[Izulde]

What's Happened To The Nuggets?: A Primer

A 4-12 December marked the worst month for the Denver Nuggets in GM Jestor's tenure. It got Kurt Thomas fired, cost the franchise $18.3 million, and led to a flurry of trades that resulted in entire new rosters for every game.

So we thought it might be helpful to take a step back and give an overview of the current makeup of the Nuggets.

PG A.J. Dunkley
Great passer, one who's taken on much more of a scoring role since coming over from Utah last month. 33 years old. Not a lights out defender, but good enough. If he could stop emulating Paulinho Buboltz, it'd really help the team.

SG Mateen Yeaton
Needs no introduction. His benching played a huge role in Thomas's firing and he got shuffled to SF for a few games before Tyrone Capel got traded so that Yeaton could get moved back to SG. Despite the chaos and his 36 years, he's still averaging 21.9 points and is the heart and soul of the Nuggets.

SF Teddy Harriman
23 year old in his third season. Poor defender and his scoring and shooting, which are supposed to have excellent upsides, have fallen off a cliff since his arrival in Denver. Acquired on December 11th, if he doesn't improve, he'll be gone on February 11th.

PF Tim Butler
The 26 year old's name keeps popping up in trade rumors as the Nuggets seem to play better without him in the lineup than with him. But Jestor is adamant the future team captain isn't going anywhere, especially not when he's averaging 22.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and a steal per game. Hard to argue with that or with his 49.8% shooting. Can't really make plays on defense, nor is he good on the technical aspects of it.

C Andrew Bynum
The weakest position on the roster and some fans feel like trading Marcus McKie was the wrong thing to do. That said, the 38 year old is probably the best all-around defender in the starting lineup, which points to what is probably the Nuggets' biggest problem right now.

6th Carlton Goree (PG/SG)
Averaging 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals, mainly as a reserve. Good shooter and scorer, good passer and ballhandler for a benchman. Very good defense and out of this world ballthief skills, along with good basketball smarts. His lengthy contract makes the 27 year old untradeable though and he flamed out as a starter.

7th Hayletts Dennis (SG/SF)
Rookie 21 year old with some good upside as a scoring hound and an all-around defender, but like Harriman, he's been shooting ugly since coming over with Dunkley on December 5th. Also like Harriman, he could be gone come February if he doesn't improve.

8th Luke Smith (SF/PF/C)
Big 21 year old rookie at 7'2, 278 lbs and while he allegedly has some good potential, at this point he's looking like a slightly upgraded version of Lindsey Williamson, which isn't good news for a player drafted 4th overall. Infuriatingly prone to making boneheaded plays, but his work ethic is through the roof, which may buy him some time.

9th Dan Jacobson (SF/PF/C)
7'3, 290 lbs gives the Nuggets another monster-sized big man and he can still bring at 38. Not fantastic, but a solid all-around player who's flourishing with increased minutes and the comfort of being back in Denver. Min-sal contract, likely not to be re-signed.

10th Justin Cherry (PG/SG/SF)
From highly touted rookie sensation to sophomore slump. He's getting under 3 minutes a game and only has 20 appearances so far this season. When he does get on the court, he's shooting a ghastly 35.3%. Jestor still favors him, though, so it's quite possible that Harriman and Dennis go in a package to get an improvement at SF or C and free up more PT for Cherry.

11th Lindsey Williamson (SF/PF/C)
Defending and shotblocking specialist who always was a Jestor favorite. One of the few draftees to have an extended career in Denver, even if he's had brief vacations away. The 32 year old has played extremely well in the sparing minutes he's gotten.

12th Eric Bass (PG/SG/SF)
24 year old waste of space and Jestor's ticked he's even active. Look for him to go in February as well.

Inactives

Tzvetan Kishishev
Signed to a great value contract, the 27 year old with the scoring touch and defensive prowess is inexplicably not on the active roster, which infuriates Jestor, who thinks the Bulgarian should be one of the top reserves. Some of the big men above could go too.

Andy Sola
Gone for the year with a torn ACL and the biggest reason why the Nuggets are struggling. He's become the real team MVP, though no one wants to admit it.

Steve Van Gundy is 4-3 so far as Denver's head coach following Thomas's firing. He'll have to do a lot better than that if he wants to get the Nuggets back in the playoffs, but if Jestor manages to keep his trigger finger tamed, perhaps the team can get some chemistry and more wins going.

***End Article***

Minnesota Timberwolves receive
C Murry Alexander
Orlando Magic 2025 2nd round pick

Orlando Magic receive
PG Chris Blackmon

What this means for the Timberwolves
35 year old Alexander is a phenomenal defender and shotblocker who becomes the first big man off the bench for Minnesota, who was starved for any kind of reserve talent in that area, particularly since rookie Patrick Weston is so green.

What this means for the Magic
Second year Blackmon has good security and some defensive ability to go with his basketball smarts, but everything else about his game suggests he'll be little more than an end of bench guy as he is now and a future career D-leaguer.

Winner: Minnesota
The Timberwolves smell blood in a weak Northwest division this year and Alexander will help them win now as they gun for their first division title since 2004, a 20 year drought and counting. Blackmon is filler and it's a myopic move by the Magic.

Atlanta Hawks receive
PF Booker Werner
Golden State Warriors 2025 2nd round pick

Golden State Warriors receive
PG Curtis King

What this means for the Hawks
The 25 year old Werner's intelligence lets him overacheive relative to his actual talent, which he has very little of, but he's still nothing more than an mid-bench player at best.

What this means for the Warriors
King, 20 and in his second season, has the potential to one day be a solid backup, but he's only played 1 minute in the NBA so far and that was last year. He's the 12th man in Golden State and he'll be lucky to see the court at all.

Winner: Atlanta
The extra pick is what does it, as this is honestly a garbage for garbage deal.

Wow, only two trades. Surprising. Almost as surprising as the free fall our season's taken. I'm thankful for the article, by the way. It pointed out things I was having trouble seeing in my cloud of panic and I'm determined to just ride out the storm and make some changes near the All-Star break.

We split the opening doubleheader. San Antonio beats us 110-101 on the road, despite Mateen Yeaton's 26 points, Andrew Bynum's 11 points and 11 rebounds and A.J. Dunkley's 15 points and 13 assists, but we snap back the next night to top Houston 95-88 on Teddy Harriman's 22 points as SG, Tim Butler's 18 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Smith's 12 bench points.

Our next doubleheader is a much needed double dose of win, the first a pleasant 108-97 victory over the Kings in Sacramento. Mateen Yeaton scores 24, back at SG, Teddy Harriman adds 22, Tim Butler pulls down 17 points and 14 rebounds and A.J. Dunkley issues 17 points and 15 assists. Granted, this is a Kings team without Jonte Jones, who broke his leg, but a win is a win at this stage. A 120-117 barnburner tilts our way over the Purple and Gold the next evening, thanks to 33 points from Mateen Yeaton, 26 points and 14 rebounds from Tim Butler, 25 points from Teddy Harriman, a jaw-dropping 11 points and 21 assists from A.J. Dunkley and Carlton Goree's 10 bench points. I guess some of the guys, especially Harriman, have been reading some of the local press and really taken it to heart.

A key game against Minnesota results in a disheartening 105-84 loss despite 15 points and 11 rebounds from Teddy Harriman, 16 points and 10 rebounds courtesy of Tim Butler and A.J. Dunkley's 14 points and 11 assists. We really need to get Andrew Bynum out of that starting C spot. He's been just killing us.

I'm reaching for the Prilosec during the upcoming road back-to-back, but we salvage a split. Golden State flatten us 114-97, Tim Butler our lone noteworthy performance with 21 points, but we stomp Seattle 102-79 as Teddy Harriman rips the Sonics for 26 points, Mateen Yeaton scores 25 and Tim Butler and Andrew Bynum chip in blue-collar double-doubles of 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 points, 11 rebounds.

Great game against the Grizzlies results in a 105-84 win on the backs of Mateen Yeaton (28 points) and A.J. Dunkley (22 points, 12 assists).

But there's a treacherous path ahead, namely a five-game road trip. But then again, we always get up for the Mavericks and we beat them 121-114 due to three Nuggets with 20+ points: A.J. Dunkley (29 points), Tim Butler (26 points, 13 rebounds), and Mateen Yeaton (23 points). Andrew Bynum applies the finishing touches with a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double.

I'm not surprised when Chicago and Detroit beat us on both ends of a back-to-back and I don't mind so much the 116-84 reaming by the Bulls where Mateen Yeaton is the only one to play with 26 points, but the 100-96 blown fourth quarter loss to the Pistons galls me. Mateen Yeaton is awesome with 25 points and 10 rebounds and Teddy Harriman chips in 21 points, but the rest of the team drags it out there and I really, really want a shiny new center.

I fucking hate the Central. Four losses in a row. 103-82 to the Bucks and I give props to Mateen Yeaton and Teddy Harriman with 20 points a piece, along with Andrew Bynum's surprise 16 points and 12 rebounds, but nobody else can get on the same page. 99-87 to the Pacers, blowing Mateen Yeaton's 25 points, A.J. Dunkley's 20 points and 11 assists and Carlton Goree's 11 bench points.

We just barely fend off the Knicks 114-112 at home to stop the bleeding, Paulinho Buboltz's 43 points overcome only by Mateen Yeaton and Tim Butler each scoring 34 and Carlton Goree leading the reserves with 11 points. No such luck the next night as we're too little, too late in a 116-106 loss to the Traiblazers. Great 31 point, 13 assist showing from A.J. Dunkley, but we're getting raped out there with a worthy center.

Five losses in the last six games. Terrible way to end the month.

But on the other hand, we played a hell of a lot better in January than we did in disgusting December. Unfortunately, that slide really cost us and we're 22-24, three games back of Portland, a game back of Minnesota and tied for third with Utah. Yeah, just a god-awful year for the Northwest.

Memphis's 29-18 gives them a 2.5 game lead on the Mavericks while Phoenix is officially back on the rose, their 33-15 record placing them atop the conference and ahead of the Clippers by 2.5 games.

Out East, Boston is somehow 33-13 and tied with the Raptors for the Atlantic and the East's top seed. Milwaukee's 24-19, exercising a 2 game advantage on the underachieving Bulls and the Bobcats dominate the Southeast by 7 games over Atlanta, thanks to their 28-14 record.

I'm still too bummed out to do comparisons. Maybe next month if we can shop for a legitimate center.