2009 Denver Nuggets Off-Season thread - 9/25: Joey Graham signed

[executive76]

JR #23

Billups fine with playing fewer minutes
by Chris Dempsey on July 2, 2009

PARKER - Like any other player, Chauncey Billups wants to be on the court pretty much every second of every game. But the Nuggets guard knows in order to extend his career as much as possible, he'll probably have to play fewer minutes starting next season.

And he's fine with it.

"I played more minutes last year than I played in the last five years," Billups said at his basketball camp on Wednesday. "And it's cool, and it was fun, and I didn't get tired. I wasn't worn out at the end of the season, I was good to go. But I think maybe a couple minutes less would help keep my energy level up."

Billups, who turns 33 in September, played 35.3 minutes per game last season, which was three more than his career average of 32.1. He played 79 games last year with Detroit and Denver, meaning he played 237 more minutes than normal over the course of the season.

But his 35 minutes per game average actually wasn't too far out of the ordinary. Since 2003-04, Billups has played 35 minutes or more per game in five out of six seasons. In fact, his average last year was the fourth-lowest in that span.

Billups' playing time spiked in the playoffs, where he averaged 38.7 minutes. But that was pretty much on par with his 37.3 playoff career average. There was a lot of talk about Billups wearing down over the course of the playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference Finals where of all the rounds in the postseason he played more minutes (40.7), but saw big drops in his field goal percentage (39.7), 3-point percentage (33.3), free throw percentage (83.3), points (18.2), assists (6.0) and a rise in turnovers (2.33).

"I thought we might have wore him out a little bit in the playoffs, but everybody does that," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "Most teams wear out their good players in the playoffs."

Billups insisted he did not wear down in the playoffs, saying "When you lose, they gotta have something to say. But no, I wasn't worn out at all."

Still, Karl expects to dial down Billups minutes a bit.

"I think in the regular season, yeah," Karl said. "I think it's wise to keep him under 35 and maybe even closer to 30."

Said Billups: "I'm veteran and I'm old, but I'm not an old vet; I'm not 36, I'm not 35. So, I still got some years. Some good, good years. So I think that would keep me going even better."

@Karl's suspect substitution patterns



I'm uncertain about Lawson...but looks like he can get some decent PT

 

[blazers21ntnp]

I highly doubt Karl will stick to what he just said about playing Billups only 30 MPG.

Lawson will be a solid back-up PG, I just hope AC is not brought back.

 

[executive76]

Blazers21NTNP wrote:

Lawson will be a solid back-up PG, I just hope AC is not brought back.

Lawson is undersized that's my biggest concern.

 

[blazers21ntnp]

He is short, but isn't "small". He's in exceptional shape and is very quick, allowing him to stay in front of wings.

I don't see him getting taken to the block (he is playing with the best back-to-basket PG in the L), and only see him getting in trouble if getting matchedup with against a wing player who can play with his back to the basket. (Kobe Bryant?) Even so, I still don't see him getting taken all the way down to theblock, but I could see Bryant shooting his turn around fade against him with no problem, simply because he'll be able to extend over him.

http://

 

[executive76]

Should The Nuggets Extend George Karl?

In April of 2004 the Denver Nuggets qualified for the NBA Playoffs for the first time in a decade. Excitement surrounding the team was at a fever pitch. Head coach Jeff Bzdelik did an amazing job guiding the Nuggets to the 8th seed in the Western Conference when many observers thought they were still a year or two away from qualifying for the postseason. In many ways, it was one of the more remarkable runs in franchise history.

Immediately after being eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves, though, the tension between then GM Kiki Vandeweghe and Bzdelik was palpable. It was clear Bzdelik thought he deserved a contract extenstion, but Denver's front office at the time opted against it. The result was lame-duck status for Bzdelik heading into the 2004-05 season.

George Karl was quietly rumored to be the guy the team wanted to replace Bzdelik throughout the summer of 2004. It was clear these rumors along with Bzdelik's uncertain future affected him and his ability to manage the team.

The Nuggets started the 2004-05 season poorly and Bzdelik was canned on December 29th, 2004. Bzdelik's firing happened just a few months after he helped the Nuggets increase their win total by 17 games, which marked the sixth-best turnaround in league history at the time.

Now, five years later, the Nuggets find themselves in a similar situation but with the stakes raised even higher. After arguably the best season in the history of the franchise, Karl is preparing to enter the final year of his contract. Karl even made light of his contract situation during Ty Lawson's introductory press conference last month.

"I need you to play well because I need a new contract," Karl quipped while looking at Lawson. "So you can help me with the contract next year."

Karl received the bulk of the criticism in the 2007-08 season and many were calling for his head after the Nuggets were swept by the Lakers

in April of 2008. However, even Karl's biggest detractors would have to acknowledge that he did a very nice coaching job last season. Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle called it the best coaching job of Karl's career. Denver's performance on the court last season would seem to back up such sentiment.
It's interesting to note that players in the NBA are often known for performing better in a contract year. Does that mean coaches are prone to coaching at a higher level during a contract season?

Your friendly neighborhood columnist recently posed that very question to Karl to which he replied after a prolonged chuckle: "That's a good question."

After pausing for a period of about five seconds, Karl added: "For old guys like me, it probably doesn't matter."

Nugget fans had better hope Karl is right. The last thing the Nuggets need heading into next season is another lame-duck coach after an exciting season.

The situation with Bzdelik back in 2004 seems eerily familiar to the one now with Karl, and if we're going to be honest, it was a situation that was handled poorly by the organization five years ago. Fortunately, Karl was able to help guide the Nuggets to 32-8 run to finish the 2004-05 season and helped the team make the playoffs.

This go-round, the Nuggets have far more to lose. With Ron Artest now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and Richard Jefferson a San Antonio Spur, the Western Conference is getting stronger. The Nuggets are still in a position to contend, but the organization simply can't afford any distractions heading into next season.

There are arguments to be made on both sides of this. Perhaps the anxiety of not having a contract for the 2010-11 season will serve as a catalyst for Karl coaching like he has never coached before. However, if the organization decides not to extend Karl, it had better be darned sure Karl's contract situation won't become a distraction. Anything less could lead to a disappointing free-fall from grace next season in the Mile High City.

[h2]Nuggets courting Grant Hill?[/h2]
The more I've been thinking about it ... the more I'm thinking that Linas Kleiza has played his last game as a Denver Nugget. Now that I've said that, the Nuggets will re-sign L.K. this week to spite me.

The NBA free agency period is a funny time and a lot can happen in the blink of an eye. Just look at what Hedo Turkoglu did this weekend by apparently agreeing to terms with the Portland Trail Blazers and then changing his mind and verbally agreeing to sign with the Toronto Raptors aka the team John Hollinger of ESPN said was L.K.'s "strongest suitor."

The NBA arms race is heating up and the big names are choosing new teams, like Rasheed Wallace committing to sign with the Boston Celtics today. And the Denver Nuggets might be getting closer to start making some of their own moves.

The Denver Post is reporting that a deal with Chris Andersen is moving along and after the Bird is caged then Denver will turn their attention to other areas of need. The Post is also reporting that Denver is attempting to backload Birdman's contract, as I expected, and his cap number for next season will hopefully be around $3 million, which would leave the Nuggets with somewhere around $2.6 million in MLE money leftover for another free agent.

An interesting tidbit from the bottom of the Post's Birdman story is that again I read how the Nuggets have talked, or are talking to, or gave a quick buzz to Grant Hill.

Denver is also in talks with the Suns' Grant Hill, a possible free-agent signee, although Hill and his family enjoy the Phoenix community. Hill made around $4 million over the past two seasons.

If the Nuggets somehow come to terms with Grant Hill then Linas Kleiza's replacement will be known. The fact that Denver is talking to Hill makes me think that the front office is again on the right path. Championship level teams bring in seasoned veterans and Hill would be an asset in powder blue. But Hill's acquisition would come with some questions.

1. Will Grant Hill take a reduced role to chase a ring in Denver?
2. Will Hill's fortunate good health the past two seasons continue?

1.) Reduced Role? For his career Hill averages 35.7 minutes per game, including 29.8 mpg last season. Obviously Carmelo Anthony is the small forward for the Denver Nuggets (Hill's natural position at 6'8'' and 225 pounds), but I think George Karl would not be opposed to playing Hill alongside Melo at times as Karl did with L.K..

As we've seen with players like Michael Finley (when he joined the Spurs), veteran guys have reinvented themselves to be valuable bench players on winning teams, but it's a pretty big sacrifice and can be a bit difficult on the ego ... see Iverson, Allen with the Detroit Pistons.

And if Hill did decide to sign with Denver then I think that would be perceived by the rest of the league that the Nuggets are a team that is capable of winning a championship and worth consideration ... this is the exact thing that Antonio McDyess did not see when he was traded here along with Chauncey Billups.

2.) Health. Grant played in 70 games in his first season with the Suns in the 2007-08 season and last year Hill played in all 82 games for the first time in his career.

It was great to see Hill healthy these past two seasons after missing 135 regular season games between 2001 and 2006 (or 32.9% of regular season games missed.) Hill will turn 37 years-old in October and will be entering his 15th NBA season. So, his window is closing on that elusive championship.

Hill's still producing some nice numbers and is a very reliable shooter who can create his own shot. He's not a huge threat from long distance, but he's a capable defender and a guy with a good motor (excuse the NFL terminology.)

Grant Hill's stats from the 2008-2009 season:
12.9 points per game (18.5 career)

52.3% field goal shooting (48.6% career)

31.6% three-point shooting (27.8% career)

80.8% free throw shooting (76.4% career)

4.9 rebounds (6.6 career)

2.3 assists (4.7 career)

1.1 steals (1.36 career)


Hill's three-point shooting concerns me a little bit, but he did improve on his career numbers as he averaged 31.65% from beyond the arc during his two-year stint in Phoenix (still not a nice number as the average of a good three-ball shooter in the NBA is a lot closer to 40%). The Nuggets biggest competition for Hill seems to be the Knicks and the Suns. I don't see Hill seriously considering New York at this point in his career and the Suns seem to be in limbo with what direction their team is in. Mike Lisboa from SB Nation's Suns blog Bright Side of the Sun has an interesting piece up titled "No Franchise For Old Men" where he discusses how the Suns are not currently constructed to win a title right now and wouldn't mind seeing Hill in another uniform. Phoenix General Manager Steve Kerr does not seem to be wanting Hill to leave however, as the The Arizona Republic reported.

"Grant is our biggest priority and that's why I'll be in Orlando," Kerr said. "He's an important part of our team and we'll make sure he knows that."

Hill only made $1.97 million last season with the Suns and he could have probably signed for a lot more elsewhere. Perhaps if Hill sees in Denver what he saw in Phoenix then he could prove to be a cheaper option than L.K., but would he be a better option as well?

While it would be awesome if Denver could sign Hill and bring back L.K. ... that isn't realistic.
All I know is that the NBA arms race is heating up and the Nuggets have yet to show us what they are stockpiling




I don't want any part of Hill in Denver

 

[blazers21ntnp]

No source, but sounds legit...

Chris Andersen and the Denver Nuggets have reportedly reached an agreement which will pay the high-energy fan favorite $25,000,000 over a period of 5 years.

 

[23nokaoi]

Glad to hear they are re-signing Birdman

 

[blazers21ntnp]

[h1]"Birdman" re-signing with Nuggets[/h1]
Denver retains fan favorite with five-year deal starting at $3.7 million

By Benjamin Hochman
The Denver Post


Posted: 07/07/2009 09:31:41 PM MDT

Updated: 07/08/2009 12:09:35 AM MDT


Get ready to flap your wings again. "The Birdman" is back.

Chris Andersen and the Nuggets have agreed on a five-year contract that could earn Andersen up to $26 million, the player's manager, Mark Bryant, said Tuesday night. This locks in one of Denver's most popular athletes for the next half-decade.

"We're ecstatic to stay in the community," Bryant said.

Andersen will make $3.7 million next season in his backloaded and incentive-based contract, which will help the Nuggets financially. They entered this free-agency period over the NBA luxury tax line of $69.92 million, which was announced Tuesday.

Andersen can officially sign today. He was on vacation Tuesday, his 31st birthday, and couldn't be reached to comment.

Andersen, an unrestricted free agent, had inquiries from numerous NBA teams but had said all along he wanted to return to the Nuggets. Last season, Andersen ranked second in the NBA with an average of 2.5 blocked shots and was the Nuggets' top post player off the bench. He averaged 6.4 points and a career-high 6.2 rebounds, and his colorful personality - as well as his colorful tattoos and spiked hair - made him a fan favorite.

"The Birdman" was the Nuggets' top priority heading into the free-agency period. NBA teams could begin negotiating with players last Wednesday, and players can officially sign today. Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien has been in Los Angeles negotiating with Bryant and Steven Heumann, two Andersen representatives.

Andersen adores the Denver community. In August he will host a youth basketball camp (www.birdmancamp.com). He would have hosted the camp regardless of which team he signed with, but now the Nugget will be able to teach future Birdmen (and women) in the Denver area.

Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com

 

[executive76]

Kleiza better be next

 

[blazers21ntnp]

[h1]Pacers agree to deal with guard DahntayJones[/h1]
By Mike Wells

Posted: July 8, 2009

The Indiana Pacers have landed their first free agent acquisition of the offseason.

The Pacers agreed to a four-year, $11-million deal with Denver Nuggets free agent guard Dahntay Jones late Wednesday night. The fourth year is a player option.

"(Pacers president) Larry Bird and (general manager) David Morway contacted me the first night of free agency and expressed a lot of interest in Dahntay," Jones' agent, Mark Bartelstein, said. "The Pacers are getting somebody that competes with an edge and is a lockdown defender."
Jones started 71 games for a Denver Nuggets team that reached the Western Conference Finals last season. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Jones will give the Pacers some much needed help on the wing because what was their deepest position last season has suddenly become depleted.

The Pacers didn't pick up Marquis Daniels' team option, Mike Dunleavy is out indefinitely with a knee injury and Stephen Graham is an unrestricted free agent.

Call Star reporter Mike Wells at (317) 444-6053.

 

[23nokaoi]

So, then I wonder since Dahntay is gone, does this mean they're gonna make a serious push for Grant Hill?
Or do they have someone else in mind to fill that role? I wish we could've brought Dahntay back.

 

[trasoul82]

Keeping Birdman was key. I was never really sold on Dahntay Jones. Sure he was a "lockdown defender" but he was also an offensive liability. It willbe interesting to see how they fill that hole.

 

[sir rob a lot]

....Finally JR will be a fulltime starter.

Laker Fan btw

 

[executive76]

Dahntay will be missed but not his lack of offense and questionable decisionmaking.

 

[executive76]

[h1]Report: Pistons, Nuggets work on deal for Arron Afflalo[/h1]
The Denver Post reports the Pistons and Nuggets are working on another trade. Of course we know how the first one worked.
Advertisement

The Post reports the Pistons are trying to ship second-year guard Arron Afflalo to Denver, which would clear approximately $1 million in salary cap space for Joe Dumars to sign a power forward or center.

Afflalo averaged 4.9 points in 16.7 minutes last season. He played in 74 games, though he was behind Richard Hamilton, Allen Iverson or both on the depth chart last season.

And signing a free agent isn't the only means through which the Nuggets can improve. There is still the matter of their $9.8 million trade exception, which the Nuggets must use by the beginning of November. It simply means that they can take up to $9.8 million more in salary than they trade out. Trading for a player opens up more options than can be easily seen.

 

[executive76]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Amar'e Stoudemire Could Be Heading to the Denver Nuggets[/h1]
The Nuggets made a blockbuster about three games into the regular season last year. I sort of expected the same in the offseason. Currently they have not made any major moves to help their championship run.

A person close to the Nuggets have told me that there are currently some small whispers going around between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. Those talks have been reportedly about bringing Amar'e Stoudemire to the Mile-High City.

Although it is still being talked about, this is the NBA, where, in Kevin Garnett's words, "Anything is Possible," and also where "Amazing Happens."

Amar'e has been shopped by the Suns since around the trade deadline, and he has also stressed his displeasure with Suns management. The Suns are currently in rebuilding mode, yet they go out and re-sign Grant Hill. The guy is 36 and will be 37 when the season starts.

The current proposed trade would be:

Nuggets Get

Amar'e Stoudemire

Suns Get

Kenyon Martin

Linas Kleiza

Future Draft Pick

Cash Considerations

Kenyon Martin will probably opt out of his contract 2010 giving the Suns $15 million in cap space. Linas Kleiza is also a young forward who would fit into the Suns rebuilding process.

However, it doesn't seem to make the Nuggets any better, but it would make them worse on the defensive end.

Kenyon Martin is a better defender then Amar'e at the four spot. He is more physical and isn't afraid to make a statement. Ask Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki. He shoved Dirk Down in game one of the second round.

Denver has already lost Dhantay Jones, a defensive specialist, and losing Martin, another great defender that doesn't take away from Carmelo's and Billups shots would hurt the team.

Sure Amar'e would be a force, but it's too good to be true. Every plan has it's flaws. Amar'e, Carmelo, JR Smith and Billups have that scoring mentality and at times take over games. Nene can come up with 20 on any given night as well.

Having the majority of your starting lineup being offensive threats and no defense isn't going to win you a championship. However, Billups would be able to level out Amar'e and control a starting line up of Billups, Smith, Melo, Amar'e and Nene.

JR has proved that he deserves to start, but I don't think it should be the case. The Nuggets gave up a key part in their bench, Linas Kleiza and the bench is already weak enough.

Ty Lawson, Chris Andersen and Renaldo Balkmen would be the first three to come off. Arron Afflalo is rumored to be heading to the Nuggets so he would take that Shooting Guard position.

Afflalo should start, and let JR continue to ignite the bench.

Overall this deal should no go down as it may look good on paper, but it won't work out during the regular season. Again talks are small but they can heat up quite fast.

 

[i nasmatic i]

Kenyon Martin is not opting out of his contract

.

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

Kenyon Martin is not opting out of his contract

.

Better chance of Rodman coming back to the L.

 

[23nokaoi]

I don't know about that Amare trade...

 

[chiaravanond]

Originally Posted by 23NoKaOi

I don't know about that Amare trade...

if it happens then

 

[periwinkle]

I'm liking Afflalo on the Nuggets if they don't have to trade much for him maybe draft picks or something, He could prove to be Jones' replacementand is younger.

 

[yungchamp]

everybody almost gets amare this won't happen...wouldn't mind it tho

 

[blazers21ntnp]

Until there's a legitimate source other than a 15-year old Canadian kid wearing screen-printed replica jerseys, quoting Kevin Garnett & telling meKenyon Martin and his 11 PPG/6 RPG are opting out of a $16.5 Million dollar contract, I don't believe there's a chance of Amare going to Denver...

 

[yungchamp]

^^oh hell naw

 

[blazers21ntnp]

Nuggets Acquire Afflalo, Sharpe from Detroit


DENVER, Jul. 13, 2009 -- The Denver Nuggets have acquired guard Arron Afflalo and forward Walter Sharpe from the Detroit Pistons inexchange for a second round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
"We are very pleased to add two young promising prospects like Arron and Walter to our veteran roster," said Warkentien. "Arron is a provenNBA defender with an incredible work ethic and Walter is a talented but raw player with tremendous upside."

Afflalo, 6-5, 215, will be entering his third season in the NBA in 2009-10. The 2007 first round selection of the Pistons (27th overall) holds careeraverages of 4.3 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 14.8 minutes per contest in 149 career games. He made 74 appearances (eight starts) for Detroit this past season, averaging4.9 ppg in 16.7 minutes. Additionally, Afflalo posted 6.3 ppg in 16.5 mpg during the Pistons' four playoff games in 2009.

Sharpe, 6-9, 245, averaged 1.0 ppg in eight appearances as a rookie with Detroit in 2008-09. He also played four games with Fort Wayne of the NBADevelopment League last season, posting 10.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg. He was originally drafted by the Seattle Sonics in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2008NBA Draft, before having his draft rights traded to Detroit on draft night.