Denver Nuggets
2008-09 Record: 54-28
Anticipated Starting Five
PG- Chauncey Billups
SG- J.R. Smith
SF- Carmelo Anthony
PF- Kenyon Martin
C- Nene Hilario
Key Reserves: Anthony Carter, Ty Lawson, Aaron Afflalo, Chris Anderson, Johan Petro
Biggest Strength: Chauncey Billups
We know about their potent offense. We saw them play improved defense last season. And we saw them play with more consistently. All that can be directly attributed to the arrival of Billups.
He came in and immediately established himself as the leader and got everyone to buy-in to playing winning basketball every game. Without him this team is the same dysfunctional mess of talent from years past.
Biggest Weakness: Bench Scoring
Look at those reserves above. They have no proven offensive player off the bench. Lawson has potential but I doubt a playoff team and faux contender will rely heavily on a rookie. As it stands right now George Karl’s ability to blend reserves with his starters will be the critical.
This could change in the coming weeks. Denver has been linked to Flip Murray, Desmond Mason and Wally Szczerbiak.
Key Player: J.R. Smith
It’s assumed J.R. will step into the starting rotation this season with Dahntay Jones gone. That means Smith has two critical roles. Solid defense on the wing and increased scoring with Linas Kleiza also gone. I have very little concern about this kids offense. He is an awesome talent athletically and an explosive shooter. The concern is whether or not Smith will devote the same attention and effort he has when jacking up threes to his defense. If he doesn’t, don’t be surprised if you see Aaron Afflalo take over Dahntay Jones defensive pest stopper role in the starting line-up. Afflalo is in Denver because he got a glowing referral from Billups that will go a long way with George Karl when consider minutes.
Biggest Question: Will Ty Lawson make Sixers’ fans angry?
I’m pretty confident that ReclinerGM was home to the most passionate Sixers draft debate on the internet this year. And the main part of that debate was which PG the Sixers should pick. Eric Maynor? Ty Lawson? Jeff Teague? Maybe even Brandon Jennings would drop. The near unanimous choice of the readers (and the 2 bloggers) though, was Ty Lawson.
Lawson was dominant in the NCAA’s with a ridiculous 34 / 7 Assist/TO ratio while scoring 20 ppg on 50% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from 3. He’s quick, smart with the ball, and can score. And he was there when the Sixers picked. We all know what happened then, and it very well may turn out for the best, but I know I, and many other Sixers fans, will be comparing Ty Lawson and Jrue Holiday for many seasons to come.
Best Individual Season of All-Time: Spencer Haywood, 1969-70
30.0 PPG, 19.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 49.3 FG%
For the record, this was an ABA season, but still the Nuggets franchise. The only other players in basketball history with 30+ PPG, 19+ RPG and 2+ APG were Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Walt Bellamy. The difference with Haywood season? He was a rookie, and only 20 years old. He won the rookie of the year and MVP award while setting ABA records that still stand for rebounds per game and field goals made in a season. Haywood was a dominant player until he was about 26 when he began to decline fairly quickly.
Pete’s 2010 Outlook: 2nd place, Northwest division / 6th place, Western conference / 9th place, NBA
The Nuggets looked so good after the acquisition of Chauncey Billups that they really looked like they might go ahead and win the NBA Title. That means they will come into this season with huge expectations, but I see them falling short of them. I have 2 reasons for a drop. First, is that they lost their 2 best players off the bench in Linas Kleiza and Dahntay Jones. Jones was replaced by Aaron Afflalo, Kleiza was not replaced. Any injuries to this team would be a big problem as they have very little depth. The 2nd reason is I just have to see another season of high energy production from Nene Hilario (and to an extent, Kenyon Martin) before I’m a believer. Nene has been so hit or miss, both on the court and with injuries, that it’s hard for me to count on another great year. If they stay healthy, Nene stays the course and Ty Lawson makes an impact, they could be very, very good – but for now I have them at 6th in the West and a tough out in the first round.
Dannie’s 2010 Outlook: 1st place, Northwest division / 3rd place, Western conference / 6th place, NBA
I differ in my opinion of this team for one reason – Chauncey Billups. I can not say enough good things about this guy. He plays the game the right way but what’s more impressive is his ability to coach, lead and motivate his team to play the right way as well.
I am looking for Nene to continue to play to his potential now that he proved he can be healthy for an entire season. Remember the Denver Nuggets won 54 games last year with Carmelo missing 16 games, K-Mart missing 16 games and Chris Anderson missing 10. Denver is a fringe contender right now that can be a real contender out West with the addition of two more solid reserves.
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This season is a tough season to interpret in the NBA, regardless of which team we are talking about. It was a very slow offseason indeed! But here it goes:
Strength(s):
-Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets have made postseason since drafting him)
-Chauncey Billups (nuff said)
-Scoring
-Altitude advantage (33-8 at home in 08-09)
-Divisional record (12-4 in 08-09)
-making a better effort on defense
-JR Smith when he gets it going and keeps improving as a player
Weakness(es):
-Questions about depth?
-Injury prone players (Martin, Nene)
-Mental mistakes during games (see the Western Conf Finals for proof)
-Who will replace Kleiza?
I say the Nuggets will be 1st in the Northwest, 3rd in the West.
-Ty Lawson is going to be very interesting in a Nuggets uniform. The question about him is his defense, which was perhaps the reason why the Sixers picked Jrue Holiday.
(On a side note, the Sixers could split against the Nuggets (1-1), with each team winning on their respective courts.)
Time for Rob’s annual NBA Season Preview Preview. Just kidding, but seriously.
Nuggets are definitely my second favorite team. Very easy to root for, especially now with Billups in charge, who I feel is the most underrated PG in the league, not A Miller. Chauncey gets recognition sure, but not what he deserves. I think he has been the best PG in the game for the last 6 or 7 years, maybe not the most talented, but there is just something better about a team when hes on ball. His teams have talent but so do a lot of other teams and they rarely have the same result.
same as last year: everyone please forget about NENE and let me watch him drop to 150 in this years draft, and rig it so I can have 1st pick again.
Finally, some GREAT offseason Sixers news: BOB SALMI IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Ed Pinkney is our new color analyst. Great choice.
Yeah Dave, we talked just a little bit about that over here.
i am a big fan of billups, so don’t get me wrong here. but what is very commonly overlooked is the disappearing act he’s pulled in many key playoff losses over the past 5 or 6 seasons. now, he is a main reason the pistons advanced to the ECF in all those consecutive seasons, and of course won MVP Finals in ‘04. but in deciding games they lost to miami, cleveland, & boston over the years he played extremely poorly. in games 3, 5, & 6 that the nuggets lost to the lakers this season in the WCF, he shot 5-15, 4-7-, and 2-7 respectively, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of poorer than 2:1. i think he is a great player, but people only seem to gush when they talk about this guy anymore.
this is kind of unbelievable, but his career FG % is 41.6. allen iverson’s is 42.5%. just some food for thought…