Where are the Nuggets shopping this holiday season?

The Nuggets need another big, that much is clear.  Nene can be durable, but Kenyon and Andersen have already been injured once this year and I imagine will get injured at least once more down the stretch (though I sincerely hope not).

Linas Kleiza, who has not yet been offered a new contract with the team, is having an atrocious first quarter of the season yet still offers enough that he is good trade material if the deal is sweetened with Chucky Atkins.

What are our options?

1.  Mikki Moore (Kings) - This would be an interesting pickup for the Nuggets if they went this route.

Pluses:

+ Big.  Mikki is listed at 7-0 and is loooooong, much like Birdman.

+ High FT%.  He's shooting 88% on the year, 21-24.  The Nuggets have been slipping lately in this respect.

+ High FG%.  54% is nothing to sneeze at for a big.

Minuses:

- Thin.  At 7-0, Mikki is only 225 pounds.  He'll get bullied in the post by the likes of Dwight and Shaq.

- Age.  He's 33 and is only getting older.  Mikki would definitely not be a long term option.

- Low reb. rate.  He's only getting 4.3 rebs/19 minutes this season.  The Nuggets already struggle with rebounds and unless something significantly changed, Mikki would not help them in this area.

Verdict: I think Mikki would actually be a great fit for the Nuggets, at least for this year.  Nene, Kenyon, Andersen, Moore and Balkman is a good rotation. 

2.  Deke (Free Agent) - What else needs to be said?  It's Dikembe Mutumbo, and he'd be coming home to the Nuggets for one more run.  That said, he could be the father of most players in the league today at age 42 and moves like a glacier, but still brings a shotblocking presence to the post.  I really don't know how we would work him in, but he's an option.

3.  Roy Hibbert (Pacers) - I really like the possibility of acquiring Hibbert and think that he might be a great fit for the Nuggets.  I'm not finding contract

Pluses:

+ Young.  He's 22 and has a long way to go to develop into a great C.

+ Size.  At 7-2 and 278lbs, Hibbert is a very big boy.  He'd become the tallest player on the Nuggets instantly and would quite obviously be a strong post presence with the bulk to hold off stronger centers.

+ Low Salary.  We'd be able to sign him and stay at our current salary level if the Pacers took Kleiza and Chucky (I think).

Minuses:

- Young.  He's 22, and has a long way to go to develop into a great C.

- Poor FT%.  The Nuggets absolutely need to shore up their FT shooting if they want to develop into a contending team, and Hibbert's FT% is not going to help things.

- Low FG%.  He's only shooting 46% on the year, which is pretty bad for a big.

Verdict: If we could snag him from the Pacers, I think it would be a coup for the Nuggets.  He's going to continue to get better and could be another Oden-in-disguise.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many other viable options out there for the Nuggets.  They can either learn to deal with what they have or try to make something happen with Chucky and Kleiza.  Either way, they should pull the trigger soon and sign Kleiza or trade him, because if he gets snagged by a European team the Nuggets are dead in the water for another big this season.