NLL Insider - Team by Team: Denver Nuggets

by vt, updated on Monday, September 15 2008, 03:56 pm EST

Denver Nuggets Review

2007-2008
Finish: 44-38
What went well

The Denver Nuggets came off a poor season with a lot of questions. The team had decided to mold itself around Rashard Lewis. GM Nick hoped that his investment would lead the Nuggets back to the glory days of old.

The biggest question mark entering the season was the status of Lewis. The Nuggets had given up Zach Randolph for him a year before and the All-Star forward wasn’t really playing quality ball in Colorado. It was no secret that he wanted out and when the opportunity presented itself, Lewis high-tailed it for Memphis. So, the Nuggets re-signed free agents like Andray Blatche and Ronny Turiaf, brought in Beno Udrih and James Posey and inked wunderkind Al Horford.
But GM Nick pulled an Obama and wanted more change. So out went stars Richard Jefferson, Kevin Martin and in came Kobe Bryant, arguably the best player in the game. Things didn’t stop there. The Nuggets inked Wally Szczerbiak and then traded even more players (including Horford) for Dwight Howard. The Nuggets now arguably had the best big man and guard in the league. Watch out, Western Conference!

Though the team finished in the 8th seed, they wiped out the top-seeded Mavericks four games to one. They just couldn't contain Kobe and Howard. The Mavs are just lucky they prevented the sweep. In the next round, the Nuggets continued their Texas domination, mopping up Tim Duncan and the Spurs in six games. It seemed to be smooth sailing for the Nuggets.

What didn't
Then they faced the Portland Trailblazers and all hell broke loose. What exactly happened? Why did these Nuggets get swept by a team everyone picked for a first round exit? It was time for Zach Randolph to get his revenge. He positively shut down Howard and the Blazers led on every break and destroyed the confidence of the Nuggets. It was a clean sweep and the Nuggets went into the offseason wondering what could have been.

The Stars

Kobe Bryant, G -
For someone who is considered the best player in the league, this guy sure has been bounced around a lot. Since the league began, he’s been traded five times. What’s up with that? Hopefully, Denver will be his home for awhile. He averaged 33.4 points this season and played in every game. Though he was considering finger surgery this offseason, he opted against it.

Dwight Howard- G
Phoenix will rue the day they traded the league’s best big man away. This guy is only 23 and he’s unstoppable. There may be better offensive bigs in the league, but no one has the combined stats of Howard. But this season proved that Howard, who averaged 32.6 points, is also an offensive force to be reckoned with.

Looking to the future

The Nuggets will look to push further into the playoffs next season, but right now most of the team is unsigned. Dwight will be back for sure, and Kobe should return. That’s $34 million for two players and gives the Nuggets another $11 million to spend on free agents. Depth is the team’s biggest issue and GM Nick has been known to spend his entire wad on one free agent. He shouldn’t repeat that mistake this year.

The rest of the starting five is ambiguous right now. Blatche is slated to start at power forward, but he may not be seasoned enough to help lead the team to glory. Small forward James Posey has made it clear that he will probably look for employment elsewhere. Point guard Devin Harris had an off season last time and though he’s a restricted free agent, there is no guarantee he won’t try for an offer sheet elsewhere.

What about the rest of the free agents? Szczerbiak and Turiaf will both require major pay raises that may exceed their abilities and Leon Powe is still undecided whether or not to test the market. The rest of the signed players are only role players. GM Nick will need to get Kobe and Howard more help.

The draft wasn’t the place for the Nuggets to expect instant help. They only pulled Shan Foster in the second round. He can shoot and that boost will help off the bench, but it won’t provide the team with the depth it needs to be successful.

NLL Insider - Team by Team: Denver Nuggets

Archive