2011-2012 Finish: 39-27

Season Highlight

The Nuggets remain strong and make the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Yes, they got blown out in the second round four games to one by the Sacramento Kings, but not many NLL teams have been this good for such a consistently long period of time. GM Nick has a presence in this league and his consistent commitment, NBA-savvy and careful draft research should keep the Nuggets good for a long time to come.

Season Lowlight

The Dwight Howard circus. All season long rumors swirled that Howard has grown disenchanted with Nick’s inability to bring a title to the Mile High City and asked for a trade. This controversy bogged down the Nuggies early, giving them a rough start to the season. But when Nick traded away up-and-coming players Marcus Thronton and Jerryd Bayless for Manu Ginobili, did Howard thank him for making that extra push? Instead, he injured his back, limited himself to 45 games all season and sat out the playoffs.

Best Trade

The Denver Nuggets send Sebastian Telfair, Martell Webster and Aaron Gray to the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic send Larry Hughes, Jerryd Bayless and Trevor Booker to the Denver Nuggets.

Sure, the Manu deal brought in the bigger name player and the Ryan Anderson deal netted the team a great pick, but this deal yielded the biggest reward for giving up almost nothing. Webster was nothing but a salary albatross while Telfair and Gray are just marginal NLL players. This deal made the Manu deal happen as Bayless’ stock rose throughout the season and Booker is a great forward off the bench. A big win for the Nuggies here.

Worst Trade

The Denver Nuggets send Jerryd Bayless and Marcus Thornton to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Philadelphia 76ers send Manu Ginobili to the Denver Nuggets. The Philadelphia 76ers send a 2nd-Rounder (Atl) and 2nd-Rounder (Cha) to the Denver Nuggets.

This is the worst trade by default. Since all of Denver’s other trades this season are clear wins for GM Nick, this is the only one that included a little risk. Thornton looks like he will have a stellar NLL career ahead of him while Ginobili is on the decline. Still, Manu is a superstar two-way player, so calling this trade the “worst” is a little unfair. Also, Denver didn’t really give Thornton a chance, trading Carl Landry away for him just three months prior to this deal.

Other Notable Trades

The Denver Nuggets send Marvin Williams to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Minnesota Timberwolves send DeJuan Blair to the Denver Nuggets.

Another great deal for Nick, trading the constantly hurt and horribly overpaid Williams away for a cheap, young player who not only has a ton of potential, but can play in the starting lineup.

The Denver Nuggets send Hasheem Thabeet to the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send Samuel Dalembert to the Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets trade -23 GM points. The Washington Wizards receive 23 GM points.

Nick gives up the biggest bust in years and a handful of points for a starting center. Nice one!

Best FA Signing

Jamal Crawford- G – Nick lured Crawford away from the Thunder with promises of Dwight Howard and championship rings. Crawford did his part, dropping 18.7 ppg from off the bench in 27 mpg. Word has it that Crawford will be looking to play elsewhere next season, but for a championship run, this was a great signing!

Worst FA Signing

Sebastian Telfair- G- Once again, worst is relative. For some reason, teams keep taking a chance on Telfair but he will never be the player that GM Dunadan once cuddled and called “Bassy.” Telfair appeared in just seven games for Denver, seeing only 7 mpg. After the trade to Orlando, he was soon sent on to Charlotte. Marginal signing.

Star

Danny Granger- F – With all eyes on Howard, Granger was the forgotten star in Denver, but a true star he was, carrying the team into the second round of the playoffs. During the season, Granger averaged 22.2 ppg on 49% shooting, with 5.6 rpg. He continued his hot shooting in the playoffs, hitting 23.7 ppg in the two rounds Denver was active. He also hit 41% of his three-pointers!

Surprise

Kelenna Azubuike- G/F –We all thought Azubuike’s career was over following a devastating injury that forced him to miss two entire NLL seasons. GM Nick decided to give the swingman a chance signing him late in the season to a bottom-of-the-barrel deal. In return, Azubuike appeared in 21 games, starting in 13 where he scored 8.4 ppg on 48% shooting. Azubuike has a team option for next season, but the Nuggets have not indicated if they will bring him back or not.

Goat

Dwight Howard- C –Howard’s behavior this season pushes him into the Goat category, along with the back injury that forced him out of the playoffs. Without all the Howard drama (see above), the Nuggets would have probably finished better and gone farther in the playoffs. Not the type of thing you want to pay someone $20mil per season for.

Draft Report Card

The Nuggets walked away from the draft with five players. Nick got his man at pick 7 with Syracuse shooting guard Dion Waiters. The tenacious player will likely fill the void left by Crawford, backing up Ginobili and even starting in the inevitable weeks when the Argentinean guard is hurt. At pick 22, the Nuggets grabbed St. Bonaventure PF Andrew Nicholson. He is a strong presence inside, winning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. He can shoot too. Great pick up for a late first rounder

At pick 37, the Nuggets selected Missouri swingman Kim English. The guy can shoot but can we do much else? He will likely have some trouble getting run in Denver. At pick 40, Nick selected Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor. If he develops he is a two-way player, something the Nuggets sorely need. Finally, Nick picked Purdue forward Robbie Hummel at pick 53. He scared some teams off after suffering an ACL tear and missing a season, but in his final year at Purdue he averaged 16.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Not a bad haul for ol’ Barn Barn.

Looking to the Future

The Nuggets already have a sweet starting five in place next season with Howard, Blair, Granger, Ginobili and Harris returning. Rookies aside, Dalembert and Booker are really the only vets who can make a difference off the bench. Nick has expressed displeasure with Blair in the past and he’s in a contract year, so it’s likely that he may go.

The Nuggets will likely have to make some moves to remain competitive or go into luxury tax territory. If Waiters does turn out to be golden, Ginobili is a good candidate for a salary dump. It may also be time for Harris to leave town, but Nick doesn’t have another option who can start at the point. In all honesty, he should try to move to a team that needs a starting center, especially if he is looking to move salary. Don’t even get me going about Dwight Howard….

Upcoming Free Agents

Jamal Crawford has made it clear he will test free agency. Losing him will be a big blow to Denver’s bench and Nick simply cannot afford to re-sign him and bring in all his rookies as well. Look for Crawford in a new uniform in the fall. Morris Almond has signed with a Euro team and won’t be back. Ishmael Smith has expressed interest in returning and though he’s not good, he does provide the backup PG insurance that the Nuggets lack. Both Azubuike and Von Wafer have team options and it remains to be seen if Nick brings them back or not.