Denver Nuggets: An Exercise in Futility
Someone actually gave Nuggets guard Patrick Heckmann a three year contract
It's a brisk April morning in Denver, just cold enough to warrant a jacket but sunny enough to make one want to go for a walk. It's a nice day out, but General Manager Myles Nelson has no desire to leave the house. Playoff basketball is on TV, a first round match-up between the Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors. The Denver GM's former star Nik Stauskas is the second leading scorer for the Nets, and Nelson is hoping to see at least some success attributed to him on the basketball court. The broadcast focuses in on someone sitting in the crowd, and Nelson can't help but chuckle.Someone actually gave Nuggets guard Patrick Heckmann a three year contract
"How do guys like these keep finding their way into the league?" he muses, as the broadcast shows former Nets GM Billy King, a man with a checkered past as a general manager. There's rumors that Mark Cuban is unhappy with his new GM in Dallas, and King is supposed to have an interview for the spot. "He comes in with no vision, no thought process, and just accumulates 'talent' without any regard to fit. Or even more ironically, if the player is actually even still talented."
He may be speaking about the Nets here, but he might as well be talking about the Denver Nuggets as well. By all accounts, this team has the bleakest future of any CSL team. They have one promising young prospect. They have one draft pick (their own in 2019). And they have a smorgasbord of talented players that do not fit together whatsoever.
"Take every player he acquired on their own merit, and ignore the bigger picture for a second. He got Deron Williams, a three time All-Star who was considered the second best PG in the league for a short period of time. He got Joe Johnson, one of the best shot creators and a true iron man who could carry any offensive load. He got champions and super stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who were still talented players when he acquired them," Nelson continued, discussing the moves leading up to Brooklyn's demise. "Those guys were all really, really good basketball players!"
The same can be said here about the Nuggets. Josh Smith played pivotal roles on top contenders like Detroit and Chicago, and is still an efficient offensive big man with a strong defensive skill set. Nikola Vucevic is widely touted as a multi-skilled big man with great rebounding instincts. Rajon Rondo is what most people are looking for in a point guard: excellent play making and defense, including some pretty good steal numbers. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the top wing defender in the league, with a handful of other skills to boot. But together?
"The problem was, they couldn't play together for various reasons. Johnson, Williams and Pierce couldn't share the court because they all wanted the ball in their hands. Williams was hardly healthy. Garnett immediately became a shell of himself as soon as he got to Brooklyn." It's almost as if at this point he's entranced by these Nets, like the type of car crash you watch as it happens and can't look away from. "They were a very top heavy roster with no role players to fill the void, no draft picks to get any good young players, and no cap space to maneuver with. There was nowhere for them to go!"
Nelson doesn't say outright if he sees the parallel between the Nets and the Nuggets, but as he watches Stauskas sink a three to tie the game, he can't help but grin. "Look though, it's only been a few seasons since that disastrous trade, and look at them now. Why would anyone want to bring King back into the league? These Nets are doing so well in spite of his attempts otherwise. They could actually win something this year!"
The Nets would go on to lose Game 4 at home, and later on the series, but Nelson's point still stands. The Nets went from the bottom of the barrel, with no future to speak of, to a 50 win team and a true playoff contender in just a few short years since their horrific 2013-2014 season. Can Nelson do the same with the Nuggets?
2028
