In a shocking and heart breaking move Andre Iguodala is leaving Denver for The Golden State Warriors .According to multiple reports, the Warriors will sign Iguodala, who spent last season with the Denver Nuggets, to a four-year, $48 million contract. It’s like your girlfriend leaving you for your worst enemy. It’s like Anakin Skywalker turning on the Jedi and going to the dark side. I’m still in shock at what has transpired. Iggy was supposed to help bring a championship to Denver. Now, he’s a member of the hated Warriors. The team that knocked us out of the playoffs after the best season in franchise history.
Iguodala was brought in less than a year ago to make a splash.In a trade where the Nuggets gave up so much in Aaron Afflalo,Al Harrington and a coveted 2014 1st round pick.At the time it seemed like we got a steal. He was an olympian and one the best defenders in the world. The second coming of A.I. was supposed to be different. Iguodala was a team player and All-Star who was going to take Denver to the next level. Looking back now we paid too much for a rental who failed to lead us to the promised land.
First Masai was let go and then George Karl was fired. Nuggets fans started to question the direction of the franchise. But then Josh Kroenke brought in new gm Tim Connelly and Phil Jackson Disciple Brian Shaw. There was an excitement about the new Nuggets leadership.They spoke of how important Iguodala was and how they were in constant contact with him. But after letting Iggy walk and get nothing in return, maybe this new management isn’t so great. To not even entertain a sign and trade deal is just insane.
But management isn’t the only one to blame. Iguodala claimed he didn’t want Denver to be a stopover.”We weren’t coming into this thinking this will be a one-year deal,” Iguodala said. “… This is definitely a place that I can see myself for more than just a year or two.” But those were false promises. The dreams of the championship he is chasing must not have included the Nuggets because despite offering a longer contract and more money Iggy decided to bolt.
So where do we go from here? That is a question many nuggets fans will have on their minds. It seems the ony way NBA superstars are coming to the Mile High City is to vacation or ski. So do we rebuild or stay the course and hope our young talent develops into a couple of superstars who love the city of Denver. I know I don’t not want terrible years of Nuggets basketball with terrible picks like Tony Battie,Nikoloz Tskitishvili, and Raef Lafrentz were. So stay strong Nuggets Nation and we will get through this.