Ryan Blackburn breaks down a quiet NBA Draft night and the consistent messaging of a quiet offseason from the new Denver Nuggets front office, emphasized by focusing on Free Agency in the coming days rather than trades.
Ryan Blackburn breaks down a quiet night from inside Ball Arena during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Around the league, there were some interesting moves but very little player movement. Ryan discusses the draft and whether the Nuggets will get involved tonight.
Ryan Blackburn shares his thoughts and insights from the Denver Nuggets Introductory presser for new decision makers in Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer. He also discusses Josh Kroenke's candid words on the front office structure, the second apron, Nikola Jokic, and more. Finally, Ryan breaks down his list of the Top 25 NBA Free Agents the Nuggets should target this offseason.
Ryan Blackburn shares thoughts on OKC winning the championship, the Kevin Durant trade, and how the Nuggets offseason is impacted by Dario Saric opting into his player option.
Ryan Blackburn shares thoughts on the 2025 NBA Draft, how the Denver Nuggets can get involved, and other teams he's watching closely leading up to draft night.
Ryan Blackburn shares his Western Conference tiers before the NBA Draft and Free Agency and explains how the Denver Nuggets might be the second best team in the conference. Then, he asks the impossible question: how can the Nuggets keep up with the Thunder next time these two teams meet in the playoffs?
Ryan Blackburn breaks down the upcoming Rookie Extension market for Christian Braun and Peyton Watson and whether the Nuggets can sign them to cost effective contracts.
Ryan Blackburn goes over the Denver Nuggets bench unit player by player, focusing on expectations for playing a role next season. He also discusses a Russell Westbrook rumor.
Jake Coyne joins Ryan Blackburn to break down top trade targets this offseason for the Denver Nuggets, including how Denver can get the deals done. They also share some names of minimum contract free agency targets.
Jake Coyne (@TheStatSquatch on X) joins Ryan Blackburn to break down the Denver Nuggets biggest questions of how to get better in Free Agency. They discuss the Nuggets roster and how to build a better bench unit around a strong Starting Five, offering names like Bruce Brown, Taurean Prince, Al Horford, and more.
Ryan Blackburn breaks down the top players on the NBA Trade Market this offseason and if the Denver Nuggets have a chance to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Trey Murphy III, and more.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down how the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers made the NBA Finals and what the Denver Nuggets can learn from them. (Recorded on Sunday, June 1st)
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn shares insights from the introductory presser of David Adelman as the new head coach of the Denver Nuggets, as well as important takeaways and challenges for Adelman.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down the challenges the Denver Nuggets will face in Free Agency and why fans will feel like this summer will be a failure. He shares Denver's salary cap situation, free agency objectives, and why he's concerned that fans will feel like the team isn't doing enough to help Nikola Jokic this summer.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn shares some Reasons for Optimism for the Denver Nuggets heading into the offseason, from DaRon Holmes' return to the court to internal development of young players to better organizational alignment.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn reacts to the news that David Adelman will be the new coach of the Denver Nuggets. Ryan also discusses Josh Kroenke's press conference yesterday and what to make of the focus on "Internal Development."
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down the performance of the Denver Nuggets Core 4 players in the playoffs. Can the Nuggets still win a championship with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. as their four best players?
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down moves made by former Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and how they set the team up to fail in the playoffs this season.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets Game 7 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and what went wrong for Denver in this game and this season. The Nuggets are back in the same situation they were last year losing a game before the Western Conference Finals. What will it take for Denver to go from that level to winning it all? Ryan breaks down the Nuggets' loss, the actual problems facing Denver, and what's next for the Nuggets amid an offse...
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder that saw Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray lock in at the right time. Julian Strawther had himself a game off the bench, and the Nuggets did enough to get past the Thunder despite what may be an impact injury to Aaron Gordon. Ryan breaks down the Game 6 win, Murray's flu game performance, Strawther's great night, and the best two words in sports: Game 7.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 112-105 loss in Game 5 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic had a major bounce back game with 44 points, but it wasn't enough as the Nuggets gassed out in the fourth quarter once again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the right plays, and the Nuggets didn't make enough shots in the fourth to survive OKC's late push. Ryan breaks down the Game 5 loss, Murray's missteps, who should have closed the game for D...
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down what happened in the NBA Draft Lottery last night and how it looks the most fishy it ever has with the Dallas Mavericks winning the first overall pick. Is the draft lottery rigged? Probably not, but it felt like it last night. Ryan breaks down the Mavericks winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, the Jayson Tatum injury, and previews Game 5 of Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn reacts to an ugly Game 4 clutch loss by the Denver Nuggets to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic's struggles continued, and the rest of the Nuggets were perhaps worse today, certainly from a shooting efficiency standpoint. Nobody had any energy, and the Thunder won because of their depth succeeding during the quick turnaround. Ryan breaks down the loss, a missed opportunity for the Nuggets, Jokic's slump, and more.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn goes over what became a Game 3 overtime classic win by the Denver Nuggets over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic struggled a lot, but Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. picked him up with great performances of their own. Christian Braun also defended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander very well, allowing the Nuggets to win this game with defense. Ryan goes over the Game 3 win, the Nuggets' incredible resilience, and whether the...
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn reacts to the ugly, no-good, very bad loss by the Denver Nuggets to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2. Nikola Jokic fouled out in the third quarter, but the game was over well before that. The Nuggets were down nearly 50 points at different moments, and OKC simply crushed Denver in every category. How concerning is this loss for the rest of the series? Ryan breaks down the loss, SGA's dominance, some issues with refs and what to expect ...
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn recaps the Denver Nuggets amazing Game 1 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Aaron Gordon made big plays, including the game-winning three with two seconds left. Nikola Jokic kept the game close with high effort and dynamic scoring. The Nuggets had no business stealing Game 1 from SGA and OKC, but they managed it, so what does that mean for the rest of the series? Ryan breaks down Gordon's second big moment of the playoffs, Jokic's greatn...
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn does a complete series preview for the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The series tips off tonight, and the Nuggets have a quick turnaround while the Thunder have nine days of rest. How will Denver handle it? Can they do anything to slow down OKC's dominant season? Ryan goes over the matchups, the Jokic vs SGA MVP angle, the fatigue factor, and makes a series prediction.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets Game 7 win over the LA Clippers to advance to the second round. The Nuggets dominated and were up by over 30 points, getting contributions from everyone involved, including Aaron Gordon, Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, and more. The Nuggets now move onto an even tougher challenge against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but this series win was something to celebrate amidst the challenges Denver has faced this ye...
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6, missing a big opportunity to advance to the next round and get some rest in the process. Now, the Nuggets need Game 7 to do it, something they've struggled with before. Ryan breaks down the bad process from Nikola Jokic, Denver's bad defense, and the prospect of another Game 7.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn breaks down the massive Game 5 win for the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers, led by Jamal Murray's 43-point performance. It was a tremendous night for Murray who put his stamp on the series in a very impressive way. The Nuggets rallied around his shotmaking, and Nikola Jokic only had to score 13 points while Murray and others dominated. Ryan breaks down the big win, Murray's night, Russell Westbrook's triumphant return, and th...
