Quiet Trade Deadline for the Denver Nuggets?

February 18, 2010
by Jeremy

With the trade deadline just over 12 hours away, it seems to be highly unlikely that the Denver Nuggets make a move. The only players they have been rumored to be interested in are Tyrus Thomas and Ben Wallace. I thought Wallace was a logical option for Denver as he has a small expiring contract and might be interested in playing for a team that doesn’t suck. The problem with Wallace is he is not an ideal defender for the Lakers’ long front line, but he could certainly help the Nuggets hang on to the second seed.

I never understood the Tyrus Thomas rumors although I have repeatedly read the Nuggets have inquired about him. The only way Denver could send the Bulls enough expiring contracts to match Thomas’ $4,743,598 contract is if Johan Petro and Anthony Carter approve of the trade. In addition to that roadblock Denver would have to part with not only Petro, but Malik Allen too leaving them with only four bigs and Thomas is not much of a banger. If the Bulls were interested in taking Renaldo Balkman back instead of an expiring contract, it would make such a trade more palatable for Denver, but all this is under the assumption that the Bulls would be willing to part with a player they drafted fourth just three years ago for expiring contracts and Balkman. As we have pointed out before, Denver has very little else to offer with the Grizzlies already owning Denver’s 2010 first rounder and the only other tradable asset being the rights to Linas Kleiza.

The only other way the Nuggets could acquire Thomas from the Bulls would be part of a larger deal where they take on an undesirable contract from Chicago, but the Nuggets are not likely to be in the business of adding long term salary with the contracts they already have on the books for next season and furthermore, agreeing to accept more than Thomas would require the Nuggets parting with one of their key rotation players. It just is not worth it.

Denver does have one ace up their sleeve, a $3.696 million trade exception, one of the largest current trade exceptions in the league, thanks to the trade that sent Steven Hunter to Memphis.  It could prove useful in acquiring Ben Wallace, but do not look for Denver to offer anyone salary relief as that does not jive with their budget conscious philosophy.  Still, if the right offer comes along, it is a nice arrow to have in the quiver.

The one developing situation to keep an eye on is whether or not Drew Gooden will be bought out by the Los Angeles Clippers. There are currently conflicting Twitter reports regarding Gooden’s future with the Clips. David Aldridge is saying he is staying in L.A. while Adrian Wojnarowski is saying he is on his way to a buy out. I am not sure if the Nuggets would have any interest in Gooden if he were a free agent, but I am certain Denver will be a destination of choice for any big men who are bought out following the trade deadline.

Some have wondered if the announcement from yesterday regarding Coach Karl would make the Nuggets more or less likely to make a move. I firmly believe it plays no role in what the Nuggets do tomorrow and beyond. If they have a chance to make a move or signing to improve the roster without compromising their budget, they will pull the trigger.

I find it unlikely that trigger is pulled tomorrow, but keep an eye on the TrueHoop Trade Reports page for all the latest news.

Posted on February 18, 2010 at 12:47 am | filed in Analysis, News, Rumors | Tags: , — No Comments

Draft Day Rumors

June 25, 2009
by Jeremy

Andy Katz is reporting that the New York Knicks have purchased pick 29 from the Los Angeles Lakers for $3 million and will be selecting a guard, possibly James McClinton from Miami.  He also says that the Cleveland Cavaliers at 30 will be hoping one of the top point guards falls to them.  Those are two more teams who may snatch up point guards that would be good fits for Denver.

On the other hand Katz claims that Minnesota is hoping a specific player with pick number 18 and the two players he mentions are Earl Clark of Louisville and James Johnson of Wake Forest.  If they player they want is gone they will trade the pick.  Both Clark and Johnson are expected to be gone before that point in the draft.  If Minnesota is looking to move that pick, it could be a possibility for Denver to jump up and nab a point guard or draft DeJuan Blair.

Posted on June 25, 2009 at 12:02 pm | filed in Rumors | Tags: , — No Comments

Denver Nuggets 2009 NBA Draft Preview

June 25, 2009
by Jeremy

As exciting as it is to have your team in the NBA Draft Lottery with a decent shot at landing the first pick and watching them make a selection in the top five or six picks of the draft, I sure hope to get used to having the Denver Nuggets picking late in the first round.

As I am sure you all know by now Denver does not have a first round pick in the 2009 draft. They dealt what would have been the 26th pick in the draft as part of the Atkins for Petro deal, but they also received the Thunder’s second round pick, number 34, which is where they currently stand.

It is pretty clear that the Nuggets have two areas that are in need of an upgrade. One is finding a backup point guard who can fill in for Chauncey. Most Nugget fans have had a love/hate relationship with Carter, but the truth is he has been one of the more solid back up lead guards in the NBA. When you factor in his minimal salary he quite honestly has been a Godsend. However, Carter just turned 34 and you have to be concerned about him showing up to training camp having lost a step or two.

This draft is full of point guards from top to bottom and there may be a decent point man or two who go undrafted. The two mock drafts I trust the most, Chad Ford’s at ESPN.com (subscription required for picks 6-60) and DraftExpress.com, have all of those players being selected by pick 24. That is not to say someone will not fall, but if Denver wants to get a point with a decent chance of succeeding, they will probably have to move up.

I think if one of the point guards they want drops into the mid to late twenties there is a good chance the Nuggets make a deal to trade up. So the big question is what players are we talking about?

If Denver jumps up a few picks players like Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague or Darren Collison could be the target. Maynor is a senior out of Virginia Commonwealth University who has made a name for himself thanks to a couple of nice moments in March Madness. In 2006-07 Maynor made a name for himself when he picked the George Mason point guard clean on back to back plays scoring five points all by himself in seconds to tie their conference championship game at 57. VCU went on to win the game (I think Maynor had 11 points in the final two minutes) and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Maynor hit the game winning shot to knock Duke out, which may have been one of the happiest moments of my life. See all three plays starting at 2:17 of this video.

VCU missed the NCAA Tournament the following year, but came back in 2009 and fell one point short of upsetting UCLA. Maynor is a point guard through and through. He has a slight build, but can play defense and he knows how to run a team. He has been tagged to go to Philadelphia for weeks now by both ESPN and DraftExpress, but if Philly does something else or if one of the higher rated point men drops to them Maynor may be available for Denver in a spot where they could possibly trade up.

Jeff Teague a sophomore from Wake Forrest, but he is more of a scoring point guard. He is a very good three point shooter converting 39.5% as a freshman and 44.1% as a sophomore. He has tremendous quickness and Chad Ford compares him to Devin Harris. The bad news is Teague averaged roughly one turnover per assist, which is not what you want out of your point guard. His defense is a big question mark as well.

Collison was a decent college point guard and if Denver is not able to move up to get Maynor, Teague or another top rated point, the Nuggets may have to take him. He has tremendous quickness and Ford has compared him to Aaron Brooks who drove the Lakers crazy in the playoffs. I have seen Collison play on several occasions and have never been blown away by him, but to be fair the past couple of season he has shared the backcourt with a couple of lottery picks in Russell Westbrook and Jrue Holliday so his getting overshadowed is understandable. He is a good defender, but is small even compared to skinny players like Maynor and Teague.

Another name that keeps popping up around the Nuggets’ pick is Patrick Mills. Mills is an Australian who played at Saint Mary’s. He made a name for himself in the Olympics when his quickness was too much for the United States’ guards to handle. He can get in the lane at will, but he is not a very good shooter and he needs to ball in his hands to be effective. He is another player that was helped by Brooks’ performance against the Lakers. However, he is not the shooter that Brooks is and he lacks the finishing prowess of a Tony Parker when he gets in the lane. I would not be upset if the Nuggets plucked him at 34, but I see him as more of a taller Earl Boykins than a Chauncey Billups.

If the Nuggets are really feeling gutsy there is a possibility they trade away the Charlotte Bobcats’ first round pick they own along with pick 34 to jump way up to try and draft Ty Lawson or one of the other highly ranked point men who might be available in the early teens. I think that is a distinct possibility, but that Bobcats pick is a lottery ticket. As with any lottery ticket it may be worthless, but the chances it might pay off big makes it difficult to give up.

The other obvious area of need for Denver is their big man depth. Unlike the point guards that may be available, there are no big men who get me excited. DeMare Carroll of Missouri has been linked to the Nuggets, but with him I see a player who at best is Renaldo Balkman with a better jumper, and it is not just because of the hair. I realize the knock on Balkman is he cannot shoot, but if Denver is going to draft a power forward he needs to be a bigger power forward, not a small quick one in the mold of Carroll and Balkman.

Taj Gibson of USC is another big that is mentioned in the late first and early second round. He is taller and more explosive than Carroll, but he is very lean and I am not sure he will be able to rebound consistently in the NBA. He did pull down 9.0 a game last season at USC and rebounding is a skill that translates very well from college to the pros.

Derrick Brown from Xavier is a very good shooter and is athletic, but is not a real banger and as with Gibson I am worried about his rebounding. He only averaged 6.1 boards a game last season.

Chad Ford actually has the Nuggets drafting Jeff Pendergraph of Arizona State. Pendergraph is one of few big men with any beef projected to go in the second round, but he is still listed just an inch taller than Kenyon Martin at 6’10” and he weighs the same as Kenyon at 240. Quite honestly, I may have seen Pendergraph play, but if I did, I sure do not remember it. Based on his profile he would appear to be more of an offensive player than a defensive one. Offense on the block is nice, but not if it is not backed up with good defense and the ability to rebound.

Typically I would never lock in on a single position, but the Nuggets need for a young back up point guard and the plethora of such players available makes it safe to lock in on that position. The only way I would rather see Denver draft a big man instead of a point tonight is if someone like DeJuan Blair falls into the mid twenties and Denver is able to jump up and grab him. Other than that, I have no desire to see Denver draft a big just to add depth. I would much rather see them bring in a guy like James Mays who was in cap last year than take a flier on a someone they hope can play.

Denver is always unpredictable. They have made quite a few moves over the previous few years either leading up to the draft or on draft day itself. We also never know who they like and who they do not. Last year they claimed to have Sonny Weems in the top ten of their draft board so who knows what player they really like who will be sitting there at 34. Of course, if there is no one they like they will probably trade out of the draft and move on.

Quite honestly no one knows what will happen tonight and that is why the draft is so much fun.

Update: Andrew at Denver Stiffs is on board with the idea of Mills at 34 as is Brian at Nugg Love.

Posted on June 25, 2009 at 10:43 am | filed in Analysis, Rumors | Tags: , , — 2 Comments