West competition gets bigger while Nuggets stand pat
Without a big pickup for the likes of Chris Bosh, the Nuggets may be on their way down the Western Conference ladder.
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The 2010 Draft was loaded with talent, but the Nuggets got no help for their aging and ineffective front line. Denver had no draft picks to play with… again.
Meanwhile, the rest of the West’s contenders got bigger to match up against the length of the NBA Champion LA Lakers.
The Rest of the West gets better…
Oklahoma City, after being knocked out of the 2010 Playoffs by the Lakers, picked up the 6’-11” Cole Aldrich (Kansas) from New Orleans and the 7’-1” Tibor Pleiss (Germany) to improve their chances against LA.
San Antonio, whose lineup is ancient by comparison to the young Thunder, grabbed the 6’-11” Ryan Richards (England). Dallas improved its height via trade last season, picking up the 7’ tall Brendan Haywood before falling to the cagy Spurs in the playoffs.
The Lakers’ Pacific Division punching bags, Sacramento & Golden State, used their high 1st Round Picks in the 2010 Draft to grab big, mean shot-blockers to contend with LA’s enormous frontcourt of Odom, Gasol & Bynum. Sacramento netted DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky), the most coveted big in this year’s draft at 6’-11” and an imposing 270 pounds. Golden State picked up the 6’-9” Ekpe Udoh (Baylor) to shore up their shoddy defense, that they might finally win a few of their regular season scoring sprints versus the Lakers.
Even the Lakers’ 2009 Finals opponent, the Orlando Magic, used its sole 1st Round Pick on 6’-10” Power Forward Daniel Orton. The Magic do not lack for height with Dwight Howard roaming the paint, but understand that to summit the NBA mountain is to outreach the Lakers at any cost.
Oh, and how about those NBA Champion Lakers? They improved their own stable of big men by drafting two 6’-9” forwards. LA added Devin Ebanks (West Virginia) and Derrick Caracter (UTEP) via two 2nd Round Picks. With their biggest question marks at guard and small forward, the Lakers continue to draft size first.
Where does that leave the Nuggets?
Each of the Denver bigs are a potential liability at this point in their careers.
Chris “Birdman” Andersen is a crowd favorite and an imposing presence when healthy. But each season The Bird fades as spring approaches, and Chris was a non-factor late in the year. Even coming off the bench both Andersen’s age (31) and the hard-charging, high-energy style with which he plays are catching up with him.
It certainly didn’t help that Andersen spent the latter half of the regular season trying to fill the very large shoes of Kenyon Martin. K-Mart is the defensive heart of this Denver team, and his history of knee injuries looms large on the Nuggets’ future.
Kenyon’s early-season form saw a player capable of dominating games from the paint and helping to stretch opposing defenses with a reliable shot from the top of the key. But when Martin returned from expedited injury recovery in time for the 2010 Playoffs he looked tentative, not tenacious. That reliable shot Kenyon spent the offseason working on was too strong, forced even, and the Nuggets had to watch Carlos Boozer knock down the very same troublesome jumper for Utah as the Jazz trounced Denver for a playoff series win.
Meanwhile Nene, who has always struggled with issues of toughness in the rough ‘n tumble paints of the NBA, could not hold the center of the Nuggets’ defense without Kenyon & Birdman at 100%. When Denver’s offense is humming, Nene can use his superior speed and quickness to take advantage of slower centers. However, he has never been one to force the issue on his own offensively or bear the brunt of an opposing attack on defense. Without big help on either end of the court, Nene’s numbers deflated precipitously through the end of the 2010 season.
In that dismal playoff series versus Utah, the Nuggets were outworked and outschemed as a result of their less effective paint personnel, in addition to being thoroughly outcoached in the absence of head coach George Karl.
Where does Denver go from here?
The unfortunately likely answer is down…
Down in size as Birdman and K-Mart become less effective. Down the standings as other Western Conference powers improve. And down the draft chart into the teen neighborhood of picks as a result.
Unless the Nuggets’ front office can wheel and deal for the likes of Chris Bosh (Denver was not on his list of preferred cities to play in), then we will have to hope that Kenyon’s knees hold, that Birdman can be energy off the bench instead of a late season burnout, and that Denver never, ever has to rely on Johan Petro to start a game ever again.
Help is certainly not coming in the form of up-and-coming big men, as Denver has failed to take on a power forward or center through the draft since Nene in 2002.
