Chris Andersen honored by Denver Nuggets
By Mathew Huff
The Denver Nuggets honored Chris Andersen, AKA, the Birdman.
The Birdman, AKA, Chris Andersen got some praise in the game where the Denver Nuggets absolutely destroyed the Los Angeles Lakers on one of the skyline nights as the Nuggets donned their infamous city jerseys showcasing the rainbow skyline.
It was almost fitting as he was an integral part of the 2009 squad which lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Chris Andersen is one of the most underappreciated players in not just Denver Nuggets’ history, but in NBA history as well. Andersen was a defensive monster as he was ranked second one season in blocks per game. What is even more impressive about this, is that he was coming off the bench and the only one ahead of him was a Dwight Howard in his prime.
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His career block average with the Nuggets is 1.7 per game and has a total career average of 1.4 blocks per game. He currently possesses a career defensive rating of 102 to go along with a career defensive box plus/minus of 2.7.
What many also seem to forget is that the Birdman does in fact, have a NBA ring to add to his resume. He received one as a member of the Miami Heat in the 2012-13 season when the Heat possessed the infamous big three of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and of course, LeBron James.
Not to mention, he actually had two different stints with the Denver Nuggets. The first one lasted from 2001 to 2004. The second one lasted from 2008 to 2012 giving him seven seasons total as a Denver Nugget.
We all know about the colorful characters and personality of Chris Andersen, what many seem to forget though is how great of a defensive player he was and how good of a teammate he was anywhere he went.
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It was great to see him honored by the organization he assisted in getting to a conference finals so many years ago.