As most analysts like to say,”as Lawson goes, the Nuggets go.”  This was not especially true, as Lawson had his best game of the season, but the Nuggets’ interior D and the struggles of Andre Iguodala hampered any chance of a victory.  Iguodala had a frustrating night, going 2-10 for 5 points and a stat stuffing night of 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 turnovers.  In addition, the Nuggets gave up a combined 52 points to the frontcourt trio of Al Horford (25 pts, 12 reb), Josh Smith (16 pts, 13 reb) and Zaza Pachulia (11 pts, 7 reb).  While Nuggets center Kosta Koufos sat the night out with the flu, the interior and post defense was matador-esque in its effectiveness.  That’s not to say that the bigs didn’t post up decent numbers; Timofey Mozgov grabbed 13 rebounds and Javale McGee picked up 11 points, 3 rebounds and a 2 blocks.  It’s just that the Nuggets were killed on the defensive end by big men, a troubling symptom of this year’s team.

This game was confusing because the Nuggets were fixing a number of things they were doing so poorly.  Free throws improved (21-25), three pointers were sinking for Ty Lawson (5-5), and the Nuggets shot 48% on the night.  All these point to improvement for the Nuggets, but further accent the needs that still exist.  Turnovers (Nuggets 20, Hawks 14) plagued the Nuggets and eventually iced the game as Josh Smith stole the ball off Lawson’s foot in the final minute.  The execution of this team needs to improve, and hopefully will, as this brutal road schedule subsides.  The Nuggets though, have no time to feel sorry for themselves, as they continue their road trip with four more before returning to Denver.  This team is learning and improving, but they will have to find a way to gut out some wins to remain competitive at the end of the season.  The Nuggs will continue their season in Indiana on Dec. 7 at 7:00 ET.

May 8, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) celebrates defeating the Boston Celtics in game five of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 87-86. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

It seems every summer another superstar in the NBA causes drama. Last summer it was Chris Paul, two summers ago it was our beloved Carmelo Anthony and three summers ago it was LeBron James.

This summer, Dwight Howard is following suit and is demanding to get traded from the Orlando Magic. Of course, he’s not making life easy for the Magic by saying that there is one team on his list and it is the Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey) Nets.

Of course, the Nets cap space is closing up quickly after re-signing Gerald Wallace ($40 million/4 years) and trading for Joe Johnson (who will be making nearly $87 million over the next four years). They also are expected to offer point guard Deron Williams the max as well which doesn’t leave a lot of money to get Howard.

Brooklyn could obviously swing a deal involving a sign-and-trade with big man Brook Lopez, young shooting guard MarShon Brooks and draft picks.

The Magic would probably want more than the Nets scraps for arguably the best big man in the NBA, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks could also swoop in and make offers to acquire the so-called Superman.

The Denve Nuggets, on the other hand, seem to be content to stand on the sidelines this off-season. They stand by their word that they want to see how this team can do for a full season. It’s hard to argue with how the team finished last season, but it’s also fair to believe it is still short a few pieces of contending with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat.

But is Dwight Howard the answer? No doubt the Nuggets don’t want anything to do with Howard, especially after what they went through with Anthony. However, they have assets that intrigue other teams and they should at least explore their options as a third team in the trade. Especially if names like Al Horford, MarShon Brooks and Brook Lopez are getting thrown around.

No doubt Denver wants to re-sign restricted free agent JaVale McGee, but if the sides can’t come close on a contract the Nuggets should see what Horford’s value is. The 26-year-old big man is somebody that the Nuggets organization has been fond off, they attempted to acquire the former Florida star for Nene at the trade deadline and Horford has a special bond with former teammate and current Denver Nugget reserve Corey Brewer. He is also one of the most skilled big man in the NBA and is a legitimate low-post threat. He missed most of last year due to a shoulder injury, but returned to lead the Hawks to a Game 5 victory. He scored Atlanta’s final two basket and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Brooks, who averaged 12.6 points during his rookie season for the Nets, has impressed many with his scoring prowess and could be somebody that takes the Nuggets over the top. Lopez battled injuries last season, but averaged 20.4 points for the Nets in 2010-11. He also brought down only 5.9 rebounds a game.