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The Case for CJ

It's a weird offseason for Nuggets fans. There's blue and gold in these NBA finals, but not the right kind. It's a long summer ahead, and one of the most glaring needs for this team is at backup PG. I want this to be constructive so I'll leave the AC argument for another time. Fact is he's old, and the Nuggets were a much different beast when they signed him. This team relies heavily on Chauncey, and he's not getting any younger - we had to scramble to sign Jason Hart in case of emergency (Shaun Livingston was also targeted). Getting some youth and depth at PG is absolutely critical before next season. Problem is, the Nuggets don't have a whole lot to work with, and by that I mean money and flexibility. Realistically, they are trying to find a budding talent on a cheap contract ripe for Chauncey to groom into a star. After the jump, I'll get real with you on a crazy idea - and why I think a Quiet Storm should be headed to Denver's backcourt

Star-divide

I'm talking of course about one Charles Akeem Watson Jr., aka CJ Watson, aka the Quiet Storm, aka Not Anthony Carter. Never heard of him? Can't blame you, he's an undrafted third year fringe NBA player via Europe via 4 years of college ball in Tennessee. Originally brought into back up Baron Davis, He's a restricted free agent for the Golden State Warriors ($1.05 mil qualifying offer next year)

Cjwatsonst_medium

Plenty of room for more tattoos

 

CJ's not really a proven NBA talent. He appeared in 77 games last year, averaging an unremarkable 9.5pts, 2.5reb, and 2.7ast in 24 minutes a game. So why the man crush? I think he possesses a ton of traits the Nuggets might look for in a backup PG. CJ has played in Italy and Greece in Europe, San Antonio and Charlotte in summer league, Rio Grande Texas in the D-League and Golden State in the NBA. For a 25 year old, he's got some experience.

The reason I like CJ's game is because he is relentlessly aggressive. Part of that is playing under Don Nelson where play calling is replaced by a random up and down offense. He looks for his teammates, but doesn't pass up the open shot. He likes to shoot midrange and can stroke the 3 without falling in love with it. The second unit struggles a lot when LK and JR are off, because AC, Dahntay and Birdman are pretty much black holes on offense. Here's a guy who can score off the bench and be taught by Chauncey how to run a real offense. Despite usually being the smallest player on the floor, CJ averaged 2.5 free throws a game, hitting 87 percent of them. AC barely averaged 1 free throw a game, hitting 73 percent despite playing similar minutes. While CJ is a fast break player he showed outstanding control, with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.7 to 1.2 (2.25). The guy can make plays

Cjdefense_medium

How do I defense ball?

 

CJ is an undersized guard, and if there's a knock on him it's his perimeter defense. This is probably why he got cut from the Spurs and the Bobcats by Greg Popovich and Larry Brown. That's understandable, and despite his doubters CJ still made his way to becoming a promising NBA talent. I refuse to believe he can't develop his quickness on the defensive side of the ball with help from an experienced teacher, say someone like Chauncey Billups. Anthony Carter has a reputation for defense, but he's also undersized and plays a reckless gambling style of D. In a clutch situation when you need smart decisions, AC disappears. He's 34 years old and this is as good as he's ever going to be, so don't tell me CJ can't eventually be as good a defender as him.

In my opinion, this guy is underrated and within reach for the Nuggets. Yes, he needs to get more assists and adapt his game to a more disciplined style of play. Bottom line, Chauncey needs to get more rest and it's a disservice to everyone not to give him a young player to mentor. The Nuggets can't be big spenders and have had success bringing in relative unknowns with something to prove. Even if we keep AC, adding a young PG like Watson would be a good idea

 

 

 

 

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agree on bringing a point guard in, but how about trying a sign and trade with linas kleiza for possibly jerryd bayless, or some other point guard that gets drafted? the nuggets have balkman and i think he can play.
i think the nuggets also need a big man that is better in the post that has like bynum’s style (maybe trying to develop petro), and maybe try to package hunters expiring contract with kleiza.
kinda wish to see nuggets take victor claver at 34 (youtube him, he looks like he can play but the injury hurt his stock)

by bodmiesta on Jun 7, 2009 11:15 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

I agree, what about getting say getting Bayless out of Portland

May be a stretch, but he is going to be on the bench for a while and it looks like Portland wants to get a more established PG, maybe do a sign and trade with AC going to Portland in exchange for Bayless.

"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman

by Broncoman on Jun 8, 2009 6:24 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

haha...that's be sweet, but don't think AC for Bayless would happen.

Bayless has a TON of upside and could be a legit starter in this league for a long time if things play out right for him (coaching, playing time, work ethic … yada yada) …

I don’t see Portland giving up on a talented rookie who showed signs last season in limited time. Blazer’s Edge talks a lot about Bayless as they seem to love his potential over there.

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by Nate Timmons on Jun 9, 2009 12:49 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Case for Ramon Sessions

What about Ramon Sessions? I believe he will have the same qualifying offer as Watson, has a better assist-to-turnover ratio, and has better per 36 minute stats in free throws attempted, rebounds, steals. Also, despite the awful 3 point percentage, he is statistically a better scorer. Plus the dude has been known to bust out the occasional 20+ assist game. He is 2 years younger than Watson, and has more NBA experience. He wouldn’t resolve the outside shooting issues AC has, but would be a nice pickup. Reasonable chance Bucks go PG in draft, and they already have Ridnour and can play bell at the point if they need to, so they may not match offers

by Kleiza's Corner on Jun 8, 2009 11:24 PM MDT reply actions   1 recs

I love Ramon!

I’ve brought his name up too, I’d love for him to join the Nuggets. All depends on what other teams are offering, and how much the Nuggets would be willing/able to pay him.

If the Nuggets are somehow able to land him, it is a great move; present and future. I have no doubt he’d be able to step in and be an effective starter in the post-Chauncey years, or if Chauncey were to go down sometime during the year with an injury.

Sessions is a great, young PG, and I really hope he doesn’t end up returning to the Bucks next year. Skiles isn’t a fan of him, and is in love with Ridnour. He’s too large of a talent to be in somebody’s doghouse for no reason.

by NuggetsFan99 on Jun 8, 2009 11:34 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Ramon Session

I think he would be a very good fit too, not sure how easy it is to sign him though considering that he played decent in milwaukee and they might want to keep him for the long term. However if they draft a point guard for the future now it’s def a possibility as it seems they are trying to choose between keeping Sessions and Villanueva.
Anyone think we might be able to do a sign and trade for louis williams from the sixers with kleiza?

by bodmiesta on Jun 8, 2009 11:41 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Surely I like Sessions

He’s also restricted and seems like a future all star. That’s why I think some team is likely to offer him a 5 year deal MLE or higher to be a starter. The Bucks would be foolish not to keep him over Charlie V, but I think demand for him will be high, and they could draft a good PG this year. The Nugs still need to sign Birdman if it’s possible to get Ramon I say do it. Because we need a backup PG to play 20-25 minutes a night, I would rather the Nugs spend money on another big rather than second PG. My point with this post is here is a guy I believe is a way better option than AC at a very similar price.

by runningdonut on Jun 9, 2009 1:00 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

I’m not so sure it will come down to keeping Villanueva or Sessions for the bucks. I find it unlikely that the bucks will want to let go of Villanueva so quickly, as he is restricted and a potential 22 and 9 guy if he stays healthy. However, if Elson and Allen exercise their player options, which they probably will, the Bucks may need to make that decision to avoid luxury tax.

I was primarily bringing up sessions to play a sort of devil’s advocate, and spark some more ideas. CJ Watson would be a reasonable pickup and would be cheaper than Sessions, especially in the minutes he would likely play. Despite his low qualifying offer, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sessions sign in the 5-6 mil per range (the bucks can go over cap to match any offer because of the Arenas Rule), but I also see next offseason as the best opportunity to pick up a quality big man, with Kenyon’s big contract going off the books. Might not be a bad time to spend some money on a PG like Sessions while he is still affordable. Picking up Sessions would require guaranteed money, commitment, and the expectation that he will be the PG of the future after Chauncey’s reign. Watson would be able to fill the minutes with solid play and allow more financial flexibility.

by Kleiza's Corner on Jun 9, 2009 1:45 AM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Likely not possible because...

The Nugs are over the cap and they can’t sign a free agent for more than the Mid Level Exception ($6 million probably). They also don’t have the bird rights to Chris Andersen because he’s unrestricted. So say Birdman signs for $3mil somehow. That leaves only $3 mil of MLE money maximum to get Sessions, they can’t offer any more legally. The only other option is the Bucks sign and trade Sessions for somebody on our roster. So the Bucks would have to want Kleiza, Steven Hunter, Kenyon Martin, Sonny Weems or some combination of those. You can’t sign and trade AC, Dahntay, or Birdman because they are unrestricted. The only way we get Sessions is to trade Kleiza for him, and it probably won’t work, because Sessions will likely get offers from other teams to be a starter and possibly become an all star. He would have to want to sign with Denver and be backup, because he has to approve any deal the Bucks want to do in a sign and trade – if he doesn’t like it he won’t sign.

The other way to get him would be to use all of the MLE money, 5 or 6 million. If that happens, it means there is no possible way to keep the Birdman, which is unacceptable. Because of the flexibility issues, it’s very hard for the Nuggets to sign a good free agent.

by runningdonut on Jun 9, 2009 2:27 AM MDT up reply actions   1 recs

Thanks for that breakdown, I get confused by the salary cap rules of the NBA

"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman

by Broncoman on Jun 9, 2009 2:31 AM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Funny how Denver doesn't own Birdman's Bird Rights! haha

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by Nate Timmons on Jun 9, 2009 12:57 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

I know a lot of people think CJ is crappy

Fans would look at this and wonder what the Nuggets were thinking, why didn’t they go get Jason Kidd or someone better?

Because of NBA salary cap rules, you can’t have anybody you want even if you don’t care how much money it costs. There are limits, and the Nuggets are using all of them because of all the money they pay to the players we already have. Resigning Chris Birdman Andersen will be eat up some of the available money we can spend. It probably leaves a paltry sum to acquire a backup PG, unless the Nuggets get a draft pick or acquire someone in a trade.

So, these are the types of guys we are looking at. When the Nuggets signed Dahntay Jones and Birdman to minimum deals last year, the rest of the NBA was laughing it up. We just gave away Marcus Camby and hired a bunch of scrubs nobody wanted. Only a couple of fans knew who they were. It doesn’t take a lot of money or fame to hit a home run. It’s either this, or another one year minimum contract of Anthony Carter. I don’t want to see that, I hope you guys don;t want to see it either. There is something better out there, and I’m praying to God the front office realizes that

by runningdonut on Jun 9, 2009 2:51 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Bayless

I actually think we might have a better chance trading kleiza, hunter’s expiring contract, and cash for bayless as opposed to sessions. The reason to that is because Sessions is more proven than Bayless, where Bayless people are saying he has potential, but potential doesn’t gaurentee anything. This is why I think Bayless might be a littel bit easier to bait. Regardless, both would be a hard task to get, but in a way i’m not very sold on CJ Watson (though I’d still take him over AC and Jason Hart).

by bodmiesta on Jun 9, 2009 3:00 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Bayless in Denver

Bayless is on a rookie contract($2.1 million) so those numbers don’t match up in a trade. If Portland wanted to get Kleiza, they could just give him on offer sheet of $3.5 or $4 million and have him. The Nuggets wouldn’t match for Kleiza because they don’t want to spend a lot of money. Portland would only take Hunter’s contract if they wanted to play him, or if Denver includes a bunch of draft picks just to dump Hunter’s salary. The Blazers also have Sergio Rodriguez who they would rather trade than Bayless, it might be possible to get him.

But for the Blazers to trade Bayless and all of his potential to their division rival Nuggets, I give that a less than 5% chance of happening. We just don’t have anything that Portland wants, except maybe the future 1st round pick from Charlotte. Bayless has a future in Portland anyways, they like him

by runningdonut on Jun 9, 2009 3:57 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

I am not sure they would want Kleiza

They seem to have more than enough SF, I don’t see how Kleiza would be an upgrade over what they have, but if they would go for it I would pull the trigger in a heartbeat, maybe Kleiza and AC for Bayless and say Travis Outlaw or Nicolas Bitum, doubt Portland would do it, but one could hope.

"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman

by Broncoman on Jun 10, 2009 2:10 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

I guess the best option might be to either go after sessions, or try to trade for a draft pick with maybe kleiza and hunter. Not sure what those 2 players would get in return though in terms of a draft pick, and maybe a player to even out the salaries.

by bodmiesta on Jun 10, 2009 12:30 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

My bad... about Sessions

The Nuggets could actually acquire Sessions with the trade exception, in a sign and trade deal. It would have to be a lopsided deal like a Denver draft pick (no trade value) for a newly re-signed Sessions (likely $4-6 million a year). This is a really unconventional way to acquire a player but it would work, and leave us with the MLE to sign Birdman. That’s one use of the trade exception. Another one would be to ship out Hunter to someone looking to unload a bigger contract and clear cap space for 2010. We would have to find someone that wants to get rid of an impact player we could use

Both of those would be good options, if not for the luxury tax implications. If Stan wants to take on Session for $5mil and pay an additional $5 mil in luxury tax thats cool. I guess the question is whether or not to spend money on a big or another PG. In both scenarios, the Nugs are well into the luxury tax without a full roster. Ugh…. talk about salary cap hell.

I hope Stan is feeling generous.

by runningdonut on Jun 10, 2009 2:55 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Draft Pick

Anyone ideas of what the Nuggets would do with their 2nd round (34th pick)?
Just a few pitch in ideas
PG’s (that may still be there at 34)
- Patrick Mills
- Darren Collison
- Rodrigue Beaubois
- AJ Price
PF’s
- Victor Clavor
- Jonas Jerebko

Just throwing in a few ideas of who to select. Personally feel that Beaubois, and Claver have the most potential, but then again potential doesn’t gaurentee anything.

by bodmiesta on Jun 10, 2009 3:46 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Create a FanPost to discuss the draft pick ...

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by Nate Timmons on Jun 11, 2009 8:53 AM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Acie Law

This kid just reminds me of Chauncey Billups in so many ways. He’s a clutch shooter and great playmaker. He also has a coach that hasn’t given him a chance and has been written off as a bust. I think he could be had for cheap (draft picks) as well. Of course, he’d probably be the third PG behind Billups and AC (we all know he’s coming back). Just think of the impact Billups would have on Law.

by Jonnbear on Jun 13, 2009 5:21 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Good idea

I watched him in college play some crazy games against Kevin Durant, he could still become a good pro. Atlanta will probably give him away too

by runningdonut on Jun 13, 2009 8:49 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Very interesting option ...

Acie Law is pretty legit on NBA 2K9 for XBox 360 … haha…I’d like to see Denver explore every option!

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by Nate Timmons on Jun 15, 2009 8:52 AM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

I completely Agree

CJ Watson is a solid player. A perfect back-up point guard who can come in, provide energy, score when open, run the offense, and most importantly, not turn the ball over. He is still the all-time assists leader at the University of Tennessee, so he has passing potential. And for the price, it seems very reasonalbe. Bayless or Sessions would be great, but a trade of a contributor like Kleiza would be necessary. CJ would be cheap, and would not be Anthony Carter

by Volorado on Jun 14, 2009 11:29 AM MDT reply actions   1 recs

A tennessee fan!!

Everything you pointed out is pretty much why I advocated for CJ in the first place. I like him because he was not supposed to make it in the NBA and now seems like a very legit backup PG. I don’t really want a star playing behind Chauncey because it’s not necessary. I just want a humble guy to play 20 minutes, step up when needed and be a good team guy on the bench. I believe CJ will not turn the ball over, make shots and improve his game under Billups. Also in Golden State I feel he is not the best choice to play with Monta Ellis and will be the odd man out with all the scoring guards they already have. If I were the Nuggets GM I would be seriously trying to pry him away since it looks like GSW may take another PG with their draft pick.

by runningdonut on Jun 20, 2009 2:07 AM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

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