Yeah, Artest is a great player. But even if the Nuggets get Artest, can the Nuggets keep him? The Nuggets are already loaded with many max contracts. Can the Nuggets pay Artest if he opts out this season? It's not worth to give up Kleiza for half year rental.
Because I'm thinking that the news of him being "pulled off the table" is posturing to get a higher price.
I think I missed something here. Update -- I have no clue what's going on right now. There's a lot of posturing. We're still in the Artest derby, but from what I've heard we really don't want to give up LK. We're still in for the deal I really hope goes down, but I have no idea where it stands. I know the rumor SI.com discussed (Nene to NJ for Magloire and Nachbar -- i.e. expiring contracts) is legit, but don't know how serious yet. All things considered, I still think the Nugs do a minor deal for a backup PG at the minimum.
Getting Artest would not make you a contender. Therefore it would be crazy to give up Kleiza for him. Dumping Nene on the Nets as you mention would be a great move, but why do the Nets make that deal?
I agree, Kleiza is an already solid player who still has room to develop further. And while Artest would definitely be a huge improvement to that team, it still wouldn't matter in the end. They simply have too many low bball IQ airheads on that team to ever be considered a serious contender anyways.
Agreed 100%. I'm considered a Kleiza basher on the Nugs boards because I only think he's an average starter in the NBA at best. That said, he's got a cap friendly contract and gives us bench help. The original rumor I heard for Artest was (I think it was posted here in fact) Nene for Artest. That I'd do because it makes us better and if he doesn't work out, it gets us under the luxury tax -- or at least closer. Why do the Nets do that deal? Kiki Vandeweghe.
Mike Miller was the target I referenced. Kyle Lowry was target 2. We had a deal to get Lowry yesterday, but Memphis decided to wait until the draft. We had a deal to get Delonte West, but one of our GMs asked a few people from Boston's staff about him and didn't hear favorable things so we backed out. Nugs traded Von Wafer for Taurean Green. He gives us a backup point who could help out this season. Saves us money as well, so it's win/win.
How many GMs they got in Nuggetville anyways? At least 3 right? One for Iverson, one for KMart, and one for Melo.
Yup. But they made the right move. Artest wasn't a good fit (IMO) and Sacramento wanted WAYYYYYY too much. Miller wasn't available. He would have ben perfect, but that's ok. I'd have loved Lowry, but alas, Memphis sucks. Attitude problems + free agent rental = no thanks. I liked the thought of it until I heard some of the Boston staff members talking about how he's a headcase. 3. Wark, Bearup and Chapman.
The pieces y'all currently have don't fit . The prospect of having 2 of the top 5 scorers, and 2 of the top 5 defenders on the same team is too exciting to pass up IMO. If Kleiza was all it took then shame on Denver.
Yeah, if you ignore chemistry and outside shooting then you're 100% right. I never was much on the Artest bandwagon. I probably would have done the Nene for Artest deal, mainly because it lessens the lux tax load we'll have next year. Everyone mentions LK, but losing Najera would hurt the Nugs more. We have ZERO front court depth right now. Camby and K-Mart could go down at any time. Nene's out (more on this in a minute). Najera's also our smartest player. He would have been a bigger loss than many think. As for Nene, he reportedly showed up to the front office today saying he's almost done with chemo and could be back on the court in March. Considering most of us had him out for the season, this is like acquiring a player at the deadline. I really wanted Lowry. I've been calling for him since August. I really like Taurean Green though. He should be a nice option for us off of the bench if Atkins isn't ready to go.
Since you are from the Class of '99, I thought you would remember a poster from the distant past that liked both Elton Brand and Sheep.
depends on how you look at it... they could have avoided disaster on this one and saved their future... i think they made a smart move on passing. artest woudlnt fit with melo and AI. the kings are the ones who effed up - they could have gotten a free draft pick (from denver or any other team) for a guy they didnt need and will leave. how can a rebuilding team not take a free draft pick?
