Could Juwan Howard be the Nuggets' P.J. Brown?...

by Andrew Feinstein on Oct 8, 2008 10:33 AM MDT

When we inducted the first class into the Denver Stiffs Hall of Fame in September, Juwan Howard received the most write-in votes of any forward. I found this perplexing, because while Howard was grossly overpaid in his NBA heyday, it wasn't the Nuggets (surprisingly) who gave him that contract. That was Wes Unseld's stupidity matching Pat Riley's stupidity.

Moreover, Howard was on the wrong end of that massive trade that sent Raef LaFrentz, Nick Van Exel, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson to Dallas. Meaning, Howard (along with Tim Hardaway) went from playing for a championship to playing for a lottery pick. And while Hardaway exhibited visible frustration by bashing a courtside TV set and getting himself suspended, Howard kept his mouth shut, seemingly played hard in every game and came back the next season to appear in 77 games on a 17-win team, where he also mentored the young players during a tough season of rebuilding. Of course, I would do the same thing if I was getting paid $20 million (as Howard was paid in his final season in Denver).

Anyway, several Denver Stiffs readers have written in or commented about Howard being back in Nuggets camp on a nonguaranteed contract, as if this is some sort of catastrophe. But his money ("only" $5 million this season) will be coming from Minnesota, not Denver.

Unless I'm remembering things incorrectly, I thought Howard was a class act during his brief tenure in Denver. Additionally, coming into training camp the Nuggets were painfully thin at backup power forward, where two injury prone players (Nene and Kenyon Martin) will be asked to play a gross majority of the minutes, and we have no clue what we'll get from the Birdman this season.

If Juwan Howard does nothing more than provide veteran leadership from the bench and a few key minutes / clutch moments when called upon - a la P.J. Brown in the NBA Finals last season - wouldn't this be a good thing for the Nuggets?

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I think Juwan would be a great addition to this team, but he'll probably be cut at the end of the pre-season. I don't see him sticking unless there is a significant injury or a 2-for-1 trade that opens up a roster spot. So, if you don't like Juwan, don't sweat it.

by Brian on Oct 8, 2008 11:06 AM MDT reply actions

Why would he be cut? It's the shallowest front court in the league, and you can't suddenly assume Nene and Kenyon are going to stay healthy. Of course everybody hopes 'this is the year', but cynicism is mandatory when dealing with those unconditioned putzes. It's not like an aging Birdman can hold the ship together by himself.

by My name is Luke. on Oct 8, 2008 11:41 AM MDT reply actions

i agree. if we had to keep two players from the training camp roster. i'd choose this guy. and (don't throw your criticism straight away) smush parker. yeah smush has off court issues but he'll be trying to prove himself. and he plays defense and is much better than AC. he can hit perimeter shots at least.

by andrew fisher on Oct 8, 2008 11:47 AM MDT reply actions

Andrew, I'm completely with you. Juwan Howard was a classy guy and didn't take plays off during his tenure here. He could have complained, cried, whined, but he handled things admirably. I was as surprised as you that he would be viewed in such a negative light. Is it because he was on a horrid team? Maybe, but that just shows a narrow-minded, gotta blame someone, mentality. As for me, I think he's one of the better players to come through this organization. I definitely think that as a veteran and mentor, he could provide a lot to this team. I would be surprised if he were cut.

by grantarchy on Oct 8, 2008 12:50 PM MDT reply actions

Andrew,

The difference is that PJ Brown is hard, and Juwan is soft. Very soft. He also has a shooting stroke which makes Marcus Camby look like Walter Davis. It makes babies cry. Juwan also whines to the refs alot (as if we need more of that), and has no chin, only a goatee to create the illusion of one. Just one guy's opinion. Love your blog!

Seanote
www.chrisandersenfiles.com

by Sea Note on Oct 8, 2008 3:23 PM MDT reply actions

Wow, I haven't been back in quite a while here but I'm impressed by the list of invitees as given on nuggets.com, and hopefully one way or another we widdle down to the guys in the best shape and the guys in the best position to strengthen this team top to bottom.

BTW, who cut the cord on Fazekas so quickly? Was he that big of a stiff so soon? LOL.

Ruben Patterson's back! Yay! Not.

We have some vets that might push people for their jobs though.. that I like.

by Eric K on Oct 9, 2008 11:39 AM MDT reply actions

I have nothing against Juwan, but I don't see that he brings anything to the team. His last couple of seasons (Houston, Dallas) have been blink-and-you-missed-it affairs. He was never that athletic or tough, and now he's less than he was.

He has good sense and some skills (not counting the weirdest jump shot in the league), but unless he has some sort of calming mojo that lets him be the liaison between Coach Karl and JR Smith, who's going to ask his advice? The Nuggets aren't a young team, really, and the personalities are too strong to expect much in the way of attention to Juwan.

The better move for the team would have been a rookie or d-league guy who can provide energy, and possibly a surprise contribution or two.

by Mike on Oct 9, 2008 1:09 PM MDT reply actions

Haha the other day I thought he was our PJ Brown as well.

And... Elton Brown is now on the Bulls :_(

- Snake -

by Anonymous on Oct 9, 2008 9:29 PM MDT reply actions

why did they trade leon powe? and what did we get in return now? a pick? what are we doing with that pick now anyway. probably traded it for a sandwich maker or something

by andrew fisher on Oct 9, 2008 10:56 PM MDT reply actions

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STIFF LIST (as of 4/26 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. METTA WORLD PEACE

Metta resorted back to Ron Ron last Sunday by clubbing James Hardenwith an "inadvertent celebratory elbow", landing him a 7-game suspension. Apparently, changing his name didn't prevent NBA commissioner David Stern from overlooking Metta's past behavior problems.

2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

The 'Cats are on the verge of securing the worst winning percentage in NBA history. Given that the guy who runs the team - Michael Jordan - had previously drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison, should this really be a shock?

3. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The team that was supposedly built to overcome the lockout-shortened season managed to lose 7 of its last 14 games, ceding the Western Conference's 1-seed to the Spurs in the process. Their reward might be a first round matchup with defending champion Dallas.

4. BILLY HUNTER AND DEREK FISHER

With report after report coming out about NBPA union head Hunter's shady, nepotistic dealings and questions arising about Fisher's own role in dealing with NBA owners behind Hunter's back during the lockout, this off-the-court scandal could prove to be more exciting than the playoffs themselves!

5. STEVE NASH AND THE PHOENIX SUNS
The Suns are on this list for squandering the last few great seasons from Nash. Nash is on this list for his stupidly stubborn loyalty to a franchise as awful as the Suns.