1949–50 Denver Nuggets season
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NBA season
| team = Denver Nuggets (1948–50){{!}}Denver Nuggets
| end_year = 1950
| wins = 11
| losses = 51
| division_place = 6
| division = Western
| coach = Jimmy Darden
| arena = Denver Arena Auditorium
| television =
| radio = KOA
| playoffs = Did not qualify
| bbr_team = DNN
| no_prevseason = 1
| no_nextseason = 1
}}
The 1949–50 NBA season was the only season for the original Denver Nuggets franchise in the National Basketball Association, as well as their second professional basketball season when you include their previous season that they played in the preceding National Basketball League. During their only season in the NBA, the original Nuggets franchise faced plenty of challenges due to the fact that airplanes were not yet seen as a common way to travel to long distances at a time and that trains were considered the way to travel from one destination to another at the time. Not only that, but some of the bigger markets like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia saw the city of Denver as something more akin to the smaller cities of Anderson, Indiana, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, or Waterloo, Iowa as awkward locations to play under due to how far away Denver was when compared to the rest of the league's locations at the time. This would eventually lead to the original Nuggets ending their only season in the NBA with an 11–51 record (including a 0–15 start to the season), as well as resort to them joining the Anderson Packers (who previously withdrew from the NBA themselves two weeks before the Nuggets did), Sheboygan Red Skins, and Waterloo Hawks coming together to create what ultimately became the short-lived rivaling National Professional Basketball League as a failed effort to survive beyond the NBA, with the Nuggets first becoming the Denver Refiners and then the Evansville Agogans during that short-lived failure of a season.
Roster
{{NBA roster header|team=1949–50 Denver Nuggets
| bg1 = #012F6B | color1 =#FEC72E| bg2 = #FEC72E| color2 = #012F6B }}
{{player2 | num = 22 | first = Edward | last = Bartels | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 195 | college = North Carolina State }}
{{player2 | num = 20 | first = Bob | last = Brown | dab = basketball, born 1923 | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = 205 | college = Miami (Ohio) }}
{{player2 | num = 29-30 | first = Jim | last = Browne | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 10 | lbs = 235 | college = Tilden HS (Chicago) }}
{{player2 | num = | first = Jake | last = Carter | dab=basketball | pos = F/C | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = 195 | college = Texas A&M–Commerce }}
{{player2 | num = 28 | first = Jack | last = Cotton | dab = basketball | pos = F/C | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 200 | college = Wyoming }}
{{player2 | num = 30 | first = Dillard | last = Crocker | pos = F/G | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = 205 | college = Western Michigan }}
{{player2 | num = 25 | first = Jimmy | last = Darden | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 1 | lbs = 170 | college = Denver }}
{{player2 | num = 31 | first = Earl | last = Dodd | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 175 | college = Truman State }}
{{player2 | num = 21 | first = Al | last = Guokas | pos = F/G | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 200 | college = Saint Joseph's }}
{{player2 | num = | first = Bill | last = Herman | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 170 | college = Mount Union }}
{{player2 | num = 24 | first = Duane | last = Klueh | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 175 | college = Indiana State }}
{{player2 | num = 23 | first = Bob | last = Royer | pos = G | ft = 5 | in = 10 | lbs = 155 | college = Indiana State }}
{{player2 | num = 27 | first = Ken | last = Sailors | pos = G | ft = 5 | in = 10 | lbs = 175 | college = Wyoming }}
{{player2 | num = 29 | first = John | last = Toomay | pos = F/C | ft = 6 | in = 6 | lbs = 215 | college = Pacific }}
{{player2 | num = 29 | first = Floyd | last = Volker | pos = F/C | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = 205 | college = Wyoming }}
{{NBA roster footer
| head_coach =
| asst_coach =
}}
Regular season
On October 29, the Nuggets lost to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now known as the Atlanta Hawks) at the Wharton Field House in Moline, Illinois in the first ever NBA game following the NBL–BAA merger on August 3.[https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2019/10/25/nba-first-game-baa-nbl Why The NBA Celebrates The Wrong Birthday]
=Season standings=
{{1949–50 NBA West standings|team=DNN}}
=Record vs. opponents=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center" | |||||||||||||||||
| colspan=18|1949–50 NBA records | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=100|Team
!style="background:#C90F2E;color:#012D6A;width=35"|AND !style="background:#003EA4;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|BAL !style="background:#006400;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|BOS !style="background:#D50032;color:#22356A;width=35"|CHI !style="background:#012F6B;color:#FEC72E;width=35"|DEN !style="background:#012F6B;color:#D40032;width=35"|FWP !style="background:#012F6B;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|IND !style="background:#7BA4DB;color:#FBE122;width=35"|MIN !style="background:#003EA4;color:#E85109;width=35"|NYK !style="background:#002F6C;color:#FFC72C;width=35"|PHI !style="background:#0050B0;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|ROC !style="background:#BA0C2F;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|SHE !style="background:#D40032;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|STL !style="background:#012F6B;color:#D50033;width=35"|SYR !style="background:#000000;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|TCB !style="background:#046B38;color:#FECD2A;width=35"|WAS !style="background:#012F6B;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|WAT | |||||||||||||||||
| style="text-align:left;" | Anderson | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 7–2 | 1–1 | 7–0 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Baltimore | 1–1 | — | 2–4 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–1 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Boston | 2–0 | 4–2 | — | 0–6 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Chicago | 1–1 | 5–1 | 6–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–0 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Denver | 3–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 0–2 | 0–7 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 0–2 | 1–6 | 0–7 | 0–2 | 2–5 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Fort Wayne | 1–1 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Indianapolis | 5–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 7–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 2–7 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 5–2 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Minneapolis | 1–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | — | 5–1 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 |
| style="text-align:left;" | New York | 1–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–5 | — | 1–5 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 | — | 1–5 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–0 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Rochester | 2–0 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | — | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Sheboygan | 2–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–6 | 3–4 | 2–0 | 4–3 |
| style="text-align:left;" | St. Louis | 0–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 2–0 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–6 | 1–1 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Syracuse | 4–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 7–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 6–1 | 1–1 | — | 6–1 | 1–1 | 6–1 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Tri-Cities | 2–7 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 7–0 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 1–6 | — | 1–1 | 4–3 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Washington | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 |
| style="text-align:left;" | Waterloo | 0–7 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 1–6 | 3–4 | 1–1 | — |
=Game log=
| class="toccolours collapsible" width=50% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center" | |||||
| colspan=11 style="background:#2F4F4F; color:white;" | 1949–50 Game log | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| # | Date | Opponent | Score | High points | Record |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 1 | October 29 | at Tri-Cities | 85–93 | Bob Brown (16) | 0–1 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 2 | November 1 | at Indianapolis | 64–71 | Duane Klueh (15) | 0–2 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 3 | November 3 | at Syracuse | 58–78 | Jack Toomay (16) | 0–3 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 4 | November 4 | vs Syracuse | 51–84 | Bob Royer (13) | 0–4 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 5 | November 9 | at Waterloo | 65–80 | Bob Brown (23) | 0–5 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 6 | November 10 | vs Chicago | 53–64 | Al Guokas (15) | 0–6 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 7 | November 12 | vs Philadelphia | 63–81 | Ken Sailors (15) | 0–7 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 8 | November 13 | at Fort Wayne | 71–90 | Bob Brown (15) | 0–8 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 9 | November 16 | at Washington | 90–99 | Ken Sailors (26) | 0–9 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 10 | November 17 | at Baltimore | 71–86 | Ken Sailors (20) | 0–10 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 11 | November 18 | vs New York | 78–85 | Ken Sailors (25) | 0–11 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 12 | November 19 | at Rochester | 64–96 | Dillard Crocker (23) | 0–12 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 13 | November 20 | at Syracuse | 76–102 | Jack Toomay (18) | 0–13 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 14 | November 21 | at Syracuse | 67–77 | Dillard Crocker (26) | 0–14 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 15 | November 25 | Minneapolis | 81–101 | Ken Sailors (29) | 0–15 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 16 | November 27 | Baltimore | 68–61 | Dillard Crocker (24) | 1–15 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 17 | November 29 | Philadelphia | 56–57 | Al Guokas (12) | 1–16 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 18 | December 2 | Waterloo | 74–63 | Ken Sailors (25) | 2–16 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 19 | December 4 | Waterloo | 86–76 | Ken Sailors (26) | 3–16 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 20 | December 7 | St. Louis | 72–76 | Ken Sailors (30) | 3–17 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 21 | December 9 | at Indianapolis | 75–78 | Jimmy Darden (19) | 3–18 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 22 | December 10 | vs Minneapolis | 76–89 | Bob Brown (18) | 3–19 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 23 | December 11 | at Tri-Cities | 66–98 | Ken Sailors (15) | 3–20 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 24 | December 13 | Rochester | 65–81 | Ken Sailors (16) | 3–21 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 25 | December 16 | Indianapolis | 79–81 | Jimmy Darden (16) | 3–22 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 26 | December 18 | Indianapolis | 79–83 | Bob Brown (21) | 3–23 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 27 | December 23 | New York | 72–83 | Ken Sailors (21) | 3–24 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 28 | December 25 | Sheboygan | 72–76 | Ken Sailors (16) | 3–25 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 29 | December 30 | Tri-Cities | 83–85 | Ken Sailors (19) | 3–26 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 30 | January 1 | Chicago | 78–92 | Bob Brown (17) | 3–27 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 31 | January 4 | Anderson | 86–82 | Ken Sailors (24) | 4–27 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 32 | January 5 | Anderson | 76–69 | Toomay, Volker (18) | 5–27 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 33 | January 10 | Boston | 84–97 | Duane Klueh (20) | 5–28 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 34 | January 12 | at Sheboygan | 92–115 | Floyd Volker (24) | 5–29 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 35 | January 14 | at Sheboygan | 94–80 | Dillard Crocker (28) | 6–29 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 36 | January 15 | at St. Louis | 83–89 | Ken Sailors (15) | 6–30 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 37 | January 16 | at Anderson | 83–95 | Ken Sailors (24) | 6–31 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 38 | January 17 | at Indianapolis | 81–101 | Bob Brown (21) | 6–32 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 39 | January 19 | at Syracuse | 86–107 | Bob Brown (21) | 6–33 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 40 | January 21 | at Waterloo | 84–88 | Bob Brown (22) | 6–34 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 41 | January 22 | at Tri-Cities | 97–111 | Duane Klueh (26) | 6–35 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 42 | January 25 | at Waterloo | 83–104 | Dillard Crocker (18) | 6–36 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 43 | January 26 | at Anderson | 75–109 | Jack Toomay (18) | 6–37 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 44 | January 31 | Washington | 78–88 | Ken Sailors (20) | 6–38 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 45 | February 7 | Fort Wayne | 67–83 | Ken Sailors (21) | 6–39 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 46 | February 11 | Sheboygan | 108–78 | Dillard Crocker (32) | 7–39 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 47 | February 13 | Sheboygan | 79–67 | Ken Sailors (27) | 8–39 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 48 | February 14 | vs Boston | 84–78 | Ken Sailors (29) | 9–39 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 49 | February 16 | Anderson | 86–95 | Dillard Crocker (26) | 9–40 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 50 | February 19 | Anderson | 86–85 | Ken Sailors (31) | 10–40 |
| align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"
| 51 | February 21 | Syracuse | 89–78 | Ken Sailors (33) | 11–40 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 52 | February 23 | Syracuse | 80–108 | Ken Sailors (24) | 11–41 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 53 | February 26 | Waterloo | 76–100 | Dillard Crocker (26) | 11–42 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 54 | February 27 | vs Tri-Cities | 75–110 | Dillard Crocker (19) | 11–43 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 55 | March 1 | vs Tri-Cities | 80–97 | Dillard Crocker (27) | 11–44 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 56 | March 2 | at Anderson | 72–85 | Brown, Sailors (19) | 11–45 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 57 | March 5 | at Tri-Cities | 80–91 | Dillard Crocker (21) | 11–46 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 58 | March 8 | at Waterloo | 68–97 | Jack Toomay (18) | 11–47 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 59 | March 9 | at Sheboygan | 92–115 | Jack Toomay (21) | 11–48 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 60 | March 10 | at Sheboygan | 104–141 | Jack Toomay (23) | 11–49 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 61 | March 16 | vs Indianapolis | 99–111 | Jack Toomay (21) | 11–50 |
| align="center" bgcolor="edbebf"
| 62 | March 18 | vs Indianapolis | 73–110 | Dillard Crocker (18) | 11–51 |
References
{{reflist}}
{{1949–50 NBA season by team}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1949-50 Denver Nuggets season}}