Sad Days for Denver Sports

My initial reaction to the Avs and Nuggets recent trades is mixed.

While I'm glad to see Melo make it to NYC, dragging along Chauncey Billups with him is not something that pleases me.  I was looking to Billups to be the next face of the Nuggets, but now I have to reconsider who that will be.  I'm also wondering what this will do to our playoff hopes.  I'm not a stats guy, so I'm a little unsure what each player's worth is, but since we are getting money and picks in this deal, I'm thinking we lost out on the useful-impact-now part of the deal. The deal also includes a 2014 1st-round pick, which is sweet, but reinforces my previous thought.  Also, why 2014?  That seems so far away. 

As for the Avalanche, I've really fallen off in covering them, especially after this recent slump.  Losing Craig Anderson, after he was such a cornerstone last year, is disappointing.  At the same time though, he was only producing at a less-than-spectacular level for much of this year.  And to receive a goalie that I've heard be described as a "backup goalie at best" doesn't help matters at all.  Stewart is arguably one of the better power forwards that Denver has had in a few years, so his departure is crushing from a fans point-of-view.  Similar to the Nuggets though, the Avs will be receiving a 1st-round pick.  The Avs have lost it as of late, so I'm a little more okay with them selling off players.

Coming off such a disappointing Broncos season and adding these trades that'll probably make the Nuggets and Avalanche less competitive for the rest of this season, I can't wait for baseball to start.  I'm really excited about the potential of the Rockies this year.  Players to watch for their dominance: Ubaldo Jiminez, Jorge De La Rosa, Rafael Betancourt, Matt Belisle, Huston Street, Carlos Gonzales, and Troy Tulowitzki.  Palyers to watch for a break-out performance: Jhoulys Chacin, Seth Smith, Dexter Fowler, Chris Ianetta, and Ian Stewart.  More on these players another time though.