State of the Organization: Denver Nuggets

State of the Organization: Denver Nuggets (8/10/2012)

* The Nuggets were a huge player in the Dwight Howard mega-deal. So lets go back through the rankings and see where they are now.

Players Lost: With the previous mention of not getting rid of Al Harrington no longer being relevant as Harrington was traded along with Afflalo to Orlando and a pick, the Nuggets have cleared up a lot of space. We will upgrade their previous score of 8, to an 8.5.
Players Lost Score: 8.5 out of 10

Players Added:We knocked the Nuggets for only picking up a potential talent in Anthony Randolph and some draft picks. The Nuggets now have a guy named Andre Iguodala. What he will do for this team is substantial. The Nuggets were too young, and they didn’t have great defense on the perimeter. Iggy is a veteran team leader and plays ferocious defense on the perimeter. He is also versatile, capable of playing the point, shooting guard and small forward positions.
Players Obtained Score: 8 out of 10 (Previously 5 out of 10)

Short-Term Outlook:The Nuggets should come into the season on the attack. They will have a balanced team with a new weapon in Iguodala. This team is going to be scary good if they all gel.
Short-Term Outlook Score: 8.5 out of 10

Long-Term Outlook
If Iguodala picks up his player option for 2013-2014, the Nuggets will be set for another few years. If not, they will have some flexibility to replace him. Either way, the Nuggets long-term outlook is looking pretty good with all of their youth.
Long-term Outlook Score: 9 out of 10

State of the Organization Score: 34 out of 40

State of the Organization: Denver Nuggets (8/09/2012)

Players Lost: Rudy Fernandez (FA Real Madrid), Chris Anderson (Amnestied)

Rudy Fernandez made another stop along his stunted NBA tour back to Spain as he now plays for Real Madrid, while talented; it was unlikely he was going to be a legit contributor for an NBA contender. The mercurial career of Birdman continues as the Nuggets used their valuable Amnesty Clause to pay Anderson to not play for them in order to give minutes to younger big men such as McGee, Randolph and Mosgov. Nuggets fans will have a mixed bag of memories for the Birdman. While the departure of these players will not affect the Nuggets, it is questionable that they did not Amnesty the severely over paid Al Harrington (21 mil, 3 years).
Players Lost Score: 8 of 10

Fournier is a talented French guard who is just 19 years old, not a bad pick for the 20^th spot considering he was thought of by many to be the top European talent in the draft. However, with Andre Miller, Carlos Arroyo, Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler all getting minutes on the wing ahead of him, it will be very difficult for him to make any sort of impact in the next year or two. Quincy Miller (who appears to have the most robust Wikipedia profile ever for a 38^th pick) appears to be destined for a predictable bench warming career as a tweener SF/PF without the size to post and haul in boards and without the touch to be a threat from the outside. Türkyılmaz is overseas and will not play in the NBA this season.

And last but certainly not least….Anthony Randolph. Despite bouncing around the league (and between the bench and the court) for five years, Randolph is only 23 and still is lauded for the great P word. However, Randolph must start delivering on that potential.  With Javale McGee in the pivot, the Nuggets are boasting the most athletic front court in the NBA, the problem is that neither of them know how to play the game of basketball. With the PF position in Denver being manned by sophomore Kenneth Faried who had a tremendous rookie season, an undersized Wilson Chandler and an aging and position-less Al Harrington, this may be Randolph’s greatest opportunity to assert himself, additionally, Coach George Karl may be the best coach that Randolph will get a chance to play under.  Ultimately though, it is hard to see how the Nuggets improved this off-season and whether adding another unreliable young player will have a cumulative effect on one another.
1-10 Players Obtained Score: 5 of 10

Short Term Outlook:

The Nuggets were first in points and assists last season and 29^th in points allowed last season. While essentially keeping the same team intact, the major x-factor will be whether or not McGee can increase the interior defensive presence for this team while finally putting a complete package of skills together. Carlos Arroyo must rebound from his disappointing 2011-2012 campaign and deliver on the contract he signed last off-season. Another major component will be the continued maturation of Gallinari, has he already reached his peak?

Overall, in a weakened Western Conference, the Nuggets will be in the running for a 5-6 seed again but will not be able to overtake the lethal Thunder for the Northwest Division lead. This team has a ton of talent and a nice blend of youth and veteran presence, however, their defense must improve while they maintain their offensive attack. Unfortunately for this squad, they simply do not have the players to go head-to-head with the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals—if they were to even make it that far.
1-10 Short Term Outlook Score: 8.5 of 10

Long Term Outlook:

With so much talent on the roster, mostly at reasonable rates, it is hard to feel bad about the long term prospects of the Nuggets. However, with the resigning of Javale McGee, the Nuggets are putting the bulk of their gambling money on one very talented but unreliable horse.
1-10 Long Term Outlook Score: 9.5

State of the Organization Index: 31 of 40