With Carmelo Anthony slowing the offense to a crawl in New York, the Nuggets have the cap space and floor time to run the most dynamic, team-oriented style in the league.
With a healthy and energized George Karl at the helm, the Nuggets may not be far off from realizing their potential as an elite Western Conference contender.
For the Denver Nuggets the shortened season will be both a boon and a challenge. The Nuggets have an established coach and system, but many of their players are scattered across world leagues or likely lost to free agency.
The Nuggets face the Northwest Division rival Thunder in an NBA Playoffs battle. Two of the most athletic teams in the league will go toe-to-toe starting this Sunday, April 17th. Dan Olson and Ian Cerveny take you inside this thrilling first round matchup with a series preview.
There are no words to express the gratitude and appreciation I have for Denver, the Nuggets and all the fans. You will always be a part of my heart.
Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, didn’t mention Anthony by name (he’s not allowed to because of tampering rules) but he was clearly speaking about him when he suggested that he wouldn’t have a problem renting the superstar.
Ujiri is back in Denver to kick-start the Josh Kroenke Era… and potentially the Post-Carmelo Era as well. If that is the case, at least Masai will be building a team designed to compete in the increasingly internationalized NBA.
Mark Warkentien is on his way out of Denver after the Nuggets announced they are not interested in renewing the contract of their VP of Basketball Operations. With him will go Rex Chapman, the Nuggets’ VP of Player Personnel, whose contract has also expired.
Bear in mind, of course, that this would not have happened in 2009. The ot-nine Nuggets would have simply overwhelmed the Jazz with the same barrage of offensive firepower that defeated New Orleans & Dallas. But without the commanding influence of one George Matthew Karl manually balancing Denver’s speeding keel, they routinely fell out of rhythm on both ends of the court.
Denver had a unique opportunity to crush the Jazz in Game 2, and they let it slip away. Utah is beset by injuries, losing Andrei Kirilenko & Mehmet Okur over the last few weeks. Granted, Deron Williams & Carlos Boozer had outstanding games in Denver, but the Nuggets’ bench was absolutely useless on Monday night. If Denver’s B-Team can’t beat Utah’s C-Team, the Nuggets don’t deserve to move on in these playoffs.
