2012 NBA Offseason: Denver Nuggets
Draft Grades, Offseason Needs, Free Agents
Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Denver Nuggets (Last Year: 38-28)
Live 2012 NBA Draft Grades:
20. Evan Fournier, G, France: D Grade
This is quite the reach for a guy whom I had projected as an early-second-round pick. Denver does have its core pretty much intact for next season, so they can stash Fournier overseas for a year or two. I would have much rather seen the Nuggets take somebody like Marquis Teague since Andre Miller is a free agent.
38. Quincy Miller, F, Baylor: Grade A
Miller must be kicking himself for coming out after his freshman year considering he would have been a top-10 prospect in the 2013 Draft. This is an outstanding value pick for the Nuggets as Miller could eventually become a steal. He certainly won't make an impact anytime soon though.
50. Izzet Turkyilmaz, F, Turkey: C Grade
I'm not at all surprised that Denver took another foreign guy. I don't know much about him, but he does have the sweetest name in the draft.
*** 2012 NBA Offseason Needs and Free Agents listed below this comment box. ***
2011-12 Season Summary:
Balance, balance, and more balance. That was the key for the Nuggets this past season as ten players who finished the season on the roster averaged at least eight points per game. Those numbers are a bit misleading since injuries limited the court time of several of those players. Regardless, it's a formula that George Karl has adopted in Denver since the franchise dealt Carmelo Anthony. Karl's system led the team to have one of the most potent offenses in the NBA and gain a respectable amount of success.
Leading the charge for the Nuggets was their backcourt of Ty Lawson and Aaron Afflalo. Both players made significant strides with their game, which helped offset the separate ankle and thumb injuries that sidelined Danilo Gallinari for 23 games. Almost as important for Denver was the leadership and experience that veteran ironman Andre Miller brought to the backcourt.
Newcomers Corey Brewer and Rudy Fernandez played important roles off the bench though Fernandez's season was cut short due to a back injury. Wilson Chandler was supposed to add even more depth after his stint playing professional ball in China during the strike, but his return to the NBA ended after just eight games because of a bum hip.
Perhaps the most surprising part of the Nuggets' season was the trading of veteran big man, Nene, who the team had just signed to a long-term extension last offseason. Dealing Nene to the Wizards for JaVale McGee brought a younger, more defensive-minded player, which was needed due to Chris Andersen's injury and off-the-court issues. Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufus added more size and depth inside, which most NBA teams always seem to covet.
After failing to immediately crack the rotation, rookie Kenneth Faried became a fan favorite due to his hustle and aggressive style of play (and quite honestly, emerged as one of my favorite rookies of this past season.) His energy and ability to crash the boards added a missing dimension from Denver's roster. Al Harrington had a nice bounce back season after a rough inaugural year in town and accepted his role as the top scoring threat off the bench.
2012-13 Projected Depth Chart:
C: Timofey Mozgov/*JaVale McGee/Kosta Koufus/Chris Andersen
PF: Kenneth Faried/Al Harrington
SF: Danilo Gallinari/Wilson Chandler/Jordan Hamilton
SG: Aaron Afflalo/Corey Brewer/*Rudy Fernandez
PG: Ty Lawson/Julyan Stone
NBA Free Agents:
PG-Andre Miller (UFA)
*C-JaVale McGee (RFA)
*SG-Rudy Fernandez (RFA)
2012-13 Team Salary: Approximately $48.1 million
NBA Offseason Needs:
1. Pay McGee?: While swapping Nene for McGee temporarily saved the Nuggets some money, that won't be the case this offseason since he is a restricted free agent and due for a significant pay raise. The question for Denver becomes how much is the team willing to pay to keep him around? It recently given long-term extensions to Gallinari, Afflalo, and Chandler. Plus, the team will have to pony up some cash for Ty Lawson in the near future since he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.
Denver does have the advantage of being able to match any offer McGee signs, but anything in the $10-$12 million per year range could be out of their price range.
2. Re-sign Miller: At 36 years old, Andre Miller isn't near as productive as he was a few years ago. However, his leadership and ability to distribute the basketball still make him a very valuable asset on a still rather youthful team. If Miller can land a starting job elsewhere though, he could once again be on his way out of the Mile High City.
3. 3-Point Shooter: While the Nuggets defended the three-point line better than any other team in the league, they struggled shooting it from distance, finishing 24th in the league in three-point percentage. Getting Gallinari healthy should help that number improve but Denver should still be proactive in looking to add a long-distance specialist off its bench, which would only make the Nuggets a more dangerous offensive team.
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 19
Charlie's 2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 16
2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 15
2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 3
NFL Picks - Feb. 3
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All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: wpc112@gmail.com
Denver Nuggets (Last Year: 38-28)
Live 2012 NBA Draft Grades:
20. Evan Fournier, G, France: D Grade
This is quite the reach for a guy whom I had projected as an early-second-round pick. Denver does have its core pretty much intact for next season, so they can stash Fournier overseas for a year or two. I would have much rather seen the Nuggets take somebody like Marquis Teague since Andre Miller is a free agent.
38. Quincy Miller, F, Baylor: Grade A
Miller must be kicking himself for coming out after his freshman year considering he would have been a top-10 prospect in the 2013 Draft. This is an outstanding value pick for the Nuggets as Miller could eventually become a steal. He certainly won't make an impact anytime soon though.
50. Izzet Turkyilmaz, F, Turkey: C Grade
I'm not at all surprised that Denver took another foreign guy. I don't know much about him, but he does have the sweetest name in the draft.
*** 2012 NBA Offseason Needs and Free Agents listed below this comment box. ***
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Fournier
04-28-2013
08:32 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.246
(total posts: 1)
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Evan is doing pretty great now. I find this D great to be hilarious.
Bill
01-21-2013
12:34 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.148
(total posts: 2)
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On draft day I agreed with your assessment...Having watched Fournier for awhile now, he is so far more advanced than Miller. Great court awareness and a sweet shot is developing...Miller looks completly lost...it'll take some time...
Ella
09-26-2011
06:21 am
xxx.xxx.xxx1.30
(total posts: 1)
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28
Essays like this are so important to broadening poeple's horizons.
Fitz
07-08-2011
08:23 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.230
(total posts: 1)
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28
I don't see any updates on the offseason needs for any on these teams. It's just a re-post of the draft grades
Bill
06-25-2011
12:23 am
xxx.xxx.xxx.148
(total posts: 2)
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27
Potentially two great role players that also fill needs. Love it, indeed.
Michael
06-24-2011
12:28 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.110
(total posts: 1)
27
27
How can you not love Faried at #22? He beat out Tim Duncan's rebounding record by over a hundred, he's a high energy dirty-work kind of player who love to block and steal, and he's an all around good guy. I'm shocked he fell to Denver. Hamilton, Miller, and the draft pick is icing on the cake.
mprofetta
06-24-2011
11:26 am
xxx.xxx.xxx.217
(total posts: 1)
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23
The Nuggets quietly had one of the best drafts.
Walter
06-21-2011
05:02 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx4.88
(total posts: 1)
26
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First comment... we're going to have comment boards like this all over the site soon. We're still working out the kinks, so this is not the finished product.
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2011-12 Season Summary:
Balance, balance, and more balance. That was the key for the Nuggets this past season as ten players who finished the season on the roster averaged at least eight points per game. Those numbers are a bit misleading since injuries limited the court time of several of those players. Regardless, it's a formula that George Karl has adopted in Denver since the franchise dealt Carmelo Anthony. Karl's system led the team to have one of the most potent offenses in the NBA and gain a respectable amount of success.
Leading the charge for the Nuggets was their backcourt of Ty Lawson and Aaron Afflalo. Both players made significant strides with their game, which helped offset the separate ankle and thumb injuries that sidelined Danilo Gallinari for 23 games. Almost as important for Denver was the leadership and experience that veteran ironman Andre Miller brought to the backcourt.
Newcomers Corey Brewer and Rudy Fernandez played important roles off the bench though Fernandez's season was cut short due to a back injury. Wilson Chandler was supposed to add even more depth after his stint playing professional ball in China during the strike, but his return to the NBA ended after just eight games because of a bum hip.
Perhaps the most surprising part of the Nuggets' season was the trading of veteran big man, Nene, who the team had just signed to a long-term extension last offseason. Dealing Nene to the Wizards for JaVale McGee brought a younger, more defensive-minded player, which was needed due to Chris Andersen's injury and off-the-court issues. Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufus added more size and depth inside, which most NBA teams always seem to covet.
After failing to immediately crack the rotation, rookie Kenneth Faried became a fan favorite due to his hustle and aggressive style of play (and quite honestly, emerged as one of my favorite rookies of this past season.) His energy and ability to crash the boards added a missing dimension from Denver's roster. Al Harrington had a nice bounce back season after a rough inaugural year in town and accepted his role as the top scoring threat off the bench.
2012-13 Projected Depth Chart:
C: Timofey Mozgov/*JaVale McGee/Kosta Koufus/Chris Andersen
PF: Kenneth Faried/Al Harrington
SF: Danilo Gallinari/Wilson Chandler/Jordan Hamilton
SG: Aaron Afflalo/Corey Brewer/*Rudy Fernandez
PG: Ty Lawson/Julyan Stone
NBA Free Agents:
PG-Andre Miller (UFA)
*C-JaVale McGee (RFA)
*SG-Rudy Fernandez (RFA)
2012-13 Team Salary: Approximately $48.1 million
NBA Offseason Needs:
1. Pay McGee?: While swapping Nene for McGee temporarily saved the Nuggets some money, that won't be the case this offseason since he is a restricted free agent and due for a significant pay raise. The question for Denver becomes how much is the team willing to pay to keep him around? It recently given long-term extensions to Gallinari, Afflalo, and Chandler. Plus, the team will have to pony up some cash for Ty Lawson in the near future since he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.
Denver does have the advantage of being able to match any offer McGee signs, but anything in the $10-$12 million per year range could be out of their price range.
2. Re-sign Miller: At 36 years old, Andre Miller isn't near as productive as he was a few years ago. However, his leadership and ability to distribute the basketball still make him a very valuable asset on a still rather youthful team. If Miller can land a starting job elsewhere though, he could once again be on his way out of the Mile High City.
3. 3-Point Shooter: While the Nuggets defended the three-point line better than any other team in the league, they struggled shooting it from distance, finishing 24th in the league in three-point percentage. Getting Gallinari healthy should help that number improve but Denver should still be proactive in looking to add a long-distance specialist off its bench, which would only make the Nuggets a more dangerous offensive team.
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 19
Charlie's 2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 16
2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 15
2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 3
NFL Picks - Feb. 3
© 1999-2011 Walter Cherepinsky : all rights reserved
Privacy Policy
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