Denver Nuggets preview by Nick Scalfani AKA The Nugg Doctor
1. What can the Nuggets learn from the 2006-07 season to help them improve their 2007-08 campaign?
The Denver Nuggets need to take three things from the 2006-07 season and apply what was learned from their experiences to improve in 2007-08. First area of improvement has to be in maturity with the best educational incident being, "The Little Grapple in the Big Apple." Carmelo Anthony gets suspended for 15 games, J.R. Smith for ten, and a few others get slapped on the wrist by David Stern as well and the depleted roster put Denver in a struggle to stay in the playoff picture. If the Nuggets can stay clear of all like incidents this year and keep everyone on their roster available they will almost certainly improve their overall win total this season and perhaps improve their playoff seeding.
The next point of emphasis has to be the Nuggets defense. Last year the Nuggets finished as the NBA’s 26th worst team in points allowed by giving up 103.7 points per game to the opposition. And this is solely the result of the Nuggets lack of consistent commitment on the defensive end. Allen Iverson is a ball hawk, Nene and Kenyon Martin are both strong low post defenders, and who can forget about the reigning defensive player of the year, Marcus Camby? So, the problem isn’t that the Nuggets CAN’T play defense, but rather they often times don’t realize that they AREN’T playing any defense. If they can come with a more committed emphasis on playing D, the Nuggets could be a scary opponent for any team in the league.
The third thing to remember from the 2006-07 season is the cohesion that this team experienced in their final thirty games. The Nuggets were an impressive 19-11 in their last 30 contests due to player chemistry improving and the formation of a team identity. Remember, the Nuggets were a team in metamorphosis last season between the suspensions, players sustaining injuries and returning from them, trades, and other off-the-court incidents and it wasn’t until the last 30 games that I believe the major contributors all started to mesh well. With the memory of that late forming cohesion, plus everyone in attendance for a full training camp, I think the Nuggets are going to really surprise some people this upcoming season.
2. What was the Nuggets' best and/or worst move during the off-season, either by free agency, trade, or draft?
The best offseason move the Nuggets pulled off was signing Chucky Atkins. The Nuggets needed a veteran point guard who was clear in his role with the team and capable of fulfilling that role well and I believe that Atkins can do both. The Nuggets needed a player who can extend the opposition’s defense out to the three-point arch because that will open up the lane for the slashing duo of Anthony and Iverson and also alleviate some of the double-teams from the post players. Chucky is a career 37% three-point shooter and teams are going to have to respect that when thinking about gambling on sending a double team towards any of the Nuggets potent scoring options.
3. Who is the Most Important Player on the Nuggets? The MIP is not necessarily the most talented, but the one that makes the biggest difference in his TEAM doing well each game.
For the Nuggets it isn’t who the most important player is, but rather the most important position. Denver’s biggest question mark this season is at power forward. Nene had a tremendous finish in last season’s final month of games, but he is once again entering training camp coming off an injured calf sustained while playing for Brazil in the FIBA Americas Games. On the other hand, Kenyon Martin is trying to be one of the first players ever to come back from microfracture surgery on both knees and his immediate impact is also going to be intriguing. Both men have a chance to start early in the year, but it will be who emerges, or should I say reemerges, as the clear-cut guy that rounds out an otherwise rock solid starting five.
4. What needs to go right for the Nuggets to succeed this coming season?
My biggest three things needed by the Nuggets to succeed are staying clear of the injury bug, Carmelo and AI both averaging better than 25 points per game, and for one of the role players, (I.E. Linas Kleiza, J.R. Smith, Nene, or Kenyon Martin) to have a breakout year. Or in the case of former All-Star Kenyon Martin, a second coming.
5. Who are the contenders for the NBA Championship and who do you see taking the title?
Out of the West, the three main contenders are the Phoenix Suns, Nuggets, and the current NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. From the East, I see the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic all competing, but while I’m reluctant to pick a champ, I will say the Larry O’Brian trophy will stay out West for at least another year!
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