Should The Nuggets Get Involved In The Dwight Howard Drama?

Jonathan Maness — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:46:41 +0000

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.

Five Things We Learned About The Denver Nuggets

Jonathan Maness — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:55:31 +0000

Dre Isn’t Happy: Putting Andre Miller on this Denver Nuggets team seemed like a match made in heaven, but so far that hasn’t been the case. Miller is currently averaging his career worst in points (9.8 points) and field goal percentage (.425), and to make matters worst Miller recently told Chris Tomlinson that he isn’t happy in his backup role with the Nuggets. Miller is in the last year of his contract and said he’d seek a starting role in the NBA and wouldn’t be opposed to remaining in Denver if nothing else opens up. While there wasn’t anything wrong with what Miller said, it obviously didn’t sit well with George Karl, who responded by saying, ‘I’m glad he’s proud of himself and he wants to play, but I think this still is the best opportunity for him.’ So the question is, should the Nuggets consider trading Miller before the trade deadline? The Nuggets are on the road to something special with a team that plays together and with cohesiveness and it migh be worth trading Miller for another player that is more willin gto buy into the system.
No Easy Shots For Nene: The NBA is a copycat league and teams saw how the Oklahoma City Thunder defended Nene and the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs last season and they are defending the Nuggets in similar fashion. Teams have packed the paint in an effort to not give Nene any easy baskets. They are throwing an extra defender, and sometimes two in his direction, and teams aren’t afraid of making him earn it from the line. Nene has also let opponents off the hook by resorting to jumpers instead of battling for position closer to the paint. He has obvious been frustrated with the defenses and tends to lose interest when things are going his To Nene’s credit he has been much more active on the glass this season, averaging 8.4 rebounds a game.
Brewer and Fernandez Trade Was A Steal: Any time you turn a second round draft pick into a player it is a steal. But when you turn a future second round draft pick for two rotation players is pure robbery and it is easy to say after 12 games the Denver Nuggets robbed the Dallas Mavericks when they traded a future second round draft pick for Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer.
Everybody knew that Rudy Fernandez would be the ideal replacement for J.R. Smith, but Fernandez has been far more than that so far this season. He has quieted all the talks about his bad attitude, by being the ideal pickup for the Nuggets team mentality. He is extremely unselfish and a great passer, willing to set up his teammates for easy baskets. He also is great in the fast break and coming off screens for open jumpers and if the Nuggets offense goes stagnant he isn’t afraid to take over. But all in all, he has been the ideal pick up for the Nuggets.
Brewer has also been a bright surprise, everybody knew he was a good defensive player – but not sure he was that good. His length, athleticism and knowledge has been a handful for opposing players. On Sunday, he forced Dwyane Wade into an air ball and he also blocked MarShon Brooks fast break basket to help the Nuggets beat the Nets. On the offensive side of the ball is where Brewer has been more impressive, he is great at running in the fast break and getting easy baskets, but he is also able to knock down a few jumpers as well. He is shooting over .50 percent from the field and has hit 6 of 9 from behind the arc.
The Nuggets Are Still Young: In the last five days, the Nuggets have blown out the Heat, gave up a season-most 115 points to the New Jersey Nets and have lost two games at home to teams with a combined record of 4-7 on the road.
That is what young teams do, but at what point do the Nuggets grow up? At what points do they realize that they are in the NBA and they need to wake up and be ready to play with any team?
Hopefully the Nuggets grow up fast, because they will now go on a 5-game road trip, which includes two back-to-backs.
Mozgov has range: Timofey Mozgov is starting to resemble former Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, not because of his size but because of his jumper. Mozgov surprised his teammates, the Heat and the fans on Friday when he hit back-to-back jumpers. He showed his range again on Sunday when he hit a 15-foot jumper against the Utah Jazz. Having a 7-footer on any team helps, but one that can make jumpers is huge.

Nugg Love » Marshon Brooks

Should The Nuggets Get Involved In The Dwight Howard Drama?

Five Things We Learned About The Denver Nuggets