Who Be Ballin? Ty Lawson

After riding a season high 7-game win streak, Denver has lost 3 games in a row (starting with that intense 3OT loss to Boston.) You can blame the losses to injuries: Danilo Gallinari and Andre Iguodala, Denver's best defenders, are out. But, Ty Lawson has stepped up in their absence. 

Ty Lawson is becoming a true floor general

In Denver's 3 losses, Ty has put up amazing stats:

28pts/9ast average and 62% FG% over 3 games? Whoa.

Lawson signed a lucrative contract at the beginning of the season, and has, for the most part, been unable to live up to the lofty expectations that came with it. Ty was drafted 18th overall in the PG heavy 1st round of the 2009 draft. Here's the list:

1.5 Ricky Rubio

1.6 Jonny Flynn

1.7 Stephen Curry

1.10 Brandon Jennings

1.17 Jrue Holiday

1.18 Ty Lawson

1.19 Jeff Teague

1.20 Eric Maynor

1.21 Darren Collison

1.25 Rodrique Beaubois

1.29 Toney Douglas

As you can see, many PG's taken that year have transcended into franchise cornerstones and all-stars. Ty has always shown flashes of greatness, but has never been considered to be part of either of those categories. Ty is my favorite player in the entire league and I have been following him closely since we traded for him draft night. I've always thought he had it in him to be great, I mean, as the 2009 ACC player of the year and winner of the Bob Cousy award for best PG, he did lead NC Tar Heels to a NCAA championship.

I think Ty is progressing to Denver's franchise player (no more of this Danilo Gallinari garbage) I hope that his excellent play continues: he's been improving every month since September.

By the way, highlight of my entire life when Ty tweeted at me last year (I legitimately geeked when Kenneth Faried tweeted at me, too):

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 History Lessons: Alex English

So Paul and me were exchanging some texts today: all about basketball of course. Knowing I'm a huge Denver Nuggets fan, he asked: "Who is the greatest player in Nuggets history?" He mentioned the finger-wagging Dikembe Mutombo. At one point, I agreed. How would anyone say the the 4 time NBA Defensive player of the year, arguably the best shot-blocker in NBA history isn't the best player to don a Nuggets jersey? Well, a little bit ago, around June, I went on a Denver Nuggets history/research binge. I really wanted to know the ins and outs of the team I call "my team."

I stumbled upon one 6'7" guard, Alex English. Considered one of the most explosive players of the 1980's. I felt so ignorant not knowing who he was. Well, Mr. English, in his 10 years with the Nuggets, averaged about 27ppg (and 4+ assists per game.) That's pretty crazy. Carmelo Anthony, another Franchise great, only averaged about 24ppg.

I know its not all about points, but English is 13th in total points in NBA history; he was 7th when he retired in 1991. But, the real sticking point, for me at least, is English's role in transforming a franchise who was near the rock bottom, to annual playoff contenders (much like Carmelo Anthony's impact when he was drafted in 2003.) English led the Nuggets to the playoffs 9 times (Mutumbo, 3, Anthony, 6) 

English is arguably the best player in Denver Nuggets history

The title for best player in Nuggets franchise history is up for debate, but generally a competition between Alex English, Dikembe Mutombo, and Carmelo Anthony. I like to think these have been our 'franchise' players. English was with the Nuggets 10 years (Mutombo, 5, Anthony, 7) and I believe had a much bigger impact than the other 2 players, granted Mutombo probably is the most recognized/decorated player.

I do credit Carmelo Anthony for being a close 2/3. Not only is he one of the best players the Nuggets ever had (and drafted) but he holds personal significance with me. Without him, I do not know if I would have ever developed a strong love for the Nuggets, or the NBA for that matter. Living in Colorado for much of my childhood, I grew up with John Elway and the back-to-back Superbowl winning Broncos. It seemed only natural to gravitate to the Denver NBA team as well (it didn't hurt that Pittsburgh, where I moved to after Colorado, doesn't have an NBA team.) Melo really made me an NBA fan. For that, I thank that New York-loving asshole (I kid.)

Ty Lawsome

My boy Ty Lawson went all out in the Nuggets 2nd preseason game against the Thunder last night. 17pts. /11 Ast. I think I see a slight foreshadowing of what Lawson will putting up come regular season.

Pay the man, Ujiri!