Comment on ASU WR Jake Smith back home, hoping 3rd time's the charm after stints at Texas, USC

The Nuggets are getting close to having their top-nine rotation players healthy and available for the season-opener. Peyton Watson was a full participant in practice Sunday for the first time “in close to five weeks now,” coach Michael Malone said. The 22-year-old forward sustained a soft-tissue hamstring injury a few days before training camp, forcing him to miss all five of Denver’s preseason games. The Nuggets are still planning on Watson being available for opening night, Thursday at Ball Arena against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We’ll see how that injury and how that muscle reacts to what he did today,” Malone said Sunday.

Bud Black could have retired to his home near San Diego to devote his time and energy to his five grandchildren. After all, Black has accomplished plenty during his 45 years in professional baseball. He has two World Series rings, one as a pitcher with Kansas City in 1985 and one with the Angels as their pitching coach in 2002.

The beep test requires a bleep button. And it provides insight into why Jamal Murray can ascend in his ninth season, even as history suggests it is unlikely. Ten years into the job, coach Michael Malone knows Murray better than anyone. He loves Jamal the way Sean Payton adores the Greenbrier Resort.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Nikola Jokic was running late. He famously detests calling attention to himself, but there was no time to wait for a convenient moment. By the time he and two teammates made it through Dubai traffic, it was already the second quarter. So the 6-foot-11 center sauntered out to the sideline during live play, shaking a few hands and taking a court-side seat to the left of Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke as the crowd stirred. A few seconds later, while two children eagerly approached Jokic, his former team fell behind 28-18, its largest deficit. Goran Cakic and Misko Raznatovic had feared this.

The Broncos have shown a willingness to take care of their own. Ahead of the 2024 season, the organization signed cornerback Pat Surtain II and right guard Quinn Meinerz to large contract extensions, making them two of the highest-paid players at their respective positions. So, who should be the next Denver player to land a long-term deal? Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper is certainly making a case.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Shilo Sanders would have preferred playing a great game against Kansas State on Oct. 12 at Folsom Field, but he didn’t. Colorado’s senior safety had a miserable game that night, but the real trial came after. He spent a week hearing about it from every corner of social media.