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Nugg Love NBA Mock Draft 1.0: General manager edition

ByMitchell Carter|
The Nuggets kept their win streak alive with a satisfying win against the Charlotte Hornets.Often, this season, the Nuggets have strung together enough good performances that we breathe a little easier and declare they've turned a corner.  That elation is usually followed by baffling defeats to inferior teams.  It's hard to say, with this team, if they've truly overcome the malaise that prevents them from jumping into that top-tier of Western Conference teams.Last night's contest with the visiting Hornets was one of those "trap" games that have plagued this gifted but inconsistent team.  This night was different, though, led by Gary Harris' 27, the Nuggets were able to easily overcome the Hornets, 121-104, leading to further speculation that the Nuggets have shed the underachiever label and graduated to that next level.The win put the Nuggets back into the 6th spot in the Western Conference playoff race, a single game behind 5th place OKC.  Nikola Jokic led with 16 rebounds and Will Barton handed out a team high 8 assists.  Among the starters, only Wilson Chandler did not score in double-digits. The bench performed well, with Lyles, Mudiay and DA combining for 33 points, and Torrey Craig matching Lyles with 7 boards.  Craig had a scare late on a high-flying block attempt (They say Flagrant 1 on  DA, I say clean block.).Over the summer, I wrote about the Nuggets need to stay the course.  My contention was, that, for the 2018-19 season, there is virtually no pathway to a championship for this young team.  Without the addition of several, proven, top players, there is little chance that the Nuggets could beat the Warriors or Rockets over a 7-game series.  The wise path forward, then is to develop the incredible amount of talent this team has cultivated and be prepared for when it is their time.The central theme of my piece was that our core, at full potential, is better than anything we could get in trade or through free agency.  Put another way, at the top of their game, there's not another Center, Shooting Guard or Point that I'd rather have in Denver than Jokic, Harris and Murray.  By way of support, I point to our 2-2 record against the Champs and the last week of games.  This team is on the verge of breaking through.This is specifically why I bristle at the rumored trade scenarios out there for the Nuggets.  There is no value in making moves just to make moves.  I can't make the case that this team would be markedly improved by the addition of Kemba Walker, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart or any of the proposed PG swaps that we've heard (Collison?).  We saw Kemba last night, we've seen Payton, I just don't see that their games would improve the Nuggets fortunes enough to mess with what has become great chemistry on this team. If we need a lesson on what damaging team chemistry can do to a tight team, we need look no further than across I-25 to the aftermath of the Broncos decision to part ways with TJ Ward.  A seemingly small move, with a rising stud coming up behind him in Justin Simmons but it had an impact on a secondary that had finished first in the NFL two consecutive years.I get that professional sports are a business.  I get that an immeasurable value like "chemistry" is difficult to attach a lot of team resources to but if this team has turned a corner and is competing and beating the top teams in the league, what need is there to upend that?  We are already facing the imminent return and reintegration of Paul Millsap, which for all intents and purposes will be like acquiring him via trade. The fan base is easily placated with wins, so there's no need to appease them.  The Nuggets have the highest increase in attendance in the league, they just had the largest crowd in their Pepsi Center history.  They are smiling, they are enjoying this (Gary Harris declining to get posterized by Dwight Howard was classic).  Until they show signs of regression, someone is going to have to explain to me why there's such a push to make a move before the trade deadline on Thursday.This will, of course, all be put to the test on Friday against a Rockets team that's pushing Golden State for the top record in the league.  James Harden is playing the best basketball of his career and looks unstoppable.  It's fitting, then that whatever team the Nuggets roll into Houston with is the team they will carry to the end of the season.  I for one, believe in this team, as constituted.  It's been fun to fantasize about what-if scenarios for LeBron or Kawhi but the realistic prospects for the Nuggets don't justify tinkering with a team that's playing as good as any in the League.As we saw last night, the Nuggets are fully capable of powering through trap games, coming off of big wins.  If that maintains, it's one of the final hurdles to this team making some postseason noise and one step closer to NBA legitimacy.
The Nuggets kept their win streak alive with a satisfying win against the Charlotte Hornets.Often, this season, the Nuggets have strung together enough good performances that we breathe a little easier and declare they've turned a corner.  That elation is usually followed by baffling defeats to inferior teams.  It's hard to say, with this team, if they've truly overcome the malaise that prevents them from jumping into that top-tier of Western Conference teams.Last night's contest with the visiting Hornets was one of those "trap" games that have plagued this gifted but inconsistent team.  This night was different, though, led by Gary Harris' 27, the Nuggets were able to easily overcome the Hornets, 121-104, leading to further speculation that the Nuggets have shed the underachiever label and graduated to that next level.The win put the Nuggets back into the 6th spot in the Western Conference playoff race, a single game behind 5th place OKC.  Nikola Jokic led with 16 rebounds and Will Barton handed out a team high 8 assists.  Among the starters, only Wilson Chandler did not score in double-digits. The bench performed well, with Lyles, Mudiay and DA combining for 33 points, and Torrey Craig matching Lyles with 7 boards.  Craig had a scare late on a high-flying block attempt (They say Flagrant 1 on  DA, I say clean block.).Over the summer, I wrote about the Nuggets need to stay the course.  My contention was, that, for the 2018-19 season, there is virtually no pathway to a championship for this young team.  Without the addition of several, proven, top players, there is little chance that the Nuggets could beat the Warriors or Rockets over a 7-game series.  The wise path forward, then is to develop the incredible amount of talent this team has cultivated and be prepared for when it is their time.The central theme of my piece was that our core, at full potential, is better than anything we could get in trade or through free agency.  Put another way, at the top of their game, there's not another Center, Shooting Guard or Point that I'd rather have in Denver than Jokic, Harris and Murray.  By way of support, I point to our 2-2 record against the Champs and the last week of games.  This team is on the verge of breaking through.This is specifically why I bristle at the rumored trade scenarios out there for the Nuggets.  There is no value in making moves just to make moves.  I can't make the case that this team would be markedly improved by the addition of Kemba Walker, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart or any of the proposed PG swaps that we've heard (Collison?).  We saw Kemba last night, we've seen Payton, I just don't see that their games would improve the Nuggets fortunes enough to mess with what has become great chemistry on this team. If we need a lesson on what damaging team chemistry can do to a tight team, we need look no further than across I-25 to the aftermath of the Broncos decision to part ways with TJ Ward.  A seemingly small move, with a rising stud coming up behind him in Justin Simmons but it had an impact on a secondary that had finished first in the NFL two consecutive years.I get that professional sports are a business.  I get that an immeasurable value like "chemistry" is difficult to attach a lot of team resources to but if this team has turned a corner and is competing and beating the top teams in the league, what need is there to upend that?  We are already facing the imminent return and reintegration of Paul Millsap, which for all intents and purposes will be like acquiring him via trade. The fan base is easily placated with wins, so there's no need to appease them.  The Nuggets have the highest increase in attendance in the league, they just had the largest crowd in their Pepsi Center history.  They are smiling, they are enjoying this (Gary Harris declining to get posterized by Dwight Howard was classic).  Until they show signs of regression, someone is going to have to explain to me why there's such a push to make a move before the trade deadline on Thursday.This will, of course, all be put to the test on Friday against a Rockets team that's pushing Golden State for the top record in the league.  James Harden is playing the best basketball of his career and looks unstoppable.  It's fitting, then that whatever team the Nuggets roll into Houston with is the team they will carry to the end of the season.  I for one, believe in this team, as constituted.  It's been fun to fantasize about what-if scenarios for LeBron or Kawhi but the realistic prospects for the Nuggets don't justify tinkering with a team that's playing as good as any in the League.As we saw last night, the Nuggets are fully capable of powering through trap games, coming off of big wins.  If that maintains, it's one of the final hurdles to this team making some postseason noise and one step closer to NBA legitimacy.
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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 15: Lonnie Walker IV #4 of the Miami Hurricanes waits to enter the game against the Loyola Ramblers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – MARCH 15: Lonnie Walker IV #4 of the Miami Hurricanes waits to enter the game against the Loyola Ramblers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The NBA, not just the Denver Nuggets, could be in store for one of the craziest off-seasons we have ever seen. Trade and free agent speculation all the way up to the draft, which is only a handful of days away. Some of the most recent mock drafts are predicting a lot of movement and changes in direction for many teams. Here is Nugg Love’s mock draft.

The NBA draft is now one week away and it has become mock draft galore across every team site. Each team is predicting what player they will snag or what their dream pick would be, but let’s be honest, the actual general managers always think differently than the fans.

With that being said, I created a different type of mock draft. Instead of having a typical, let me run down the line of who I think everyone will take, I created a round-table mock draft selection. In this scenario, we have three general managers who will assess what decision they would make at each pick. This will allow for variety as well as different perspectives of what the team will most likely do given their history and their current roster.

Along with myself, we have Justin Evans and Seth Peisner partaking in this round-table mock draft. These guys are two sports enthusiasts who spend their days as business intelligent analysts for AdAction Interactive here in Denver, CO. They both hail from the Detroit area, but love everything NBA related so they were happy to share their thoughts for this mock draft.

Well enough beating around the bush, let’s get started… Phoenix Suns, you are now on the clock!