Billups & Anthony have anchored the league's 3rd-best team
Before characterizing the Nuggets, who have quietly been ambushing opponents and analysts alike, let’s review where they currently stand in relation to the rest of the league:
With 35 games to be played…
-Denver is currently in first place in the Northwest Division with a record of 32-15, which is 4 games ahead of both Utah and Portland,
-Denver holds the second-best home record in the league at 21-3,
-the Nuggets have the third-best overall record in the NBA behind only Cleveland and the L.A. Lakers; both of whom Denver has defeated,
-finally, Denver has defeated Cleveland, L.A. and Orlando; each of which stands atop their respected divisions.
With all of these impressive stats in place, the Nuggets are still lacking two important elements; bench productivity and size.
Compared to last year Chris “Birdman” Anderson is averaging less points and blocks per game, and J.R. Smith is also averaging less points per game, yet receiving more minutes (due to team injuries.) Neither player is producing as they did the previous year, and it is putting pressure on the rest of the Nuggets’ reserves. A lot of that pressure has been placed upon a rookie point guard in Ty Lawson & new starter Aaron Afflalo, both of whom seem to have embraced their hastily-given responsibilities.
In relation to size, Denver’s Nene does have a nice quick shot and great game endurance, but he lacks attitude and gives up a little in height to consistently pull down offensive and defensive rebounds. Melo, Chauncey and Kenyon Martin, despite injuries have managed to develop a great on-court relationship, leading to greater point and assist production for each.
An adversary of this season’s Nuggets has undoubtedly been the challenge to sustain a healthy starting five. Melo, Chauncey, Nene and Kenyon Martin have all seen their unwanted share of the bench this year, with that in mind it is fare to say that the Denver Nuggets are a better team than their impressive record indicates. Heading down the stretch I believe this team can push themselves to peak in time for the playoffs, while maintaining a rotation that gives Melo and Chauncey time to rest and recover. That means Coach Karl will not only have to game-plan against specific opponents, but also game-plan for the best interest of his star players as well.
With all that said, I believe the Nuggets will be the greatest threat to the Lakers as Los Angeles tries to repeat last year’s Championship run.
With a tough 35 game schedule ahead, I predict the Nuggets, healthy or not, can come away with a 23-12 record and take the division running away. This week the Denver Nuggets schedule looks like this:
Monday, February 1st, Sacramento (Home) *Must Win
Wednesday, February 3rd, Phoenix (Home) *Shoot-Out, Win
Friday, February 5th, L.A. Lakers (Away) *Hangover, naw, we’ll beat ‘dem Lakers
