Ranking The 10 Worst Teams In Denver Nuggets History

7. 2001-2002 Denver Nuggets:

27-55 — 6th place in the Midwest Division.

The 2001-2002 Nuggets began the season with legend Dan Issel as their head coach. It was Issel’s second stint as the Nuggets front man and hopes were high for a return to glory after the previous season’s 40-42 record – just missing the Playoffs. But Issel would last only 26 games as head coach. Legend has it (as well as a number of Channel 9 TV cameras) that as Issel was leaving the court after a December game against the Spurs at Pepsi Center, he was heckled coming off of the court and he voices a vulgar racial slur at the fan. This would be the last game that Issel would be a part of the Nuggets franchise. Mike Evans would take over a team that was 9-17 at the time and things would not get any better. This team was about as dysfunctional as an NBA team could get. They were led by volatile point guard Nick Van Exel who, for lack of better terminology, was their best player. Another legend about this team is that during a game in February at Pepsi Center, Van Exel was bringing the ball up court in a game the Nuggets were being blown out in and flipped off the crowd while dribbling across center court. This is another example of how bad this team’s chemistry was. Not only were they bad, but they lost over 30 games by double-digit margins. It got so bad during this season that the only redeemable quality of going to a Nuggets game that year was Rocky the Mountain Lion.

2001-2002 Statistical Leaders:

Scoring: Van Exel 21.4 ppg; Rebounding: Howard 7.9 rpg; Assists: Van Exel 8.1 apg; Blocks: LaFrentz 3.0 bpg

Next: 1991-1992 Denver Nuggets