by James Finneral
The Denver Nuggets are a team that constantly puts up a decent season and has a chance to make the playoffs. Last year though the Nuggets dropped off a bit after losing shooting guard Arron Afflalo and were the 11th place team in the Western Conference. This season could be a different story because Denver has some new additions and a lot of fire power.
The biggest move of this offseason for Denver was getting back their former star shooting guard Arron Afflalo. Afflalo had a breakout year last year proving that he is a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end. Afflalo averaged 18 points a night and will be a great compliment to point guard Ty Lawson. The Nuggets have another shooting guard coming in this year, but this one is via the NBA Draft. The Nuggets got away with robbery by drafting Michigan State shooting guard Gary Harris at the 19th overall pick. Harris is a great shooter who can also drive to the basket. The most impressive thing about Harris is his basketball IQ. Harris always knows where he is supposed to be on the court which is essential for getting him open looks. He will have to play under Afflalo's wing for the first couple of years, but Harris could definitely develop into a big time shooting guard in the NBA.
The Nuggets also have some very quality returning players for this season. This roster is athletic as any team's in the league and that starts with their floor general, Ty Lawson. Lawson came into the NBA after a nice college career at UNC that included a national championship. He has been steadily improving ever since until last year when he had his true breakout season. Lawson proved to be a two dimensional point guard averaging 17 points and nearly 9 assists per game. If Lawson can keep up his production then Denver will have an elite back-court. Denver is a mini version of lob city when Lawson is paired with Keneth Faried. Faried is actually a manimal and will fight for any rebound and loose ball. He is one of the most athletic power forwards in the game who can rise up for big time alley-oop finishes. Faried posted some quality performances for team USA in the FIBA World Cup and should be an essential piece to this Nuggets team. This duo is going to cause some major havoc this year and lead this team to success.
We also cannot forget about some of the missing pieces for Denver last year. Nuggets small forward, Danilo Gallinari missed last season after undergoing knee surgery. The year before his injury, Gallinari was one of the team's best players and actually one of the better scorers around the league. Gallinari is a pretty good perimeter player, but he is even better from mid-range. He says he is feeling great and if he can return, it will help out the Nuggets immensely. Big man JaVale McGee is also expected to return for Denver this year. Known for his excellent showing in the 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, McGee is also an excellent rebounder and rim protector. At 7'0" McGee is a large presence in the post and that was a piece the Nuggets were missing last year. With Gallinari and McGee coming back, the Nuggets will be sharper on the offensive and defensive side of the basketball.
Expect the Nuggets to make big steps this year and be a border line playoff team. They have no real weakness inside their starting lineup and their bench is nothing to scoff at either. This is a team that is being overlooked by many people and that probably motivates them more to succeed. The Nuggets will have a bounce back year and begin looking like the former team that had Carmelo Anthony.
Potential Starting Lineup:
PG: Ty Lawson
SG: Arron Afflalo
SF: Danilo Gallinari
PF: Kenneth Faried
C: JaVale McGee
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