Pickaxe and Roll

In Part 2 of their podcast, Ryan Blackburn and Matt Moore (The Action Network) perform an All-Star Draft of the stars around the NBA that will be traded the soonest. With rumors of James Harden and Damian Lillard constantly making waves, there are several stars around the NBA that could also leave their current teams for various reasons. From Joel Embiid to Paul George to Zion Williamson, which st...

Ryan Blackburn and Matt Moore (The Action Network) break down the entire NBA, sharing some takes on Matt's new NBA Top 100 Players list, from debates at the top of the list with Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to the All-Star categories featuring Jamal Murray and Tyrese Haliburton. Matt drops fiery takes about Joel Embiid and Lauri Markkanen as well. Is Matt right to be lower on Michael Po...

Ryan Blackburn discusses the latest situation between James Harden, Daryl Morey, and the Philadelphia 76ers featuring yet another trade demand. Then, he focuses on Christian Braun, the energetic Denver Nuggets wing entering his second year in the 2023-24 NBA season. What will Christian Braun be for the Nuggets in the coming years? Can he replace sixth man Bruce Brown in the championship rotation i...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the news that the Denver Nuggets will open the entire NBA regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 24th. Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and the Nuggets will receive their championship rings while LeBron James and Anthony Davis look on. Are the Nuggets and Lakers considered a rivalry in today's NBA? Ryan discusses the opener, as well as the Nuggets' impending C...

Ryan Blackburn continues his 20 Questions series on Pickaxe and Roll. In Part 2 of the 20-part series, Ryan discusses Aaron Gordon and his role with the Denver Nuggets. Why were Gordon and the Nuggets such a great fit together? What allowed Gordon to become the best version of himself in the playoffs? Ryan talks about Gordon, offers five comparisons for his game, and discusses his contract situati...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the news of Denver Nuggets forward Vlatko Čančar suffering a torn ACL while playing for Slovenia in preparation for the FIBA World Cup later this month. Ryan then ranks the top 10 shooting guards in the NBA, ranging from Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell to James Harden and Jaylen Brown. Which stars deserve to be at the top? Which surprising names were left off the list? R...

Ryan Blackburn breaks down his list of the top 10 point guards in the NBA heading into the 2023-24 season based entirely on how positively they impact their respective teams in the regular season and the playoffs. Can anyone challenge Stephen Curry at the top of the list? Where does Jamal Murray rank next to other up-and-coming point guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ja Morant, and Tyrese Halib...

Ryan Blackburn and Bri Maestas, co-host of the Let's Talk Broncos podcast, break down what Denver Nuggets fans need to know about the Denver Broncos this year. The Broncos just had their first day of training camp this year, and head coach Sean Payton is already making waves about why this year will be better than the last. Bri shares impassioned Russell Wilson takes, the biggest storylines of Bro...

Ryan Blackburn discusses Michael Porter Jr. and how he performed returning from a back injury during the 2022-23 NBA season. The Denver Nuggets won a championship, and MPJ was more important to their title chase than many realize. Ryan breaks down the numbers, the questions and concerns, and the hopes for Porter going forward. He offers career comparisons for Porter like Peja Stojaković and Danilo...

Ryan Blackburn discusses the decision by Nikola Jokić to not play in the FIBA World Cup for Serbia this summer. Then, he opens up the mailbag to answer various questions from Nuggets fans. How hungry are the Nuggets to repeat as championship winners? Could another player lead the Nuggets in scoring after Jokić has led for so long? Which bench players are most likely to play? Ryan answers a variety...

Ryan Blackburn shares his ranking of the Top 10 duos in the NBA, focusing on playoff success and collaboration between the pair. Are Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray at the top of the list ahead of LeBron James and Anthony Davis or Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Ryan discusses. He then shares his thoughts about the center position in the NBA being a parallel to the running back position in the NFL. F...

Ryan Blackburn recaps the five Denver Nuggets games of Las Vegas Summer League and shares his takeaways, especially focused on the rookie class (Hunter Tyson, Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett) and Peyton Watson. Then, he discusses the additions of Braxton Key and Jay Huff as two-way contracts and what they could bring to the table next year. Finally, Ryan laughs a little at situations around the le...

Ryan Blackburn and Jeff Morton, the King of Thornton himself, briefly react to the Hunter Tyson's masterclass of a shooting performance against the Miami Heat in Denver's Friday night summer league game. Ryan and Jeff discuss the moves the Nuggets made this off-season and whether Denver made the right choices. Then, they perform their annual off-season streaming discussion about TV shows they're w...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to Game 3 of Denver Nuggets summer league with Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, and Hunter Tyson all playing pretty well despite the loss to the Utah Jazz. Then, he re-ranks the Western Conference in NBA title tiers, focusing on which teams have the best chance to represent the West in the NBA Finals. Are the Nuggets alone at the top, or will the Los Angeles Lakers or Phoenix...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to Sunday night's Summer League matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks, sharing some positive and negative takeaways. Then, Ryan does "Stock Watch" and Denver's Summer League roster, from Hunter Tyson's impressive start to Ismael Kamagate's disappointing one. How do Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and others grade out? Ryan discusses, then he turns to...

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the first game of Denver Nuggets Summer League, a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Peyton Watson and Hunter Tyson were the clear standouts for Denver while Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther had some positive moments. Collin Gillespie and Ismael Kamagate struggled in their SL returns. Ryan breaks down what happened and shares his overreactions before discussing French big ma...

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the news that Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson have both signed full-time deals with the Denver Nuggets to complete the roster. He shares insights from Nuggets Summer League practice before previewing what Nuggets fans can expect from Denver in Las Vegas. Finally, Ryan goes over what to expect from the Nuggets in the deep off-season as well as what to expect from Pickaxe a...

Ryan Blackburn and SwipaCam share their immediate reactions to veteran wing Justin Holiday signing with the Denver Nuggets. What does Holiday bring to the roster at this stage of his career? Then, they share their perspectives on Denver's off-season (recorded prior to the Holiday signing) and whether Reggie Jackson was the right addition to the team. They go around the league and discuss winners a...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets moves during the first day of free agency as Bruce Brown accepts a new contract to play with the Indiana Pacers. Ryan discusses why Denver's not to blame for that before pivoting to Denver's first moves: signing Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan. Ryan expresses some pessimism on Denver's direction in free agency before looking around the league at the re...

Ryan Blackburn discusses the 2023 NBA Free Agent Class, spending some time on the big names up top with James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and definitely-not-asking-out Damian Lillard. Then, Ryan makes predictions on Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, Fred VanVleet, Jerami Grant, and more before turning to the Bruce Brown bidding war. Finally, Ryan makes his Denver Nuggets predictions on which players Denv...

Ryan Blackburn and Jake Coyne (@BroncoSquatch on Twitter) get into the nitty-gritty of the new CBA and how it affect the Denver Nuggets. They discuss Denver's off-season needs, Bruce Brown options, and whether the Nuggets will retain any of their other free agents. Then, they go over options to replace Bruce Brown and bolster the rest of the roster with the Tax-Payer MLE, the Monte Morris traded p...

Ryan Blackburn and Swipa react to the Denver Nuggets 2023 NBA Draft with Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson. They then go over some names that could replace Bruce Brown on the free agency or trade market. Then, Ryan and Swipa rank their top 10 players in the NBA based on both the regular season and the playoffs. Nikola Jokić was clearly at the top, but who else rounds out the top 5?...

Ryan Blackburn reacts to the 2023 NBA Draft and the three selections the Denver Nuggets made: Julian Strawther of Gonzaga, Jalen Pickett of Penn State, and Hunter Tyson of Clemson. Ryan discusses each pick and where they fit into Denver's roster, the free agents the Nuggets still need to sign, and what happened in the rest of the draft around the NBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...

The Denvengers assemble once again with Ryan Blackburn, SwipaCam, Adam Mares, and Matt Moore joining together to celebrate a Denver Nuggets championship. They touch briefly on moves made this week involving the 2023 NBA Draft and Bruce Brown before celebrating what was an incredible Nuggets season. They share their favorite memories and moments, what this year means for Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murr...

Ryan Blackburn and @CTFazio24 on Twitter break down the 2023 NBA Draft from a Denver Nuggets perspective. Who are the players at the top like Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson? Can Denver trade up for any players in the first round? Who should the Nuggets consider with the two second round picks that they own at 37th and 40th overall? Ryan and CT cover Dariq Whitehead, Cidy Sissoko, Leonard Mi...