hills – No. 19
Clubhouse – The 18-hole gold course is terrific, as is the nine-hole blue track. But post-round food and drinks the brand new clubhouse is at the top of the list.
golfhylandhills.com

12. Mariana Butte Golf Course – No. 14
Butte Views – Tee off from atop one of the course’s namesake buttes, down into this par-3 hole. Once on the green, the view back at the tee box is one to behold.
cityofloveland.org

13. Pelican Lakes – No. 1
Water, Water Everywhere – Turn in any direction, on any hole, and water will be in sight. But for the best view, gander back from the first green toward the clubhouse.
watervalley.com

14. Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks – No. 8
Valley Vista – The view from the eighth tee box showcases the towering pine and aspen, snow-capped 13,000-foot peaks, crystal clear creeks and trout filled lakes.
raventhreepeaks.com

15. The Ridge at Castle Pines North – No. 9
Cliff Shot – There are plenty of picturesque spots to choose from on this course, but the “cliff shot” on the ninth tee is one that every golfer remembers.
playtheridge.com

16. River Valley Golf Club – No. 18
Sorpris – After nearly 18 holes through the majestic Crystal River Valley, the view of the clubhouse with Mount Sopris in the background is a jaw-dropper.
rvgolf.com

17. Riverdale Dunes – No. 8
Railroad Ties – This links-style course meanders along the South Platte River and features plenty of pot bunkers. But the walls made of railroad ties are its signature.
riverdalegolf.com

18. South Suburban Golf Course – No. 19
Clubhouse – The clubhouse at Lone Tree is both enormous and elegant. Not only are weddings and business meetings held here, but this monster is a hotel, too. Play, then stay.
ssprd.org

Simply tweet a picture of you at one of these landmarks to @MileHighSports for a chance to win!

The former Auburn Tiger signed as a free agent in 2011, but spent the last two seasons on the IR without playing a single down.

The #Broncos waived RB Mario Fannin yesterday. Fannin spent the last two seasons on IR after joining the team as a CFA in 2011.

— Denver Broncos (@DenverBroncos) May 22, 2013

The running back position is a highly competitive one for the Broncos this season with eight players remaining to battle it out this summer. Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno suffered injuries last season, but will be back to compete. The duo combined for 1,256 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2012.

Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman are two of the youngest guys on the team, each with high expectations heading into training camp. In his first year out of San Diego State, Hillman rushed for 330 yards with a touchdown as the Broncos’ No. 3 back.

Other running backs hoping to earn a spot on the roster are C.J. Anderson, Jacob Hester, Lance Ball and Jeremiah Johnson.

For more Broncos news, CLICK HERE.

To most around town, the success of the two is like comparing a fastball from Colorado-native Goose Gossage to that of Colorado-layover Jamie Moyer’s.

Edge: Gonzalez

First, there’s CarGo (2013: $7.5 million): an all-star, NL batting champ and two-time Gold Glove winner. Then there’s De La Rosa (2013: $11 million): a 16-game winner in 2009 and a projected sleeper pick in ESPN’s 2011 fantasy baseball league before he disappeared out of the bigs.

The outfielder, the team’s star, has been packing highlight reels since. The pitcher, who’d been tormented by the haze of his future, has mostly just been packing — going from one rehab assignment to another.

But today, times have changed for the resurgent Rockies (25-21).

And while CarGo is still a magician from making pitches disappear into the seats to pulling fly balls out of thin air, the main spectacle this season has arguably been De La Rosa. In fact, ask anyone in the team’s clubhouse, and they’ll go on and on about their sizzling starter … especially, well, CarGo.

“It was tough not having him there for us last year,” Gonzalez said. “It’s nice to have someone (pitch) that you know can give you a chance to win every night. And after a tough year it’s really nice to get him back along with guys like (starting pitcher Jhoulys) Chacin and (Troy) Tulo(witzki). It’s been great.”

It wasn’t that case just a bit ago.

De La Rosa missed most of the last two seasons due to Tommy John surgery in June of 2011 after completely tearing his ulnar collateral ligament that May.

Through it, he couldn’t help but feel like he was letting people down. “Frustrating” he said repeatedly about the experience.

In his eyes, he had just signed three-year contract worth an excess of $30 million a couple months before his injury.

Then, during his rehab, he gritted through the franchise’s low point when the team lost 98 games in 2012 while he could do nothing about it.

“It was tough seeing them struggle out there. You want to come back and help them but you know you can’t,” De La Rosa said. “You hope to get back there, and it was frustrating because I couldn’t.”

Most days last season, De La Rosa couldn’t stomach watching the team’s staff hit historical lows, while the rest of team fell apart with injuries and staff changes throughout the year. And even sometimes during it, De La Rosa wondered if he would get back to the pitcher he was when he went 16-9 three years back despite countless hours of dedication each day to get back to that point.

But that’s when he got lucky.

That’s when he knew he was “blessed” as he said. Because despite a collapsing surrounding, that’s when CarGo, his teammates and his coaches made sure to smother the pitcher with optimism.

“Well it’s a difficult time for a pitcher. You need so much time after you get surgery when you’re a pitcher. Those were difficult days for him. Being around the stadium and not being able to do what you love is hard,” CarGo said.
“All we could do in that situation is show support. Also make him believe he’ll be back and healthy.”

De La Rosa said if it wasn’t for his teammates’ and coaches’ support, he has no idea how he would have regrouped to get to this point two years later.

“I had guys supporting me and keeping my hopes up a lot around here. I have been shown a lot of support by everyone here,” De La Rosa said. “They kept me calm and tried to not make me think about too much. I’m happy to have people like that.”

Today, with a scar under his left elbow and a calmer version of himself on the mound, De La Rosa (5-3) has a team-best 3.58 ERA while leading the resurgent Rockies staff to a place miles above what they were at this time last year.

In his nine starts, the team has won six of them while the 32-year old flirted with a no-hitter against St. Louis Cardinals just over a week ago and has had four scoreless outing going six innings or deeper in each.

Honestly, it all adds to something that didn’t happen once when the Rockies went to their four-man rotation with a 75-pitch limit last season in Dan O’Dowd’s experiment “Project 5183” (named after the altitude at Coors Field).

“I’m feeling good and getting stronger each time I go out,” De La Rosa said. “I am feeling as close to (100 percent) as I have in a long time.”

It’s a welcome sight for fans, management and players like center fielder Dexter Fowler, who have been rumored as trade material in the team’s decline.

“He helps keep us in the game. That’s all we need. We need six, seven or eight strong innings,” said Fowler, who has had an up-and-down career with minor league stints followed by a handful of weeks of blistering success in the majors. “We’re all a family here. So it’s great to have him back to help us win.”

Now, going forward, De La Rosa isn’t worried about awards, altitude or his ERA. And yeah, he knows, he’s a completely different breed of player than CarGo.

Instead, he is just glad to be back doing what he loves.

“I’m thankful to be back pitching and I just want to win,” he said. “I just want to help us to win.”

Edge: Rockies

Player File
Name: Jorge De La Rosa
Throws: Left
Bats: Left
Height: 6-1
Weight: 215 pounds

Favorite Movie?
The Fast and Furious series

Favorite actor?
Vin Diesel

Favorite type of music?
Rock

Pregame ritual?
Pray

To see the Player of the Week from May 15, CLICK HERE.

To see the Player of the week from May 8, CLICK HERE.

For more Player of the Week winners, check back every Wednesday.

Woodson visited Denver with little fanfare. There were no television stations stalking Dove Valley with live trucks fired up at the first sight of Woodson.

Woodson returned to Oakland like a conquering hero after spending the first eight years of his career with the Raiders. So desperate are the fans to recapture only three winning seasons with Woodson since the team moved from Los Angeles to Oakland in 1995, they rolled out the black carpet for the defensive back.

Fans started an online campaign en masse to greet Woodson for his interview Oakland. It was a scene that would make the paparazzi blush. People drove as far as Fresno, all dressed up in black to take pictures of Woodson. You would have thought Justin Bieber just walked into an all-girls school.

Even the Raiders organization got into the spirit tweeting out this picture of their fans outside the stadium. Just by looking at it, I’m wondering if these people really wanted him back or couldn’t afford to buy a jersey since 2006.

The Raiders fans still at headquarters for the Charles Woodson announcement. #RaiderNation #dedication twitter.com/RAIDERS/status…

— OAKLAND RAIDERS (@RAIDERS) May 22, 2013

The reality is they just overpaid for a 37-year-old converted safety that has a history of breaking his collarbone.

The expectations and realities are quite different in Denver.

Woodson debunked the myth that winning is everything. He got a one-year deal with a $700,000 signing bonus, but could be worth as much as $4.3 million with incentives. The Broncos reported offer wasn’t that far off at one year for $3.7 million with incentives, but couldn’t guarantee him a starting job to earn those incentives. The Broncos did offer a chance to win a Super Bowl, which apparently wasn’t worth the difference in the contract offers.

You have to hand it to Woodson and his agent, Carl Poston, though; they played John Elway beautifully. Woodson publically spoke of his desire to play for a winner to peak the Broncos interest. And in driving up his market price with one of the worst teams in football during the last 10 years, he got what he wanted.

But Woodson’s going to get a handful in return, not just a fistful of dollars. He’ll end his career missing the playoffs, while being forced to defend against Peyton Manning and his talented trio of wide receivers twice this season.

In all fairness, though, he’s already won a title; you really can’t blame a guy who wants to make more money at the end of his career to go with a guaranteed starting job at defensive back. Plus, he owns TwentyFour Wines in Napa, where the Raiders hold training camp. And if he feels it is his destiny to finish his career where he started, he’s got that, too.

Woodson would have been a nice addition to the Broncos adding leadership, occasional playmaking ability and depth. The Raiders needed him to start and to hopefully energize a fan base that longs for the time when his team won three consecutive AFC West titles and an AFC championship.

This is the difference between these two organizations. The Broncos wanted a small piece to their puzzle, while the Raiders needed a centerpiece for their franchise. Yet, the thought of bringing in Woodson was tantalizing by pairing him with another Hall of Famer, Champ Bailey. Although, there were some detractors who argued how many more aging veterans could this roster take.

Woodson was the last name on the Broncos free agent shopping list and the group that’s been practicing at Dove Valley this week is the one that’ll head into training camp.

There’s no reason to whine that Woodson wanted to be closer to wine country. Come February, the Broncos would rather have guys who want to drink champagne.

Eric Goodman hosts Afternoon Drive with Mac and Goodman 3p-6p Monday through Friday on Mile High Sports Radio (AM1510 | FM 93.7). You can also follow Eric Goodman on Twitter@ericgoodman

For more Broncos news, CLICK HERE

They were able to claw their way back and take down the Tar Heels 12-11 to get to the Final Four. College lacrosse’s western power is set to face off against Syracuse on Saturday with a chance to get to their first NCAA Championship game.

As they spend the week preparing for the tournament, they’re getting support from around the community, starting with new Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker.

Broncos WR @weswelker speaks to University of Denver lacrosse team in advance of their Final Four appearance. twitter.com/psmyth12/statu…

— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) May 21, 2013

Welker is no stranger to championship pressure. He played in two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, coming up short in both attempts.

Should the Pioneers get by the Orange, they will face the winner of Cornell and Duke in the NCAA Title game May 27.

For more college sports news, CLICK HERE.

Astacio will join a cast of hall of fame players from around baseball representing their respective clubs. Among those in attendance will be Tommy Lasorda (Dodgers), George Brett (Royals), Darryl Strawberry (Mets) and Ivan Rodriguez (Rangers).

According to the Rockies official website, the club will also send player development assistant Walker Monfort to the draft as a representative for the team.

Astacio’s recognition by the club is well-deserved. Pitching in parts of five seasons with Colorado, the hurler accumulated 53 wins, still good for fifth most in team history. In 1999 alone, Astacio went 17-11 with 210 strikeouts in 232 innings, all club records at the time.

For more Rockies news, CLICK HERE.

Miller claims he’s kidding, but he says such things with a certain degree of seriousness that it wouldn’t be hard to imagine him having the urge to do it.

Such is the life of the Broncos defensive star during OTAs. After two days of workouts, Miller is seeing a lot of potential on the defensive side of the ball.

He specifically highlighted second-year defensive lineman Derek Wolfe. According to Miller, Wolfe looks great and should have a banner year for the Broncos. Miller also said that he thinks he took three or four sacks away from Wolfe in 2012.

Nickelback Chris Harris is also among those looking and feeling great during the early stages of Broncos workouts. Harris was able to pick off Peyton Manning during Monday’s practice, something he says he’ll never get tired.

Harris is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

“I’m not worried about my next (contract),” Harris said.

The Broncos will report to Dove Valley Wednesday for the last workout of the week. They won’t report back as a team until May 29.

For more Broncos news, CLICK HERE.

While the statement was confirmed to be true by Adrian Dater of The Denver Post, the news of Roy’s possible arrival brings with it an odd dichotomy of emotions. There’s excitement, reservation, happiness, nostalgia, concern, and uncertainty.

What if he fails? How will players respond to his fire and passion? How great is it to see him return? Will he sell tickets and fill seats?

The ultimate conundrum is can he coach at the NHL level?

Despite executive vice president of hockey operations, Joe Sakic saying he didn’t want to take a guy straight out of a junior hockey league, the hiring has done just that. Though Sakic did say he wanted a guy who knows the NHL.

It’s safe to say that the four-time Stanley Cup champion, three-time Vezina and three-time Conn Smythe winning netminder knows a thing or two about the NHL. But talent doesn’t always translate when a player is placed on the other side of the bench. Just ask Wayne Gretzky.

Still, Roy owns a lofty coaching record in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey league, having gone 307-128-32 since taking over as head coach in 2005 and he won the Memorial Cup during just his second year on the job.

He also has more experience coaching, at any level, than both Tony Granato and Joe Sacco had before they took over.

Can he jump into the shark tank and swim with the best of them? Scotty Bowman certainly thinks so.

“I think he has enough experience now and deserves an opportunity,” Bowman, one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, told The Denver Post in 2009. “I know he has the passion to coach.”

That vote of confidence also speaks to Roy’s ability to motivate his players. Sure, he wasn’t coaching top league superstars with giant egos and perhaps a penchant towards a losing attitude, but he has had some success calling the shots.

Though with a guy known for smashing VCRs and ripping down doors leading the room, there’s no telling what will happen. That kind of fervency might not serve as a motivator for others.

Still, the return of the greatest goaltender in Colorado Avalanche history can’t hurt ticket sales. Colorado can’t get much worse than they were last season, and now with two once-marketable faces returning to adorn the Avalanche with the overdue laurels of victory, there will certainly be an increase in attendance early on.

The nostalgia factor is good for that.

For a team that severely struggled with goaltending over the course of a shortened venture, the presence of Roy could be good. There’s no denying that he is among the elitist of goaltenders in the fabled record books of the game, and his wisdom, mentality and winning ambition could do a lot for a young keeper with an identity crisis. Semyon Varlamov could learn a great deal from having a former goalie in charge.

Roy knows how important it is to have a brick wall in the blue paint.

But it could also ruin Varlamov. Having had only a goaltending consultant, Kirk McLean, to work with has hurt Varlamov’s development. He needs more and he needs to find his confidence again. Not living up to the standards of the great and powerful Roy could really weigh heavy on him mentally. There may be a lot of pressure placed on Varlamov from within the organization, and he is expected to be the starting goalie for Russia at the Olympics in Socchi next year.

So there certainly has been so stress from the outside as well.

Then there is the history to worry about. There isn’t an Avalanche fan around that doesn’t adore Roy for what he did when he played for the Avalanche. He is a legend.

He is an exaggerated legend of an already great legend.

What happens if he can’t win? What happens if he has the tenure of Barry Melrose with the Tampa Bay Lightning?

Does that taint his legacy? Do fans turn on him? Do his good deeds from a previous life go unpunished?

Maybe fans will judge him separately, as they should, for his time coaching. If they do, they will be better off for it. But most of them won’t, and that puts a lot of undue pressure on the 47-year-old Quebec City native.

There is also the concern about the future relationship between Roy and Sakic. What happens if Roy gets too vocal or doesn’t like the decisions that his former teammate is making? That could have a major impact on the entire organization.

Diehard followers of the Colorado Avalanche need Xanex just thinking about what Roy brings to the team. Even with all of the questions, the Avalanche have nowhere to go but up. They have just won the first overall pick in the coming NHL Entry Draft after finishing second to last in the 30-team league.

For more Avalanche news, CLICK HERE.

The 6-foot-3 center, currently entering his senior year with the Buffs, has been an active starter on the squad since his sophomore year. He is expected to remain the everyday starter for the team going into 2013. This is his second straight season being placed on the Rimington watch list.

For more college sports news, CLICK HERE.

Should Nuggets fans be worried?

Loyalty means nothing in today’s world, the only thing that matters is money. Ujiri is one of the lowest paid general mangers in the NBA and that has to change if the Nuggets want him back.

Money will be Ujiri’s deciding factor. Not just the money that he’ll be putting in his bank account but also the money he’ll have to play with. The Nuggets will have more money than the Raptors to spend this summer. Denver will have just fewer than $7 million to spend once Iguodala opts out. The Nuggets will likely have more than that to spend once a few moves are made in free agency. Close to another $7 million could open up if the qualifying offers to Timofey Mozgov, Julyan Stone and Quincy Miller are not picked up.

The Raptors were going to be in good shape this summer financially, before they made the deal to acquire Rudy Gay. Gay will make almost $18 million next year and close to $20 million in the 2014-15 season. As the Nuggets do, the Raptors have a few players that have qualifying offers and player options that could potentially open up more money. Unless the Raptors move Rudy Gay the Nuggets will have more money to play with in the NBA off-season.

As long as the Kroenkes are willing to at least match the offer that the Raptors make, Masai Ujiri will return to the Denver Nuggets. Ujiri has a couple of aces in the hole as well. Josh Kroenke just named himself the president of the Colorado Avalanche, which means he has less time for the Nuggets. Kroenke and Ujiri are close and Kroenke trusts Ujiri to run the team the way that he would run the team.

The Kroenke family hired Masai Ujiri in 2010 and it was a move that was looked at by a lot of people as cheap and just a way to save money. The Kroenkes thought they had found their diamond in the rough and they were right; but now it’s time to reward the man.

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If the rumors of last night become the reality of today, the Avs have just made a hire that will momentarily bump the Broncos from the top headline in Denver sports. Monday evening, while football fans were gobbling up sound bites from Broncos players returning to Dove Valley for the first OTA of the summer, Stephane Roy was busy updating his Facebook page.

“For all my friends, I’d like you to know before the official news spreads that my older brother will be the new coach of the Colorado Avalanch (sic),” Roy posted last night.

The brother to whom he refers is Saint Patrick, and the news could not be bigger – or better. After all, Patrick Roy is unquestionably one of a very – very – small group of individuals who truly belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Denver sports. It’s not every day that one of those types reports back for duty in what appears to be an “all-in” effort to turn around a once-proud franchise.

An unofficial Facebook posting is certainly not the traditional or preferred way to announce such a momentous hire (Avs longtime media relations man Jean Martineau had to be ice-melting-mad that the news was leaked in such a manner), but then again, the past week hasn’t exactly been business as usual for the Avalanche front office. It was just 11 days ago that Joe Sakic – another individual who holds “Mount Rushmore” status in these parts – was named the team’s executive vice president of hockey operations. Roy and Sakic, both returning to the Avalanche in extremely legitimate capacities? This is no longer a joke; if these two fellas don’t want to win, then nobody does.

The hiring of Roy is particularly significant because in some ways, the former goaltender is an unlikely choice. By hiring Roy, Sakic makes one big statement – winning is more important than anything.

Sakic could have easily brought in a lesser man, someone who wielded less power, command or respect. In his first week in his new capacity with the franchise, Sakic could have easily hired a puppet, someone who would have taken his every cue from above. But he didn’t. Instead, he brought in one of the most hard-headed, egotistical, nasty, tell-it-like-it-is personalities in the history of professional sports. It’s inevitable that the two men will lock horns at some point, but they’ll be doing so in pursuit of excellence.

Sakic could have also employed someone whose name wasn’t as big as his own. Clearly, the spotlight is of little significance to Sakic; winning is everything.

Bringing Roy back to Denver isn’t just a fancy PR move intended to sell a few season tickets, either. Roy is the real deal, even when it comes to coaching. Unlike past examples – great players like Ted Williams, Magic Johnson or Wayne Gretzky, who could play but couldn’t coach – Roy wants to be more than figurehead. Like Sakic, vanity is not the M.O.

Like few big-name athletes who want to begin a coaching career, Roy has been logging long hours as a major junior league coach. He didn’t rely solely on his name or his hardware as a player to justify the title of “coach.” Instead of jumping at the first big league job opening available, Roy has coached the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since 2005, compiling a 307-128-32 record, including a Memorial Cup championship.

Back in the February of 2005, when Roy became the first member of the Colorado Avalanche to be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, he kindly said “thanks but no thanks” to the induction ceremony, becoming the first inductee not to accept the award in person. Roy cited his role with the Remparts as the reason for skipping out. Make no mistake, Roy is a no-nonsense guy; he’ll be much more than a plaque outside his office door.

By the end of his tenure as head coach, Joe Sacco commanded little to no respect from his youthful core of Avalanche players. That same group, however, will be in for a major shift in culture – without question, there’s a new sheriff in town. Under Roy, players will simply be scared not to win. That coaching style may not last forever, but right now, it’s exactly what the organization desperately needs.

The headline most definitely reads big and bold, but hiring Patrick Roy has nothing to do with making a public splash. Like the man himself, the move only considers one thing.

Winning.

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But Moore had a message for those fans: “The thing is, it’s like life in general: you have to move on. You’re going to have some good days, some bad days. But you can’t just thrive on the good days all the time. The fans, that’s what they’re supposed to do, that’s why they’re there for us, they pay all their money, their hard-working money and they want to see greatness. So, I don’t fault them at all. But this year, we’re going to do all we can to put some smiles on their faces,” he told reporters following the team’s first day of OTAs.

It marked one of the few times Moore has spoken with the press since the end of last season. Recently, Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio came out in praise of Moore. “Yeah, sometimes hard work is the best tonic when you feel the sting of something,” Del Rio told ESPN.

When asked by the media what specific aspect of his game he looks to improve upon this off-season Moore replied, “Everything. Everything, point blank, period. Everything. There’s nothing in particular that you look at and say, ‘This needs to get better.’ Everything needs to get better. I’m not perfect.”

But for Moore to get better, he may need some pushing from a veteran like Charles Woodson, who recently visited the team as a free agent. “I hope that we get [Woodson] because I’m all about competition,” Moore said.

So while Rahim Moore has moved on from his January playoff blunder, only time will dictate whether the fans will.

For more Broncos news, CLICK HERE.