2015-16 Finish: 54-28

 

Season Highlight:

The Nuggets improvement. The Nuggets rode those rocky mountain high's, adding 15 extra wins to last seasons tally, which saw them go from 8th place and a 1st round exit in 2015 to 3rd place and two wins away from the NLL finals. John Wall also enjoyed a stellar season, leading a deep and valuable supporting cast to the teams best season during GM Rootsey's tenure. For his efforts, Wall would finish second in the Most Valuable player voting.

 

Season Lowlight:

The Nuggets were two wins away from capping a fantastic season with a place in the NLL finals. Leading 2-1, they would unfortunately not win another game, as Greenmig made some adjustments which saw the Lakers rally and take the series, and eventually the title. Rootsey was ultimetly unable to counter Greenmig when it mattered, and im sure this fact has been gnawing away at Rootsey during the off-season.

 

Best Trade:

The Denver Nuggets send Dwight Powell and Cristiano Felicio to the Sacramento Kings. The Sacramento Kings send Jerryd Bayless to the Toronto Raptors. The Toronto Raptors send Kent Bazemore to the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets send a 2nd-Rounder (Atl) and 2nd-Rounder (Den) to the Toronto Raptors.

Turning a couple of 2nd rounders and warm bodies Powell and Felicio into Kent Bazemore proved to be a masterstroke for Rootsey. Bazemore was so good down the stretch and in the playoffs, and appears to be a legit starter for this team, should he choose to return in free agency.

 

Worst Trade:

The Brooklyn Nets send Zaza Pachulia, Ersan Ilyasova and Cedi Osman to the Denver Nuggets. The Brooklyn Nets send George Hill to the LA Lakers. The Denver Nuggets send Danilo Gallinari and Arsalan Kazemi to the Brooklyn Nets. The LA Lakers send Jarrett Jack and Jeremy Lamb to the Brooklyn Nets.
The LA Lakers send a 1st-Rounder (LAL) to the Brooklyn Nets.

Not a bad move at all for Rootsey bringing in Pachulia and Ilyasova for the often injured Gallo. But if you look at the other parts of this trade, this is the one that landed George Hill in LA, and the rest as we know is history.

Other Notable Trades:

The Denver Nuggets send Beno Udrih and Kyle O'Quinn to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Luol Deng to the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets send a 1st-Rounder (Phi) to the San Antonio Spurs.

Deng was a solid aquisition, being used both as a starter and off the bench during the playoffs. However, at this stage he appears likely to bolt for greener pastures this offseason.

 The Milwaukee Bucks send Marcin Gortat to the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets send a 1st-Rounder (Min) to the Milwaukee Bucks.

 This one came after the post-season and i love it for Denver. Gortat gives them a really solid starting center to use while Len develops, and i think Gortat is going to thrive in the 2k16 engine.

Best FA Signing:

Beno Udrih – Not for his play, but the fact he was used in the deal to secure Deng, which ultimely improved the wins column. The re-signing of Paul Pierce was important too.

 

Worst FA Signing:

Cristiano Felicio – Felicio gets this by default, as he was the only other free agent signed by Denver.

 

Star:

John Wall- Runner up in the MVP voting, John Wall really had a terrific season, using his athletic gifts to full advantage, bullying and gliding past opposition guards with relative ease. He was amazing, playing all 82 games and averaging 25 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals per game. 2 player of the month awards and 4 player of the week awards tells you that this guy was definately the star in Denver.

 

Surprise:

Kent Bazemore- Bazemore was brought over just before the trade deadline, and while his output was similar pre and post trade, he did now find himself on a playoff team. And boy did he relish the chance for some post season action and increased role. Bazemore averaged 10 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes per game during the playoffs, and filled in superbly for the injured Wall in round 1, winning all 3 games he started at point guard.

 

Goat:

Mitch McGary- A talented young man and one of Rootsey's favourites, McGary is throwing his career away off the court, after only managing 28 games in 2016, he now must sit out 15 games in 2017 due to two seperate violations of the NLL anti drug program. If this guy cant clean up his act, he will find himself in the NLL wilderness. 

 

Draft Report Card:

The Nuggets traded out of the draft, moving all picks during the season and before draft day.

These picks helped them build a solid and deep core by adding Marcin Gortat, Kent Bazemore, Ersan Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia.

 For a team thats well and truly in their championship window, you cant fault them, as it's very rare that a rookie can come in and contribute to a contender from day one.

Upcoming Free Agents:

Kent Bazemore- So important in the playoffs, Bazemore is now looking to get paid, and I think Rootsey will do just that.

Isaiah Canaan- A restricted free agent, I believe Canaan will be brought back as the backup point guard should the matching price not be too crazy.

Zaza Pachulia- A really solid veteran big man who doesnt care about money, Zaza just wants to win. But does he believe the best chance for that is in Denver? Rootsey will be trying his hardest to convince him that it is.

Luol Deng- Deng is also looking to get paid, and i dont think Denver can afford both he and Bazemore. Deng probably the lesser likely to be kept due to his age and injury history.

Looking at the future

The Nuggets have some important players to re-sign heading into the new free agency format. Somewhat of an unknown quantity at the moment. Should Rootsey successfully navigate his way through that period, and retain his key pieces, then this team is poised for another tilt at a deep run in the Western Confernece. Some pundits describe this team as the deepest in the West and I find it hard to argue with that assesment. The motivation of the conference finals loss should spur this team on to a strong 2016-17 campaign where they will aim for the rocky mountains summit.