Best Denver Nuggets since 2000

Powder Blue · Post #1 » by **Powder Blue** » Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:18 pm

I came across a video which led me to strike up a conversation on the best Nuggets since 2010, so below I'm breaking down the top 5+ (Based on their career as Nuggets) Feel free to agree or disagree!

1. Carmelo Anthony--3x All Star, 7 Straight playoff appearances. Say what you want about how he left and what he's done since but he's clearly been the best player the Nuggets have had in a long time. All these hyped rookies lately haven't come close to having the immediate impact in the league that Melo did.

2. Chauncey Billups-- His second stint here was only 2.5 seasons but during that time he averaged nearly 19&6, shooting .400 and he led the team out of the first round and to the WCF's. That acomplishment is why I rank him above other more seasoned Nuggets.

3. Dre Miller-- [tweet]https://twitter.com/NBA/status/711175566297268225[/tweet] Here's the video I was talking about. This cat balled for the Nuggets. Started 266 games and played 82 games 4 times here. I'm pretty sure he didn't miss a game until Shaw DNP'd him ruining his streak. 9th all-time in assists, only 3 missed games to injury and probably the best Nuggets player in the post since Mutumbo.

4. Kenyon Martin-- These last two spots go to guys with knee issues. Right now I'm putting K-Mart ahead @ 4. 7 seasons, one missed to Injury but all resulting in playoff appearances. His numbers weren't off the charts but he was good for 11&7 most nights shooting nearly .500 percent. His tenacity is something I think the Nuggets have lacked since he departed. The Nuggets had a lot of physical battles in the playoffs and he was always a force in the post.

5. Danilo Gallinari--Stepped in for Melo and led the team to the playoffs 3 years including a 57-25 record in 12-13. Maybe we would have beat the Warriors had Gallo not hurt his knee at the end of that season. If He can stay healthy and get the Nuggets back into the post-season I'll gladly move him up this list.

Honorable Mention:

Allen Iverson--This town went nuts when AI came in, sadly the results didn't live up to the hype but we got a few good years with the best pound for pound player to ever play the game (Although Curry might steal that title)

Marcus Camby--How can you forget his silky smooth elbow jumper?

JR Smith--When swish was hot it was awesome to see, when he was cold it was equally as fun watching coach Karl's reactions

skywalker33 · Post #2 » by **skywalker33** » Sun Mar 20, 2016 1:33 am

Gotta go with one of my All-time favorites, Antonio McDyess !!!

Post #3 » by **NuggetsWY** » Sun Mar 20, 2016 4:34 am

All great players no doubt. I sorta discount Miller & Billups because of length of time, but they were truly important for the Nuggets.

In no particular order:
Two I don't like have to rank near the top; Melo & Lawson.
One that just never seemed to have drive but was still great for Denver was Nene.
Could never argue against Camby.
Faried gives his all and I respect that. Kenyon Martin also always gave his all.
JR & Gallinari were/are both very important for Denver - for different reasons and for the same reasons.

skywalker33 · Post #4 » by **skywalker33** » Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:12 pm

No way do I put KMart in top 10 as a Nugget. We paid 3 #1's and $92M and he never lived up to that, even going to say he was a financial anchor to this team. He was an above average defender not the shut down guy he should have been.

Post #5 » by **NuggetsWY** » Sun Mar 20, 2016 7:07 pm

skywalker33 wrote:No way do I put KMart in top 10 as a Nugget. We paid 3 #1's and $92M and he never lived up to that, even going to say he was a financial anchor to this team. He was an above average defender not the shut down guy he should have been.

I can see where you are coming from. I agree that he did not live up to the value paid and was not "as advertised" including by the Nuggets' front office and many in the media. Yet I also think he was an emotional leader that helped others. But I've been wrong before.