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Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Nuggets: Dice is great, the rest isn't
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Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason / 1999 | Roster
Last year: 35-47, fifth in Midwest, 10th in conference
Coach/President: Dan Issel
Arena, first game: Pepsi Center (19,099); Nov. 2, 1999
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 897-1,039/0
Notable: Nugs did beat 14 of 16 playoff teams last year
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THE TOP EIGHT
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Pos
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Player
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Key Stat
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Skinny
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PG
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Nick Van Exel
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9.0 apg
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Still can't shoot at least 40 percent
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SG
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T. Abdul-Wahad
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11.4 ppg
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Nice defender keeps getting traded
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SF
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James Posey
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1.2 spg
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Great rookie find is top-notch defender
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PF
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Antonio McDyess
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19.1 ppg
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Took step backward in scoring, boards
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C
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Raef LaFrentz
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7.9 rpg
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He's 6-11, but he's just not a center
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6th
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Keon Clark
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.542 FG
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He's 6-11, but really can play center
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7th
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George McCloud
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10.1 ppg
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Gunner shot .378 from behind arc
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8th
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Voshon Lenard
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11.9 ppg
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Comes in Heat deal, fires shots often
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Denver is another young team in the Midwest Division. They play very well at home, which many people still attribute to the altitude, and Raef LaFrentz is up and coming in the middle. To be successful they need to do a better job of rebounding and they need to pick it up defensively. They are not as good as they need to be on the defensive end if they expect to be a playoff team.
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By Marc Stein
Special to ESPN.com
The Good
If you can stomach a rewind back to the Sydney Olympics -- and no one blames you if you can't -- think about who Rudy Tomjanovich turned to for offense when the Lithuania game had to be won. Besides Vince Carter, the crunch-time attack went through Denver's Antonio McDyess, who wasn't in that position simply because Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Grant Hill were back in the States. Dice is good. Real good. He's a factor at both ends, commands the double-team and figures to start the new season with unprecedented post-Olympic confidence. Around him, the Nuggets boast some aggressive helpers (James Posey, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Keon Clark) who make this a better defensive squad than Denverites are accustomed to. Nick Van Exel, when he plays within himself, is an almost All-Star at the point, and outside shooting shouldn't be a problem if George McCloud and new acquisitions Tracy Murray and Voshon Lenard are healthy.
The Bad
Adding Murray, Lenard and reacquiring Robert "Ice" Pack (as he's known in Dallas) were more like lateral moves. That's why you never see the Nuggets on the list of Western Conference teams -- 12 of the 14, roughly -- that can boast a stronger roster than they had when last season ended. Rookies Mamadou N'Diaye and Dan McClintock might someday be NBA centers, but for now Denver will still be trying to get by with Raef LaFrentz and McDyess there. Since neither one is a true five, center thus remains a problem spot. Shooting guard is also a concern, since Abdul-Wahad and Posey aren't shooters. Turn to the bench guys and then defense suffers. McDyess, it must be said, is not yet an in-your-face personality and might never be. Furthermore, the Nugget who does supply the leadership, Van Exel, still isn't as consistent as he promises to be every year. Worried yet?
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THE BIG QUESTION |
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Can N'diaye contribute? Will little "Ice" Pack, one of the biggest ifs in the league, be able to stay on the floor for the only coach who still believes in him? How will minutes be split among McCloud, Lenard and Murray? Interesting queries all, but none loom larger than Issel's future. Does he need a playoff berth to extend his bench life? If so, Issel won't want to hear our answer. Five straight seasons without an NBA Tournament bid are about to become six.
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Whose team is this?
The Nuggets unequivocally belong to Stan Kroenke, their new owner. For once, there is no debate: Kroenke officially owns the franchise after previous bids from three other individuals/corporations were accepted, announced and then annulled. Kroenke is demanding immediate improvement after last season's fade from a solid start, thrusting coach/president/Mr. Nugget Dan Issel straight onto the hot seat. There has been considerable speculation in recent months that Issel will, at best, be forced to choose -- bench or front office -- at season's end. Seems a bit hasty, however, to run Issel off, no? It was just two seasons ago, without Issel involved, that the Nuggets were going 11-71. Denver hasn't seen the playoffs for five straight seasons, but its only real success in the past decade came with Issel as a main authority figure.
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| McDyess |
How they'll play
The Nuggets don't run nearly as much as you'd think, mainly because it's hard to resist working the ball down to McDyess in the post. The bigger problems, though, are at the other end, where that lack of a legitimate center tends to torture Dice and LaFrentz, neither of whom can really guard fives. Athleticism only covers up so much, this suddenly becoming the wrong conference (with the Lakers, Portland, San Antonio and Seattle) to go without Grade A bulk. Denver would probably be better off it ran it little more and shot the three a little less, and there's absolutely no question that these guys have to start winning some road games. West teams that only win at home will be going home early in the spring.
Projection
The Issel-established goal, going back to last season, is a .500 finish. Just like last season, expect Issel and the Nuggets to fall short. This is just too tough a conference for a raw group that didn't do anything drastic in the offseason. Even matching last season's 35-47 mark will be a task.
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