Nuggets 1981 Presser

[Jedihero]

The room is filled with reporters, cameras flashing as the head coach steps up to the podium.

Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for joining me today. As you all know, last season was a tough one for us. We battled hard all year and came up just short in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. It’s never easy to get so close, but we learned a lot from that experience, and we’re using it as fuel to get even better moving forward.

I’m proud of what we accomplished last season, but we’re not content. The goal has always been to bring a championship to Denver, and we’re doing everything we can to build a roster capable of that.

Now, let me address the moves we’ve made in the offseason, which I believe are going to help us take that next step. We’ve been working hard to improve this team, and I’m excited to talk about some key additions.

First, on draft day, we made a move that I believe is going to make an immediate impact for us. We traded for Brian Taylor. Brian is an incredibly talented guard, and we’re excited to add his versatility to our backcourt. He’s a dynamic player who can both score and distribute. He’s going to give us that extra spark on offense, and his defensive abilities are going to fit perfectly with the way we want to play. We needed to add depth, and Brian gives us another weapon that will make us even more dangerous.

But that wasn’t the only move we made. As you know, we’re always looking for ways to improve our roster, and we felt that we needed to strengthen our frontcourt. That led us to make a blockbuster trade with the Detroit Pistons, bringing in Dan Roundfield. Dan is an experienced forward, a tough competitor, and a guy who can both score in the post and stretch the floor. His rebounding and defensive presence are going to add another level to our defense. Having a player of his caliber is going to help us compete with the best teams in the league.

With these moves, we’ve added more scoring, more defense, and more depth. We’re creating a roster that is built for both the regular season and, more importantly, the postseason. We’re going to be ready for the grind, and we’re going to take another shot at that elusive championship.

I know the fans are hungry, and we feel that same hunger in the locker room. We have a strong core, and we’ve made the right moves to complement that core. Now it’s time to go to work.

I’m confident in this team. We’re focused, we’re ready, and we’re going to give everything we have to bring a championship to Denver.

I’ll take a few questions now.

[tbone963]

Jason Jackson, Johnville Journal: You said you're going to try and make another run at the championship.Whether you make it or not; do you think the next season will be a rebuild for you? Or could you attempt another run in '82?

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, Blazers beatwriter for the Oregonian...

JH, there was a lot of buzz around you bringing in Roundfield. Are you concerned about him being slightly undersized at the 4 spot? And given the chatter out of Los Angeles and their desire for a power forward, what do you think made the difference with your team closing the deal on Roundfield instead of the Lakers?

[logpmess]

With Alex English having such a high output in scoring last year, do you think there will be an animosity towards the new acquisition of Roundfield? Is there enough possessions in the game to both have peak output in scoring?

[greepleairport]

@jedihero answer before sim 2!

[Jedihero]

Jason Jackson, Johnville Journal: You said you're going to try and make another run at the championship.Whether you make it or not; do you think the next season will be a rebuild for you? Or could you attempt another run in '82?

I am always competing, even when I rebuild, I can compete. In Denver, we always up.

[Jedihero]

Steve Duin, Blazers beatwriter for the Oregonian...

JH, there was a lot of buzz around you bringing in Roundfield. Are you concerned about him being slightly undersized at the 4 spot? And given the chatter out of Los Angeles and their desire for a power forward, what do you think made the difference with your team closing the deal on Roundfield instead of the Lakers?

Roundfield is an exceptional guy, I am not worried at all about size in that position. He is good enough to make things happen as seen with his play from last season. Pair that with on of the best SFs in the league with Alex and we have one hell of a 1-2 combo.

I think we were able to close the deal due to our healthy relationship with the Pisstons front office, and this just strengthens that even further.

[Jedihero]

With Alex English having such a high output in scoring last year, do you think there will be an animosity towards the new acquisition of Roundfield? Is there enough possessions in the game to both have peak output in scoring?

If anything, this will open up Alex to be able to score more. Instead of teams focusing on him they have another world class talent to deal with, and if they want to continue to TRY to shut down Alex, then teams will learn what Roundfield can do.