duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Ugh, just read about it. Was enjoying them.
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***Official NBA Thread***
- Thread starter Mister Wright
- Start date
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Plus Kelly Dwyer over at Ball Don't Lie. One of the best on the internet.
nightprowler10
Global Moderator
I just read what the suspension was about. lol.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Buncha old men in here.
Johnners
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Have read bits 'n pieces of both, but not nearly as often as I'd like. So many articles across so many sites I've found myself only really reading grantland and espn of late just so I can actually take in what they're writing. Think I enjoy reading Zach Lowe the most though, if only because he's a bit quirky with the random things like his fascination with mascots 'n floors. For those more in the know, how does his technical analysis stack up to the others mentioned?
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Riggins
International Captain
Zache Lowe and the S.I guys Rob Mahoney and Lee Jenkins are clearly the best NBA writers, in my opinion. Really like the Yahoo guys too.
The latest BS Report with Lowe and Voulgaris was really really good too. Like that format much better.
duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
ESPN's Nuggets preview.
After losing in the first round of the playoffs eight times during George Karl's nine seasons as head coach, the Denver Nuggets found a foolproof way to avoid another opening-round exit the year after firing Karl: They didn't make the playoffs at all.
NBA TEAM PREVIEWS
How do all 30 teams stack up in '14-15? Check out our projections. Preview »
The difference wasn't only on the sidelines. After general manager Masai Ujiri left to run the Toronto Raptors, Denver lost ace defender Andre Iguodala to the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. And injuries hit the Nuggets hard, with three different players (Danilo Gallinari, J.J. Hickson and Nate Robinson) undergoing surgery to repair torn ACLs. Gallinari never got on the floor, while center JaVale McGee played just five games.
The injuries and defections left Karl's replacement, first-time head coach Brian Shaw, with a shell of the roster that had won 57 games the year before. For the first time since drafting Carmelo Anthony in 2003, Denver found itself in the lottery. After stumbling through his first offseason as Ujiri's replacement, new GM Tim Connelly did a nice job of enhancing the team's depth on draft day. But in the Western Conference, that might not be enough to return to the playoffs.
2013-14 RECAP
Ty Lawson
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Whenever Ty Lawson hit the deck last season, Denver's fortunes soon waned.
PELTON'S 2013-14 STATS
W-L: 36-46 (Pythagorean W-L: 34-48)
Offensive Efficiency: 107.6 (17th)
Defensive Efficiency: 109.8 (21st)
Pace Factor: 96.6 (3rd)
Highest WARP: Ty Lawson (6.9)
Despite the losses of Karl, now an ESPN analyst, and Iguodala, the Nuggets opened 2013-14 optimistic about extending their playoff streak to 12 seasons. In the early going, that looked realistic. Despite playing without Gallinari and McGee, who suffered a season-ending stress fracture in his tibia during the season's fifth game, Denver won 10 out of 12 games after a 1-4 start to peak at 11-6. Two rough spells doomed the Nuggets' playoff chances. In late December, they lost eight games in a row. Denver again moved above .500 only to give back that progress with a 1-11 stretch in late February and early March.
Ultimately, the Nuggets saw their record drop by 21 wins from that of the previous season, joining five other teams since the ABA-NBA merger to go from at least 57 wins to the lottery.
57-PLUS WINS TO LOTTERY
Team Years Year 1 Year 2
*Season shortened by NBA lockout
San Ant. '96-97 59-23 20-62
Chicago '98-99 62-20 13-37*
Seattle '98-99 61-21 25-25*
Minn. '04-05 58-24 44-38
Cleve. '10-11 61-21 19-63
Denver '13-14 57-25 36-46
One common thread between Denver's downturns was injuries to point guard Ty Lawson. With Lawson in the lineup, the Nuggets were essentially a .500 club, going 29-33. When he sat out, Denver won just seven times in 20 games. Per NBA.com/Stats, the Nuggets scored 6.0 fewer points per 100 possessions with Lawson on the bench.
Lawson's absence was felt more acutely because of Denver's other injuries. Doctors hoped Gallinari's ACL would heal on its own, but it failed to respond and Gallinari had to undergo season-ending surgery to repair it in January. Later that month, backup point guard Robinson tore his left ACL. And in March, Hickson tore his right ACL, making him the fourth Denver player lost for the season. All told, the Nuggets ranked in the league's bottom five in games (263), minutes (6,556) and wins above replacement player (10.1) lost to injury.
OFFSEASON MOVES
Arron Afflalo
John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images
After two seasons in Orlando, Arron Afflalo returns to Denver in a more prominent role.
Denver's most important new face is an old one. Arron Afflalo developed into a quality 3-and-D shooting guard during his first three-year stint with the Nuggets, before being dealt to the Orlando Magic as part of the four-team trade that brought Iguodala to Denver. After two seasons in Orlando, Afflalo was deemed expendable because of Victor Oladipo's development. And hours before the NBA Draft, the Nuggets got him back for the relative bargain price of Evan Fournier and a second-round pick.
Denver's first lottery pick since 2003 landed 11th overall. Not enamored of any one option there, Connelly dealt down, picking up the 16th and 19th selections from the Chicago Bulls. The Nuggets benefited from how the draft fell, picking two players (Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic and Michigan State guard Gary Harris) they surely would have considered in the lottery.
INSIDER'S PLAYER PROFILES
Check out Insider's player scouting reports and '14-15 stat projections for the Nuggets roster. Player Profiles Insider
Harris unexpectedly slipped to 19th on draft night, presumably because of concerns about his size. The more interesting long-term prospect is Nurkic, who will come to the NBA immediately at age 20. His translated international statistics ranked Nurkic third in my pre-draft WARP projections. (Harris ranked 13th.)
Neither rookie is likely to play much this season because of Denver's depth. When healthy, the Nuggets will go at least two deep with experienced NBA veterans at every position. That qualifier remains important. All three players coming off ACL surgery figure to be on the court by opening night.
Still, there is reason to believe Connelly is on the lookout for a trade consolidating the team's talent. Denver reportedly tried to get involved in this summer's Kevin Love sweepstakes without any assurance that Love would re-sign with the team. According to Insider's Chris Broussard, the Nuggets offered a package built around forward Kenneth Faried and the No. 11 pick.
Denver faced an interesting decision with Faried, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract. The team tried to sign him to a five-year, $60 million extension only to be informed by the NBA that five-year rookie extensions have to be for the maximum salary (estimated at $89 million for Faried). Instead, the two sides agreed on a four-year, $50 million deal that should prove a good value as the salary cap increases rapidly with an infusion of money from the new national TV deal.
2014-15 OUTLOOK
Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee
Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports
Will Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee be celebrating often in a return to good health this season?
PELTON'S 2014-15 PROJECTIONS
Projected Offensive Rating: 110.2 (7th)
Projected Defensive Rating: 109.2 (24th)
SCHOENE Projected Record: 41-41
Real Plus-Minus Projected Record: 31-51
The return of guard Afflalo via trade means Denver has reunited the five players who started the most games for the 2011-12 team that went 38-28 after the lockout, so hope for a return to the postseason after a one-year absence is reasonable. Besides how quickly multiple players returning from ACL injuries (Gallinari, Hickson and Robinson) get back up to speed, the biggest question mark for the Nuggets is surely on the sidelines. Nobody juggled a deep roster without a clear go-to player like Karl, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2012-13. Shaw has yet to demonstrate he can have the same success.
Ultimately, the biggest issue for Denver is external. The rest of the Western Conference is too good. Not only do the Nuggets have to make up a 13-game gap in the standings between them and the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, they have to hold off other lottery challengers that also figure to improve. So Denver is likely looking at another season in the lottery. In that case, suddenly the Nuggets' previous tradition of losing in the first round won't seem so bad in hindsight.
ESPN Forecast: 38-44, 3rd in Northwest, 11th in Western Conference
After losing in the first round of the playoffs eight times during George Karl's nine seasons as head coach, the Denver Nuggets found a foolproof way to avoid another opening-round exit the year after firing Karl: They didn't make the playoffs at all.
NBA TEAM PREVIEWS
How do all 30 teams stack up in '14-15? Check out our projections. Preview »
The difference wasn't only on the sidelines. After general manager Masai Ujiri left to run the Toronto Raptors, Denver lost ace defender Andre Iguodala to the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. And injuries hit the Nuggets hard, with three different players (Danilo Gallinari, J.J. Hickson and Nate Robinson) undergoing surgery to repair torn ACLs. Gallinari never got on the floor, while center JaVale McGee played just five games.
The injuries and defections left Karl's replacement, first-time head coach Brian Shaw, with a shell of the roster that had won 57 games the year before. For the first time since drafting Carmelo Anthony in 2003, Denver found itself in the lottery. After stumbling through his first offseason as Ujiri's replacement, new GM Tim Connelly did a nice job of enhancing the team's depth on draft day. But in the Western Conference, that might not be enough to return to the playoffs.
2013-14 RECAP
Ty Lawson
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Whenever Ty Lawson hit the deck last season, Denver's fortunes soon waned.
PELTON'S 2013-14 STATS
W-L: 36-46 (Pythagorean W-L: 34-48)
Offensive Efficiency: 107.6 (17th)
Defensive Efficiency: 109.8 (21st)
Pace Factor: 96.6 (3rd)
Highest WARP: Ty Lawson (6.9)
Despite the losses of Karl, now an ESPN analyst, and Iguodala, the Nuggets opened 2013-14 optimistic about extending their playoff streak to 12 seasons. In the early going, that looked realistic. Despite playing without Gallinari and McGee, who suffered a season-ending stress fracture in his tibia during the season's fifth game, Denver won 10 out of 12 games after a 1-4 start to peak at 11-6. Two rough spells doomed the Nuggets' playoff chances. In late December, they lost eight games in a row. Denver again moved above .500 only to give back that progress with a 1-11 stretch in late February and early March.
Ultimately, the Nuggets saw their record drop by 21 wins from that of the previous season, joining five other teams since the ABA-NBA merger to go from at least 57 wins to the lottery.
57-PLUS WINS TO LOTTERY
Team Years Year 1 Year 2
*Season shortened by NBA lockout
San Ant. '96-97 59-23 20-62
Chicago '98-99 62-20 13-37*
Seattle '98-99 61-21 25-25*
Minn. '04-05 58-24 44-38
Cleve. '10-11 61-21 19-63
Denver '13-14 57-25 36-46
One common thread between Denver's downturns was injuries to point guard Ty Lawson. With Lawson in the lineup, the Nuggets were essentially a .500 club, going 29-33. When he sat out, Denver won just seven times in 20 games. Per NBA.com/Stats, the Nuggets scored 6.0 fewer points per 100 possessions with Lawson on the bench.
Lawson's absence was felt more acutely because of Denver's other injuries. Doctors hoped Gallinari's ACL would heal on its own, but it failed to respond and Gallinari had to undergo season-ending surgery to repair it in January. Later that month, backup point guard Robinson tore his left ACL. And in March, Hickson tore his right ACL, making him the fourth Denver player lost for the season. All told, the Nuggets ranked in the league's bottom five in games (263), minutes (6,556) and wins above replacement player (10.1) lost to injury.
OFFSEASON MOVES
Arron Afflalo
John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images
After two seasons in Orlando, Arron Afflalo returns to Denver in a more prominent role.
Denver's most important new face is an old one. Arron Afflalo developed into a quality 3-and-D shooting guard during his first three-year stint with the Nuggets, before being dealt to the Orlando Magic as part of the four-team trade that brought Iguodala to Denver. After two seasons in Orlando, Afflalo was deemed expendable because of Victor Oladipo's development. And hours before the NBA Draft, the Nuggets got him back for the relative bargain price of Evan Fournier and a second-round pick.
Denver's first lottery pick since 2003 landed 11th overall. Not enamored of any one option there, Connelly dealt down, picking up the 16th and 19th selections from the Chicago Bulls. The Nuggets benefited from how the draft fell, picking two players (Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic and Michigan State guard Gary Harris) they surely would have considered in the lottery.
INSIDER'S PLAYER PROFILES
Check out Insider's player scouting reports and '14-15 stat projections for the Nuggets roster. Player Profiles Insider
Harris unexpectedly slipped to 19th on draft night, presumably because of concerns about his size. The more interesting long-term prospect is Nurkic, who will come to the NBA immediately at age 20. His translated international statistics ranked Nurkic third in my pre-draft WARP projections. (Harris ranked 13th.)
Neither rookie is likely to play much this season because of Denver's depth. When healthy, the Nuggets will go at least two deep with experienced NBA veterans at every position. That qualifier remains important. All three players coming off ACL surgery figure to be on the court by opening night.
Still, there is reason to believe Connelly is on the lookout for a trade consolidating the team's talent. Denver reportedly tried to get involved in this summer's Kevin Love sweepstakes without any assurance that Love would re-sign with the team. According to Insider's Chris Broussard, the Nuggets offered a package built around forward Kenneth Faried and the No. 11 pick.
Denver faced an interesting decision with Faried, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract. The team tried to sign him to a five-year, $60 million extension only to be informed by the NBA that five-year rookie extensions have to be for the maximum salary (estimated at $89 million for Faried). Instead, the two sides agreed on a four-year, $50 million deal that should prove a good value as the salary cap increases rapidly with an infusion of money from the new national TV deal.
2014-15 OUTLOOK
Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee
Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports
Will Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee be celebrating often in a return to good health this season?
PELTON'S 2014-15 PROJECTIONS
Projected Offensive Rating: 110.2 (7th)
Projected Defensive Rating: 109.2 (24th)
SCHOENE Projected Record: 41-41
Real Plus-Minus Projected Record: 31-51
The return of guard Afflalo via trade means Denver has reunited the five players who started the most games for the 2011-12 team that went 38-28 after the lockout, so hope for a return to the postseason after a one-year absence is reasonable. Besides how quickly multiple players returning from ACL injuries (Gallinari, Hickson and Robinson) get back up to speed, the biggest question mark for the Nuggets is surely on the sidelines. Nobody juggled a deep roster without a clear go-to player like Karl, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2012-13. Shaw has yet to demonstrate he can have the same success.
Ultimately, the biggest issue for Denver is external. The rest of the Western Conference is too good. Not only do the Nuggets have to make up a 13-game gap in the standings between them and the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, they have to hold off other lottery challengers that also figure to improve. So Denver is likely looking at another season in the lottery. In that case, suddenly the Nuggets' previous tradition of losing in the first round won't seem so bad in hindsight.
ESPN Forecast: 38-44, 3rd in Northwest, 11th in Western Conference
nightprowler10
Global Moderator
Duffer posting regularly in the NBA thread. Should be a good season.
Pratters
Cricket, Lovely Cricket
Excited about the new season. I will continue supporting the Heat. Last year, Sony Six showed 2 games almost every day of the season which meant that I caught far more games than ever before. I haven't seen ads yet but I hope they do cover the NBA this year too.
duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
They're covering it again this season.
Edit: 2 games a day again
Also, reading that Nuggets preview reminds me of how poor ESPN analysts are. A team that got 36 wins last season with three starters missing and a rookie coach. now has their best players back and have drafted pretty nicely and it's only worth 2 more wins? Just poor analysis.
Edit: 2 games a day again
Also, reading that Nuggets preview reminds me of how poor ESPN analysts are. A team that got 36 wins last season with three starters missing and a rookie coach. now has their best players back and have drafted pretty nicely and it's only worth 2 more wins? Just poor analysis.
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dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
I think mine is the Bucks or the Wolves. Gonna see a ****load of the Warriors on ESPN anyways.
I don't think anyone but the Spurs are winning the West. Clippers closer than the Warriors IMO, I think the Warriors are really going to regret not trading Klay for Love.
I don't think anyone but the Spurs are winning the West. Clippers closer than the Warriors IMO, I think the Warriors are really going to regret not trading Klay for Love.
NUFAN
Y no Afghanistan flag
Just realized that I should really have put Cavs as most improved team too or change the question to biggest surprise with my Pistons pick. I just think they are a decent chance of getting around the 6th seed, but who knows really.
Duffer, what did you think of the Nuggets Taylor Swift parody?