Nuggets tie 3 point record in win over Warriors --- TIME FOR TRADES

[thebigabd]

Nuggets hit 24 3's and beat the Warriors 132-110...

Rookie power forward Juan Hernangomez was 6-9 from 3 and finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

The early season experiment of playing "big" failed miserably, and Nikola Jokic has played like an All-Star since being moved back to center. You can see the trend here developing for the Nuggets.

PG: Jamal Murray (averages 9/2/2) - 19 years old
SG: Gary Harris (averages 13/3/3) - 22 years old
SF: Will Barton (averages 14/5/4) - 26 years old
PF: Juan Hernangomez (averages 5/3) - 21 years old
C: Nikola Jokic (averages 16/9) - 21 years old

This is really the future of Denver basketball...

If I am Denver I trade:

• Emmanuel Mudiay
• Kenneth Faried
• Danilo Gallinari

They should be able to get some solid players to fill holes, or get more draft picks with these guys. These are nice assets.

Most of the Denver people think its too early to trade Mudiay but because Jamal Murray has turned out so well I think you go ahead and pull the trigger and start building around Murray/Jokic/Harris/Barton.

 

[Smash Williams]

What is the motivation for trading each of those players?

They should be able to get some solid players to fill holes, or get more draft picks with these guys. These are nice assets.

Faried and Gallinari are better than solid. Potential trade partners for Faried and Gallinari are probably limited to teams without high picks, and it's unlikely either of those guys would fetch a lottery pick regardless. Draft picks are always nice to have, but what is Denver's goal in stocking up on picks? Are you simply stockpiling assets for a potential bigger trade down the road? I'm not saying I disagree with trading them; I'm just wondering what the broader plan is.

Gallo can opt out this summer and doesn't fit long-term (given his age and injury history), so trading him makes a ton of sense. I'm not high on Faried, so I'd be willing to trade him, but given the years left on his contract, Denver can be more patient. Not that I think Faried is going to fetch a ton in a trade, but I wouldn't just give him away for scraps.

Clearing out Gallo and Faried opens up more minutes for the younger guys, so that makes sense long-term. Mudiay is much different, though. He's really young, so his timeline fits with the core, and he has two more years remaining on his rookie contract, so Denver has plenty of time to evaluate Mudiay before deciding whether or not to make a significant financial commitment with an extension or second contract. If you want to open up more minutes for Murray, look at Jameer Nelson (35 y/o, 26 MPG).

To me, Mudiay is the type of young, high-potential player that Denver should be looking to acquire rather than trade away. What do you expect to get for him? I don't think anyone is trading a Top 10 pick for him. It's fair to be skeptical about Mudiay's long-term potential and fit, but I don't think there should be any urgency to trade him now. With that said, if you can package Mudiay with other assets to land a bigger asset--a high pick or a better young player--then that's definitely worth considering.

Jokic since December 26 (21 games): 22.6 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 5.7 APG, 40% 3P%

He's a superstar in the making.

 

[thebigabd]

Good post, Smash.

They traded Nurkic to Portland for Plumlee, which is a good move for the Nuggets and Blazers I think. I was hoping the Nurk/Jokic combo could work but it just doesn't.

What do you think of the idea of playing Gallo at the 4 spot next to Jokic? He'd be tough to defend at that position and could probably do ok on the boards. I think you've proposed this before.

PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Gary Harris
SF: Wilson Chandler
PF: Danilo Gallinari
C: Nikola Jokic

You can shoot at all 5 positions, have good size int he front-court with Chandler, Gallo, and Jokic, and have a nice second team with Will Barton, Mason Plumlee, Jameer Nelson, Juan Hernangomez, Shady Arthur...

Then you can trade Faried and Mudiay for more players or draft picks can keep building around this group.

 

[Smash Williams]

I like Gallo at the 4. The way the game has evolved, I think he's a better fit than ever at that spot. Ideally, the modern 4 spaces the floor offensively and moves well enough to switch onto smaller guys defensively, if necessary. Gallo isn't a lockdown defender by any means, but he's not a plodder who gets destroyed in space.

I don't know if they can stop anyone, but that lineup is extremely difficult to defend.

 

[thebigabd]

I like Gallo at the 4. The way the game has evolved, I think he's a better fit than ever at that spot. Ideally, the modern 4 spaces the floor offensively and moves well enough to switch onto smaller guys defensively, if necessary. Gallo isn't a lockdown defender by any means, but he's not a plodder who gets destroyed in space.

I don't know if they can stop anyone, but that lineup is extremely difficult to defend.

Yep, agree. Trading Gallo would have been a bad move. At this point you are locked down at the 4 and 5 spots with Gallo and Jokic. You are good on the wing with Barton and Chandler. Gary Harris and Jamal Murray seem good at the guard spots. The weakness now is point guard if Murray can't be a true PG, and experience. Lots of young players.

 

[thebigabd]

Smash,

Looks like they have benched Mudiay...

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/26/emmanuel-mudiay-nuggets-rotation/

 

[Smash Williams]

Benching Mudiay while starting Nelson is the type of move I would have blasted a few years ago, but I understand it. Making a run at the #8 seed--and the right to get swept by the Warriors--rather than maximizing the development of a young player seems antithetical to maximizing the odds of building a contender down the road; however, I see the practical business value in it (at least a couple million in revenue from two home playoff games). You can also make the argument that the young guys who are still in the rotation will benefit long-term from getting a little playoff experience. Sure, they'll probably get blasted in four straight games, but at least they'll get those first-time playoff jitters out of the way in a season in which they're not primed to make a run anyhow.

 

[thebigabd]

Last night they started Murray at PG for the first time this year, played Mudiay behind him, and didnt play Jameer Nelson.. not sure if it was an injury to Nelson or what.

Either way, they are looking good... Nikola Jokic is a bonafide star player, Gallo is playing like Gallo and staying healthy, Barton/Harris are a potent combo at the SG spot, and Murray/Nelson/Mudiay are coming along.

This has the makings of a good team next year. Maybe even a top 5 seed depending on what they add/lose.