This story originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. View the full digital edition.
In some ways, the winter and spring of 2013 don’t feel all that long ago.
Rahim Moore misjudging a fly ball like a little leaguer who didn’t eat his Frosted Flakes is still plastered in Denver’s mind like it was yesterday. That happened on Jan. 12; a cruel way for Denver sports fans to start a new year and end a football season.
The Nuggets brilliant comeback attempt against the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA playoffs feels like a decade ago. It actually happened after Rahim’s nightmare.
A Nuggs layup rimmed out with 12 seconds left, trailing 90-88, on May 2. The furious rally from down 18 with 8:20 to go fell just short. The loss ended Denver’s run in the first round (again) and it was the last game George Karl ever coached for the Nuggets.
It’s been two long seasons since then and the Nuggets roster has been nuked (or so it feels) after they bombed on the court. Gone are staples on that 57-win team like Andre “The Mole” Iguodala, Kosta Koufos, Andre Miller, Corey Brewer, JaVale McGee, Ty Lawson and Timofey Mozgov. In are players with big time potential like Emmanuel Mudiay and Jusuf Nurkic.
But you want to know a dirty little secret? Sixty percent of the 2015-16 Nuggets projected starters (or guys who could very well start) played key roles on the record-setting 2012-13 team.
What if I told you three of the top six scorers from that squad, including the top rebounder and the best three point shooter, were all still here (30 for 30 voice)?
Danilo Gallinari is back to his old self and got paid, Kenneth Faried is re-focused and Wilson Chandler has a sneaky-good stroke. And all those guys were real contributors on the Nuggets’ best NBA team, in terms of regular season wins, ever.
Let’s look at what The Manimal, Gallo, and Ill Wil did that year, and let’s offer some realistic projections and expectations for this one.
