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Thinking about next year

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legendarywalton
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Post#161 » by legendarywalton » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:25 am

Is there an NBA equivalent of the NFL's wunderlich test? Draft some players with some character... the best teams in the league have proven you can't win with isolation, low basketball IQ, and lack of fundamentals. Blow it up... and I mean completely. AI, Melo, JR, Camby, Nene-- they should all be on the block.
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Post#162 » by el loco » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:34 am

legendarywalton wrote:Is there an NBA equivalent of the NFL's wunderlich test? Draft some players with some character... the best teams in the league have proven you can't win with isolation, low basketball IQ, and lack of fundamentals. Blow it up... and I mean completely. AI, Melo, JR, Camby, Nene-- they should all be on the block.


I agree :nod: Give me that 17 win team we had the year before Melo over this crap.
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Post#163 » by pickaxe » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:50 am

legendarywalton wrote:Is there an NBA equivalent of the NFL's wunderlich test? Draft some players with some character... the best teams in the league have proven you can't win with isolation, low basketball IQ, and lack of fundamentals. Blow it up... and I mean completely. AI, Melo, JR, Camby, Nene-- they should all be on the block.


Same here, I agree. I'd like to keep a couple of them if we get the right character/IQ/fundamental/disciplined guys and everyone could grow. Right now.....I don't even feel like going to game 3 or 4 because I don't think these guys deserve it.

Who can we get back?
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Post#164 » by el loco » Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:00 am

meloivynene wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Same here, I agree. I'd like to keep a couple of them if we get the right character/IQ/fundamental/disciplined guys and everyone could grow. Right now.....I don't even feel like going to game 3 or 4 because I don't think these guys deserve it.

Who can we get back?


You will be there and I will be back here hoping the other Denver team shows up. :rofl:
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Post#165 » by Nugologist » Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:26 pm

This team is in need of some major changes, both players and coaches. The brand of basketball we're seeing -- keep shooting and going one-on-one and hope to get hot -- will not likely win more than maybe one game, if that. There is no passing, no movement away from the ball, no defense, and for a few key players (most notably, Melo), there is no heart.

Look at the best players in the game -- Lebron, KG, Kobe, Nash, Duncan, etc. -- and the passion they play with, particularly in the playoffs. Have you EVER seen Melo look like that? Or, have you ever seen one of those players laughing and smiling at the end of a game where they were about to go down 0-2 in a playoff series?

Iverson, on the other hand, has the passion but has never truly bought into team ball. Sure, he'll make a nice pass every now and then, but for the most part he's trying to do it by himself, as he has for his entire career. He's an amazing player who plays his heart out and is fun to watch, but he's not going to win a championship playing the way he does.

Camby, who is an outstanding rebounder, used to be a force on the offensive glass as well back when he played for New York years ago. His game used to be going to the glass -- on offense and defense -- and he was great at getting put-back dunks, offensive boards, etc. You see that very rarely now, as he's too busy hanging out on the perimeter waiting to have the ball kicked out to him for a jumper.

Nene and K-Mart have been through a lot with injuries, etc., but the bottom line is that their production doesn't come close to justifying their respective salaries. With that said, I tip my hat to both for coming back and doing what they're doing.

A lot of focus has been on Karl, and much of it is well-deserved. But this team's problems have been at least equally the fault of the players. With an expiring contract, I would think Iverson would be relatively attractive as trade bait. As for the other big-money players, I'm not sure. If Nugget fans really want to compete for a championship, it's going to take a lot more than a new coach, in my opinion. Major changes are needed, and I hope that major changes are coming sooner rather than later. I don't want to watch this team underachieve with Melo as the centerpiece for another year. If he stays, it's going to take a serious coach AND a serious player to get him to buy into wanting to play basketball the right way. Right now, I don't think he cares about anything other than touches, shots, and points.
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Post#166 » by legendarywalton » Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:44 am

Kroenke is a successful businessman (he didn't make his fortune just by marrying into a ton of money), a passionate fan, and an intelligent guy. I can't believe that this current team resonates with him at all. 5 years of failure and hundreds of millions of dollars later, he's got nothing to show for it.

I would be absolutely shocked if the team didn't receive a FULL makeover. First and foremost is the philosophy. 'Melo and AI are relics at this point, because you can't win with isolation basketball anymore. This is not NBA Live 95.

I'd say ship off most of our talent, bring in some stopgap players and stockpile picks. Draft only point guards and centers from the US, and gamble on foreign players at shooting guard in the late 2nd round. I see this being a long long process, but I'd rather see progress each year than the same 4-0, 4-1 playoff losses.
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Post#167 » by el loco » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:44 am

legendarywalton wrote:Kroenke is a successful businessman (he didn't make his fortune just by marrying into a ton of money), a passionate fan, and an intelligent guy. I can't believe that this current team resonates with him at all. 5 years of failure and hundreds of millions of dollars later, he's got nothing to show for it.

I would be absolutely shocked if the team didn't receive a FULL makeover. First and foremost is the philosophy. 'Melo and AI are relics at this point, because you can't win with isolation basketball anymore. This is not NBA Live 95.

I'd say ship off most of our talent, bring in some stopgap players and stockpile picks. Draft only point guards and centers from the US, and gamble on foreign players at shooting guard in the late 2nd round. I see this being a long long process, but I'd rather see progress each year than the same 4-0, 4-1 playoff losses.


I agree with what you are saying. But, Iverson has one year left on his deal if he doesn't opt out and that 20 million expiring is probably better moving forward then a trade would be because of the salary we would have to take back. Nene and Kmart are hard players to move unless you want to take back some crap, so they are pretty much going to be around again. Camby is the most trade worthy guy this offseason, but I thought that way last season and he is still here. There are so many question marks on this team where would a GM start. Oh yeah, 3 GM's that aren't on the same page each of which has his own agenda/concept on what is best for the team. It will be interesting, but I am thinking it will be a run with what we have for one more year due to financial reasons, unless a deal comes along that is to good to pass up.

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