Nuggets 2023 Presser
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:39 am
Wow, already 2023. My how the time flies. It seems like just yesterday I was writing last year's presser...What's that, you say? I didn't write a presser last year? I guess I'll have to do an overview of the last couple years.
Last year, we were really able to do some amazing things. We came into the season with $90m in committed salary which was comprised of Jrue Holiday, DeAndre Jordan, and about 400 y/g guys with attribute totals that ranged from 'he might be an interesting player some day' to 'he will not be an interesting player some day'. We also had Marcus Smart - an excellent defensive contributor - as an impending free agent. Our problem, we knew, was filling out a competitive team with the very few shekels we had left in the coffers, and finding SOMEONE who could put the ball in the basket.
Our first move was to draft Jerry West with the 2nd pick. Jerry has been dedicated to hard work and has been progressing through the seasons very well. He will be our starter at the 2 this coming season and we expect him to be among the league's leading scorers in his prime.
Next we re-signed Smart to a 4 year deal we hoped would make him palatable for the trade market, as well as several other complimentary bench pieces.
Then came a trade that set the wheels in motion for a complete roster transformation. We knew we needed to cash in some of our interesting prospects for some pieces that we could rely on being productive. We sent 5 (5!) of them to the Wizards in exchange for Aubrey Broomfield - an excellent and athletic 2-way forward - along with two of their first-round picks. We weren't sure at this point whether we'd be in for a long rebuild, or an extension of our competitive window, but the return fit either plan.
Still needing offensive firepower, we swung a Day-60 trade to send the aforementioned Marcus Smart to Indiana along with free-agent signing (and admittedly interesting prospect) Jamey Brown for an immediate offensive boost in the form of Paul George - and his player option.
On February 1, we sat at 26-19, not a bad record, but nowhere near a championship team, and our defensive anchor DeAndre had just broken a limb. We had to make a change and acquire a piece that would be part of our next build (or at least would garner solid rebuild pieces if traded). We once again reached out to the Wizards for Otto Porter Jr, who has been a player we've coveted since he came into the league. In exchange for the hobbled DeAndre and his pick this year to reclaim a lost season, he graciously sent Otto as well as Simmons who could play a competent 5 in DJ's stead.
This offseason, we continued to develop West, we found ourselves with enough cap space for several pieces to put around a still inexpensive West, and our desire was to make a splash in RFA (and UFA if we missed out). We signed JR Johnson and Judd Williams in RFA. We would have been thrilled to build around the core of those two and West. Unfortunately, their respective teams were not interested in discussing trades to keep them around, so they were both matched.
In Free Agency, we added an unbelievably huge piece of the puzzle in Thomas Robinson. We really feel like he can lock down the 4 spot (and maybe even the 5 depending on which direction we go with any subsequent moves) and together with Otto means our forward duo will lock the boards out for any other team. This will give our scorers more chances than other teams, which will hopefully result in more points than other teams.
We had hoped to pair him with Kevin Love, and made him a sizable offer, however he chose to remain with the team he'd been with his whole career in Phoenix. We wish him all the best in the desert. Oh...we just got word that Love was traded last night to the city of brotherly LOVE. How fitting!
With that cap space, we were also able to add a guard whom we hope will be part of the build that brings our team to the promised land.
We went from a team over the tax with 3 aging core players, to a team under the tax with all our picks (and another next year), a core of 2 prime players, a young player coming into his own, and some wily vets, that should not only compete this year but also have a look to the future. We like what the future looks like.
Last year, we were really able to do some amazing things. We came into the season with $90m in committed salary which was comprised of Jrue Holiday, DeAndre Jordan, and about 400 y/g guys with attribute totals that ranged from 'he might be an interesting player some day' to 'he will not be an interesting player some day'. We also had Marcus Smart - an excellent defensive contributor - as an impending free agent. Our problem, we knew, was filling out a competitive team with the very few shekels we had left in the coffers, and finding SOMEONE who could put the ball in the basket.
Our first move was to draft Jerry West with the 2nd pick. Jerry has been dedicated to hard work and has been progressing through the seasons very well. He will be our starter at the 2 this coming season and we expect him to be among the league's leading scorers in his prime.
Next we re-signed Smart to a 4 year deal we hoped would make him palatable for the trade market, as well as several other complimentary bench pieces.
Then came a trade that set the wheels in motion for a complete roster transformation. We knew we needed to cash in some of our interesting prospects for some pieces that we could rely on being productive. We sent 5 (5!) of them to the Wizards in exchange for Aubrey Broomfield - an excellent and athletic 2-way forward - along with two of their first-round picks. We weren't sure at this point whether we'd be in for a long rebuild, or an extension of our competitive window, but the return fit either plan.
Still needing offensive firepower, we swung a Day-60 trade to send the aforementioned Marcus Smart to Indiana along with free-agent signing (and admittedly interesting prospect) Jamey Brown for an immediate offensive boost in the form of Paul George - and his player option.
On February 1, we sat at 26-19, not a bad record, but nowhere near a championship team, and our defensive anchor DeAndre had just broken a limb. We had to make a change and acquire a piece that would be part of our next build (or at least would garner solid rebuild pieces if traded). We once again reached out to the Wizards for Otto Porter Jr, who has been a player we've coveted since he came into the league. In exchange for the hobbled DeAndre and his pick this year to reclaim a lost season, he graciously sent Otto as well as Simmons who could play a competent 5 in DJ's stead.
This offseason, we continued to develop West, we found ourselves with enough cap space for several pieces to put around a still inexpensive West, and our desire was to make a splash in RFA (and UFA if we missed out). We signed JR Johnson and Judd Williams in RFA. We would have been thrilled to build around the core of those two and West. Unfortunately, their respective teams were not interested in discussing trades to keep them around, so they were both matched.
In Free Agency, we added an unbelievably huge piece of the puzzle in Thomas Robinson. We really feel like he can lock down the 4 spot (and maybe even the 5 depending on which direction we go with any subsequent moves) and together with Otto means our forward duo will lock the boards out for any other team. This will give our scorers more chances than other teams, which will hopefully result in more points than other teams.
We had hoped to pair him with Kevin Love, and made him a sizable offer, however he chose to remain with the team he'd been with his whole career in Phoenix. We wish him all the best in the desert. Oh...we just got word that Love was traded last night to the city of brotherly LOVE. How fitting!
With that cap space, we were also able to add a guard whom we hope will be part of the build that brings our team to the promised land.
We went from a team over the tax with 3 aging core players, to a team under the tax with all our picks (and another next year), a core of 2 prime players, a young player coming into his own, and some wily vets, that should not only compete this year but also have a look to the future. We like what the future looks like.
