So, is Denver collectively brain dead, or does it just seem that way?

It's a classic new-GM move ... unload all of the previous GM's bad contracts and start from scratch.

What sucks for Nuggets fans is that they did the same thing under Bristow just 5 or 6 years ago.

But depending on McDyess opting out of his contract and the team extending James Posey, Denver could have zero players under contract in the summer of 2003.

 

Said it in the other threads, might as well here. I hate my life.

 

Something that should be pointed out ... until August, Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe was on Mark Cuban's payroll.

Maybe he still is.

 

Maybe you should kick your own ass..

 

That was the big discussion on the Nugs board.

 

The Nuggets are turning a corner, and have decided to start over, damn thats gonna be a long road.

 

Anybody see halftime report of the Spurs-Kings game?

Both Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith pooh-poohed the trade. They thought that Denver made out okay (contract situations etc) but that Dallas really didn't improve their team that much.

Their point was that teams which try to outscore to win (and being lax defensively) usually are ousted in the playoffs.

CB was insistent that Raef LaFrenz was not a shot-blocker even though he ranks second in the league in that category.

They thought NVE would be even more disruptive because he is now backing up Nash, etc.

Very different from what most people are saying here.

It sure looks to me like Dallas did okay.

 

I don't agree with their takes at all. Do they hostely believe trading Laefrenz for Howard doesn't improve their defense. Dallas's problem late int he playoffs will be team defense, especially interior defense, Laefrenz may not be Dikembe but he is light years better than Howard.

Also, they had Tim Hardaway backing up Nash for Pete's sake. He is every bit of a gun as NVE except he has less offensive skills than NVE does at this point in Hardway's carreer.

The Nuggests got mangled in this trade. It was by far the worst trade discussed.

On the bright side, when is McDyess' contract up?

 

will van exel play behind nash? will he be able to acceps that he is very arogant. lafrentz is a good pickup, Denver is crazy

maybe mcdyess will come to dallas to, like he and van exel did when they came to denver he wants to play with van exel

 

I agree that Dallas got the better end of this deal, the question remains (and I think CB and KS answered it) is "Did Dallas really do what they needed to do to get ENOUGH better to significantly advance to a championship?"

Hey I wish the Rox had LaFrenz...

Gotta give Cuban credit, though. His organization will take risks and do whatever it takes to get better.

I'm all for not standing pat. Maybe the Rox hands were tied. They weren't in a great position to make deals, but I wish they had done something to put a shine on this dismal campaign.

 

Giddyup, I saw Barkley and Kenny blasting that trade, too. While I respect the opinions they expressed (too much offense, not enough defense, why make that trade?), I think it sets up the Mavs for future deals. My crazy idea was to trade Finley to hometown Chicago for their high draft pick. Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part: my roommate is a diehard Bulls fan.

Still, Dallas is set. Nash and NVE can start together. NVE can backup Nash so that you always have a first-rate PG out there. With both on the floor, Nelson gets the odd mismatches he enjoys so much. With Abdul-Wahad, he gets good defense. With Lafrentz, he gets a shot-blocker (not a true center, maybe, but he fits that team).

Now, how will they do in the playoffs? We'll see.

 

The media has praised the Pacers and bashed the Bulls in the Jalen Rose trade....and now they are making like the Nuggets came out alright and Dallas did nothing to improve. Me thinks they've got yet another one wrong too, and will have some explaining to do when all is said and done.

If Denver thinks $15-$20mill in cap room when Howard's contract is up is going to help lure anyone to town, think again. Mediocrity does not lure free agents to town; Jerry Krause can vouch for that. Add in the fact that McDyess is much more likely (in my estimation) to leave when his contract is up or be traded at a later date, and the situation in Denver doesn't look all that great.

Unless, of course, the next lethal duo in the NBA is James Posey and some unforseen college player in the draft.

 

The Mavs got better defensively with LaFrentz and Abdul-Wahad.

NVE is a better jack than Hardaway because he can actually hit every now and then and Avery Johnson was playing very solid ball for the Nugs.

Yep, they are brain dead.

 

One take on it:
http://msn.espn.go.com/nba/columns/hughes/1338618.html

 

It seems that Dallas is attempting to become the most Caucasian team in the league.

A potential starting lineup:

Nash
Finley
Nowitski
LaFrentz
Bradley