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Last Season: 57-25 (Finished 3rd in the Western Conference)
Prediction: 46-36
Key Losses: SF Andre Iguodala, C Kosta Koufos and SF Corey Brewer
Notable Free Agent Signings: PG Nate Robinson, PF/C J.J. Hickson, PG/SG Randy Foye, and C Timofey Mozgov (re-signed by the Nuggets)
The Denver Nuggets were a team I expected to go far in the post-season last year. Here’s why:
- They received superstar Andre Iguodala in the trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers.
- They were coached by George Karl, who eventually won the NBA coach of the year award.
- They scored the most points in the NBA, pulled down the second most boards in the league, and were excellent passers (third in assists per game).
- They had exciting, young, talented players in Danilo Galinari, Ty Lawson, and Kenneth Faried.
- They had a solid bench, anchored by Corey Brewer and Javale McGee.
- Their team chemistry was through the roof; you could see how much fun these players had with one another on the court.
So why did the Nuggets fail to succeed? Part of the reason they lost in the first round to the Golden State Warriors was because of the ludicrous shooting of Warriors standout Stephen Curry who seemingly couldn’t miss in the playoffs. However, I asked a Nugget fan friend of mine and he said the reason the Nuggets failed in the post-season was due to “below average defence, and the inability for a single player to step up consistently when the team needed it the most”.
He’s absolutely right, the Nuggets lost all the chemistry they generated during the regular season, playing hero ball and shooting perimeter shots with abandon (which they didn’t do very well because they only shot 31% from behind the arc as a team). They failed to rebound as well as they did, averaging seven rebounds less a game than they did in the regular season.
Karl had shaped the team to master the “run and gun” offence, yet played 37-year old Andre Miller for extended lengths of time during the playoffs, a move that the Warriors coaching staff routinely exploited. Despite remaining busy in the off-season and making some interesting acquisitions, the Nuggets lost their three best defenders, the main reason why I have predicted Denver to do worse than they did last year.
The departure of Andre Iguodala was a big blow to Denver’s perimeter defence. By far their best wing defender, Iggy’s athleticism will be sorely missed when Denver match up against some of the league’s best players in Lebron James and Kevin Durant. Along with Iggy, the Nugget’s second best wing defender, reserve Corey Brewer, also left the Mile High City, leaving Denver very vulnerable on the defensive end. The departure of Greek centre Koufos will also hurt Denver’s defence (which was poor as they were 23rd in the league in points allowed). While the re-signing of youngster Timofey Mozgov will make up for some of the lost defence, he has a reputation of being flat-footed, and is a tremendous liability on the offensive end.
The Nugget’s need for defence also makes the signing of point guard Nate Robinson questionable. Robinson is an explosive scorer; as he delighted many Bulls fan this past post-season with his performance. However, at 5’9, he will always remain a defensive liability, as virtually every guard in the league is bigger than him. Similar to Brewer, Robinson has a shoot-first mentality and he lives or dies by his jump shot. An athlete who depends on his athleticism to play well, the 29-year old has almost passed his prime and his performance will begin to deteriorate with his age. Robinson can certainly score, but the Nuggets should have signed a more defensive-minded guard.
I do like the J. J. Hickson signing though. The 24-year old is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. A force around the rim, Hickson had a career rebounding year with the Portland Trailblazers last season as he averaged over 10 rebounds a game. Hickson is also a decent scorer and he sticks to his range, shooting a career 50% from the field, including a 56% last year. Hickson will play hard and defend well, but it will be interesting to see how new head coach Brian Shaw will play J. J. Hickson with Kenneth Faried. Both exhibit similar playing styles but are too small to pay together.
The Nuggets will still score at a high rate but their already lacklustre defence will be even worse this upcoming season. Coach Shaw will have to implement strong defensive tendencies in these Nugget players if they hope to make it far this upcoming NBA season. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening.
