Not many Denver writers have had kind words for Dan Issel these days but one Denver Post editorial puts forward the view that Issel was just a man out of his time. John Moore of the Post relates a story of meeting Issel as a 15 year old and his reaction to teammate David Thompson's drug-induced downfall.

"I didn't expect Issel to reveal for a Regis High School journalism paper that my favorite player was a reckless drug abuser who put his own narcissism ahead of the good of the team. I expected him to tell me my favorite player's scoring average was temporarily down because he was hurt, but don't worry. He'll bounce back soon.

Issel shook his head slightly and paused to consider what to tell a kid who was more an impressionable young fan than a budding journalist. What should a guy who had succeeded on guts over God-given talent say about a man dubbed "Skywalker" because of an innate ability to fly he would not appreciate until he crash-landed in prison?"