The Nuggets All-Decade Team...
by Andrew Feinstein on Dec 30, 2009 10:26 AM MST
in Extras
34 comments
With the "Aughts" coming to a close, we've looked back at 10 Years of Stiffdom and at the ten best performances of the decade (kudos to Nate for an amazing job on that). Now it's time to present the Nuggets' All-Decade Team and revisit the Nuggets All-Decade teams from years past.
Unlike other NBA franchises that may have gone through some turmoil throughout the Aughts, the Nuggets, beginning with Carmelo Anthony's arrival in 2003, have been relatively stable and consistent. Since Melo was drafted, the Nuggets have appeared in six consecutive postseasons, trades have been kept to a minimum and we've seen only two real coaching changes (I'm not counting Michael Cooper's 14-game stint, sorry). And thus, the Nuggets All-Decade Team shouldn't surprise anyone...
Small Forward - Carmelo Anthony
As mentioned already, you can trace the Nuggets stability directly to Melo's arrival. Simply put, had Darko Milicic landed in the Nuggets lap in 2003 instead of Melo, the Nuggets eight year playoff drought that carried over from the 90s could very well be extended today. At his current pace, Melo could surpass Alex English as the Nuggets greatest small forward ever...but I'm not ready to crown him that yet.
Power Forward - Kenyon Martin
This position is up for some debate, given that Antonio McDyess gave the Nuggets an All-Star caliber season to kick off the decade and Nene has played some at power forward, as well. But to me it's no contest. He may be grossly overpaid (ok, he is grossly overpaid), but while healthy K-Mart has been the Nuggets defensive quarterback, a much needed enforcer and the Nuggets don't get to the conference finals without his defensive presence last season.
Center - Marcus Camby
The Nuggets never did any postseason damage with Camby at center, but Nene has only played one-and-a-half solid seasons as center whereas Camby anchored the positioned admirably for five-plus seasons. I'll forever feel cheated that we never got to see a Camby/Nene/K-Mart/Melo front line at full health...who knows how good this team could have been. As a Nugget, Camby averaged 10.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 3.0 bpg.
Shooting Guard - Allen Iverson
Iverson's tenure in Denver was brief and he played both point guard and shooting guard, but Iverson's always been a shooting guard in a point guard's body. As noted in our decade retrospective, Iverson was asked to keep the Nuggets afloat after the Madison Square Garden Melee in 2006 and he did just that. Iverson's time in Denver will be remembered for a number of spectacular individual performances (like when he scored 49 points in three quarters against the Lakers) that didn't translate into postseason success.
Point Guard - Chauncey Billups
Just when we were about to anoint Melo as the team's (and possibly the league's) MVP, Billups' recently injured groin has showed us who the Nuggets true MVP is. Billups second stint as a Nugget brought immediate success to the franchise and gave a previously rudderless team some much needed direction. We just have to hope he stays healthy as we enter a new decade.
Reserve #1 - Nene
Edged out at center on our All-Decade Team by Camby, Nene has nevertheless played the center position well for a season-and-a-half. Unfortunately for Nene - and us - his natural position is power forward.
Reserve #2 - Andre Miller
Miller had plenty of critics during his time in Denver, but he played a major role in the Nuggets ascension into a perennial playoff team. Miller averaged 7.3 apg as a Nugget and never missed a game.
Reserve #3 - J.R. Smith
An All Star-caliber player without an All Star-caliber mindset, J.R. has given us countless "wow!" moments and we can only hope he improves into the next decade.
Reserve #4 - Antonio McDyess
A holdover from the dreaded Dan Issel Administration, McDyess's 20.8 ppg and 12.1 rpg was good enough to make the 2001 All-Star team. Tragically, McDyess blew out his knee and played in just 10 games the following season.
Reserve #5 - Chris Andersen
Even though he led the league in blocks-per-minute last season, much of what "The Birdman" did/does can't be accounted for with statistics. Andersen's energy, court presence and fan appeal is invaluable.
Reserve #6 - Juwan Howard
Traded from a championship team to a bottom feeder when he went from Dallas to Denver in 2002, Howard held his head up high, played hard and contributed 18.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg as a Nugget during one-and-a-half brutal seasons. Fans seem to forget that Howard was a Nugget, but I always thought he was a classy contributor during his brief tenure here.
Reserve #7 - Voshon Lenard
Before rupturing his Achilles tendon in 2004, Lenard produced for Denver to the tune of 12.6 ppg and a respectable 37% shooting from three-point range. Lenard also won the three-point shootout in 2004, the only Nugget ever to do so.
Coach - George Karl
He often leaves us scratching our heads, but the numbers don't lie. Under Karl, the Nuggets have won 61% of their games, have had two 50-win seasons and made only their second NBA Western Conference Finals appearance in franchise history.
Honorable Mention: Linas Kleiza, Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, James Posey, Jon Barry
And while we're at, let's do a brief rundown of the Nuggets past All-Decade Teams...
Small Forward - Reggie Williams
When fans look back fondly at the 1993-94 Cinderella Nuggets, the names mentioned are always Phonz, Dik and Mahmoud. But Williams was that team's third-leading scorer and was a top-two scorer on the Nuggets the two seasons prior.
Power Forward - LaPhonso Ellis
Some might argue for McDyess here, and for good reason. McDyess gave the Nuggets four full seasons in the 1990s, three of which were great. Ellis gave the Nuggets just three full seasons (all three great) but was here for six. The nod goes to Ellis who was instrumental in the Nuggets upset playoff win over Seattle in 1994.
Center - Dikembe Mutombo
Even though he played just five seasons in Denver, Mutombo quickly cemented his legacy as the second-best center in Nuggets history. Watching Mutombo clutch the basketball to his chest after the Nuggets upset the heavily-favored, 63-win Supersonics in 1994 remains the most endearing image in Nuggets history.
Shooting Guard - Bryant Stith
Stith, so favored by team "president" and "coach" Dan Issel that Issel wouldn't draft Vince Carter - anchored the shooting guard position for eight seasons in Denver. But after a short stint with awful Boston and Cleveland teams, Stith was out of the league for good. Have I mentioned yet that Issel was a horrible team president?
Point Guard - Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Like Iverson, Abdul-Rauf was a shooting guard in a point guard's body (or as Scott Hastings might say, he's really 5'11" but in a 6'4" guy's body...inside joke for those who watched the last Altitude broadcast). But Abdul-Rauf played both positions, and from 1992 through 1996 was as lethal a scorer as we've ever seen in Denver and even averaged 6.8 apg in 1995-96.
Reserves: Antonio McDyess, Michael Adams, Robert Pack, Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Brian "Bison Dele" Williams, Dale Ellis
Coach - Dan Issel
In his first go-around as Nuggets head coach, Issel did a great job. He guided a young, inexperienced Nuggets team out of the NBA cellar to 36 wins in his first season and then oversaw the greatest upset (at the time) in NBA playoff history in just his second season. Issel abruptly quit 34 games into the 1994-95 season, however, and the Nuggets never recovered.
1980s
Small Forward - Alex English
Before anointing Melo as the Nuggets best small forward ever, keep these numbers in mind: 25.9 ppg / 5.6 rpg / 4.4 apg / 50% shooting / five playoff series wins / seven games missed in 10-plus seasons as a Nuggets. English may have been quiet and boring, but he was graceful, classy and simply put, the best Nugget ever.
Power Forward - Calvin Natt
Kicking off the Nuggets power forward curse, Natt only had two great seasons in Denver from 1984 through 1986: 20.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 53% shooting. But in a decade devoid of good power forwards in Denver, Natt takes the cake.
Center - Dan Issel
Like Isiah Thomas, we seem to remember Issel more for the disaster he was as an executive rather than how great he was as a player. At just 6'9", Issel anchored the center position in Denver for 10 seasons spanning two decades, missing just 20 games in that span in a much more physical league. During the 80s, Issel averaged 19.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg and shot over 50% from the field.
Shooting Guard - T.R. Dunn
Another tough call here considering the Nuggets got one great season from David Thompson to kick off the decade and two very solid seasons out of Walter Davis near the decade's end. But Dunn - a member of our All-Intangibles Team - had the unenviable task of playing defense during a decade in which the Nuggets played no defense. And he did so well, earning three All-Defensive Second Team spots.
Point Guard - Lafayette "Fat" Lever
Lever was one of the most underrated players in NBA history. At (barely) 6'3" tall and weighing just 170 lbs, Lever averaged 17 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.5 apg and 2.5 spg in six seasons in Denver. From 1986 through 1989, Lever nearly averaged a triple-double: 19 ppg, 9 rpg and 8 apg. Did I mention he was just 6'3" and 170 lbs?!!
Reserves: Kiki Vandeweghe, Wayne Cooper, Michael Adams, David Thompson, Danny Schayes, Walter Davis, Bill Hanzlik
Coach - Doug Moe
Still the greatest coach in Nuggets history, Moe's Nuggets made the playoffs nine consecutive times, won over 50 games twice and took home a pair of division titles (back when division titles actually meant something) when the NBA was at its competitive peak. Perhaps more importantly, Moe made NBA basketball fun and from 1981 when Moe took over through the 1982-83 season, Moe's Nuggets scored under 100 points just four times, and never scored less than 90.
1970s
Small Foward - Bobby Jones
At 6'9" and 210 lbs, the skinny Jones was a relentless hustler,a tough defender and never took a bad shot. During his four seasons in Denver, Jones never shot worse than 57% from the field, never averaged less than 8.2 rebounds per game or less than 14.5 points per night. Between Denver and Philadelphia, Jones played in four ABA/NBA Finals.
Power Forward - Byron Beck
One of only four players to have their jersey number hanging in the Pepsi Center rafters, Beck alternated between power forward and center for 10 seasons in Denver. Beck was a major contributor on the ABA Nuggets who went to a West Finals and an ABA Finals before joining the NBA.
Center - Dan Issel
As good as Issel was in the 80s, he was even better in the 70s when he split his career between the Kentucky Colonels and our Nuggets. Issel was the second-best player on two of the Nuggets three best 70s teams: the 1975-76 Nuggets that lost in the ABA Finals and the 1976-77 Nuggets who made their NBA debut with an NBA second-best 50-win record.
Shooting Guard - David Thompson
In his "Book on Basketball", Bill Simmons argues that Thompson - had he stayed off cocaine - may very well have been the best player in NBA history. Thompson was Michael Jordan before there was Michael Jordan (proved by MJ himself selecting Thompson to present him during his Hall of Fame ceremony last summer) and quite simply revolutionized the shooting guard position as we know it today.
Point Guard - Mack Calvin
The 70s weren't exactly littered with great Nuggets point guards (even Larry Brown held the position early in the decade). Calvin gets the nod because he had the single best point guard season in 1974-75 when he dished out 7.7 apg to go along with 19.5 ppg in leading the Nuggets to a franchise best 65 wins.
Reserves: Ralph Simpson, Julius Keye, Larry Cannon, George McGinnis, Dave Robisch, Bob Wilkerson, Mike Green
Coach - Larry Brown
Under Brown, the Nuggets had winning seasons of 65, 60, 50 and 48 games and lost in their only finals appearance as a professional basketball franchise to Julius Erving's New York Nets in 1976. Brown also deserves major props for coaching the Nuggets to 50 wins in their first NBA season after the ABA/NBA merger in 1976.
Photos courtesy of AP Photos, Getty Images and NBAE
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Where's AC?
Poor AC, everyone always picking on him.
Who was the back-up PG before AC?
DT
was simply unbelieveable in his prime, now I dont know if he would have been better tha MJ, his defense was nowhere as good as MJ, top 10 most definately. When he scored 73 at Detriot in 1978 was unreal. People talk about Kobe scoring 81, but too me Davids 73 was more impressive, like all of Wilts scoring records- no 3pt line
- Dan Noreen.
by broncfanstuckinsd on Dec 30, 2009 11:32 AM MST reply actions
I believe the NBA needs to make a distinction between scoring records made before and after the instituion of the three point line. Many of Thompson’s 73 came on shots that would have been three pointers. He might have scored 100 that afternoon if he’d had three’s. Chamberlain not so much though. He might have been able to make threes, after all he did play guard for the Harlem Globetrotters, but they probably wouldn;t have let him shoot them. It’s not a coincidence that Wilt’s 100 came on the best free throw shooting night of his career.
I’ve seen both DT and MJ in person and I think DT could have been better than MJ.
"Woohoo Denver, Yeah... All right Denver justify my love!" ...Homer Simpson
I have seen them both in person also
But also realize the game was so much different in the late 70’s and early 80’s and defense wasnt as important as was shooting. I find it interesting DT’s game changed a bit when they traded Bobby Jones for McGinnis. Now I am also not saying DT didnt play d, I think MJ’s defense was better than Davids. But DT is one of the all-time Nuggets IMO
- Dan Noreen.
by broncfanstuckinsd on Dec 30, 2009 1:15 PM MST up reply actions
2 things changed the nba in the late 1970's
nba went from 2 referees to 3. second was the adoption of the 3 point shot.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
The third referee didn't come until the very late 80s...
The NBA tried a three-referee system for just one season as an experiment in 1978-79 but didn’t adopt it until almost 10 years later I believe. And yes, the three-point shot was instituted in 1979-80…
Andrew Feinstein | DenverStiffs.com | denverstiffs@gmail.com
by Andrew Feinstein on Dec 30, 2009 2:11 PM MST up reply actions
kermit washington
i thought 3 referees came after the rudy t., kermit washington incident which happened in 1977. i did not know the nba scrapped it then brought it back.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
also
DT is the only player to win the ABA and NBA all star MVP
- Dan Noreen.
by broncfanstuckinsd on Dec 30, 2009 5:50 PM MST up reply actions
Just think of guys like Pistol Pete
Who averaged 45 points per game without the 3 point line. Granted, the game was totally different back in the 50’s, 60’s and even the 70’s, but to think that a guy could do that is just incredible. I guess some dude who watched every game the Pitsol played calculated that with a 3 point line he would have actually averaged close to 60 ppg!
by GoldenNugget on Dec 30, 2009 4:05 PM MST up reply actions
I don't know
The difference between a made two and a made three is only 1 point. To boost the average from 45 to 60 points, he would have to have been averaging 15 made three pointers per game. I believe the NBA record is about 12. Averaging 3 above the current record would be astounding.
Having been there for the 70s, I’m not sure about your picks mainly because back then people didn’t think in terms of the positions as they are now. Back then there were two guards, two forwards and a center. It’s hard to think of Bobby Jones as a small forward. Typically he guarded whoever was the opposition’s best scorer that wasn’t a center. So he tended to guard forwards and big guards. On offense he was more like a power forward. Byron Beck was really a center that had to play forward because of Julius Keye and Dave Robisch. Dan Issel was more like a small forward when he played for the Colonels with Artis Gilmore at center, but he seemed to be glad to move back to center when he came to the Nuggets. Keye was gone and they got Issel by trading Robisch so Issel was at center by default. By that time they were ready to bring Beck off the bench as either center or forward. David Thompson tended to play more like a small forward than a shooting guard even though he was listed as a guard. Mack Calvin was a classic point guard though I doubt anyone called him that back then.
Ralph Simpson contributed more than some of your first team guys by virtue of being here longer. Warren Jabali should definitely have been one of your reserves, maybe ahead of Wilkerson or Green. I thought that Green never lived up to his potential. I went to one game where Green (as a rookie) went nuts though, came off the bench and dunked and rebounded like there was no tomorrow. He sure was skinny though, would have made Keon Clark look fat.
George McGinnis definitely belongs on the Pacers all decade team for the 70s.
The coaching picks were kind of no brainers.
"Woohoo Denver, Yeah... All right Denver justify my love!" ...Homer Simpson
Thanks for the education!
Thursty my man -
You’re always keeping us honest here at Denver Stiffs and its sincerely appreciated. I called a few old-timer friends of mine who watched those games in the 70s to compile this, because I certainly can’t claim to have witnessed that era. I was born in 1975 and while I technically went to games as a four and five year old, I remember nothing. I thought about Jabali, but only played a season-and-a-half in Denver. It was definitely tough putting together a 70s team. Next time I go this far back, I’ll hit you up beforehand for your expertise and should have done so here.
Thanks as always for following the site so closely!
Andrew Feinstein | DenverStiffs.com | denverstiffs@gmail.com
by Andrew Feinstein on Dec 30, 2009 12:33 PM MST up reply actions
Thanks, Andrew.
Jabali was only here for a season and a half but he was that good. He was another rebounding guard and he was an All-Star game MVP. He rebounded differently from Lever though. He tended to get his rebounds by geting in with the bigs. Lever got a lot of those long rebounds that the big guys miss. Lever had a real knack for knowing where the ball was going to come down.
"Woohoo Denver, Yeah... All right Denver justify my love!" ...Homer Simpson
Camby
I’d put Nene over Camby simply because I have always perceived Camby as a selfish, get-mine, stat chasing type of player. Yes, he got blocks, but he often left his man wide open for a dunk. And when they passed him the ball for his “favorite shot”, you knew he was going to take it, and with his 5 minute windup, so did everyone else. The other team would just back off and grab the rebound is it clanked off the rim. Don’t forget, Iverson wasn’t the only one to see the team improve after he left.
I haven’t commented in a few games due to the holidays and being swamped at work, but man I hope Billups is fully healthy and this team gets back on track soon.
It still would have been nice to see Camby and Nene play together.
I am with you Andrew when you talk about how interesting it would have been to have Camby on our team last year. I think he could have had an impact against Gasol in the WCFs, and if you look at our front court with him included, you could say it was better than the Lakers and that’s where a lot of people feel that we lost the series.
I never really realized how good Fat Lever was probably because I was always too amused by his name (another basketball nickname that could very well go down as a great porn start name along with The Big Dipper, The Big O, The Akron Hammer, The Black Mamba, Chocolate Thunder, Houdini of the Hardwood, etc.). But damn, his numbers are crazy! What else is crazy is what you said about Bill Simmons saying Thompson could have been better than MJ. I always knew he was wildly underrated, but that just blows my mind. It’s too bad he had to get off track on such a lame drug like cocaine. I can’t wait to read that book, all 700 pages, by the way.
As for coach of this decade. Ugh. I know, numbers don’t lie, but it pains me to see how fondly you have grown towards Karl Andrew. What a shame. :) jk
by GoldenNugget on Dec 30, 2009 4:19 PM MST up reply actions
simmons
I got the bill simmons book also. I was very suprised when I opened the present and found 700 pages. Very different from your usual sports related book. I also like that he has strong opinions and openly roots for his favorite teams.
david thompson north carolina state
the team he played on in college put an end to ucla ncaa championship winning streak. his team beat bill walton’s in the semi finals. the center was 7’4" tom burleson, point guard was 5’7" monte towe and the power forward was 6’8" tim stoddard. stoddard went on to play pro baseball and pitched for the white sox, padres and indians. thompson was so poor as a child he went barefoot through parts of his life.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
Towe and DT
Are credited with “inventing” the alley oop in basketball. Back in their college days the dunk ws illegal so Towe would loft it to DT who would drop into the net. Towe was also a Nugget during the 75-76 and 76-77 seasons. Plus we must thank the Atlanta Hawks for being total douchebags when the interviewd DT after the 75 NBA draft where they acted like they could have cared less if they signed DT.
- Dan Noreen.
by broncfanstuckinsd on Dec 30, 2009 5:19 PM MST up reply actions
hey now wait a second
the hawks went and took thompson to lunch…….at mcdonalds
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
i know
They should have went to Burger King, he could have had it his way
- Dan Noreen.
by broncfanstuckinsd on Dec 30, 2009 5:49 PM MST up reply actions
the whopper
was already in houston- what was his real name? trivia time
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
Alley Oop
I thought it was invented by Monnix and Coffee Black!
i take it thats a will ferrell reference
I have never seen that movie. So I had to look it up. (not a huge Will Ferrell fan)
- Dan Noreen.
by broncfanstuckinsd on Dec 31, 2009 12:22 PM MST up reply actions
Dan Issel
It should be noted that Dan Issel is still number 8 (Number 5 when he retired) on the NBA/ABA all-time leading scorer’s list. Shaquille O’Neal just passed him in the last year.
Prolific
Thanks for sharing that link. He’s #2 all time in the ABA and that ain’t changing.
by Artimus Mangilord on Dec 30, 2009 4:03 PM MST up reply actions
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