The Nuggets will lose many, many games while center Nikola Jokic recovers from a knee injury. Are we looking at last place in the division? May not make the playoffs?

– Roger, beneath a falling sky

Kiz: The bad news? If Jokic misses a month or more, I see the Nuggets battling to avoid play-in games at the outset of the postseason rather than competing for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The good news? When Joker crumpled to the ground, clutching his knee, I feared this injury would not only wreck Denver’s season but also do serious damage to the rest of the three-time MVP’s career. Rather than L’s, let’s count our lucky stars.

I’m American. So when Avs stars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews take the ice for Team Canada against Brock Nelson and the American squad in the Olympic hockey tournament, the choice is easy. U-S-A! But let me add: General manager Bill Guerin messed up the U.S. roster, so we won’t even get a silver medal.

– Kevin, proud to be

Kiz: Ah, yes. Billy the Butcher. I wonder what knucklehead sports columnist gave Bill Guerin that nickname way back in 1998, when he opened a gash in the head of Avs star Peter Forsberg with a high stick during the NHL playoffs? So it amused me when U.S. hockey fans suggested Guerin butchered the roster selections for the Olympic team. Outside of Colorado, there’s much griping that the gritty Nelson was selected, while flashier forward Jason Robertson of archrival Dallas got snubbed.

I yelled “Garett Holds!” at the TV several times during his early days in the NFL. He has turned into one of my favorite Broncos players of all time. From the team’s lowest of lows to where they are now, Bolles has always been positive.

– B.F., never says never

Kiz: Back in the days when Bolles went for a WWE takedown anytime he got beat by an edge rusher, I wondered aloud if he should’ve picked rasslin’ over football as an occupation. So I feel obligated to now declare: I was wrong to give up on Bolles so quickly. His transformation from class clown to franchise cornerstone is one of the great comeback stories in Broncos history.

It’s so funny when people use meaningless exhibition games and not the college football playoffs to judge SEC teams that have depleted rosters full of backups in bowl games. How did the SEC do versus all other Power 4 teams in nonconference games earlier this season?

– J.W., SEC apologist

Kiz: Boo hoo. Can I offer you a hankie and Paul Finebaum’s shoulder to cry on? If we ignore the noise of SEC apologists throwing tantrums, everybody clearly sees the conference didn’t deserve five berths in the playoff field. If we erase what you call the meaningless bowls, SEC has gone 4-5 this season against P4 teams with winning records. Even more hilarious, by far the SEC’s biggest nonconference victory of 2025 was a one-point, last-second triumph by Texas A&M. Against none other than Notre Dame, the very team SEC homers denigrated before the playoff field was selected. 

And today’s parting shot kindly reassures me that although the calendar has flipped to a new year, some things never change.

You are still an idiot, Kiz.

– B.H., always charming