| 30 Teams, 30 Days: Denver Draft Preview Authored by Jason M. Williams - June 23, 2009 - 10:45 pm
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2009 Draft Picks: 34th
Pre-Draft 2009-10 Projected Starters:
PG Chauncey Billups
SG Dahntay Jones
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Kenyon Martin
C Nene Hilario
Key Reserves:
SG J.R. Smith
PG Anthony Carter
SF Linas Kleiza
PF Renaldo Balkman
C Chris Anderson
What The Nuggets Do Well:
The Nuggets finally erased their first round woes and charged all the way into the Western Conference Finals – all thanks to Joe Dumars! Dumars traded the cerebral Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets during the first week of the 2008-09 season for Allen Iverson and the Nuggets never looked back. They finished with the second best record in the Western Conference, their second straight 50-win season, and tied a franchise NBA record with 54 wins (The Denver Nuggets won 65 games in 1974-75 as a member of the ABA).
But why thank you Joe Dumars and not Chauncey himself? Because Joe D also set Denver’s plate beautifully when he took Darko Milicic with the second overall pick, which paved the way for Carmelo Anthony to fall directly into their laps. This year, Billups and Melo elevated their game and formed a quick bond on the floor.
Kenyon Martin and Nene had bounceback years and Chris “Birdman” Anderson turned himself from a league castoff into the NBA’s Comeback Player of the Year. Anderson was a force in the paint off the bench, finishing second in the league in blocked shots with 2.46 blocks in only 20.6 minutes per game. Dwight Howard led the league with 2.92 blocks, but it took him 35.7 minutes to get the extra 0.46.
The defensive intensity off the bench helped spark this team to new heights. The upgrade at the point was monumental when the team went from Anthony Carter to Billups in one fell swoop, all while removing the cancerous Iverson from the locker room.
All the pieces fell into place for the Nuggets this season, and they’ve made it known that they are a new force to be taken seriously in the years to come. If they can retain Anderson and add another piece to the puzzle, the Lakers may be in for a tougher battle for the western crown next year.
Greatest Areas Of Improvement:
A Big Time Rebounder
Since trading Marcus Camby to the LA Clippers, the Nuggets lack that solid rebounding presence in the paint. Last year, they utilized a rebound by committee approach that saw Nene lead the team with only 7.8 rpg. Following the Brazilian beast, were Melo (6.8), Anderson (6.2), Martin (6.0), Kleiza (4.0), and Renaldo Balkman (3.8).
Sniper On The Wing
The only guys to hit in the 40% range from downtown were Billups (41%) and J.R. Smith (39.7%). If the Nuggets can find a pure deep threat then Billups will be able to focus more on finding guys on the wing ready to drill the three, rather than looking for the shot himself. No one really wants to see 3.3 three-point shot attempts per game from Linas Kleiza when the poor guy only hits on 32.6% - same goes for the 1.1 attempts by Carter (at 23.9%).
Who’s Gone Number 34 Recently?
Believe it or not the 34th pick has yielded a few starters in the past couple of seasons. Mario Chalmers had a great rookie season last year for the Heat and C.J. Miles started all 72 games he played in this season for the Jazz.
2008
Mario Chalmers, Minnesota (traded to Miami)
2007
Nick Fazekas, Dallas
2006
Paul Davis, LA Clippers
2005
C.J. Miles, Utah
2004
Donta Smith, Atlanta
Who Should The Nuggets Target?
--Marcus Thornton of LSU
Thornton is a senior shooting guard who has steady NBA contributor written all over him. Thornton was a very efficient scorer his senior season, scoring 21.1 ppg on 47.2% from the field, 38.8% from three.
--Taj Gibson of USC
Gibson would give the Nuggets another solid shot blocker in the middle with a knack for tracking down loose rebounds. Gibson had a strong season for the Trojans, averaging 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game.
--Jack McClinton of Miami (FL)
McClinton carries himself like he should be the first overall pick in the draft. He’s tough, he’s got character, and he would fit in perfectly with the likes of J.R. Smith, Melo, and K-Mart. He has a similar swagger to his game, and can shoot the lights out from deep. His shooting ability would free things up even more for Billups and Melo and create a scary threat for Denver on the perimeter.
Picks Over the Past Five Years
In the past five years, the Nuggets have only made five total picks. They traded away Jameer Nelson, Jarrett Jack, and Leon Powe – and retained the rights to Julius Hodge and Axel Hervelle. Yea, that’s pretty terrible.
2008
No picks
2007
No picks
2006
Leon Powe, 49th (traded to Boston)
2005
Julius Hodge, 20th
Jarrett Jack, 22nd (traded to Portland)
Axel Hervelle, 52nd
2004
Jameer Nelson, 20th (traded to Orlando)
Who Do the Fans Want?
According to Andrew Perna’s Denver Nuggets Draft Summit, an interactive forum featuring the responses of true RealGM hoops fans hoping to add their two cents to the Nuggets draft discussion, the fans of Denver have made it known that they would like to draft a young point guard that Chauncey Billups can mentor.
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done differently to advance further in the playoffs?
JRMelo15: The Nuggets were probably a decent back-up point guard or a good post-up big away from making the finals. Better rotations should have been used by George Karl, particularly limiting Anthony Carter's minutes. He could not guard Kobe Bryant or limit his turnovers.
Meloshow: They probably needed a few more pieces. A seven-footer that can defend and hit an open shot would have been beneficial to us against the Lakers.
eathy: We really couldn't really have done anything different.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
JRMelo15: The defense was finally there with the addition of Billups. The players started playing aggressively on defense and the Nuggets lead the league in steals/blocks combined with 14.7 per game.
Meloshow: Our offensive efficiency. It was good last season, but it was a step above that. Carmelo Anthony took smarter shots. J.R. Smith wasn't so out of control and really took his game to another level. Nene and Kenyon Martin chipped in when needed, and Billups found himself open numerous times due to the attention garnered by Melo.
eathy: Depth and talent. Our bench was surprisingly pretty good.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
JRMelo15: Chris Andersen's energy off the bench was huge, especially in the playoffs. He led the league in blocks per 48 minutes. Smith played a big role off the bench as well, putting up big numbers and lighting it up from the downtown.
Meloshow: Nene. He has battled through all sorts of setbacks and really came out and played determined basketball from Day One. He had the second highest FG% in the league, gave us a legitimate option inside and rebounded very well.
eathy: The Birdman by a mile. When I heard Nene was fit and not overweight, I knew he'd be effective.
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
JRMelo15: Linas Kleiza was nonexistent the entire season. After a big season last year, all of his stats dropped. He couldn’t make a lot of simple plays and missed wide open jumpers on constant basis. Carter wasn't the backup point guard that the team was looking for him to be, and he constantly turned the ball over.
Meloshow: Kleiza. There was a bit of turmoil before the season as to whether we extended his contract. The front office ended up holding off and didn't give him one, which may have somewhat thrown him off a bit.
eathy: Kleiza. Though it wasn't really surprising.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
JRMelo15: I'm pretty confident that they will make the right moves, considering that Mark Warkentien won the Executive of the Year.
Meloshow: Somewhat confident. We can't think of anything worse then bringing back Carter. However, I think Karl will push for him to be re-instated and we'll see him turning the ball over and jacking up contested shots all over again next season. I think they'll re-sign Birdman as well as D.J., which helps hugely defensively. Kleiza could accept the qualifying offer and be an unrestricted free agent next season, but we'll wait and see.
eathy: They were good last season, so I'm confident.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
JRMelo15: A backup point guard that could develop into a starter under Billups' guidance, or a strong big coming off the bench that can play in the post.
Meloshow: A super-quick point or a big seven-footer. The latter I highly doubt we'll find in the draft, so I think a guard that can handle the ball and can score off the bench will be extremely beneficial.
eathy: A young point guard for Billups to mentor, preferably one that can shoot.
7. Who would you like the Nuggets to take with the 34th pick?
JRMelo15: Danny Green, Patrick Mills or Darren Collison.
Meloshow: Mills. He is one of the quickest players in the draft and can score very well.
eathy: Mills, Jack McClinton or Green, in that order.
Click here to read other draft previews in our 30 Teams, 30 Days series
Who do you want the Nuggets to draft at number 34? Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments and questions. |
