Denver Nuggets: Did their odds just get better?

The Denver Nuggets are in for a tough battle for the Northwest Division crown. Did their odds just get better though?

The Denver Nuggets reside in the toughest division in the league. There is no debate about that. Last season, every team in the division besides Denver made it to the post season and the Nuggets were still only a play in game away from getting into the playoffs.

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However, one rival team may have just gotten worse. The Portland Trail Blazers just made some key moves in order to improve their financial situation. However, the Blazers may have gotten worse by moving these key role players who have developed some nice chemistry with their main core.

While the Blazers did pick up Seth Curry, Steph’s older brother, they traded Noah Vonleh and Ed Davis. Portland recently traded Noah Vonleh to the Chicago Bulls in exchange Milovan Rakovic.

A move which is actually similar to Denver’s moves to get themselves below the tax threshold when they traded away the contracts of Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur and Wilson Chandler. This moves from Portland also gets them below the tax threshold.

However, Vonleh made up a key defensive component for the Portland squad. Two out of the three players Denver traded had been out of the rotation for the past couple of seasons. Granted, Vonleh eventually fell out of the rotation, but he started out in the rotation.

Then, the Portland Trail Blazers also lost Ed Davis in free agency as he packed his bags for the Brooklyn Nets. Davis was a key part of Portland’s defense and rim protection. This may be the biggest blow for the Trail Blazers as Davis was a glue guy for the team.

Davis is the type of player who can fit into any team’s rotation due to the intangibles he brings to the table. He isn’t going to be the player who will net 20 points a night or stuff the stat sheet, but he will hustle for loose balls and be willing to take on the opposition’s best big man.

They did get Shabazz Napier in a trade from the Orlando Magic. While Napier has potential, he has bounced around the league for a reason.

For these reasons, the Denver Nuggets’ odds may have just gotten better in the Northwest Division.