After a much-anticipated offseason for the Nuggets, they once again disappointed loyal fans across the country.
An uneventful summer is heading toward a conclusion, and a beginning to the 2008-09 season is rapidly drawing near.
Unlike in my previous articles, I won't make any predictions and simply relax and watch the events occur.
Here is what I expect from the Nuggets in the upcoming months.
My projection of the 2008-09 Nuggets roster looks like this:
Starting Lineup
PG—Allen Iverson
SG—J.R. Smith
SF—Carmelo Anthony
PF—Kenyon Martin
C—Nene
Bench
PG—Anthony Carter
SG—Dahntay Jones
SG—Sonny Weems
SG/SF—Linas Kleiza
PF—Chris Andersen
C—Stephen Hunter
DOMINO EFFECTS OF RE-SIGNING JR SMITH
The re-signing of JR Smith should play a role in a number of decisions over the next couple years. Let's take a look at the three major areas impacted.
1. Linas Kleiza will soon be traded or let go
Three of the five shooting guards on the Nuggets roster signed new deals this offseason, leaving Kleiza and Allen Iverson the only two guards on the team with expiring contracts after this season.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Sonny Weems, Iverson, Dahntay Jones, Kleiza, and JR Smith are the fearsome five Denver shooting guards.
The chances the Nuggets resign both Kleiza and A.I. are non-existent, with the loaded free-agent core coming up in 2009. That free-agent class includes Lamar Odom, Rasheed Wallace, Carlos Boozer, Shawn Marion, Richard Hamilton, and Kobe Bryant. Additionally, role players Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, Jamario Moon, Jamal Crawford, Charlie Villanueva, Quentin Richardson and Brandon Bass will be available.
Not to mention Josh Childress’s possible return from Greece.
If Denver allows Iverson and Kleiza to walk, they will have more than $22 million open to entertain with.
Bittersweet with the loss of Kleiza, but a consolation of prize of perhaps Mike Bibby will smooth things out.
2. The Nuggets will draft a...
With the 2 and 3 spots in the lineup locked for the next three years (Smith three years, Carmelo Anthony four years), the primary focus of the Nuggets front office will be to shop for a point guard, whether through the 2009 NBA Draft or through next year’s free-agent pool. Initially, many thought that was the goal of this offseason, but, after presumed point guard of the future Ty Lawson withdrew from the draft, the plan was deemed a failure.
Denver has two first-round draft picks next season via the Bobcats and the team's own selection. Stephan Curry, Ty Lawson, Jeremy Pargo, Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Edgar Sosa, Levance Fields, Lester Hudson, Ronald Steele, and Darren Collison are the premier point guards that will be available in the draft, and all would be welcomed in Denver.
Or perhaps the Nuggets will go another route and select a big man in the draft. Hasheem Thabeet, Blake Griffin, Al-Faroq Aminu, Tyler Hansbrough, Jarvis Varnado, BJ Mullens, Patrick Patterson, and Jordan Hill are the headliners in this category.
However, only about two of the possible selections will most likely still be on the board when the Nuggets make their selection.
The odds are heavily in favor of the ball-handlers.
Or the Nuggets could easily take both positions.
3. The center position remains a question mark
Because the Nuggets failed to sign an effective big man to compensate for Marcus Camby's departure, they will suffer greatly inside.
Nene will finally be placed on center stage, and one more injury could mean the end of his tour.
The Brazilian averaged 5.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game in 16 contests for the Nuggets before missing 62 games due to a testicular tumor.
If there is any indication of talent, Nene has career averages of 10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.
It's safe to say that the no-identity Nuggets developments will be an enjoyable bunch to watch in the future.
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2 months ago
good article but where do u put renaldo balkman
2 months ago
I don't think you can define Klieza as a gaurd. even though he can play the position, he also plays at the power forward and his true postion is small forward. I hope your hunch that they will trade his is wrong and the fact that he is friends with the owners son makes it unlikely.
from 2 months ago
Beat me to it. No way LK gets traded. With 144 minutes to be filled at the 3-4-5, and with Melo, K-Mart and Nene probably filling out no more than 100 of those, it would be suicidal to let go of our 4th best guy who not only can play at two of those positions, but is also young, improving, and probably capable of playing a solid 25 minutes himself this season. We'll need his toughness and his floor spacing ability out there. And if Kleiza can prove to be effective alongside Melo at the PF position, I definitely see Denver re-signing him.
Also, I hope the starting 5 will be as described above, but I highly doubt it. In the 1 1/2 seasons AI has played for Denver, Karl has been loathe to start him at the point, going so far as to start a total scrub (AC) over a legitimate and potent - albeit mistake prone - NBA talent (J.R. Smith).
Given Karl's midget love and his reluctance to start AI at the 1, I think the starting 5 will probably be Chucky Atkins (who doesn't even appear in the depth chart above)-AI-Melo-K-Mart-Nene, with J.R. and LK coming off the bench as 6th and 7th men.
2 months ago
Yea there's gotta be a place for Renaldo Balkman, that guy's enjoyable to watch and he's just full-on hustle.. I still have that feeling that AC will start at PG, and they gonna keep JR and Kleiza on the bench to provide scoring.. You don't need 3 guys who can put up 20 points any given night on your starting 11 (unless you're a team called something like "Celtics").. You wanna have someone (or two), who could come in and give you CONSISTENT 30-35 off the bench, and both JR and Kleiza will give you that amount of points each night.. You ain't winnin' nothin' with your whole bench average just 20 points per-game.. Just ask the Phoenix Suns..
2 months ago
Ok article but you did forget Balkman. He is the direct replacement for Eddie who got quite a few minutes the last few seasons. And I dont know what leads you to believe Carl will start AI at the point and JR at the 2. Im not saying its not a good idea and wont work, I would love to see them try it, Im just saying if history is a sign of anything to come our bone head coach wont ever give it a try. I find it kind of funny how quick you are to write people off and say they will be traded or let go. First it was JR, who went on to sign a huge deal with the team, and now it is Kleiza. Depth is a good thing to have in the NBA, and LK is a pretty good bench player. If the Nugs wouldn't trade him for Artest last season, I dont know what makes you think they are gonna throw him to the wind now. Its like ur just throwing out crazy ideas with the slightest hope one might happen and you can say you predicted it. The 2nd and 3rd points you made are pretty obvious. Most casual NBA fans that just watch Sportscenter would be able to tell you that. I do like the positive attitude you have in most your articles, even if they are wrong, unfounded or obvious, they are still enjoyable to read most the time. Keep em coming
2 months ago
The funny thing about some Nuggets fans is that you folks seem clueless about how to build contending teams (because you've never seriously had one) and instead will settle for your team switching in and out players every three years. Thats NOT a good sign for a team that is supposidly serious about contending. The sad part is the Nuggets actually had a decent team and if they would have made a few minor adjustments (personnel wise), as well as a change in defensive and offensive stragity..they would have been fine for the up coming season. Regardless of how much was his fault or not...any REAL contending team would have sent Coach Karl packing after this season. I have never seen a Coach underachieve more with such a talented team then Coach Karl with this team. They had a deep enough team to play up to their potential... but fail flat.
They seem to have traded for Iverson with no plan in place...it was more then obvious the Nuggets were not just one piece away from contending when they traded for him, so I don't know why they thought that trading for Iverson would solve all their problems. Trading for him just solved one problem, only for more holes to be exposed. That team has a bunch of players that play the game with no hustle and seemingly no heart. In fact, the only players on that team that tried to play hard everynight were Iverson, JR Smith, Najera, Kenyon and maybe Klieza...but thats about it. So how do you expect a team to seriously compete with a bunch of otherwise lazy/mentaly weak players?
Now they traded away their only reliable center (camby) and good hustle player in Najera for basically nothing but cap-space. They will more then likely trade Iverson before the All-Star game (if he's lucky), or Iverson will walk after this season seeing that they have wasted his time..and they will more then likely NOT make the playoffs this season, along with next season (by that time they could face the strong possibility of trading Carmelo as well and starting completely over considering that they have seemed to try every type of team with him and he can't seem to help his team win more then one game in the playoffs)...i'm still trying to figure out what makes anyone think that team will compete in the West with the majority of the key players gone. Even if they have money after some players leave, what makes anyone think they will make the proper moves to spend it on the proper players considering that they just completely butchered this team and continue to make questionable choices? Im just saying lets be realistic. At this point, if they move anymore of their key players...I don't see them contending in the West anytime soon.
Also as far as the 2009 free agent pool...Kobe will stay with the Lakers and even if he were to leave Kobe would go to another big basketball market city (where Iverson should have also went when he got traded) not Denver....Rasheed Wallace, Carlos Boozer, Richard Hamilton will more then likely stay with their teams considering that their teams are REAL contenders. Again, i'm just being realistic, it just seems like some fans do nothing but grasp for straws....and I can understand you are trying to keep hope, and even this upcoming 2008-09 Nuggets team is still loaded and could still make some noise, but again..if they trade anymore of their key players they're done. Also, I understand some Nuggets fans want Iverson gone (mostly because Melo has to share the spotlight with him), but the fact of the matter is he was the main reason you folks even made it to the playoffs this past season, so be careful. If the Nuggets could sign that guy to a more cap friendly contract next season..it wouldn't hurt to keep him. Those types of players don't come around often...its not like you're NOT getting Kobe Bryant anytime soon and even so Kobe wouldn't even be as effective with the crazy so-called offensive/defensive system the Nuggets run...they would just waste the rest of his time too.
2 months ago
The funny thing about some Nuggets critics is that you folks seem clueless about the fact that in a league of salary-strapped teams, the trade value of a $10 million trade exception is greater than the trade value of an aging, declining Camby; about the fact that Camby's performance slipped significantly over the course of last season, culminating in an embarrassingly poor playoff outing; about the fact that Camby as a defensive liability overshadows Camby as a defensive asset due to the fact that while he does swat at a lot of shots and rebounds more, he does absolutely nothing in the way of one-on-one defense and even his help defense is only marginally adequate (see Lakers series); and about the fact that offensively, Camby was more than worthless for the Nuggets, demanding a share of the shots that far exceeded his ability to put them in, always playing out of position, rarely dunking, and possessing the absolute worst post game of any legitimate center in the league.
2 months ago
You are missing Chucky Atkins and Renaldo Balkman from your roster, and you are out of your mind if you think they will trade Linas this season. He is a legitimate scoring threat that can play the 4. Nene is injury prone, and it could always happen again to Kenyon Martin, they need him on this team. But that sure is a lot of scoring, and ahem, shooting at the 1-2-3...
from 2 months ago
Guys,
I understand that I left out Renaldo Balkman, but Balkman will not have a major effect on their win total this season.
Likewise, for Chucky Atkins.
Renaldo however is a great asset to have because of his defensive intensity and his outstanding hustle.
2 months ago
It's a concensus, Nuggets AREN'T going to trade Kleiza. And I doubt they'll resign AI next season, especially if he and Melo don't gel this season. If Nene plays well, they'll pursue a legit point guard. If he doesn't then they're in trouble, with two significant pieces still missing. Hopefully Balkman will provide spark on "D" and I'll bet next year both AC and Chucky are gone (probably retired). It will be interesting to see if Birdman get much playing time and if he's effective. And losing Camby isn't that big a deal, he's over the hill and extremely injury prone, last year was an exception. The Clipper can have him, bet he plays less than 40 games.
Should the Nuggets take on the risk of pursuing Shuan Livingston?
from 2 months ago
I believe the Nuggets should pursue Shaun Livingston and offer him around 2 years, if his comeback pans out to be un-successful.
Since you along with others disagree with my opinion, where will Linas Kleiza fit into the Nuggets system in the coming years?
There have been several reports that the Nuggets and Iverson want him to finish his career with the team, and Denver certainly won't waste the 2nd round draft pick they spent on Sonny Weems.
J.R. Smith looks to be the starting shooting guard and if Dahntay Jones continues his style of play, he maybe returning for the 2009-10 season as well.
2 months ago
It's a concensus, Nuggets AREN'T going to trade Kleiza. And I doubt they'll resign AI next season, especially if he and Melo don't gel this season. If Nene plays well, they'll pursue a legit point guard. If he doesn't then they're in trouble, with two significant pieces still missing. Hopefully Balkman will provide spark on "D" and I'll bet next year both AC and Chucky are gone (probably retired). It will be interesting to see if Birdman get much playing time and if he's effective. And losing Camby isn't that big a deal, he's over the hill and extremely injury prone, last year was an exception. The Clipper can have him, bet he plays less than 40 games.
Should the Nuggets take on the risk of pursuing Shuan Livingston?
2 months ago
I dont see how you dont see where LK will fit. As far as western conference teams go the nuggets strongly lack depth. Just because he wont be a starter or a spotlight player doesnt mean he is not an asset to the nugs. And just cause JR resigned doesnt mean Carl will magically decide to start playing him the the whole game each game, he probably wont even start. And what if JR or Melo tweaks their ankle and has to sit a few games. LK is a pretty capable scorer to replace them. And I know you are in love with Dahntay Jones but come on, just cause he played good in summer leauge doesnt mean anything. LK has been playing pretty good for the past couple years in actual NBA games. There are over 80 games in the NBA regular season, 80 games! DEPTH is needed to survive that stretch and go into the playoffs strong. Livingston is someone to look into, but I dont know if the risk would be worth the reward.
from 2 months ago
I agree with some of your statements. Linas Kleiza is a valuable backup who is capable of providing solid starting minutes. But that is where our opinions differ.
The Nuggets are clearly trying to spend as little as possible, aiming for the next off-season or for the 2010 offseason to do major damage.
Kleiza's salary this year is $1.01 million. Do you honestly believe he will settle for minimum wage again?
The answer is no. There are a majority of NBA teams that lack a shooter like Kleiza, and will easily be willing to pay more than the 5.6 mid-level exception.
Especially, with new sensation of European teams gobbling up NBA players.
Another fun fact, Kleiza is Lithuanian and has Russian roots.
2 months ago
Denver fucked up when they traded camby for nothing. I think they're going to miss the playoffs and they also dont have consistant point guard play. For some reason george carl doesn't want to put AI at the 1 and have JR at the 2. I dont know why
2 months ago
I see what ur saying about them not resigning LK and agree that is a possibility. Your article made it sound like you were saying he would be released this season or traded for nothing which I dont think will happen. I can see LK and AI not getting resigned. To be honest I can see the nugs in a few years with Melo and JR the only remaining players from the current roster. I think they are going in that direction right now of doing a complete rebuild, which I dont think would be all that bad, as long as they do it right. This year could change all that though. If they kick but and win a playoff series everything changes. It will be a very interesting next few years.
2 months ago
shaun livingston
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