Tim Connelly Has Resurrected DEN from the NBA’s Grave
By Naz Alene
This team seemed to be taking a turn for the worst until Tim Connelly was brought on board, and he instantly gave Denver a spark that it had never seen.
Before Tim Connelly was hired in the summer of 2013, the Nuggets found themselves in a dilemma and were at a major crossroad. They were at times borderline of becoming elite, but they could never really overcome the hurdle of first round exits, for the Mile High crew the motto and identity has always been playing fast tempo, running teams out the gym in the thin Colorado Air and using the altitude to their advantage.
The teams style of play could never translate for them in the post season as the tempo slows down heavily and the superior shooting of Carmelo Anthony wasn’t enough to lead them to the promise land which resulted in Anthony demanding a trade out of Denver in 2011.
The Nuggets went on to make the playoffs the next two seasons team which eventually lead to the dismissal of George Karl, fresh after a historic 57 win season. After the unfortunate injury to Danilo Gallinari, not only did the Nuggets find themselves in a major collapse and a difficult position to fill the absence of Gallo, but the connection and chemistry they had was exterminated and vanquished; it also lead to the departure of executive of the year Massi Ujiri heading back to Toronto and Andre Iguodala signing with the Warriors.
For Karl, it was the most disheartening moment for him after the season concluded to be crowned coach of the year and oh by the way, your fired.
Tim Connelly has been nothing but fresh air for the Nuggets ever since he arrived. He has proven that he has the scouting eye that is much desired for GM’s and he has done an exceptional job of acquiring veterans like Jameer Nelson, Darrell Arthur and Mike Miller to guide and mentor this young Nuggets team and lead them in the right direction. It has surly paid of for him, as he was also rewarded with a contract extension midway through last year.
The Nuggets turned into one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA, but through drafting, via trade and their own free agent signings, Connelly and the Nuggets are on the verge of becoming relevant again. With an expansion of the salary cap, Connelly described it as a blessing and a curse. “I think we are in a really good place. We have really good players. We have a ton of cap space, we have a lot of picks. So those are things that we’re all looking for, league-wide. I think it allows us to be aggressive, it allows us to be very flexible.”
With the way the Nuggets are currently constructed its fair enough to predict them turning the corner pretty soon. They have a handful of assets to provide if they look to make a trade coupled with a ton of cap space the Nuggets are slowly and quietly gaining the respect they’ve lacked for many years, and we should expect to continue to hear the Nuggets in trade rumors because of the aggressiveness Connelly brings to the table.
must read: Denver Nuggets: Featured in The Ringers Series
Out of 14 teams that didnt make the playoffs 120 sports predicted the Nuggets to be the team to make the playoffs this upcoming season. though there is no telling how well the Nuggets will do this upcoming season, but one thing is clear, the Nuggets will be relevant sooner rather then later.