If you build it, they will come.
We all know the line, and we all love it. Well, that is exactly what Tim Connelly and the Denver Nuggets are doing.
It started with the hiring of head coach Michael Malone and ramped up last year when Emmanuel Mudiay fell to the team at No. 7. Last week, it continued when Kentucky Wildcat Jamal Murray landed in Denver again with the No. 7 overall pick. The Nuggets had three first-round picks in this year’s NBA draft and used them all wisely.
Jamal Murray was a no brainer; the Nuggets needed a shooter, and that is exactly what he is, averaging nearly nine three-point attempts per game at Kentucky. Murray will give the Nuggets the scoring guard that they desperately need.
Juan Hernagomez is the classic draft and stash, a player that could develop and become a viable options for the Nuggets in a couple of years or become an asset to trade when this team gets a little closer to where they want to be.
Malik Beasley was selected with the 19th overall pick and might be the steal of the first round. Malik is only 19 years old and showed the ability to adapt to the next level quickly in his freshman year at Florida State. The NBA is an entirely different level, but he showed the skill to not only take on the challenge but excel when given the opportunity. Beasley may not see many minutes in the NBA for a season or two, but when he does, he will also give the Nuggets scoring in the backcourt.
Now onto free agency. If you followed the team closely, you knew they would not be too active to begin the free agency period and that was exactly what happened. Denver sat back as the clock struck midnight (eastern time) on Friday. They did lose backup point guard D.J. Augustine to the Orlando Magic but were able to re-sign veteran big man Darrell Arthur.
Then, Friday night, Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bomb on Nuggets fans. Denver is one of four teams chasing Heat guard Dwayne Wade and reportedly offering a $20 million-per-year contract. If we are being honest with ourselves, this is simply a leverage move by Wade to get more than the $10 million per year the Heat originally offered.
The chances of Wade ending up in Denver are slim, but the fact that Connelly is making the attempt, says they know they are close. If the Miami Heat and Pat Riley think they are close to another championship run within the next couple of years, the smart move would be to let Wade walk. Just the like the New England Patriots do in the NFL, let the star leave before the contract is no longer team friendly. If that were the case, Denver would be a great landing spot for the three-time NBA champion!
Building an NBA contender is no small task, especially in a small market. Save it, the Spurs and the Thunder are the exception and the Thunder did in the draft. But what the Nuggets are doing is laying the foundation; they are on their way, and we will soon start to see the payoff of hard work done by Tim Connelly, Michael Malone and the entire Nuggets staff!