This has to be a make-or-break year for George Karl. They simply have too much talent to underachieve every year the way they do.
It's good you are realistic but unless the Jazz get hit by injuries, I think they are a safe bet to win the divison. Especially if AK47 comes in with a renewed sense of purpose and reverts back to creating havoc on defense and being motivated on offense.
What are the odds of that happening? With the rif between him and Sloan, I can't see him doing that. BTW, there are still some rumors floating around the Nugs right now for trades. This might not be the same team heading into training camp.
Where they always stand..... they will start out kind of shaky and then they will pick it up towards the end and get the 7th or 8th seed and then they will lose in the 1st round.
Denver's biggest flaw was shooting skill around Melo and AI. Atkins gives them that, much more so than Blake can (and who knows if Smith can get over an abysmall playoffs and personal tragety). Blake is about as close to the player Rafer Alston is as there is, and we know what we think about him here. That said I don't think Atkins can give them enough 1 minutes, and is far from the ideal backcourt mate to AI--so I don't see the Nugzs complete enough to be a WC contender. I don't think Utah is all that great either. If anyone breaks into the hold of the Spurs, Mavs, & Suns on the elite spots in the WC--I think we do, on paper. But we do have unknowns who could excell or flame out--so we could join the top 3, or we could belong with the next tier (Denver, Utah). Rafer Alston would actually help the Nuggets. Najera for Rafer + JL3/Novak would make both teams better next year IMO.
The same thing might apply to the Rockets as well. How are we any different from Denver? High expectations, first round exits...are we really that different?
Of course, right after my earlier post, AK47 pops off about wanting to be traded. All is not harmonious in Jazz-land.
They stand in the way of the beginnings of a threepeat They stand in the b**chseat that the Rockets put them in Rocket River
If they added to their nucleus players of James and Francis and Scola and a prospect that looked like Brooks I'd agree with you. Having a player like Wells returns gives you further possibilities (though maybe you could argue KMart could return). Basically we added a lot of talent in needed positions. On paper we can join the elite. They didn't add much to a team that lost 4 strait games in the 1st round. Another way to look at is two guys who may be entirely squeezed out of our rotation (Head, Alston) could really help the Nugs and be major rotation players if not starters for them. A poor starter (either Smith or Atkins) + a backcourt with shooting woes & poor depth looks like trouble for them. At least "trouble" if the goal is to join the Spurs/Suns/Mavs as the league tier 1 teams.
True, I guess in years before I'd say were in the same boat as them. Great on paper but cant get out of the first round. But this year we've definitly added a ton of great pieces. I'm just reluctant since we all feel this way every year. Addition of Bonzi, Swift, Griffin...Just dont want to build myself up for another let down.
Huh? I like Head, and he would be nice as a gun off of the bench, but you're way overvaluing your players there. Alston is the LAST thing the Nuggets need right now.
With Atkins and AI, you guys have enough tiny guards in the rotation without Luther and Rafer. When you consider Rafer's shooting woes, he's a bad fit for your team.
Blake is basically a defensively weaker Rafer (Blake's shooting is just marginally, and I mean marginally, better). And though I think Blake is an inadequate starter and they needed too many minutes of him (similar with us with Rafer because the next guy was so bad), he helped the team as a traditional set up man with at least an avergish 3 ball if left wide open. While I like Atkins in some ways for what he brings to Denver, I don't see him as a great compliment to AI, more of a great sub to let AI get more rest. Unless you play AI a lot at PG, which isn't his best position, you PG rotation looks like big trouble. Also in addition to not being the right fit next to AI, Atkins can only give you about half the minutes needed. And I don't like the looks of your SG position if you make AI play lots of PG, Smith and Wafer could be big trouble. So if you had Rafer you could go: -PG: Atkins, Alston (split minutes though Atkins might be better off the bench when AI or Melo gets rest and the O need punch) -SG: Iverson, Smith/Wafer (whichever shows they can give you something positive) I think Denver would be in a much safer position. I am think you put a lot of stock in JR Smith, but based on his postseason and offseason I sure wouldn't if I was your GM. I still think Alston for Najera (BTW what do the Nugs think of him?) is a good deal for both teams.
Alston is a shoot first PG, which is the absolute last thing this team needs. This is why I'm still (STILL) upset the original deal for AI didn't go down. Not sure if I ever revealed it to you guys, but the Nugs were 5 minutes away from getting AI for Earl Boykins, Najera, Joe Smith and the picks. We would have kept Dre Miller. The Nuggets need a floor general, someone who won't shoot but likes passing. Blake was ok at this (although his shot disappeared at the worst possible time), and Atkins will fill that spot just as well. The Nugs biggest need is a lockdown perimeter defender who can shoot. Bruce Bowen (only under the age of 70 and preferably not dirty). I'd love to see us take a look at Hassan Adams, but he's not a good enough shooter to be an upgrade over Yakuba. Either at PG or SG. I'm still on the fence about JR (I can hear A_3PO laughing at me now). When he puts it together (like the first half of last season), he's a superstar. Unfortunately, he's in a situation with the worst possible coach for him. At this point, I'm thinking Larry Brown would be a boost to JR's morale. Is it too late to salvage him? Possibly. But we don't have any other options, so he'll get another chance. It's September, so once again it means that I've convinced myself that K-Mart will contribute this year. Luckily for us, when he gets hurt in February (I'm optimistic), Nene will finally have worked his way into shape again and will be ready to play. Steven Hunter is a decent addition for us and will provide solid, but not good, minutes. I love Najera. His attitude and professionalism are exactly what this team needs. I was terrified that he was going to be traded this off-season, so I did a little dance when Reggie Evans was instead. He'll still get minutes because of injuries, the fact that Karl loves him, and the fact that he's the only player we have that plays defense. Melo's going to have a career year and Kleiza will be solid backing him up. SF is not a concern at all. The plan right now is to have AI at the SG with Atkins at the point. Obviously, AI will be sliding back and forth all night, but that's our starting and crunch time lineup. Anthony Carter will get 10 minutes per night at the point as well. I mentioned JR earlier and think he'll be ok. That, I'll fully admit, is me being a homer though. God only knows with that kid. Kuba will be our defensive stopper off of the bench and the staff seems REALLY high on Von Wafer. That said, I wouldn't expect to see Wafer get too much PT. * Atkins, Carter * AI, JR, Kuba, Waer * Melo, Kleiza * K-Mart, Nene, Najera * Camby, Hunter, Sampson Bold prediction: Karl is either fired or resigns at the mid-point of the season.
You just made me sad. Not because I miss Pack, but because I just remembered he was once our best PG.
Nuggets4, you are funny. On your post, Steven Hunter is a chump. You will not like him. At the same time, good for the Nuggets that they dumped Reggie Evans. What a loser. Most people who follow other teams love his rebounds per 48 mins stat but they don't realize he just isn't a good player to have on the floor. Never will be. I never was an Andre Miller fan but it's obvious your team misses him. VERY obvious. He would be a great compliment to AI. Isn't Karl owed a lot of money? That's why I think he could last the season even after the players semi-quit on him. With Karl, K-Mart, J.R. Smith, Camby and AI, your team might have the most combustible mix in the NBA. You can also throw in Melo's mood swings. On Nene, I've never seen a guy so big and strong play so small most of the time. If Nene played with passion he would be dangerous to the other team. Instead, he's just an overpaid sissified poodle inside a rottweiler's body. Of course, you know some of the above is just talking trash.
Hi nuggets4, Im glad you talked about Najera, an I like to hear from someone outside Mexico saying that he is a very good player. He could be an excellent addition to the Mexican National Team, but because of problems with the people who control the basketball here, he is not playing.
