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Old 11-14-2008, 03:23 PM   #329
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Our enthusiasm for most of the top guys we were looking at plummeted after we brought them in for workouts. So much so in fact that our wishlist is now down to 3 players and I think we'll be able to come out of this draft with at least one of them, possibly more.

2019 NBA Draft 1st Round
1. SG Filip Mikulic - Houston Rockets
2. PG Keith Attaway - Indiana Pacers

This probably spells the end of Ben Gordon in Indiana. My guess is they'll have Attaway play SG and keep Paulinho Buboltz at the point. Stupid pick by the Pacers if you ask me, because they need major help on their frontline and they're drafting a guard.

3. SF Vinston Henry - New Orleans Hornets
4. PG Kueth Hill - Los Angeles Clippers
5. C Marcus McKie - Phoenix Suns

A real stunner by the Suns here. No way in hell McKie deserves to be a top 5 pick. Late lottery, sure. Top 5, no. Silly moves like this are why Phoenix has become one of the league's worst teams year in and year out after being one of the best when I first came in back in 2007.

6. PF Jeremy Bellairs - Golden State Warriors
7. PF Oliwjer Rosiak - Charlotte Bobcats
8. SF Devone Allen - Dallas Mavericks
9. SF Steven Feaster - Miami Heat
10. SG Walter Hicks - New Jersey Nets
11. SG Kenny Magloire - Utah Jazz
12. SF Orlando Montero - Washington Wizards
13. PG Corey Westbrooks - Philadelphia 76ers

That shattering sound you just heard was the collective hearts of Celtics fans breaking everywhere. For a brief, tantalizing moment, it looked as though Westbrooks was going to fall to Boston, but the 76ers pulled the smart move and snatched him up. Although Westbrooks has intangibles issues, which is why I didn't make a play for him, he's a terrific high-risk, high-reward pick at this stage in the draft. He was one of our 3 players and if he'd lasted past the C's, I would've made inquiries.

14. PG Jon Costello - Boston Celtics

So Boston needs a PG and what do they do? Take the guy who averaged not even 4 assists for Texas last year. Talk about overreaching, especially since one of our other 2 players was still sitting there for the taking.

15. SG Jason Neal - San Antonio Spurs
16. SF Brian Brown - Seattle Supersonics

Bizzare pick considering they already have Brooks Smith, but hey, whatever. At least it wasn't a player I had on my radar.

17. C Brandon Edmond - Minnesota Timberwolves

The player I really want most is still on the board and there's one more pick to go. I'm tempted to trade up to make sure I get him, but there's also a C who's been hanging around for umpteen picks now and who should've gone off. The Cavs have a need at the five, so they'll probably take him.

18. SG David Chambers - Cleveland Cavaliers

Wow, boneheaded pick by the Cavs here. Not an area of need at all and the guy flatout sucks. But it opens it up for us to take whoever we want and on top of it, that C, Charlie Joseph, is still sitting out there. Then again, Joseph is 6'9, 264 lbs, so really more of a PF than a C. We didn't scout him and based on the information I -do- have available, while he'd be a good value pick at this stage of the draft, there's a player I like better who has great intangibles.

19. PF Tzvetan Kishhishhev - Denver Nuggets

The pick's met with a lukewarm reception, though I'm pleased to see the analysts confirm our information on the Bulgarian's work ethic. J.P. Gorski speculates aloud how this might affect the Marcelino Augusto situation, but there's really no threat here. Tzvetan gives us more of a scoring big man off the bench and an apparently wicked defender, a nice change of pace from David Jackson, whose more of an all-around guy with great rebounding skills.

20. SF Curtis Wilkerson - Atlanta Hawks
21. C Charlie Joseph - Portland Trailblazers

The Trailblazers get what could be the steal of the draft here. He's still too small for my liking, but when you're picking in the 20s and you get a player of this calibre, no matter how undersized, you've got yourself some serious value.

22. PF Calvis Hatter - Memphis Grizzlies
23. C Leo Sinville - Orlando Magic

The other player I really liked is still available and I'm strongly tempted to move up to get him. But I don't think we have the ammunition to do it.

24. PF Dylan Clark - Chicago Bulls
25. SF Louis McNeish - Milwaukee Bucks
26. PF Anthony Reeves - Detroit Pistons
27. PG Carlton Goree - Sacramento Kings

And there he goes. To be honest, Goree isn't ever going to be a top-flight PG in the passing game, but I think he has the ability to be a borderline starter and a strong reserve. Excellent, excellent steal by the Kings here, reminiscent of Justin Barnes.

28. PG Jeremy Andersen - New York Knicks
29. C Micholau Asprilla - Los Angeles Lakers
30. SF Andrea Paige - Toronto Raptors

Immediate post-draft impressions of Tzvetan Kishishev are lukewarm and looking at Carlton Goree in comparison, I should've gone with the Duke guard over the Bulgarian, but that's okay. I think we'll be all right, especially since we still have Louis Mertens.

I renounce our rights on Tony Parker and Kirk Hinrich, but leave our rights on Emeka Okafor, Mateen Yeaton and Rico Wolfe intact. Okafor will come back cheap, which will drastically reduce the now $23.3 million cap excess and I'm pretty sure Yeaton will return for less than $26.3 million a year.

Summer League

Denver Nuggets Assignees
PG Louis Mertens
PF Tzvetan Kishishhev
C David Jackson
C Victor Gipson

Louis Mertens looks terrific against Dallas with 23 points and 10 assists as we pummel the Mavericks 112-99 to open Summer League play. David Jackson dominates as well with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Victor Gipson gets 16 points and 14 rebounds and reserve Andre Songaila scores 13.

Victor Gipson absolutely crushes Golden State for 32 points, 14 rebounds, an assist, 8 blocks and a steal in our 108-88 romp. Tzvetan Kishishev looks extremely sharp as the 6th man, scoring 18 points and pulling down 7 boards. I'm not sure why he's not starting at PF, but so be it. Louis Mertens double-doubles with 12 points and 11 assists.

Gritty game against the Hawks, but we grind out a 92-74 win on Charles Arnold's 23 points and 10 bench points from Tzevtan Kishishev. I'm a little surprised Arnold's even a free agent. He's extremely raw, but I think he has potential to be a very good player.

It's our first loss of the summer league, but the 115-111 game against the Bulls was called by many watchers the most exciting game of the session. David Jackson put up 23 points and 14 rebounds, Victor Gipson had 10 points and 12 rebounds, Louis Mertens scored 22 points and Tzevtan Kishishev and Gary Burditt scored 16 and 10 bench points respectively.

We close out the summer games with a 116-94 smashing of the Celtics, highlighted by Victor Gipson's 28 points and 12 rebounds. Louis Mertens dished out 11 points and 15 assists, while Andre Songaila scored 12 off the bench.

I'm extremely pleased with how we did in the summer league and I'm very excited about how good all of the true Nuggets looked. It gives me a good feeling about our chances to repeat as well as hope for the future.

Free Agency

This is one of the best free agent crops in years, maybe the best since I've joined the league. Among the names available:

SF David Anyan
SG Justin Barnes
SG Chris Gearheart
PG John Willias
PG Gilbert Arenas
SG Mateen Yeaton
SF Andre Davis
SG Kyle Smith
SG David Davis
SG Walter Coleman
PG Dwayne Wade
C Narcyz Malinomowski
PF Nate Bonner
SF Buddy Bracey
C Patrick Riley
SG Ben Gordon

That's just -filthy-. Interestingly enough Phillip Gill and Lannce Dudley are also on the market and I'll watch to see where they go as well.

I offer Mateen Yeaton right away, but decide to wait out Rico Wolfe and Emeka Okafor, who are making crazy contract demands.

Mateen Yeaton is the first of the blue-chip free agents to make a decision, re-signing with us for 6 years, $86.4 million. That's a controlled cost of $14.4 million through year his year 36 season. Sure he'll be overpaid by then, but I consider it an absolute steal.

It also shrinks our cap number down to a delicious $11.3 million over. When we get Okafor down to a reasonable cap number, we'll have enough left over to re-sign Wolfe and hopefully snag a mid-level steal.

Most of the big names are already looking like they're going to cap out, but I throw my hat in for Andre Davis on a mid-level, who's injury-prone as all hell and has a torn MCL, but who'd be a steal for that kind of money.

I keep tabs on the others though and when I see that a team other than Memphis is leading the bidding for Chris Gearheart, who I've always greatly admired, I immediately pull out of running for Davis and gun for Gearheart.

The Kings pull off a major stunner, stealing away Patrick Riley from the Washington Wizards. Sacramento just filled their biggest hole and I think they can be called legitimate contenders now because they've actually got a great player in the post.

He doesn't get a max deal, but a day after the Riley jump's reported, Andre Davis returns to the Clippers. Ah well, they gave him a lot more money than we could've afforded.

We lose out on Chris Gearheart to the Utah Jazz, who somehow freed up the money to give him a 5 year, $51.5 million deal. Our division is getting really, really tough this upcoming season and the West is improving as a whole.

The only blue-chippers left after that are the old guys like Arenas, Wade and Gordon, save for Bonner, who's a defensive liability.

I toy with the idea of bringing Ben Gordon back to Denver on a mid-level exemption, but then the coaching staff would probably do something very stupid, like put Yeaton at PG. On the other hand, a Gama/Gordon/Yeaton/Augusto/Gipson starting 5, if Jim O'Brien and his boys would do that, is an interesting possibility.

While I'm sitting on it, Gilbert Arenas and Nate Bonner re-up with Washington and Seattle respectively and Phillip Gill gets a fat paycheck he doesn't deserve to go back to Detroit.

A lot of choices to make here, none of which are easy. I've ruled out Gordon, but Charles Arnold continues to tempt and could be had for the mid-level. Rico Wolfe is in the same situation.

In the end, I can't resist Arnold's tantalizing potential, so I ink him to a 5 year mid-level exemption contract, the same day that Dwayne Wade announces his return to San Antonio.

Rico Wolfe spurns us for a one year mid-level exemption from the Miami Heat. I think we're really going to miss his defense on the perimeter, though I have a feeling Arnold can match his scoring off the bench. Lannce Dudley gets a 3 year deal from the Pacers the same day.

The harsh reality is that we are now absent our do-everything guard off the bench and I'm starting to have second thoughts on being swayed by Arnold's alleged potential. On the one hand, he looks like he could be the heir to Luol Deng at SF. On the other hand, something's got me a little wary of him.

So I call the Heat up and find that they're agreeable to discussing a trade, as they'd coveted Arnold themselves and he's got extremely attractive potential. I take one last look at the deal we've tenatively got in place and my original workout notes on Arnold from three years ago.

Quote:
Arnold has good shooting skills and average defense. Good personality too, but grades out as only average work ethic and horrible everywhere else.

All of which has been borne out. And let's be honest, he wasn't exactly Mr. Sensational in the Summer League.

It's the combination of my workout notes, the summer league notes and the fact that he's about 40 lbs too light to play SF that convinces me to pull the trigger.

Denver Nuggets receive
SG Rico Wolfe
Miami Heat 2020 1st round pick
Miami Heat 2020 2nd round pick
Miami Heat 2021 2nd round pick
Miami Heat 2022 2nd round pick

Miami Heat receive
SG Charles Arnold
Los Angeles Lakers 2020 1st round pick

What this means for the Nuggets
Remember the Kyle Smith trade a few years back? This one's a lot like that, where GM Jestor initially desirous of a Summer League player on his roster, signed him, only to deal him shortly thereafter. In this case, rumor has it that Jestor really regretted not signing Wolfe to a multi-year mid-level exemption deal and so decided to go get him back. As a bonus, Denver likely moves up in next year's draft and acquires a slew of trade bait 2nd round picks in the bargain.

What this means for the Heat
We expect to see Arnold push starter Jon Wilson at SF. While this move won't necessarily get Miami back to the playoffs, it does give them an exciting young player to groom and develop as either an eventual replacement for Wilson or a safety net in case something hapens to star SG Nigel Abel. Wolfe was never going to be anything more than a one-season rental anyway.

Winner: Draw
This would be a slam dunk in favor of Denver if Wolfe was on a multi-year deal, but he's on a one year contract, so Jestor's going to have to visit this scenario again next season. Wolfe gives Denver what it needs to defend its title, while Arnold is a shining prospect for the future for Miami. Great trade for both teams.

Okay, I feel better now. I may someday regret trading Arnold away, but I don't think so. The fans have mixed reactions to the deal, but they're still happy we won the title and I think they'll be even more pleased if we defend this year. The bench combination of David Jackson and Wolfe was far too potent for us last year not to repeat it.

A few days later, Emeka Okafor comes back on a 2 year min-sal. That same day, the Raptors strike back.

Because they steal Ben Gordon on a min-sal deal. The arms race is back in full effect. I'm even more glad I went and grabbed Wolfe back.

Toronto also brought back an old friend, T.J. Ford. This is going to be one hell of a season and some pundits are already picking Toronto/Denver Round V.

Blue Chip Board
SF David Anyan - Re-signs with Toronto
SG Justin Barnes - Re-signs with Sacramento
SG Chris Gearheart - Signs with Utah
PG John Willias - Re-signs with New York
PG Gilbert Arenas - Re-signs with Washington
SG Mateen Yeaton - Re-signs with Denver
SF Andre Davis - Re-signs with L.A. Clippers
SG Kyle Smith - Re-signs with Cleveland
SG David Davis - Re-signs with New York
SG Walter Coleman - Re-signs with Golden State
PG Dwayne Wade - Re-signs with San Antonio
C Narcyz Malinomowski - Re-signs with Memphis
PF Nate Bonner - Re-signs with Seattle
SF Buddy Bracey - Re-signs with Cleveland
C Patrick Riley - Signs with Sacramento
SG Ben Gordon - Signs with Toronto


We're under $1 million over the cap. $709,429 to be exact. Amazing financial shape, especially with Luol Deng's $11.6 million coming off the books next year. We might actually be big-time free agent players next offseason.

Training Camp
Impressive camp by Marcelino Augusto, who seems to have been motivated by the incessant trade rumors. Louis Mertens is building on his strong summer league to make a case for being re-signed. Luol Deng only dropped a little, much to my relief.

David Jackson put in some nice work but Victor Gipson surprisingly didn't show any discernable improvement. The real story of camp was Tzvetan Kishishev, who showed monster defensive talent and improved scoring. He won't make too many defensive highlight plays, but he'll frustrate opponents who try to score on him.

Preseason Outlook

The newswriters are once again sniffing the glue, tabbing Seattle as the top team in the West, followed by us. At least they're giving us -that- much credit. Portland's #3 and the Jazz make their appearance at #5, setting up another year of the Northwest as the West's dominant division. They're picking Sacramento, arguably the most improved team in the conference, for 13th. Yeah and this was a team that was just a #2 seed last season. Not buying that one, either. How you can have the Kings 13th and the Lakers 10th while simultaneously picking the Hornets 4th is beyond me.

More insanity in the East, where the Knicks somehow replace the Raptors as the favorites and the Bulls are picked as the #2 team. ...Riiiiiiiiiiight. Toronto's pegged 3rd. Now honestly, you're going to pick a lineup that looks like THIS:

PG Justin Richler
SG Ben Gordon
SF David Anyan
PF Chris Bosh
C Greg Oden

third in the East? No way. There's no way in hell you pick Toronto for anything but #1 in the conference unless you're an absolute moron. I love the chances for a fifth straight Raptors/Nuggets Finals to be honest with you.

Speaking of lineups and Denver...

Denver Nuggets 2019 Projected Opening Day Lineup
PG Zelipe Gama
SG Mateen Yeaton
SF Luol Deng
PF Marcelino Augusto
C Victor Gipson
6th David Jackson (SF/PF/C)
7th Rico Wolfe (PG/SG/SF)
8th Louis Mertens (PG/SG)
9th Tzvetan Kishishev (PF/C)
10th Emeka Okafor (PF/C)
11th Lindsey Williamson (SF/PF/C)
12th Steven Caspers (SF/PF/C)

I'm pumped about this season. So many really good teams this year. In fact, there's probably never been a better time to be an NBA fan.
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