Steve Smith: I Look My Victims In The Eye

Six games into the second half of their season, we know a lot about the 2024 Rockies. For example, their bullpen has been historically bad, their rotation shows hints of promise, their lineup is bereft of power, they strike out too much and don’t walk often enough, they have three Gold Glove candidates, and they play terribly on the road. And, oh yes, Kris Bryant has played in only 24 of 87 games because of injuries. But what will the rest of the season bring?

Last things first. The Nuggets, the NBA champions in 2023, and the Lakers, champions in 2020, have been in a bobsled race to nowhere over the past month. While there is still time for a few roster moves, it’s fair to ask: Which team has had the worst offseason? The Nuggets, in a salary cap straight jacket, lost popular 3-and-D guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a free agent to the Orlando Magic.

Brenton Doyle’s star keeps getting brighter. The Gold Glove center fielder delivered a bases-loaded, two-run double in the eighth inning to power the Rockies to a stirring 4-2 victory over Kansas City on Friday night at Coors Field. Doyle ripped John Schreiber’s 1-0 sinker into the right-field corner. Doyle finished the game 3 for 4 and has gone 10-for-15 (.667) with four doubles and three home runs over four games on the current homestand.

The Colorado Avalanche signed its final restricted free agent remaining Friday, inking forward Jason Polin to a one-year contract. Polin, 25, was an undrafted free agent from Western Michigan at the end of the 2022-23 season. He had one goal in seven games with the Avalanche in his first full season as a pro, spending most of his year with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL. He had four goals and 10 points in 42 games for the Eagles.

The Colorado Rapids came back from a 1-0 deficit to Sporting Kansas City to win 2-1 on a penalty kick by midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, four minutes into stoppage time, on Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

One week into an unusually glacial season of NBA free agency, there remains one non-negotiable truth: The Western Conference is intimidatingly good. While the wait continues for Denver to get involved in the business of adding players, we pause to rank the West from worst to best. Where do the Nuggets stand among the 15 teams? 15.