(a sorta) League Preview: Denver Nuggets

The sorriest teams and the lottery likelies have little business dreaming of the Playoffs. The might be somethings big dreams but limited prospects of post season success. Whether they can do much after the first or second round is more doubtful. Joining the Hawks, Hornets and Jazz is the team to beat in the Northwest.

Denver Nuggets

PG Chauncey Billups Anthony Carter Ty Lawson

SG J.R. Smith Arron Afflalo

SF Carmelo Anthony Renaldo Balman

PF Kenyon Martin Malik Allen

C Nene Chris Andersen Johan Petro

Led by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, Denver has emerged from a team on the rise to a force to be reckoned with. Though not in the category of draft mate LeBron and DWade, Melo is a for real game changer. Billups is a former NBA Finals MVP with the credibility and game to keep the Nuggets on track. With a supporting cast that includes the finally healthy Nene, the hopefully healthy Kenyon Martin and bench stars Birdman Andersen and JR Smith, Denver will compete for the Northwest Division title and home court for the first few rounds of the Playoffs.

The growing maturity of Carmelo Anthony is a pleasure to watch. His dominant performance as a corner man for the Orange was one of the finest shooting performances for a Finals winner since the immortal Glen Rice. Like Rice, Melo made his mark on offense as soon as he laced up his NBA shoes. Unlike Rice, Melo seems to have learned that in the League, getting stops is of equal importance as getting buckets. His experience on Team USA, plus the eternal comparisons with Bron and Wade, have helped focus Anthony on the work necessary for greatness.

Playing alongside a winner like Billups does not hurt either. Chauncey’s arrival in the Mile High City gave coach George Karl the steady leadership and heady execution that every coach craves from his point guard. Though he is not quite as quick on the a ball as he was during Detroit’s championship run, his grit and determination keep Billups in the upper tier of lead guards. Then there is his deadly three point shot: Both in terms of percentage and timeliness, Chauncey uses the three ball as well as any player in the game.

The play of bigs Nene, KMart and the Birdman is the key for the Nuggets. After battling all sorts of basketball related injuries in the first 5 years in the League, the 27 year old Brazilian center survived a cancer scare that ended his 2007-08 season. When the Nuggets jettisoned Marcus Camby for salary reasons last off-season, many NBA fans (myself included) thought that Denver was about to tank. Little did we know how ready Nene would be to anchor the Nuggets frontline. He has a career year in 2008-09, averaging 14 points, 8 rebounds and nearly 1.5 blocks a game. Kenyon Martin’s career has been similarly pocked marked with injuries and missed games. Though nowhere near as explosive as his early days with New Jersey, he is a competitor and hard nosed defender. Andersen rounds out the Nuggets rotation nicely with length, shot blocking and high energy.

Denver’s wild card in JR Swish. A phenomenal shooter, when Smith gets his torch lit he can put up 20 in a quarter. Maturity and consistency remain the obstacles to his arrival as a big time shooting guard. His role in the death of his best friend in a 2007 car accident has had an appropriately sobering effect on the mercurial Smith. Though he will miss 7 games while serving an NBA suspension related to the accident, Denver is counting on big things from JR. The acquisition of Aaron Afflalo in the Billups-Iverson trade gives Denver a solid option if Smith cannot deliver.

As good as Denver is, imaging a scenario where they can beat either the Lakers or the Spurs is difficult. Not unlike the Jazz, Denver’s bigs struggle against the League’s elite. Furthermore, even with Carmelo’s growing dedication to defense, as a team Denver still struggles to get stops. Perhaps most importantly, the Nuggets core players have all had a history of playoff meltdowns where as a group they have appeared to lose faith in one another. Expect 55 plus wins, and a first round victory. Maybe even a return to Conference Finals. When they run into a team that defends, the ride ends.