Additions: Mike Miller
I was initially going to write this article about Nick Johnson but he was waived last night. What do you say about a team whose biggest free agent acquisition is Mike Miller? That they’re not trying? Well I’m not gonna say it explicitly, but I’m strongly implying it. Everyone already knows what Mike Miller brings to the table—shooting. With that said, he didn’t shoot the ball very well with Cleveland last year (2.1 PPG and 32.7% from three). The Nuggets will hope Miller can return to his 2013/14 form with Memphis (7.1 PPG and 45.7% from three). Most importantly, Miller, along with Randy Foye and Jameer Nelson, will add a veteran presence to a team that has recently lacked stability.
Subtractions: Ty Lawson, Ian Clark, Jamaal Franklin
Ty Lawson is gonna have a really good season in Houston. I think he’s exactly what the Rockets need. Last season, Lawson dished out a career-high 9.6 APG and assisted on 43% of Nuggets’ field goals. His 15.2 PPG was his lowest mark over the last four seasons, but so was his 12.3 field goals attempted. Although Lawson was never an All-Star, he’s commonly regarded as an All-Star level talent and one of the better point guards in the Western Conference. Yet for all of the things Lawson did right on the court last season, he was fucked up off the court. Under most circumstances, I’m understanding when it comes to mistakes, but acquiring two separate DUIs in a six-month span is not cool. It’s selfish and dangerous. It also shows a complete lack of awareness and responsibility. It seemed as if the decision to trade Lawson was most likely made well before the June 2015 NBA Draft, however, once Emmanuel Mudiay became available, the writing was on the wall. Lawson needs a new start. And an Uber driver.
Rookies: Nikola Jokic, Emmanuel Mudiay,
Let me be clear—Emmanuel Mudiay was the best point guard in the 2015 NBA Draft and was an absolute steal for the Nuggets. Desperate to rid themselves of the PR nightmare that Ty Lawson morphed into, Denver looked to replace the best player on their roster this summer. They were extremely fortunate to have Mudiay fall to them at #7. He’s going to be a better point guard than D’Angelo Russell and a far better player than Mario Henzoja. By this point, most people are aware of the path Mudiay chose. He committed to play for Larry Brown at SMU, and then decided to completely forgo college and bounce out to China to play a year. By all accounts, Mudiay’s tenure with Guangdong was a success. He scored 18 PPG on 47.8% shooting and managed to dish out 5.9 APG, although he shot just 57.4% from the free throw line. If Mudiay is going to be an offensive threat, he has to become a better shooter. He’s inconsistent at best and doesn’t have great mechanics. He has the ability to knock shots down and will become a more consistent shooter, but as of right now, he’s not there yet. With the exception of his shooting, I like everything else about Mudiay’s game. First of all, he’s big. At 6’5” and 200 lbs., he already has NBA size. Mudiay’s got great length, moves well laterally, and gets his hands into passing lanes. He’s also an exceptional rebounder, perhaps the best rebounding guard in the draft. Manny’s also super quick and can penetrate the lane and finish at the rim. He is also a very willing passer with great court vision, and he’s extremely efficient using pick and rolls. Mudiay’s gonna get the keys to this offense on Day 1, and although the Nuggets are gonna be cellar-dwellers in the West, I think they’ll be pleased with Mudiay’s future…
Guards: Veteran point guard Jameer Nelson will back up Emmanuel Mudiay. Nelson played with three teams last season (Denver, Boston, and Dallas) and by far played his best basketball with the Nuggets. Although he’s getting old, Nelson’s still has the ability to dish and score. His 16.8 points per 36 minutes with Denver was his highest mark since his lone All-Star campaign of 2008/09 in Orlando. Furthermore, he posted a 14.5 PER during his time with the Nugs, his highest since his 2011/12 season. At 33 years old, no one is expecting Nelson to set the league on fire but if he knocks down open jumpers, create open looks for his teammates, and provides veteran leadership, he will have done his job. Nelson appeared to enjoy his renaissance of sorts with Denver and re-signed a 3-year deal with the squad this summer. It’s really difficult for me to believe that Randy Foye is still starting in this league—I guess that’s why the Nuggets are a bottom five team in this league. Foye’s coming off an atrocious year, but the majority of people didn’t notice because he plays in Denver. His 8.7 PPG was the lowest mark of his career; his 36.8% FG% was the lowest of his career; his 11 PER was the lowest of his career; and his 81.8% free throw percentage (which by no means lackluster) is only .3% higher than the lowest mark of his career. Obviously things aren’t rending in the right direction for Foye. However, there is good news for Nuggets fans. Last season, Denver acquired Will Barton and he posted some of the best numbers of his career. In 28 games with Denver, Barton averaged 24.4 minutes, 13.4 minutes more than he averaged during his 2.5 years with Portland. With his newfound playing time, Barton averaged 11 PPG off 43.3% shooting from the field, 4.6 RPG, and 1.9 APG—most of which are superior to Foye’s production. So why is Barton playing behind Foye again? Former MSU standout and lottery pick Gary Harris adds further depth at the two. Look for the rebuilding Nuggets to make some backcourt changes…
Forwards: Everybody loves shitting on Brooklyn’s “Big Three” consisting of Brooke Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Thaddeus Young—and rightfully so. Their year is going to be woeful. But what if you’re best players were Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, and Wilson Chandler?!?! Not only does that trio shout, “25-57,” but also they’re all forwards. Nonetheless, despite the success that will evade the Nugs as a team, Gallinari should have a successful year. After missing all of 2013/14, Danilo returned and put up solid numbers in limited minutes last season. He averaged 18.5 points (career high) and 5.5 rebounds (.2 less than his career high) per 36 minutes, but unfortunately shot just 40.1% from the field (career low). Furthermore, Gallinari played very well in EuroBasket this summer and I’m encouraged by Gallo’s willingness to get more involved in the Nuggets’ offense. With Lawson gone, the majority of the scoring’s gonna have to come from the Rooster. Wilson Chandler will also join the low-scoring party in Denver. Chandler shouldn’t stray too far from his career averages of 13.7 PPG career average and 44.2 FG%, but will depended on for his rebounding and defense. Kenneth Faried will be starting at the four. Rumors have long persisted that a divide existed between Faried and his team, but eventually the two agreed upon a 4-year/$52 million extension (despite the process getting fucked up by the Nuggets’ front office). I’ve already gone on record stating that I believe Faried’s deal is a far better than say, Tristan Thompson’s… The Manimal contributes a steady 12 PPG and 9 RPG, with a block and a steal. Although he’ll most likely never be an All-Star, he can certainly make a bad team better. He’s got a high motor and a nose for the ball; however, it’s been rumored that the Nuggets could try to play Faried at center, which will not go well when he has to face the league’s bigger centers such as Dwight Howard or Marc Gasol. Darrell Arthur and JJ Hickson will provide marginal, if any, depth behind Faried.
Centers: Not much proven talent here. ESPN projects Joffrey Lauvergne as the starting center for your 2015/16 Denver Nuggets. Yikes! The 55th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft (a contender for second-worst draft ever) averaged 3.9 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 24 games last season. In all fairness, these numbers mean nothing. If you look closer at his 12.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per 36 minutes, perhaps you can see why the Nuggets are willing to give him a shot. Also entering his sophomore year, Jusuf Nurkic returns to Denver. Appearing in 62 games, The Bosnian Beast’s numbers weren’t much different than Lauvergne’s. Per 36 minutes, Nurkic averaged 13.9 points and 12.5 rebounds. Perhaps Nikola Jokic, the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, will make a difference. I’ve heard several people state that he might have the highest ceiling of the three, but he’s a second-round pick who’s yet to play an NBA game, so let’s not get crazy. The bottom line is that Denver is currently looking for their next starting center. It might be one of these three guys, or it could end up being someone else…
Final thoughts: Losing team with a new coach and new starting point guard? How many different ways can that really end? I like Mudiay and LOVE Mike Malone, but this is gonna be long process. That’s word to Michael Carter-Williams and Brett Brown… Mike Malone is a top-notch NBA coach and an accomplished assistant. He got ran out of Sacramento by incompetent ownership and I’m happy to see him get a deserved second chance. After the Nuggets post about 20 wins this year, I hope the team sticks with him… Gallinari’s a great scorer and lights out shooter but his game is limited. He might average the most meaningless 22 PPG in the league… Both Will Barton and Gary Harris should start over Randy Foye, a man who may not be a Nugget much longer… Emmanuel Mudiay could be ROY. He’s got the talent and the Nuggets’ roster is certainly bad enough. I love the idea of Mudiay learning from Jameer Nelson, a former All-Star and one of the classier and professional players in the league… Denver’s centers are bad. If I’m going to chose one to separate himself from the pack and become the starter, I’m taking Jusuf Nurkic… The Nuggets are gonna stink. They will most likely be a bottom three team in the West.
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