Most people have said that they arent that good since getting AI but I say its really too early to decide. If you look at the end of last season you can see that they were starting to get their chemistry going and Nene really broke out. Next season not only will Nene and Melo be better but they still have Kmart coming back who will help for their lack of scoring. I also think AI will mesh better with the team given time and could easily see them getting 55+ wins if they can get an additional guy who can shoot well and more importantly consistently.I think this season was just a bad year for Denver and full of injuries/suspensions but given time they will be better. Not many teams mesh well after a team changing trade like the AI deal last year. It could be hit or miss though, on paper they have the talent, it just depends how well they are coached. I dont doubt AI having enough steam left seeing as he averaged 26/7 last season which is very good and Melo was second in the entire NBA in scoring so he obviously has enough talent and is entering his early prime.
We ended the regular season last year on fire. Nene was doing great, AI and 'Melo were coming together, Steve Blake wasn't too shabby and Camby was Camby. I think with the addition of a shooter we could have a great season. I really hope we trade K-Mart for a pure shooter.
I think they will be much of the same as they were last year. AI and Camby will be another year older, and Melo just doesn't strike me as much of a team leader as Denver needs.
I just dont like this teams depth. You got almost each starter playing 40+ minutes a game, with little or no bench at all. Weve all seen, you cant win in the playoffs without depth. Their starting lineup is better than others, but their bench could be one of the weakest in the NBA.
I think its a bit uninformed to think the Nuggets will only float around .500 next year especially when most of their nucleus is in their prime and at the end of the season they were on fire. Next season they are going to be a great team, and if they hadnt had to play the spurs in the first round I think you would have seen much more from the AI-Melo duo. I wouldnt be surprised to see them as an elite team next season. Also Steve Blake,Nene,and Melo are all looking very good for next season as far as improving while Camby and AI are showing no signs of slowing down. Next season might finally be the year they breakout as a team.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (junit @ Jun 21 2007, 10:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Top 5 coming out of the West</div>I think thats a fair range for them. The only teams I think will be better then the Nuggets in the west are San Antonio, Dallas,Phoenix, and possibly Utah(although I think the Nuggets have a very good chance to be better than Utah)
The Nuggets were on a good streak towards the end of the season. Players were working together and showing determination for the playoffs. Now they will have a full season will AI/Melo duo so it should be intresting.Nene is another year older and another year back from his injury. I can see Utah or Houston getting in their way all battleing for 4th/5th seed.
I don't see this thread being much fun to post in once Serge sees this...Anyway, it is too early to tell. Denver has a lot of decisions to make. Will anybody take Martin off their hands? Are they still looking to move Camby, and if they do what will they get in return? @ill they be successful in picking up a first round pick in the draft, and if so, for whom? Also, will they re-sign Blake, let him walk, or deal him in a sign-and-trade?Too many question marks. But assuming their roster stays the same as it was when the season ended, I don't see them being too much better than last season. They might play better and have better chemistry after having a full training camp under their belt, but the fact that they are in the deep Western Conference doesn't really help them. I don't see them being any higher than a fifth seed next year.This team won't do any significant damage unless they put some solid defensive players around AI and Carmelo, and improve their bench production... and those two things will be difficult to accomplish given their payroll.
Can't wait for Serge's response....Hmm...well if Carmelo and Iverson can establish chemistry in the off-season then they do have atleast a shot at the 5th seed, but I see them getting the 6th seed next year. Marcus Camby is a great defensive force, and JR Smith is a good 3rd option shooter, but their bench isn't that loaded, and even with Marcus they are still a pretty bad defensive team. Iverson and Melo really need to create better chemistry for next season though...
#5/#6 seed in the West next year.They're looking at getting rid of Camby. Bad move. They should renegotiate his contract or something. Besides AI's hustle and sometimes Nene they don't have any defense on that team at all. They'll never be able to compete with the San Antonio/Dallas/Phoenix/Utah/Houston unless they add a defensive stopper in the backcourt or even the frontcourt.They could probably look into trading for Artest but I think they're trying to get rid of the bad image from the Knicks fight.
How come everyone forgot about Houston? Houston finished with a better record than Denver and now with the New staff, I wouldnt even consider counting them out of seeds 4-6, seeing as they did beat the Jazz last year. Its also way too early to tell. I mean what if the Lakers land KG, keep Kobe, trade Kobe, or land any other FA's? They could be contending for those spots next year if they make the right moves. Theres no point in making a thread about this even before the draft, 10 days from now, some teams could lose some superstar players here.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (playaofthegame @ Jun 22 2007, 08:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>#5/#6 seed in the West next year.They're looking at getting rid of Camby. Bad move. They should renegotiate his contract or something. Besides AI's hustle and sometimes Nene they don't have any defense on that team at all. They'll never be able to compete with the San Antonio/Dallas/Phoenix/Utah/Houston unless they add a defensive stopper in the backcourt or even the frontcourt.They could probably look into trading for Artest but I think they're trying to get rid of the bad image from the Knicks fight.</div>They were trying to trade for Artest, if I recall, but I don't remember who they were trying to move. I think it was a package involving either Kenyon Martin or Camby.I honestly think they need a guy like Artest, but the only problem with him is that he is almost clinically insane. If Artest had no personality or chemistry problems, he'd be the perfect player for that team, but I don't see it happening. Artest is a chemistry killer, and likes to have the ball in his hands... and that won't fly in Denver considering the offense is run through Carmelo. Artest would have to settle for being either the second or third option, and from what I've read he wants to be the first option for whatever team he is on...
I think Anthony will look at the fact that both Lebron and Wade have made the Finals, and he will feel like he has something to prove. I feel like Anthony is goign to come out with a bang and have a real good season. If this team can just stay healthy, they can be very good. They are a very balanced team.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigMo763 @ Jun 22 2007, 02:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>They were trying to trade for Artest, if I recall, but I don't remember who they were trying to move. I think it was a package involving either Kenyon Martin or Camby.I honestly think they need a guy like Artest, but the only problem with him is that he is almost clinically insane. If Artest had no personality or chemistry problems, he'd be the perfect player for that team, but I don't see it happening. Artest is a chemistry killer, and likes to have the ball in his hands... and that won't fly in Denver considering the offense is run through Carmelo. Artest would have to settle for being either the second or third option, and from what I've read he wants to be the first option for whatever team he is on...</div>I dont agree that Artest is a chemistry killer. If you look at his career wherever hes gone the team as a whole has played significantly better. Other than with the pacers he hasnt caused any major problems with nba teams either. He even got Sacramento to be a decent defensive team and led them to the playoffs and a hard-fought series against san antonio. I think most NBA fans just love to hate Artest because of the brawl but other than that he hasnt done anything to imply that he isnt a team player.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 22 2007, 01:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I dont agree that Artest is a chemistry killer. If you look at his career wherever hes gone the team as a whole has played significantly better. Other than with the pacers he hasnt caused any major problems with nba teams either. He even got Sacramento to be a decent defensive team and led them to the playoffs and a hard-fought series against san antonio. I think most NBA fans just love to hate Artest because of the brawl but other than that he hasnt done anything to imply that he isnt a team player.</div>I'm an Artest fan, and I disagree. He did help Sacramento when he first was traded there, but what happened last season? The off-court issues reappeared. He's only straight for a year, and then the distractions pop up again.And it isn't even the chemistry issue... the issue is that he already stated he wants to be a first-option on offense, and that isn't going to happen in Denver.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Jun 22 2007, 01:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I dont agree that Artest is a chemistry killer. If you look at his career wherever hes gone the team as a whole has played significantly better. Other than with the pacers he hasnt caused any major problems with nba teams either. He even got Sacramento to be a decent defensive team and led them to the playoffs and a hard-fought series against san antonio. I think most NBA fans just love to hate Artest because of the brawl but other than that he hasnt done anything to imply that he isnt a team player.</div>While Artest might help out your team defensively, he doesn't help out as much offensively, and is a chemistry killer on offense. If you look, the Sacramento Kings was consistently one of the top teams in the league in assists per game before Artest arrived. Now they are not even in the top half of the league in assists per game. In Indiana as he started to get a bigger role in the offense, their assists per game started to drop until it was one of the worst in the league. Artest does not help the flow of an offense, he likes to shoot the ball alot, and he does it early in the shot clock alot. As for the question, about how good Denver will be, it really depends on what happens in the offseason. If they bring back pretty much the same team, then they will be alot like this year, have a good regular season but not great. Anthony and Iverson will be able to push them through the regular season with their scoring, but come playoffs they won't do anything completely outstanding. They don't play good defense, their shooters are a little to inconsistent, and the big men are not dangerous enough offensively, to cause the opponents shot blockers to not be able to rotate to make shots harder on Iverson and Anthony. Anthony is not yet good at reading double teams or traps, and passing out of them, so when the help defense does roll over he has much harder shots because he isn't very good at passing away. So I really just see them doing the same as this year if nothing changes for the team over the offseason.
