But he is in fact making progress, and many around the league – including Shaq – are starting to take notice that there’s more to JaVale than just being the NBA’s court jester.

Which is not to say he’s all the way there yet. He continues to be mistake-prone at times. There remains plenty of room for improvement with his fundamentals, and with harnessing his raw, too often unfocused talent into a more controlled style of play with better decision making.

This was all too clear at the beginning of the 2012-13 season. Although McGee had for the most part eliminated the cartoonishly buffoonish mistakes that earned him infamy in Washington, he was still playing out of control much of the time. He had yet to get any sort of handle on the post moves he had studied under Hakeem Olajuwon’s tutelage the previous summer. And on defense, he often got caught out of position, easily duped by head or pump fakes, and seemingly confused in general.

Over the course of the season, however, JaVale has been on a course of measured but steady improvement in these areas. He has learned to show restraint more often in his post play decision making. He still bites on fakes too frequently, but he is doing a better job of keeping his feet on the ground than ever before. And he seems to have expanded his defensive awareness beyond the narrow channel of just swatting at everything that moves to actually manning up on his assignment more often, and being more communicative on defense with his teammates.

On Feb. 25 versus the Los Angeles Lakers, McGee played what arguably was his best defensive game of the season – if not his career. It stood out as a signpost marking the progress he has made on improving his defense. And despite the fact that Dwight Howard’s performance has dropped off considerably this season, it was encouraging to see McGee take it straight to him defensively, and get the better of him more often than might be expected.

In the Roundball Mining Company Film Room today, we take a look at most of McGee’s defensive plays from that game. Some are more in the mold of “traditional JaVale” – opportunistically blocking a shot. One is an error, included for balance, that shows that he still has a tendency to get tricked into jumping sometimes. But many of these plays feature some very sound, heady, and even gritty defensive moves that could seldom be seen before this year.

So the larger point is that if we were to cut clips from McGee’s best defensive game from last November, or last season, it would have been impossible to compile a video such as this one with so many good plays. He is inconsistent, and there have been (and will continue to be) many bumps on the road as he works to improve. But as many Nuggets have have already noticed, and we will see here, he is, in fact, getting better.

Analysis of each clip follows the video.

Clip 1 – McGee does a good job of getting back in transition quickly on this play, and gets himself in a good position to swat the ball away, creating a fast break opportunity for Denver the other way. JaVale often gets a lot of heat for some of his weaknesses such as failing to block out well enough, jumping on fakes and the like. And that criticism is merited. But it should likewise be recognized that one thing he does right defensively with consistency is running the floor to get back in transition. This not only helps prevent easy baskets by their opponents, it also creates a lot of fast break opportunities for Denver.

Clip 2 – This one is fairly self explanatory. Classic JaVale going for the block as the help defender, leading to more fast break points for the Nuggets.

Clip 3 – McGee gets switched onto Steve Blake. He tries to stay with him, but Blake has the quickness to drive past towards the basket. The key thing about this play is that JaVale doesn’t give up on it, instead staying with the play to challenge it at the rim. The goaltending call seems questionable at best to me. I will leave it to you to decide whether it was a legal block or not. But the takeaway here, in my opinion, is that chasing down the play like that is a positive, even if in this case the result didn’t go Denver’s way.

Clip 4 – Somewhat of the traditional JaVale here as well, but what I really like about this play is his vision and awareness. It’s pretty clear that from the moment Antawn Jamison receives the ball, McGee correctly reads exactly how the play is about to unfold, and immediately heads to the basket to put an end to it.

Clip 5 – Another questionable goaltend call dumps some cold water on what otherwise was a very solid play by McGee. Once again he gets back quickly in transition, and gets himself positioned in front of Jamison to challenge the shot at the rim. And once again the result was a negative for the Nuggets (though it’s doubtful it should have been), but JaVale’s running and positioning, like how he stayed with the play in Clip 3, are positives in terms of his development as a defender. These are all good defensive habits for him to cultivate and establish consistently.

Clip 6 – McGee is improving, but we’re not out of the woods yet. He’s still sometimes too eager to go for the big play instead of the more fundamentally sound play, and when he gets caught up in the action, he can be a bit too excitable. I included this clip for balance, to show that he still has a ways to go. But what’s important to remember is that it was not too long ago when most of JaVale’s games would feature many more of these.

Clip 7 – This play is essentially the opposite of Clip 6. McGee does everything right here even though Kobe Bryant clearly has the advantage when he gets switched onto him. Kobe attempts to drive by, but JaVale does a good job of staying in front of him. Not only that, he trusts his help defenders in Corey Brewer to keep Kobe pinned in the lane, and in Jordan Hamilton to get his back at the rim. He stays on his feet and shows some great patience in waiting for the perfect opportunity to time his block correctly. It is still somewhat rare to see McGee playing with this kind of defensive maturity and completeness. But the fact that he has demonstrated the ability to do it, and that it’s happening more often, is great news for his development.

Clip 8 – I’m not sure that the way JaVale positions himself in this play is something I’d want to see him do too much when he’s covering a player like Dwight, and I’m really sure it’s something I’d never like to see from shorter frontcourt players like Kenneth Faried. More often than not, it would be preferable to position himself inside, attempting to deny Howard position near the rim, and defending him straight up (as he does in Clip 9). But this is one of those situations where McGee’s freakish length and athleticism come into play. Against a lot of players in the league, if Dwight had the inside position so close to the basket as he does here, Steve Nash would likely take the opportunity to lob it over the defender for an easy alley-oop. With JaVale defending him, however, that’s not really an option, and Nash attempts a very un-Nash-like soft entry pass instead, and McGee is easily able to swat it away. A play like this is a good sign that McGee is developing better awareness of how to use his physical attributes in smarter ways to expand his defensive skill set.

Clip 9 – This is the JaVale McGee Nuggets fans should dream of seeing more regularly in the not-too-distant future. Controlled. Patient. Tough. Staying on his feet, and keeping Dwight away from the rim. Mentally ready to go for the block, but letting the chance come to him rather than forcing the issue. Just a beautiful, perfectly executed defensive play from start to finish.

The more we see of what McGee is truly capable of, the more frustrating it will become when he doesn’t deliver. So much of what makes or breaks the quality of his defensive play seems to be about mental focus. The effort is nearly always there; that’s not a problem.

It is difficult to unlearn bad habits, and when the Nuggets coaching staff took on the challenge of undoing the nearly four years of damage that was done to McGee’s game in Washington, and setting him on a course for better fundamentals and a more controlled, well-rounded style of play, nobody should have expected things to get better overnight.

And it has taken – is taking – some time. But if JaVale’s pace of development continues as it has this season, or perhaps even accelerates as he becomes more comfortable with his new, better habits and more disabused of his bad, old ones, then it will be huge for the Nuggets.

“Dominant” is not a word often used to describe JaVale McGee, but if he can find his way to defending at the higher level he has shown himself to be capable of, that may well change in the future. And if that happens, the Nuggets will be one step closer to reaching that next tier and becoming a legitimate contender.

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To get a better informed insight about what to expect from the Lakers, Roundball Mining Company has exchanged questions and answers with Andy Kamenetzky (follow the Kamenetzky Brothers here on twitter) of the ESPN Los Angeles Lakers Index. If you’d like to see my replies to Andy’s questions, you can read them here. And without further ado, the following are his answers to our questions about the Lakers.

1. Nobody would have predicted, even taking Steve Nash’s injury into acount, that after acquiring Dwight Howard the Lakers would have a losing record 15 games into the season. Is this slow start something that will shake itself out after they adjust to Mike D’Antoni’s system, or do the problems run deeper than that?

Andy Kamenetzky: A little of both, I think. There’s no question the Lakers have flaws. The starting five is out of a video game, but is collectively old and in the case of Nash and Howard, dealing with the effects of recent injuries. The bench hasn’t rounded into reliable form. It wouldn’t kill them to add another shooter. But there’s also no question these struggles are also due in rather sizable part to the early season chaos (training camp injuries, the coaching carousel), a myriad of new faces, and Nash’s absence. It’s been extremely difficult for the Lakers to consistently form a cohesive unit on either side of the ball. Obviously, they’re not the first team in NBA history to deal with injuries and/or drama. There’s an onus on the Lakers to figure it out as best they can with the cards they’ve been dealt. Still, I figured it would take this process would take a couple of months under the best possible circumstances, and these have flirted with “worst possible” status.

2. Pau Gasol took a lot of heat after his performance in the Lakers’ loss to the Pacers, but D’Antoni came to his defense saying ” he’s a big part of what [the Lakers are] going to do.” How realistic is the prospect that he’ll be able to run in D’Antoni’s system and establish good chemistry with Dwight?

Andy Kamenetzky: I think it’s possible. Gasol isn’t a Utopian fit for D’Antoni — the coach has admitted as much — but we’re talking about one of the most creative offensive minds in basketball joining forces with one of the most multi-skilled players of his generation. I’d like to think the two can develop a positive, productive working relationship. I’ve often wondered if the template might be Boris Diaw’s role in Phoenix: A play-making big man who can create for others, work mismatches off the dribble, run the break off a rebound, etc. It’s not a true apples-to-apples comparison, as Diaw is a better outside shooter and was younger, but I do think there are legitimate commonalities. Plus, Howard is mobile enough to begin sequences in the high post, which will allow Gasol to at least begin some possessions in the mid or low post.

Then again, it’s not a perfect setup, which means Pau bears the responsibility to aggressively seek out a comfort zone, rather than wait for his coach to create it for him. Unfortunately, that kind of assertiveness isn’t Gasol’s strong suit. There’s also always a chance that with Kobe, Howard and eventually Nash alongside him, Pau simply won’t be given enough to do to truly flourish. But for the time being, I’m remaining positive that time, plus Nash’s presence, will eventually create a niche for Pau.

3. After landing  three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, the Lakers are surprisingly just 18th in defensive efficiency. What do they need to do to improve defensively in general, and what approach should we expect to see them taking in defending the Nuggets in this game?

Andy Kamenetzky: Mostly, cohesion. It’s been a nutty two months, which has impeded the team’s ability to get on the same page defensively. This problem is only heightened by Dwight remaining a step or two slow. By his own admission, Howard’s not fully recovered from the back surgery, which prevents him from being the ultimate last line of defense we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. In the latest loss to Indiana, George Hill floated a game-winner off the backboard over Howard, who’d arrived a hair late to either successfully alter the shot or block it. Before the back injury, I’d have bet the house on Howard in that situation. He’s slowly rounding into form, but not yet “Dwight Howard” as we’ve come to know him.

As for the strategy against Denver, I think the first key is containing Ty Lawson as much as possible, which begins with the defense on ball (Darius Morris or Chris Duhon, unless D’Antoni opts for a defensive cross-match involving Kobe or Metta World Peace over stretches) and ends with Gasol and Howard protecting the rim against inevitable penetration from the speedster. The Lakers will also need to be diligent about getting back in transition, especially as a team that now looks to increase tempo. From there, I think it’s all about keeping Denver, and in particular, Kenneth Faried off the glass to prevent garbage buckets and second chance opportunities. JaVale McGee and Kosta Koufos are no slouches on the offensive glass, but Faried is just plain ridiculous (and very entertaining to watch play.) Gasol has struggled at times to keep a body on the Manimal, but needs to find a way to prevent the kid from running roughshod in the paint.

4. Steve Nash’s injury has obviously been a major disappointment and setback for the Lakers after assembling their four future Hall of Famers lineup. How big of an impact will he have in improving the team once he returns from injury?

Andy Kamenetzky: Assuming there aren’t any noticeable effects from the injury, I think Nash will have a pretty big impact. He knows D’Antoni’s system as well as the coach, and no player has ever run it more successfully. With Nash in the fold, the Lakers gain a true floor general, an outside shooting threat, and a player with an unbelievable ability to find teammates in the right spot in the right time. That can only help matters. He’s obviously not a magic bullet, and work will remain at hand after his return. Everyone, Nash included, will have to adjust for the umpeenth time this season. But I do think Nash can make a serious difference. Remember, he was imported from Phoenix well before D’Antoni was in the picture. There were holes to fix, regardless of the coach, and Nash theoretically addresses a lot of those gaps.

5. It seems that many in Lakers Nation are calling for a Gasol trade. But even if — contrary to D’Antoni’s statement — the Lakers did decide to put him on the block, could they get enough talent back in return that on the balance it would improve the team’s chances for a championship?

Andy Kamenetzky: Maybe. Even if Gasol’s trade value has plummeted to the point where he won’t fetch a player close to his caliber of talent — and unless Pau picks up his play, I suspect that will be the case — it’s debatable whether the Lakers even need another A-Lister. One could reasonably argue “Star Player X” swapped for Pau would in turn find himself similarly lacking opportunities, and therefore would be an equally uncomfortable fit. Thus, two or three role players (at least one of which can shoot) to bolster the bench and add depth might actually benefit the Lakers in a more tangible way. And that may be a realistic haul for Pau, even during a down season. The guy’s still a very good player, and we’re not far removed from the London games where he flourished as “el hombre” for Spain.

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Update:  Check out the 5-on-5 previewing the game on ESPN.com.

Leadership is getting players to believe in you. If you tell a teammate you’re ready to play as tough as you’re able to, you’d better go out there and do it… Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It’s being able to take it as well as dish it out. That’s the only way you’re going to get respect from the players.

–Larry Bird

So many games come down to who’s going to make plays. Who’s the guy who’s going to take that responsibility. So the leaders of this team are going to be the ones who take responsibility in winning. It’s not the responsibility of putting numbers on the board, it’s the responsibility of winning.

–George Karl

After the Denver Nuggets traded away Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington to land Andre Iguodala, the conventional wisdom dictated that while this move would bolster Denver’s perimeter defense, its 3-point shooting, and by extension its offense as a whole, would take a hit (an issue which Charlie deftly analyzes in his most recent post). Most of the buzz centered around whether, on the balance, this was an upgrade in basketball terms that would propel the Nuggets to the next level.

Less examined, however, is the fact that in trading Afflalo Denver lost its team captain, and in trading Harrington lost the player who by all appearances was the team’s true leader in the locker room. On the surface this might be considered an easily dismissible issue. Iguodala, after all, was not only team captain of the Philadelphia 76ers, most recently leading them to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but also boasting additional leadership credentials as an All-Star and Olympian. Leaders out, leader in, plug-and-play and they’re ready to roll. Simple enough.

Except that it’s not.

Ship without a captain

NBA fans are not often privy to the behind-the-scenes goings on of their favorite teams. Sure, there are interviews of players and coaches. Media reports trickle out regarding locker room friction, human interest stories and player-coach disputes. But the vast majority of the information available to the public is secondhand. Nuggets fans were fortunate last season to get a fly-on-the-wall view of the team through one of its most interesting and tumultuous years, as NBA TV’s Denver Nuggets: The Association documented extensive coverage of the team’s inner workings.

As the season progressed and injuries began plaguing the Nuggets soon after the turn of the new year, most notably with Danilo Gallinari going down in early February, the question of leadership loomed large and became an ongoing predicament for George Karl and his coaching staff. Although Afflalo was captain, and Lawson was ostensibly in charge of the offense, it was quite clear to anyone watching the Nuggets regularly that veterans Andre Miller and Harrington were shouldering the bulk of the team’s leadership.

Events in The Association confirmed this impression, as Karl spoke at length about leadership in interviews, and could be seen explicitly pleading with Afflalo and Lawson to step up and take the helm:

Ty needs to be in his A-game. He needs to be our stud, He needs to be the responsible dude with the ball… I want him to be involved, intense in almost every possession of every game. I feel that sometimes the let down that my team is giving me is a little bit because he’s not assertive and aggressive enough all the time.

–George Karl

Karl:

I think you know I’m disappointed.

Afflalo:

In me or in the team?

Karl:

Both… I need a leader. I need a leader with the right stuff. I’m still searching.

Who will take the helm?

Leadership roles had essentially fallen into the laps of Harrington and Miller by virtue of the fact that they were experienced vets and simply because of the types of players and people they are. Harrington was the outspoken, vocal leader in huddles and the locker room, and also took it upon himself to step up his game when Afflalo was struggling early in the season and Gallo was sidelined. (Many Nuggets fans had balked at his contract when he was signed as a free agent, but he would go on to perform at a level worthy of his salary). Miller led quietly, less by words than by his controlled, stabilizing presence on the court.

But what Denver really needed – and still does – was for one or more of its young players, part of its long term future core, to claim the mantle of leadership and, in Karl’s words, “take responsibility in winning.” The coaching staff was clearly frustrated, but also recognized it was on them to cultivate the qualities they were looking for. As Karl said, “As a coaching staff, we’ve got to know that this is an area that we’ve got to develop.”

The message did get through to Lawson and Afflalo, at least in terms of their basketball performance. Both finished the season strong, as reflected by their pre/post All-Star break splits:

Both players surged in the second half of the season, scoring more points more efficiently and basically producing at a higher level across the board. Still, leadership issues seemed to persist despite the upswing to close out the regular season. Facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, the Nuggets struggled through most of their first two games, losing both. Karl was still searching for his “leader with the right stuff,” as evidence by his conversation with Lawson prior to game three, their first back home at the Pepsi Center:

Karl:

I think you understand how important you are to us.

Lawson:

What, tomorrow?

Karl [laughing]:

Every game. That’s the one I’m not getting. You haven’t signed that contract yet.

Lawson:

What contract?

Karl:

How important you are to us.

Lawson must lead them

Progress had been made over the course of the regular season, and Lawson’s growth through that one playoff series seemed to happen so quickly as to be visible in real time. (More on this at a later date). But with a first round exit delaying the continuation of that process until the start of next season, the question of whether Karl and the coaching staff can find true leadership from within their young core seems to linger. (One might wonder, too, whether their previously displayed disappointment in Afflalo’s leadership may have factored into the organization’s willingness to let him go for Iguodala).

The recent history of Nuggets team captaincy has been rather odd and disjointed, bouncing around between having individual captains and two or three co-captains from season to season:

• 2006-07 Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby
• 2007-08 Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Allen Iverson
• 2008-09 Carmelo Anthony
• 2009-10 Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin
• 2010-11 Kenyon Martin
• 2011-12 Arron Afflalo

Reviewing this pattern – if indeed any pattern can even be discerned here – it almost seems as if Karl was so reluctant to entrust Melo with the responsibility of genuinely leading his team that he felt more comfortable stacking the deck. If this was the case, perhaps he was justified in doubting his star. Melo has not traditionally been known, after all, to exhibit many of the qualities which most would normally consider essential for great leadership, such as motivating and inspiring his teammates, being one of the hardest workers in practice and training, taking responsibility for the team’s failures, following the coach’s game plan and playing hard consistently on both ends of the court.

Granted, whether the decision to line up co-captains alongside Melo helped to strengthen the team’s leadership core or instead gave cover for Melo to shirk responsibility – or any combination of these and many other effects – is purely speculative, and nothing conclusive could really be determined from such a thought experiment.

What does seem to be more readily apparent, however, is that at the times when Ty Lawson fully realizes that the responsibility is on him to carry his team, he tends to rise to the occasion. In those moments when the coaching staff was able to successfully communicate to him the urgency in which they needed him to step up and take control of the offense, he delivered. Perhaps not every single time, not every single game, but as a general rule Lawson has shown a propensity to respond to the challenge of leading the team when called upon to do so, as he did when the Nuggets were struggling midseason, as he did when they were down 0-2 to the Lakers.

It is not, perhaps, an identity that comes easily to him:

You know Ty is one of the most laid back guys you’ll ever meet. And leaders can’t be that way. He’s a leader in training.

–Al Harrington

It is time for Ty Lawson to graduate from Padawan to Jedi, to complete his training and take full command, to completely own is role as the present and future leader of the Denver Nuggets.

He will not in actuality be the team’s only leader, of course. Like last season, veterans like Miller and Iguodala will lead simply because it’s in their experience, nature and work ethic to do so. Some of the other young players, most especially Gallinari, but likely Corey Brewer and Wilson Chandler as well, will certainly make their contributions.

But at the end of the day, as goes Lawson, so do the Nuggets. He is the engine that drives the offensive machinery. As the only direct holdover from the Carmelo Anthony era, Lawson is also the closest thing to foundational stability on a roster which has almost completely turned over in the space of just two seasons. Despite the near embarrassment of riches Denver has in its depth and talent, or perhaps because of it, it is paramount to the team’s success that Lawson wholeheartedly sign on to Karl’s symbolic contract of how important he is to the team.

And to that end, Ty Lawson should be named sole captain of the 2012-13 Denver Nuggets. It would be all too easy, practically automatic even, to select Iguodala, or Iguodala and Lawson, or Iguodala, Gallo and Lawson, or some combination of the above including Andre Miller. But the question of whether the Nuggets as a team break through to the next tier this season may hinge more than any other single factor on whether Lawson is able to do so individually, especially in the area of leadership. Naming Lawson and Lawson alone team captain would send the right message, one which hopefully would be received and taken to heart.

It can be difficult to strike the right balance between challenging a player to deliver at a higher level and putting too much pressure on him. But if Lawson is the player the Nuggets organization and (most) fans believe he can be, then it’s time for him to show that he’s ready to take that next step, accept the responsibility of winning, and lead his team not only to a deep playoff run this season, but an even brighter future beyond.

Before reading further, please be sure to listen to their original broadcast here, as the transcribed quotes below are  only a fraction of of their discussion, and of course in writing much of the personal feel of the conveersation is lost. That said, in addition to listening to the interview, it does seem worthwhile to see some of what Ujiri said in writing, as he conveyed a lot of information rather quickly, and much of it is worth a closer look.

Excerpts from Ujiri’s answers* in the interview are after the jump:

On how Iguodala is an upgrade who will improve the Nuggets:

We as a team have studied teams that play the way we do. Phoenix did it, even in the past some other teams have done it, we do it. The one thing I think we struggle with is defense, and we thought bringing in a defensive minded player would kind of affect the athletes that we have. We do have good athletes and we do have good players that have potential to be good at defense. We’re always going to score.., we’re always going to be tough for the way George Karl coaches, but defensively we have to stop somebody. We can’t be 19th in the league on defense and think we want to make a jump. So I think that was where the upgrade was. We feel Iguodala is going to be able to score a little bit more because of the way we play. I think the Sixers played more of a halfcourt game and they played more in a halfcourt setting. We go up and down, and that’s his game. He likes to find people, he likes to make plays, he likes to attack the rim, and that’s how he plays. So I think on both sides we have somebody that can playmake for some of our other players and… an elite defender that’s going to help us be better on defense.

On what he saw and heard from others about Iguodala at the Olympics:

Even in that setting when he was playing with a bunch of superstars he came into the game and really changed a couple of games, like just defensively really jumping people and attacking guys on the wing, and rebounding and running, and just being versatile. I think he’s going to bring that to us and our system even fits him more than the rest of the places he’s played. So he’s going to show that on the Denver Nuggets, but I think the most important thing is he’s going to affect our players, too. If you bring a guy in like Faried, Faried affects people with his energy, he gets guys going, you can see it’s contagious out there. It’s going to be the same thing with Iguodala and we’re really excited about that.

On whether he was concerned about helping the Lakers get better:

No, there was no concern at all because there was a three-way trade, and when we… poked into it, it was already a deal that was going to get done. He was coming west anyway, and I think that we all knew that… So he was coming here, and they told me where they were, and they were looking to see if there was a fourth team to join… I have to be worried about the Denver Nuggets. We have to be worried about making the Denver Nuggets better. I think those teams are always going to be good, and we will try to compete. And we’re going to try to get to a level where one day we’re competing with those guys, and I think Iguodala is a good piece to take a step forward.

On JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried training with Hakeem Olajuwon:

I just came back from watching JaVale work out with Hakeem. I watched him all morning, and it was great. It was fun to see Hakeem again, and it was fun to see him go to work. And Amare Stoudemire and JaVale were in there. Kenneth Faried is in rookie transition this week and he gets here next week Monday to start his work here with Hakeem. but it’s fantastic to see Hakeem teach and to see JaVale try to absorb and try to learn. So I think he will keep working hard. As soon as he was done, Melvin picked him up and took him to John Lucas’ gym to go play pick-up basketball. And so he’s putting the time in, he’s dedicated to it, and it’s impressive to see and we’re very happy. And a lot of our players have taken this summer, in fact all of them have taken this summer very serious and we’re proud of them, and we’ll keep working getting ready for training camp.

On his hopes for JaVale working with Hakeem:

I think [McGee's] game has to slow down a little bit in terms of learning the game, in terms of making use of space, in terms of playing more controlled. Even when he plays fast, he has to be controlled. I think JaVale just has to learn how to play a little bit more. He has all the abilities. Hakeem told me he’s just amazed at his physical abilities and his athletic abilities, how long he is, how quick his feet are. I saw him working on keeping his feet away from each other and not tangling. Just little things that you take for granted. He worked high on his jump hook, and again his lift’s very high when he does that. And [Hakeem] tells him nobody can stop him, nobody’s as big as him if he gets his lift and his hand up. So there are so many things that Hakeem is teaching him, and he’s absorbing. But learning to play I think would be the most important.

On what Hakeem thinks of Faried:

He loves him. He said to me when we started talking about this, “Who’s that kid with a lot of energy running up and down? I like his feet, he has quick feet.” So he told me today that he’s really excited to work with him. He thinks he can get his footwork better even though he’s not a center or a big guy in what like Hakeem was. But he loves that Faried has very quick feet.

Again, please follow Drew Goodman (@ROOTSPORTS_DG) and Scott Hastings (@ScottHastings) on Twitter, tune into Drew & Scott on Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan, and listen to the archived broadcast of their original interview with  Masai Ujiri. at 1043TheFan.com.

*Ujiri’s comments have been edited for clarity.

There are several different aspects of this trade to look at so let’s dive in.

What Denver Gave Up

The Nuggets parted with starting shooting guard Arron Afflalo, backup power forward Al Harrington and a future protected first round pick.  Harrington was a very important player for the Nuggets last season.  He played very well over the first half of the season and gutted out the final month and playoffs after injuring his knee.  While Harrington’s efforts were admirable, it is important to keep two things in mind.  One, he was horrible two seasons ago and many fans wanted him amnestied.  Two, there is no doubt that one year older and coming off his knee injury it is more likely that he will repeat his performance from 2010-11 than 2011-12.

Not only do the Nuggets avoid having Harrington on their roster during his inevitable decline, they have also opened up some much needed minutes for others at that position.  Certainly Kenneth Faried should see a significant increase in minutes.  It also allows new addition Anthony Randolph to carve out a significant role should he earn one.  Plus players like Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari can potentially see some minutes there as well although it bears mentioning that Gallo was horrible in his limited minutes at power forward last season.

Parting with Afflalo is difficult.  He is a tireless worker who is driven to not only reach his potential, but actually surpass it.  He expanded his offensive repertoire beyond what I thought was possible last season developing a quirky yet effective off the dribble game.  However, with each passing year, what was his calling card initially, his scrappy defense, gave way to a more offensive mindset.

Igoudala may not have Afflalo’s efficiency, but he will add a passing ability that Afflalo lacked.  Iggy also runs the floor better and actually shot a nearly identical percentage from behind the arc last season, 39.4%, than Afflalo did, 39.8% (and carried it through to the postseason, 38.8%, unlike Afflalo, 20.0%).

Afflalo is a very good player, Igoudala is a fantastic player and the upgrade is well worth moving Harrington, who was obviously not in Denver’s long term plans, and a late first round pick, especially if that pick is in the reportedly weak 2013 draft.

Financially

If there is a drawback to this trade it is Igoudala’s contract.  He is undoubtedly overpaid making $14,718,250 for 2012-13 with a player option worth $15,904,750 for 2013-14.  The good news is his additional salary is virtually a wash for the upcoming season with what they are sending out.  When you consider that this opens up a roster spot to sign Quincy Miller and add his likely minimum salary onto the books, Denver has added less than $1 million to this season’s payroll.

In 2013-14 his salary proves to be more difficult to handle.  Ty Lawson’s anticipated extension will kick in for that season and the Nuggets could find themselves forced to maneuver around the luxury tax.   Do not expect Corey Brewer to be back and the Nuggets will likely part with one of their backup centers, Mozgov or Koufos, in order to avoid the tax.

A greater issue is the long term ramifications.  Should the Nuggets resign Igoudala beyond his current contract they will struggle to find the money to retain Kenneth Faried without incurring the tax or parting with at least one more rotation player.  It will be interesting to see what they do going forward to manage their payroll.

As Kalen pointed out, one aspect of this trade that is being seriously over analyzed is the long term savings.  Denver does send out more total guaranteed salaries than they bring back, but that is only if they let Igoudala walk when he becomes a free agent.  As we know, Masai does not believe in letting quality players get away.  Even though Igoudala is only owed $30.6 million guaranteed while Afflalo and Harrington are guaranteed $41.4 million, for all intents and purposes, this deal makes the Nuggets long term payroll more cumbersome because of the likelihood that they will be paying Igoudala for more than two seasons.

Basketball Reasons

You can debate the various ramifications of this trade, but it comes down to the fact that the Nuggets are going to be a better team next season than they were before.  We touched a little bit on this above.  Iggy is a better defender, both an individual defender and a team defender, than Afflalo.

One of the dirty little secrets in Denver is that Arron Afflalo experienced a significant decline on defense over the previous two seasons.  @ESPNStatsInfo tweeted Afflalo was ranked 113th out of 113 players who defended 500 or more possessions, I am guessing that is on a points per play average, while Igoudala was 11th.  According to Synergy Sports there is a drastic difference in how these two defend spot up plays.  Afflalo was 334th in the league in defending spot up shots giving up a field goal percentage of 42.1%, including an even worse 43.2% on three point attempts, and an astronomical 1.13 points per possession.  Conversely Igoudala allowed only 0.8 points per possession, good for 55th in the league holding opponents to 33.1% from the field and a suffocating 29.5% on threes.  Remember how the Nuggets struggled to defend the three point line last season?  This trade will help significantly.

It is easy to look at Afflalo’s points per game as well as the upward trend in that department and expect this trade to help on defense, while hurting on offense.  As mentioned above, Afflalo is a more efficient scorer than Igoudala.  However, I do not think he is a better offensive player.

It is important to recognize that Igoudala has voluntarily reduced his scoring over the past two seasons.  In the aftermath of the trade that sent another AI to Denver, Iggy lead the 76ers in scoring at 19.9 points per game.  In carrying the load offensively he was able to maintain a solid TS% of 54.3.  The good news is, as in Philly, Denver does not need Igoudala to be their leading scorer.  He simply needs to take advantage of their slash and kick style which should give him plenty of opportunities to use his tremendous athleticism and length to attack the rim, or attempt open three pointers.  Plus Igoudala gives Denver another option in trying to defend Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Iggy and AAA is Igoudala’s ability to pass.  Afflalo always drove to score.  Igoudala will be able to score, or pass.  How good of a passer is Igoudala?  His assist rate is better than Ty Lawson’s, 28.9 to 28.4.  He will fit in exceptionally well in Denver’s up tempo attacking offensive system.

OMG WTF The Nuggets Just Helped the Lakers Get Howard!!!!

Yes, the Nuggets played a role in ushering Howard to the Lakers.  That is the wrong way to look at this trade.  The Magic had worked on deals with Brooklyn and Houston and failed to come to an agreement.  At this point, Howard was going to end up in L.A.  Denver did not cause Howard to end up with the Lakers, Orlando did.  Denver saw an opportunity to better their team and they pulled the trigger.  Would it make Nuggets fans feel better if Howard was traded to the Lakers and Igoudala went to the Mavs or Grizzlies, or Spurs?

The Nuggets have to put the best possible team on the court.  Howard puts the Lakers on par with the Thunder and Heat for the next season or two.  However, Nash and Kobe are nearing the end of their careers.  Denver was not going to surpass the Lakers this season and probably not in 2013-14 either.  However, when Kobe and Nash retire, or significantly decline, they are no longer contenders, Denver’s core players will be in their primes.

Honestly, this trade does not ensure the Nuggets of anything.  It gives them a chance to rebound from last season’s atrocious defensive performance.  Denver now has the potential to be a lockdown defensive team.  Players like Iggy, Faried, McGee and Randolph all have tremendous athleticism while Gallo and Chandler have shown flashes of defensive prowess and the Nuggets have plenty of size with backup centers like Mozgov and Koufos.

It will take a concerted effort from both the players and coaches to re-establish the Nuggets as at worst a solid defensive team and at best an excellent one.  How far they improve on that end of the court will determine how much they improve.

In closing I will throw out one final thought just to stir things up.  If Orlando was willing to trade Howard for a package of Afflalo, Harrington, two young prospects and three future first round draft picks, it would have been very interesting to have seen Denver simply acquire Howard themselves knowing  that they could sign and trade him for a decent package of assets following the season if he was bound and determined to take less money to play somewhere else.  Just a fun little scenario to think about.