like kenyon who thinks nuggets will be #1

gmkidd · Post #1 » by **gmkidd** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 4:51 am

anyone?

eathy · Post #2 » by **eathy** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 12:03 pm

atm no.

Not sold on Balkman/Graham/White being Melo's backup. Of course I said the same thing about Birdman last season... let's see how it goes.

Hoping that Battier will be coming here for the TE though.

DaFan334 · Post #3 » by **DaFan334** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:01 am

Positives going into the year:
-Further development of JR, Melo and Nene as they come into the primes of their careers.
-Aaron Afflalo is a much better player than Jones ever was. On both ends of the floor brings far more in the same role. He can actually shoot the ball, even from 3 point range and does not solely rely on his athletics to play defense.
-Lawson according to KMart is the real deal and will get playing time. If this is true, he will bring an added push off the bench to speed up the pace and more outside shooting to spread the floor.
-Experience from last year should help this team stay strong though out the year. This is the teams first off season and training camp with Chauncey which should help them blend better as a team though out the entire year.

Negatives:
-Kleiza signed overseas leaving us with one less player that can go off for 40 points in a given night. Unfortunately, he was very inconsistent most of last season and was never a huge factor. Added shooting from Lawson and Afflalo should help replace his long range shooting.
-There is still a lack of depth in the front court that is only an injury away from being exposed. The only ways to overcome this is for great health up front once more or for players like Petro, Balkman, White or Graham to step up and prove their worth as backups.
-Age might start to show for Chauncey, KMart and old man Carter and hurt their production, although all seem to be fairly smart players that don't completely rely on their athleticism.
-Other western conference teams have changed to add more firepower. The Lakers added Ron Artest, but that is a possible implosion waiting to happen. The Spurs added Jefferson but continue to get older as a core and are going to have to figure out how to share the ball with another playmaker. The Mavs added Marion and more depth but still might not have enough or the right pieces. The Hornets add Okafor but loose the size of Chandler which made them a tough team to score in the paint on. The also lost Rasual Butler and gained no outside help for Paul as Peja's age continues to effect his effectiveness.

This team has so much room to improve on that their ceiling this year is as high as the NBA Championship and it should bit. It is still a well built team that had a very good chance last year with several younger players that still have room to improve their game. If they make strides they could, they will be championship contenders this year and in the future.

MattBoner · Post #4 » by **MattBoner** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:15 pm

I'm sold. The star players are entering their prime, they have Chauncey for the whole season, and I truly believe they will be motivated similar to how the Lakers were motivated after losing to Boston.

Devilzsidewalk · Post #5 » by **Devilzsidewalk** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:17 pm

I think they'll be able to compete with anyone if they stay healthy, Birdman/Nene/Martin is a nice defensive trio, Billups gives the offense a sense of control, and Melo is a legit #1

I look to Joey Graham as the barometer between a good team and great team, hopefully he's been working on the spot up 3 because the Nugz need that off the bench; a 2/3 that can make opposing swings work and also hit some open threes off of kickouts and double teams

The Webb · Post #6 » by **The Webb** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:20 pm

MattBoner wrote:I'm sold. The star players are entering their prime, they have Chauncey for the whole season, and I truly believe they will be motivated similar to how the Lakers were motivated after losing to Boston.

A bit of a random comment, but do you honestly think the Lakers were motivated after losing to Boston, or is it that they played an weak team in the finals?

I think it's got everything to do with Orlando, and very little to do with LA.

I happen to think Den is a better team then LA, and was pretty upset when you guys lost last WCF. (Detroit fan here).

KAVK · Post #7 » by **KAVK** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:52 am

You guys think Graham & White to stick or part of the plan to go after better backup SF using TPE? What the heck happened to that Wally deal?

As far as the team entering this year i'm positive. To be a championship team we need that 3rd reliable consistent player like Ariza/Manu/Allen hopefully JR will have breakout season since he flashed signs of could be that killer dude in game 4 of WCF. I have strong belief that Billups will see result of mentoring JR this year.

Anybody got an idea on this Karl no contract extension thing? Man i hate to do it to him but, is just me or Karl ain't the one?

eathy · Post #8 » by **eathy** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 12:22 pm

Recent Denver Post article suggests that Balkman as of now is Melo's backup at the 3 spot.

I'm hoping Battier for the TE trade though.

Post #9 » by **corona** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:52 pm

i'm excited to see what AA brings. certainly will be better than DJ, and if he's actually starting 2 guard caliber, we should be able to blow a lot of teams away from the getgo....instead of relying on jr/lk to.
it looks like Nene/Melo are both in the best shape they've ever been to start a season.
a full training camp with billups to implement more plays.....like, say...side out of bounds plays in pressure siutations.....will also help.

but ultimately it'll come down to motivation and injuries.
stay healthy and hungry for a top seed....there's no reason we can't get it.
get injured, or have an attitude like we deserve to be in the WCF without going out and putting in the work for 48 minutes every single game....and we can easily be 5th/6th/7th.

nice to know that camby's not here to add to the problems of that latter part.

KAVK · Post #10 » by **KAVK** » Thu Oct 1, 2009 1:56 am

eathy wrote:Recent Denver Post article suggests that Balkman as of now is Melo's backup at the 3 spot.

I'm hoping Battier for the TE trade though.

Battier would be the best shot even over Wally & we have all seen how length matters. I am hoping for at least Wally.

Canomad · Post #11 » by **Canomad** » Sun Oct 4, 2009 11:03 am

realistically i think they are number 3 behind the lakers and spurs. they did make any major upgrades durring the summer. i do like the ty lawson pick and affalo pickup to replace jones.

J Smitty · Post #12 » by **J Smitty** » Sun Oct 4, 2009 7:13 pm

I believe the Afflalo pickup is the most underrated move of the summer. For a contending team, it's not about going out and getting all-stars and disrupting chemistry. It's about finding the right role players to plug in and take your team to the next level. The Nuggets didn't make any sexy moves last year. In fact, the moves they did make were the exact opposite. Dump Camby, add role players like Birdman, Jones, Balkman, etc...and even trading Iverson for Billups would be considered a 'downgrade' by most, at least in terms of talent. Yet it made the Nuggets a better team.

That's what most people seem to not realize. Other teams may have went out and added a few big names, but did any of them really fill any needs, did they really improve? Dallas was a team with a bunch of wing players and no defensive bigs, and they went out added another (aging) wing. Portland needed a good small forward, and they went out and added a ball dominant backup PG that clashes with their ball dominant franchise player. What did the Nuggets need the most? A shooting guard that plays great defense and can knock down an open shot. What did they get? A shooting guard that plays great defense and can knock down an open shot....a young Battier in the making. He may not be a bigger name than the other guys, but I'm willing to bet he'll mean more to the Nuggets than guys like Marion and Dre will mean to their teams.