Published: October 9, 2009
The Denver Nuggets are coming off one of their most successful seasons in franchise history and if it wasn’t for a few out of bounds plays and turnovers at key stretches of games, they could have easily been the 2009 NBA Champions. It wasn’t be and this team has kept the core of its team together and has made some additions. Denver has added some player that will fit their style of play, with Arron Affalo being a good replacement for Dahntay Jones, Ty Lawson being a reserve PG in case Anthony Carter breaks down, and young athletic players such as James White and Johan Petro will feel right at home in this run and gun and go crazy kinda system. J.R. Smith will make the transition to a starter, something that should hopefully propel him to play more responsibly. The Nuggets will not be happy with anything but a Finals appearance and this young and ruthless team has enough swagger to get that job done.
Arron Affalo
James White
Ty Lawson
Johan Petro
Malik Allen
Dahntay Jones
Linus Kleiza
PG – Chauncey Billups
SG – J.R. Smith
SF – Carmello Anthony
PF – Kenyon Martin
C – Nene Hilario
Chauncey Billups might have had one of the best seasons in his established career and certainly doesn’t seem to be aging one bit. Anthony Carter has always been that trusted veteran backup, but George Karl has realized that it might be time to have an insurance backup and drafter talented young rookie Ty Lawson. At the shooting guard spot J.R Smith will take the reins on the shooting guard spot after serving his lengthy suspension, but Arron Affalo showed in his limited minutes in Detroit that he is a capable player and a future starter in the NBA. James White, also known as Mr.Flight, is a high soaring athletic phenom who could be seeing his last chance to make himself an NBA home, don’t be surprised if he’s one of the breakout players in the 2010 NBA season.
Carmelo Anthony headlines the small forward position, and save for LeBron James, he is bar none the best person on the planet at that position. At one point in the Conference Finals last year, he was about to upstage Kobe Bryant with his unstoppable play. Carmelo Anthony should strive to have an MVP caliber year and lead his team back to where they were a season ago. Kenyon Martin will be the same old K-Mart that plays with his heart on his sleeve and lips on his neck. Renaldo Balkman and Chris Anderson are two energizer bunnies that create havoc when on the floor which feeds the fast breaks that the Nuggets relish on.
One feels that Nene Hilario is on the verge of a mega season, and he already has proved how scary of a player he can be. His reserve spot will be partially filled by Johan Petro, another freak of nature athlete that will bounce around on the floor and make defensive and offensive athletic plays that has become the center piece of the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets are as talented as any team in the Association and they also definitely believe that they can and should win the 2010 NBA Championship. If the team keeps it cool, which it will with Big Shot Billups in the driving seat, the Nuggets can finally make it all the way to the promised land.
The Denver Nuggets are a team running on pure adrenaline and horsepower. If their organized chaos sees a dent due to one of their many crazy players’ antics, it could spell an early playoff exit from a more composed and veteran side. The teams’ emotions represent both the biggest asset and liability of this team. One has a feeling that they won’t be able to use it fully as an asset and waste their talent and potential in the process.
The Nuggets in 2010 will lose in the second round of the 2010 Playoffs to either a younger and more disciplined Portland team, or a veteran San Antonio team that will be able to masterplan a strategy past the enigmatic Nuggets team.
Record: 52-30
Surprise Player: Arron Affalo, being an impressive and reliable shooting guard on nights when JR Smith decides to go nuts
Key Player: Chauncey Billups is the brain behind this team, and they will only go as far as he can take them
That wraps up the Denver Nuggets 2009-2010 season preview and our detailed look at the Nuggets in the 2010 NBA season.
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