Ranking The 10 Worst Teams In Denver Nuggets History
By Eric Meyer
4. 1996-1997 Denver Nuggets:
21-61 — 5th place in the Midwest Division.
This is another one of Bernie Bickerstaff’s underachieving units, but he would not stay around long enough to see the fruit of his labor as he was fired only 13 games into the season and replaced by an aging Dick Motta. Not only was this guy the coach, but the general manager as well, and he put together some of the worst rosters in the history of organized basketball. The previous offseason, Bickerstaff had let Nuggets legend and shot-blocking machine, Dikembe Mutombo, leave in free agency to the Atlanta Hawks, without so much as an offer from the Nuggets. This move would end up making the Nuggets one of the NBA’s worst teams for eight consecutive seasons. This team did have some talent as they were led by the forward duo of LaPhonso Ellis and Antonio McDyess, who both scored over 15 points per-game, and they had veteran point guard Mark Jackson leading the team. But this would not translate into wins because every player on the team hated their coach (and GM). The roster was also littered with insignificant names like Darvin Ham, Ervin (Not Magic) Johnson, Anthony Goldwire and Elmer Bennett (WHO?). This team averaged only 97.8 points per-game and they gave up 104.1, which was 26th out of 29 teams in the NBA that season. None of these things added up to a successful season for the Nuggets, and Bickerstaff’s firing was the first in a long line of debacles the franchise would endure until Carmelo Anthony was drafted in 2003.
1996-1997 Statistical Leaders:
Scoring: Ellis 21.9 ppg; Rebounding: Johnson 11.1 rpg; Assists: Jackson 12.3 apg; Blocks: Johnson 2.8 bpg
Next: 2002-2003 Denver Nuggets
