Countless scribes have penned columns about what the Denver Nuggets need to do tonight or who they need to take (including yours truly). Will Justice Winslow become a better NBA pro than Stanley Johnson or Mario Hezonja? Who knows? If DeMarcus Cousins ends up in Denver will he take the next step and lead a team to the playoffs? Maybe; but there’s a big “if” starting that last sentence.
If we were being genuine we’d all agree that the 2015 NBA draft is a crapshoot. Sure, there’s a lot of talent but who knows how that talent will translate to the pro game. We can pretend to have a formula for rating players but the truth is we all have our bias and no one knows for sure. How many people have seen Hezonja play an actual game, or Kristaps Porzingis? If you’re an ACC guy you probably like Winslow, if you’re a Pac-12 guy you probably like Johnson. It’s all relative. There is one major thing we’ll find out tonight. Tonight we’ll learn what the Nuggets front office thinks of the current roster.
The different scenarios that could play out each gives us a major clue as to the direction of the Denver Nuggets, something that the current regime has failed to provide. Tonight a plan will finally be revealed.
There are three possibilities tonight and each says something different about the thought process at the Pepsi Center.
Denver could stay put and draft at No. 7. The potential for grabbing a gem with the 7th pick is much higher this year than most. Because of that, no one would fault Josh Kroenke, Pete D’Alessandro and Tim Connelly for staying put and trusting their instincts and scouting department. The same group last year (minus D’Alessandro) orchestrated a trade that landed the Nuggets the steal of the 2014 draft, Jusuf Nurkic. They deserve a little rope when it comes to the draft.
Here’s what it means if the Nuggets hold tight at seven.
To date, the only person that’s been held responsible for the train wreck that was Denver’s season is Brian Shaw, who was fired on March 3. Anyone watching the Nuggets could tell that that move needed to be made. The players were completely over Shaw and quit. The product on the floor was appalling. If the Nuggets front office stays at seven, their thinking is clear. That appalling play was solely Shaw’s fault.
Kroenke, D’Alessandro, Connelly and Company picking at seven and not making any moves means they think Michael Malone is only a few players away from having a playoff-worthy roster. And, it means that no one at the Pepsi Center believes they’re in a rebuild. Next year’s starting five will include Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Nurkic and drafted player X.
Second, Denver could flip a few starters to Sacramento for Cousins.
File this under rumors. Rumors have it that Denver is interested in acquiring Cousins. George Karl is apparently rumored to be interested in acquiring Lawson and Faried but the Kings owner is reportedly not willing to part with Cousins. Rumors, rumors, rumors. Just because this deal is surrounded by rumors doesn’t mean we can’t read between the lines.
What are the Nuggets saying if they trade for Cousins?
If the Nuggets war room is able to pull off a deal that sends Lawson and Faried to the Kings for Cousins it’d say a couple of things. A) That the Nuggets realize they can’t compete as currently constructed and there is rebuilding to be done and B) that the rebuild can be a relatively short process. Turning Lawson and Faried into Cousins and still drafting at seven would be savvy.
Wouldn’t a starting five of Cousins, Nurkic, Gallinari, drafted player X and Jameer Nelson be extremely intriguing?
Finally, Denver could find a trade partner with a top four pick and nab the best player on their board.
What is Denver in for if the Nuggets trade into the top four?
Was D’Alessandro hired to help Connelly completely rebuild the Nuggets? If Denver ends up picking in the top four the answer is “yes.” Making a deal with the Knicks, Sixers, Lakers or Timberwolves would cost them 3 or 4 players (probably some combination of Lawson, Faried, Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, depending on the team) and the 7th pick. Denver would be potentially swapping three starters for the player they view as the future. This move would represent hitting the reset button, dumping high-priced assets and building around Nurkic and another young cornerstone (and probably playing for ping pong balls next year).
Everyone can have their opinion on who the Nuggets should or shouldn’t take, but for the most part those opinions are biased in one way or another (or based off of a four sentence bio written by some NBA draftnik). When it comes to the player the Denver Nuggets select in the first round this year, only time will tell whether or not they’ll change the direction of the franchise. Naturally, the draft is a crapshoot. That doesn’t mean there isn’t something very important to be learned tonight.
How Kroenke, D’Alessandro and Connelly handle tonight’s draft will reveal whether or not they believe this roster can compete and in what direction the franchise is headed. Are Nuggets’ fans looking at a complete rebuild or simply adding one player to the mix?
This offseason the Nuggets front office has looked extremely listless. Tonight we’ll all gain some insight into the direction of the franchise. Long awaited questions will finally be answered. Finally.
