Fantasy Deal: Wilson Chandler for Josh Smith

Improved play by Lawson and Faried have turned the season around

Backstory
You may not know, but my favorite team is the Denver Nuggets; I love the team from their starting 5 to Evan Fournier's seat at the very bottom of the bench.

However, that's not to say I wouldn't like them to make moves to become a true championship-caliber team. I know, I know. Aren't the Nuggs ripping it up in January/February? Why mess with a team that is currently ranked 4th in the tough-as-nails Western Conference?

Well, the Nuggs have been annual playoff contenders since coach George Karl took over the team in 2004 (that's 8 straight playoff appearances, with 2012-2013 being 9)

The problem is though, we get in the playoffs and get knocked out first round everytime (with the exception of 2008-2009 when Melo/Billups led us to the Conference Championship game...and lost) Our team is filled with tons of talent; we have BY FAR the most stacked roster with bench players good enough to start (Javale McGee, Corey Brewer, Wilson Chandler, and Andre Miller), and players that don't even get minutes that deserve them (Quincy Miller, Jordan Hamilton, Anthony Randolph, and Evan Fournier)

Andre's Iguodala holds the young roster together

We made a big move this past summer acquiring swingman, Andre Iguodala; I was FREAKING out when I heard we got him. I was a little sad to see Aaron Afflalo moved, but Iggy is legitimately the closest thing the Nuggets have to an All-Star/Superstar/Franchise/Cornerstone/"Whatever you want to call it" player. The thing with Iggy, however, is he did not bring the impact most people were hoping for. He's averaging 13pts/5reb/5ast in 2012-2013. While those numbers are not terrible by any stretch, I was expecting Iggy to take a more prominent role on the team, which at the very least, in my eyes, means being our highest scorer on the team (is 18-20pts/game too much to ask for?)

Don't get me wrong, Iggy is the glue that holds our very young roster together. His experience, along with his "team-player" mentality and defensive prowess are invaluable. I just think that a player with pay $15mill/yr should be having a larger impact in the scoring department. I'm not sure if it would be in the team's best interest to resign Iggy come this summer if we have to pay him as much. In my opinion, I'd only bring him back at no more than $10mil/season. But, that is besides the point of this blog post.

Ujiri knows what he's doing.

What I think Denver should do is pursue more established, veteran talent to mesh with our young roster. We recently made an inquiry for Celtics PF/C Kevin Garnett. However, Mr. Garnett waived his No-Trade Clause and shut down any further trade talks. Personally, I think it was a great effort by GM  Masai Ujiri. Garnett, a proven, tough big man could have been our starting center and a game-changer going into the playoffs. Sadly, this move never came to be. Bu, I propose that Denver doesn't give up their search for a veteran big man!

In my initial mockups, I tried to make a scenario that brought Pau Gasol to Denver (who I think would be a great fit) but, with Gasol's recent injury, that's no longer possible. I also thought Anderson Varejao would have fit, but he got hurt as well.


However the best move I can think of involves a certain Forward for the Atlanta Hawks.

Josh Smith would put Denver over the top

Atlanta Hawks
Wilson Chandler
Anthony Randolph
Timofey Mosgov
1st Rd Draft Pick

Denver Nuggets
Josh Smith

- This move would be an absolute slam dunk for both teams. I do not think any team could match what assets Denver is capable of moving. I addition to the players (Chandler is a starting SF with a great contract, Randolph can replace Smith at PF with another great contract), Denver can give draft picks (Denver already has 1st Rd. draft picks who haven't even played yet in Fournier and Hamilton)

Using the trade exception we got in our trade for Andre Iguodala, Denver can make the cap figures work as well. While Smith isn't guaranteed to resign, getting him on the roster should be considered a win in itself: Denver has a very hard time getting Star players to come to Denver. If we prove to Smith that Denver is a great place for him, maybe he will sign a Max deal in the summer. 

Summer in December: Flips and Flops

   
     Well, we are a quarter of the way through the NBA season, and there have been some eye opening wins for teams and players, as well as some crushing defeats.  The Flips are those who have surprised the NBA thus far, and the Flops are, obviously, the biggest disappointments.
   

 Flips:  

     The Portland Trail Blazers: After many people (including me) doubted the strategy of the Trail Blazers in raffling off most of their players except Aldridge, they have made a name for themselves as a mid class team with an 11-12 record.  Damian Lillard, my pick for ROY since day one, is playing out of his mind with the maturity of a senior player.  Blazers be blazin.
             
     The Orlando Magic: Another ringer! Most people slammed the Magic for their lack of depth, but damn! This team, with absolutely no star power, has managed to put up an 11-13 record with their sturdy defense and complete unselfishness.  And I don't think i could put it any better than BoB, these guys definitely have the magic in them.
             
     The Black Mamba: Eh, I'll admit it, he's playing pretty well right now.  I still say that his percentages and points per game all drop off soon.  Kobe cannot continue to carry teams with his run and gun play, even if he is wrecking it out on the court now.

     The New York Knicks: Nobody doubted the validity of the Knicks at the beginning of the season, but NOBODY thought they'd be at the top of the East right now.  I'm still convinced that the Heat are a better all around team, but the Knicks are for real with Melo playing like a different player.

     The Atlanta Hawks: The screech that the other teams in the East are hearing from above is most definitely the Hawks.  Thought to be a faltering team, Atlanta has turned out to be a dark horse team that has been anchored by two big men, Horford and Smith, who are playing at All Star level.  The addition of the dangerous Lou Williams and some defensive players has solidified them in the East.
             

     Flops:  

     Blake Griffin: Ol' Blake is having the worst year of his career so far, probably because teams have realized that his game is very one dimensional.  He can dunk.  Despite his superhuman athleticism, Blake Griffin has not expanded his game beyond that.  His post game is weak and on the defensive end it is almost laughable sometimes.

     The Washington Wizards: Nuff said.

     The Los Angeles Lakers: I said at the beginning of the season that the Lakers would have some problems.  And that happened.  The same thing happened with Miami last year when The Big Three started learning to work together.  But this seems to be a bit worse.  The Lakers refuse to play defense, and as much as people are saying it will be fine when Steve Nash comes back, he has never been an asset on defense.
   

   
 The Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have been one of my must see teams for years now and they have always played some amazingly entertaining ball, but this year, they still haven't clicked.  Andre Iguodala has not figured out his place in this system yet, but that is not helped by the fact that Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson are having one of the worst seasons in their careers.

   

   
  
   

NBA Fashion Finals

     After hours of intense deliberation and a thick stack of stylish photographs left behind me, I have decided who will receive the coveted Classketball Trophy of the 2012 season.  It was rough, and at times it seemed like there was no end in sight.  But, after many blue raspberry slushies to clear my mind, the answer became clear.

      After the easy sifting and elimination of the obviously unfit candidates (c'mon Glenn Davis) it all came down to the top eight.  The Fashion Playoffs for the East in 2012 were, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Dwayne Wade.  For the West, Russel Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Andre Iguodala all made the cut.

     

The East was a real challenge to narrow down from the top four.  The first matchup, Melo and King James, was neck and neck for the entire series.  LeBron James has it all, a unique fashion sense, swag, and the skills to back it up.  Melo is the same, and he makes it a point to show up super well dressed for his ads.   Who would have thought that a single accessory would be the thing that led to ones downfall.  LeBron, you may be my favorite and best player in the world , but the thick hipster glasses have really thrown off your whole game. Its just been done too often.  Melo selects when to wear the hipster glasses and prefers shades.  Win for Melo.  

    

     The matchup between Amar'e and Dwayne Wade was not as close.  Amar'e has a pastel look that looks tight, but in the end, the chic and smooth style that Dwayne Wade has exhibited his whole career wins the day.  Advantage D-Wade.

     Down to Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony.  Both have such a classic sense of style and sense of classy that it may have been the hardest match to decide.  But, Melo chooses bright colored suit jackets and undershirts much too often.  D-Wade wears the greys of a classic, everlasting look and makes it look...well, classier.  The champion in the East is Dwayne Wade.

     

     The West was not as hard to decide.  Russel Westbrook made the cut because I thought his Urkel-esque look was a unique statement that showed he was a joker and just an all around cool guy to hang with.  After the same kind of horrid pattern a hundred times, I thought a little less of the style.  An easy win for Kobe Bryant.

     Andre Iguodala, on the other hand, has a sense of style very similar to Melo, crisp and smooth.  Chris Paul is equally well dressed, and shows his calm, savvy nature when photographed.  Then there is the issue of the hats. CP3 loves hats.  He loves to wear hats.  He loves to wear hats higher and higher on his head in every picture taken of him.  Its like skytops for your face.  Not cool, man, not cool.  Iggy wins. He wears hats the right way.

     Iggy versus the Black Mamba in the division finals.   Two powerhouses of chic, towers of style power.  For days in pondered, wondering who would be able to get any lead.  Then I stumbled on the photos of Kobe with those two girls that his wife got mad about.  No shirt and jeans.  That's way too 90's Kobe.  Your'e not Afro Kobe anymore.  Iggy wins again.

     Iggy versus D-Wade in the Fashion Finals.  These two juggernauts have really set the standard for what the classic NBA look should be.  When one of them shows up to a party, it HAS to be like a handful of doves fly through the door behind them and ten scantily clad ladies pop bottles of champagne in a tunnel in front of them.  And there's a tiger.  So how can I choose between two ballers whose off court style matches their on court presence.  It all comes down to simple attitude.  Which player knows he could coax a lady just with a nod of his head?  Which player knows that tiger will listen to him for no apparent reason other than his look?  

     That player...is Dwayne Wade.  Congrats Wade, you've shamed us all with your look.  And for every one of us you've ruined, you've ruined three ladies who will never look at us the way they look at you.