Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets:

The Nuggets seem to float in mediocrity. They are never bad but never great. They are always solid. They have not been able to find their superstar after trading Carmelo Anthony but that is probably because they have been to good to get a good enough pick to land one. The Nuggets more than make up for their lack of a superstar with their amazing depth. Ty Lawson is the Nuggets best player and is a lighting bolt out of the point guard position. Lawson has quietly developed into a very good point guard and is probably the second most underrated behind Mike Conley. The shooting guard and small forward position might as well be one because the Nuggets have so many wingers and not enough minutes. Arron Afflalo might be the most underrated shooting guard in the league but the Nuggets drafted Gary Harris in the first round. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler will fight for minutes but who knows whether they can make it through a full season. The Nuggets drafted Jusuf Nurkic from Bosnia, a 6-11 center who has a lot of talent. The Nuggets are spending more than 20 million on the center position without a clear starter. Javale McGee has not worked out, JJ Hickson is not someone you want starting on your team and Timofey Mozgov has never been able to get consistent minutes as a starter. Mozgov is probably the best but he’s been involved in trade rumors so who knows where the Nuggets stand.

Question: Who will the Nuggets trade?

The Nuggets have so many pieces that it seems inevitable that they will move some at some point during the season. Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Arron Afflalo, Javale McGee, Mozgov and just about anyone else except for Lawson and Faried could be moved. There are so many rotation players that someone will end up being unhappy. 

X Factor: Kenneth Faried

Faried (above) will look to build on a great summer campaign with Team USA

If Lawson is the Nuggets best player, Faried is not far behind. The Manimal was tremendous last year and his value as an energy guy for Team USA increased tenfold. Faried signed a monster extension (4 year 50 million) which does not look as bad when considering the looming cap overhaul. Faried is one of the most fun players to watch but how will he do with teams scouting him as their second option? The defense will now plan around him, which might cause issues. His post game, while improved, is not to the level of other elite power forwards. If Faried wants to be more than a great rebounder with a lot of energy, he’ll need to refine his offense and sharpen his interior defense.

Best case: Faried and Lawson have great seasons and the Nuggets finally stay healthy. If everything goes well they have an outside chance at the playoffs.

Worst Case: Faried is just an energy guy and the Nuggets fail to stay healthy once again.

Bold prediction: The Nuggets trade one of Afflalo, Chandler or Gallinari. My bet is on Chandler.