Just how competitive is the NBA's Western Conference?
Consider the following: The Nuggets are on pace to win 50 games, but it still might not be enough to make the NBA Playoffs.
How tight is the Western Conference? Denver has their best All-Star break record in about three decades, but, if the playoffs started today, they would be out. The NBA invites the top eight in each Conference to the postseason party and currently the Nuggets are sitting in ninth place.
How close is Denver to being both in and out of the NBA Playoffs? Well, this might produce the most interesting statistic of all: The Hornets have the best record in the West. The Nuggets, currently in ninth, are just four-and-half games out of first place. That means, nine teams are separated by just four-and-half games. That is more of a logjam than you're bound to find on I-25 at 5:00 P.M. every weekday.
That said, the possibilities that are in front of the Nuggets seem voluminous and varied. They could miss the playoffs, with the Northwest Division, or finish with the top seed in the West, and I don't think anybody would be shocked by any of these developments. Think about that. They could miss the playoffs because of the competitive nature of the division and you wouldn't be shocked. Then again, they could finish on top, after all, they have 30 games to make up four-and-a half game deficit in the standings--and that wouldn't be totally surprising.
Their tenuous position already established, what should the Nuggets do? Guard Allen Iverson likes the team the way it is and I agree. I do not think they should make a trade for the sake of making a trade. Phoenix had to acquire Shaquille O'Neal since they felt their previously constituted roster was not going to be enough to win it all. Their only goal is to win an NBA title, anything else would be a disappointment, so while this was a risky trade, in the mind of Suns General Manager Steve Kerr, it had to be done. The Lakers, considering how little they had to give in return to acquire forward Pau Gasol, made the right call as well.
The main difference between those teams and the Nuggets is that Denver's front office feels as currently comprised, this team is good enough to win it all. They have lacked consistent play and intensity, particularly on the defensive end at times this season, but there is still a feeling that if it all clicks--a huge "if"--that this team has major potential come April, May, and June.
If they do make a trade, I would prefer to see them go after Ron Artest. I know...you think I'm nuts and you're wondering if I've looked into the possibility of them bringing on Latrell Sprewell as well just to make the undisputed leader in shady players on the roster. But hear me out on this one.
Artest, as well as Mike Miller and Zach Randolph have been mentioned as possibilities to join the roster. Artest is the only one of those three who is a capable defender and brings incredible intensity to the floor every night. Those two attributes would give the Nuggets a lift in areas in which they seeminmgly are a little deficient. Also, Artest does not need the basketball to be effective and that might be his best characteristic, at least if you add him to this current Denver mix. You already have two guys who need the ball a lot in Carmelo Anothony and Iverson--so anyone that joins the team would have to willingly defer on the offensive end and contribute somewhere else. Miller is a shooter so he needs touches. Randolph is more of a scorer than a defender and would need the ball as well. Hey, sorry, but with two guys that are in the top five in the NBA in scoring, how much more do you think they are willing to share the basketball?
That said, Artest is the best gamble, in my estimation. That being said, he is a gamble for sure because as we know, he can be great on the court, but off the court, well, you know...
The other option is what Iverson currently supports: do nothing. Adding anyone is going to put Denver in a transition phase in which they will have to learn how to implement that person into their style of play and with their current situation, they have no time to waste.
To me, the idea of experimentation is for the pre-season, not for the second half of your regular season.
If Chucky Atkins returns and Nene is healthy, does that give them enough? I'm not sure. In a clutch situation, do you want Steve Nash, Tony Parker, or a combination of Anthony Carter and Atkins? That's what I thought. So maybe you trade for a point guard? I say no, because that's just another guy who is taking the basketball out of the hands of Anthony and Iverson. Those two players perform much better through isolation rather than being set up by a point guard, so to me, it's just another addition that means subtraction for your two best players.
Anthony would like to add Artest. Iverson would like to do nothing. Head Coach George Karl just wants to make the postseason. At this point, I'm not exactly sure which person will get their wish.
-"Z"
