At least they'll be fun to watch...

by Andrew Feinstein on Nov 8, 2008 10:05 AM MST

You had to love former-now-current-Nugget Chauncey Billups' quote mentioned during the ESPN broadcast of last night's win over the Dallas Mavericks. I don't have the exact line handy, but it went something like: "The Pistons' offensive system is night and day different from the Nuggets' offensive system."

As my brother pointed out, this was just Billups' nice way of saying that the Nuggets have no offensive system. And for those of us who follow the Nuggets regularly and watched last night's affair, we know this to be essentially true.

The Nuggets may have no set offense, but they have athletes. Talented athletes. And therefore, they will always be fun to watch (at least this season).

But while their raw talent may get them over the hump in home games against mediocre teams like the Mavericks, this "offense" isn't going to fly against the better teams in the Western Conference.

But hey, a win is a win. Welcome home, Chauncey!

On a side note, Antonio McDyess got bought out after all and won't be in a Nuggets uniform again. While the Kroenke Cronies deserve credit for making the bold move to part with Allen Iverson and bring in Billups, they should have confirmed that McDyess would come in the deal. Otherwise, the Nuggets certainly could have gotten something else - other than just Billups and "center" Cheikh Samb - out of a Detroit organization clearly anxious to part with Billups' long term salary. AI and his expiring contract should have netted Billups and a backup big man and/or a draft pick.

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"While the Kroenke Cronies deserve credit for making the bold move to part with Allen Iverson and bring in Billups, they should have confirmed that McDyess would come in the deal. Otherwise, the Nuggets certainly could have gotten something else"

They knew they were buying out McDyess when they did the deal.

If you follow the tick-tock of the deal, things were held up for 4 days as the Nuggets decided whether or not they still wanted to do the deal knowing that Dice would refuse to report.

And the McDyess buyout likely gets them under the luxury tax, which is high-priority for Team Kroenke.

by Petey on Nov 8, 2008 10:48 AM MST reply actions

"STIFF #1: Steven Hunter - Guaranteed $3.4 million this season and $3.7 million next season. What exactly does this guy do anyway?"

Paying that $7m to Hunter keeps you from having to pay $15m to Reggie Evans.

The Hunter trade was done to save you folks money, all the while knowing that Hunter had a chronic knee problem that was likely going to keep him from playing much.

What does Hunter do? Provides $8m in cap relief.

(Plus, if he can ever play again, he's a nice backup center. But that would be icing on the cake.)

by Petey on Nov 8, 2008 11:01 AM MST reply actions

I enjoyed this game more than any in recent memory. A.I. may be one of the all time greats, but he sure didn't fit with the mile high crew on the court.

Welcome back Chauncey, with or without McDyess.

by John S on Nov 8, 2008 11:42 AM MST reply actions

I immediately liked this trade; I could see Billup's leadership on the floor late in the 4th. He did have a couple of slip-ups, like brinking the first free throw but I'll take him any day over AI's limited game.

by Lord Sam on Nov 8, 2008 11:45 AM MST reply actions

I was under the impression that one of the benefits of this trade was seeing less Anthony Carter. I like the guy, just not on the court. Also, why on earth would you start Jones over Smith? We could run an actual offense with Billups, Smith, Anthony, Martin, and Nene. Instead, Carmelo still has to get by three guys to get to the rim because no one has to guard K-Mart or Jones outside of about three feet. One more shooter (like J.R. Smith) and we could have a really good offense (not just one that people THINK is good). Karl could even institute plays. That would be awesome.

by Matthew on Nov 8, 2008 12:22 PM MST reply actions

Petey is dead on re: McDyess buyout. That buyout gets them to within $900k of the lux tax. To get both an All-Star point guard and significant salary relief in one deal is as good as they could have possibly gotten.

I'm thinking Kroenke is pretty damn happy with his Cronies right about now.

by Anonymous on Nov 8, 2008 12:56 PM MST reply actions

matthew- I disagree with you about starting JR. Is it just me or is he still extremely undisciplined in spurts, while on the court? Jones will never be the offensive threat that JR is, but he brings stability at the start of games! Even Melo has seemed like a different player on DEFENSE so far- yet JR looks like he's in the mindset of the last few years! Hopefully he'll catch the tenor of this new squad- since in more ways than one, CHANGE is the order of the day.. both on the court & off! :)

by KaiserSoze on Nov 8, 2008 1:10 PM MST reply actions

"I'm thinking Kroenke is pretty damn happy with his Cronies right about now."

I'm actually amazed at how little they got away with paying Dice. It's being reported at $6m, and I was guessing they'd have to lay out $8m or $9m.

Dumars is going to have to pay Dice $4m next year to make him whole, (which I'm sure he'll do.)

"That buyout gets them to within $900k of the lux tax."

Yup. Now, all they have to do is ship Chucky Atkins, a second rounder, and $3m to Memphis to get under. In such a deal, both teams make money because of the way teams under the luxury tax get payoffs.

by Petey on Nov 8, 2008 1:12 PM MST reply actions

It was stated earlier that Melo would have to post 6 to 8 rebounds per game for the Nuggets to have a chance. Last night Melo had eight and they won. Additionally, Linas Kleiza only had 2 rebounds for the game, which resulted in the Mavs making a run while the Nuggets starters were on the bench in the 2nd.

I wanted to see this first game with Chauncy to see if I liked the trade. Overall, I have to say the Nuggets looked much improved. Both teams could have have put up 130 points last night if A.I. werre still here. Instead, Chauncy kept the Nuggets in half court sets and never really let the Mavs gain momementum. The Nuggets should start winning more games that are in the 90's that they weren't winning before.

As for J.R. coming off the bench, I like it. If he were to start, who's gonna score for the bench? Kleiza, Balkman, Birdman, or A.C. or Jones. I don't trust Jones enough to be the only scorer out on the floor when J.R. and Melo have to sit.

What's up with Balkman's DNP?

by emptytwo629 on Nov 8, 2008 7:03 PM MST reply actions

Juwan Howard is more effective than McDyess at this point. I'm glad the latter is long gone.

And the Mavericks, a team that has owned the Nuggets (even in Denver) is suddenly mediocre? Chauncey was rusty, and will continue to be rusty for a few games, but winning that game proves this team is going in an entirely new direction.

Your neurotic cynicism is getting old. Even Woody Allen thinks you're over the top.

by James on Nov 8, 2008 8:05 PM MST reply actions

I have to say, it was incredibly akward watching AI in a Detroit uni, and it seeed kind of wierd that they lost while we won. Not sure if that is a sign of things to come or just luck but I was satisfied with what I saw on the court. Billups didn't have his best game but I absolutely love how he managed the game. Before it was pure chaos on both ends of the floor, and you could see how when things were about ready to get out of control Chauncy immediatly slowed things down. I have a feeling that like Andrew said, we arn't probably going to be a threat in the playoffs still, but at least we arn't going to be the laughing stock of the league anymore due to our style of play. I still think JR should start, or at least Klieza. I mean out of pure respect for both of them for being with the team for so long, instead some journeyman who passes through gets the start. I think that is bs if you ask me. Nene played like a monster last night though. I can't wait to watch him improve the entire year. One other thing. Anyone think that K-Mart could actually be a efficiant scorer if he just knew how to utilize his abilities? I mean he is hands down one of the fastest big men in the league. If he could start taking guys off the dribble he could simply out run them to the bastket. And he has a descent hook shot, he just needs a couple of other post moves to go with it.

by Goldennugget on Nov 8, 2008 8:05 PM MST reply actions

"One other thing. Anyone think that K-Mart could actually be a efficiant scorer if he just knew how to utilize his abilities? I mean he is hands down one of the fastest big men in the league. If he could start taking guys off the dribble he could simply out run them to the bastket. And he has a descent hook shot, he just needs a couple of other post moves to go with it."

Kenyon just doesn't have "touch". He didn't have finesse even before knee injuries.

We're talking about a career 65% FT shooter here.

Check him out during interviews sometime. He's got a weird twitch thing going on, which I suspect is somehow related to his lack of finesse on the court.

In short, it's not that he doesn't have moves, it's that he can't execute them with any decent percentage of success.

-----

The shame of never having Nene, Camby, and K-Mart healthy together is that K-Mart is a 20mpg player at this point of his career, and that healthy roster would have permitted that kind of rotation.

by Petey on Nov 8, 2008 11:19 PM MST reply actions

When Dice goes back to Detroit, Kroenke and the Three Geniuses traded Allen Iverson (and his cap space next year) for Chauncey Billips and Cheikh Samb. Because Chauncey is A Man, they accidently improved the team.

All this so La Nugget could near or under the cap.

re: Your neurotic cynicism is getting old. Even Woody Allen thinks you're over the top.

OK, our mistake. We thought this blog was about the Denver Nuggets...

by Dave on Nov 9, 2008 7:46 AM MST reply actions

and speaking of cynicism, The FO brought in home town favorite Billips to improve their attendance should the Nuggets suck this year, which is definitely a possibility...

Kroenke, always keeping an eye on that sacred bottom-line, is trying to make the team "recession-proof"...

by Dave on Nov 9, 2008 7:54 AM MST reply actions

Wow Dave it is pretty obvious that you know nothing about basketball and the Cap. This doesnt just save us money this year as we are under the cap if you look closely we moved the TE so the deadline is now for this time next year wich gets us past the BYC clause for newly signed players. not to mention the additional 3mil TE that was also created in this move. You are obviously an AI fan which is fine but failing to understand how a true PG helps this team is your biggest blunder. Chauncy is going to do things for this team that AI never would. AI was awesome but he needs another G like Billups to be truely effective as the mismatch on D is outrageous if both of your gaurds are 6'0" This move is like getting Andre Miller back only with a deadly 3pt shot to go with the game management we all miss. This will spread the floor and make it impossible to pack the paint. This makes Nene and Melo absolute nightmares for any team short of the Lakers. IMHO we still need to fill out the bench Klieza has not raised his level of play since his rookie year. we need a guy like Ben Gordon, or Jason Kapono who can fill it up in short spurts which would allow us to move JR into a starting role and would further limit AC's minutes.

by nickademus on Nov 9, 2008 10:50 AM MST reply actions

HEY Andrew, can you change the name of your site back to the original title. George continues to flirt with loosing games by playing the weakest link. Anthony Carter shouln't be playing at the end of close games. Dahntay Jones is much taller and can probably hold his own in crucial situations. Every team know that if the weakest link is in, post him up or shoot over him. FIRE GERORGE KARL.

by samiam on Nov 9, 2008 1:43 PM MST reply actions

Ok so is it just me here, I have for the most part been a Carmelo fan. After all when he became a Nugget it was a new beginning for the team. Now,after watching his airheaded play here against Memphis, ( free throws excluded ) he is not in tune, he has made some boneheaded plays and seems out of sync with Billups. Let's face it Billups is a vocal leader on the court and Mellow is not accepting of that as it appears to me. Billups is showing his leadership and Mellow seems to be displaying his sulking style. Just my take,hopefully I'm sure I'm not catching the entire picture. I'll say this ,the first half was fun to watch

by markp on Nov 9, 2008 7:30 PM MST reply actions

how about renaldo balkman? the guy is finally gettin some minutes and he's making the most of em. 2-0 with chauncey. who needs AI when you have chauncey?

by Anonymous on Nov 9, 2008 8:41 PM MST reply actions

I'm impressed...Two wins, great hustle plays by Balkman and Kleiza. 8 rebounds by melo, 9 for kleiza, they're starting to realize that they need to do other things on the floor besides score to win the game. another low score too. In two games last year Nuggets scored 120 against t Memphis. but gave up 111. I'll take 100 to 90 with some defense and hustle any day.

by emptytwo629 on Nov 9, 2008 9:01 PM MST reply actions

Comments For This Post Are Closed

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.