The Denver Nuggets are a growing franchise, and the fans are hoping they come of age this offseason. With three first-round picks and free agency on the horizon, the Nuggets have the green light to regain an identity that’s been absent from the Mile High City for so many years.
“You’ve got to be somebody,” Chris DeeHart-Reed remarked on Mile High Sports Radio Sunday. “You’ve got to have something that says, ‘I want to go join that.’”
Gone are the days when Denver used to mean something to the NBA. Under George Karl, Denver was a constant contender and there was no questioning what kind of team the Nuggets would be.
Today, Denver has become a flyover city at best.
Guys like Andre Iguodala, Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony represented the organization as household names and gave Nuggets fans something to be proud of. But along with them, that identity no longer exists in Colorado.
The last three seasons have left much to be desired, but with second-year head coach Michael Malone being called a “building” coach who can help the futures of young core members like Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay, there is reason to be optimistic about this year’s Nuggets.
“You’ve got your builder coach. You’ve got your young guy,” DeHart-Reed said. “And now you’ve got the draft, and free agency to build a contender. You can build an identity. You can become show time.”
Teams like the Warriors and Cavaliers have identities, and that’s why they are where they are today. But the Nuggets? Not so much. Not yet, at least.
To hear more about the Nuggets’ needed search for an identity, listen to the podcast below…
Catch A Mile High with Chris & Chris on Sundays from 8a-10a on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
