Don’t think for a minute that the Denver Nuggets are about to cede the 2015-16 season just because it was announced on Wednesday that Wilson Chandler will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a labral tear. As Josh Pennock opined on Thursday, Michael Malone isn’t the kind of coach who plays for lottery picks.
The rest of the Nuggets roster isn’t taking the season lying down either, just because they lost a potential big-minute guy. Take Wednesday’s effort against the Milwaukee Bucks – a 103-102 Denver win at Pepsi Center.
As Chris O’Malley from The Nosebleed Section on Mile High Sports AM 1340 pointed out after the game, Denver got huge contributions against the Bucks from Emmanuel Mudiay (16 points, 11 assists, 1 turnover), Danilo Gallinari (game high 25 points) and Kenneth Faried (19 points, 9 rebounds). Even on the heels of a stinging announcement about a key player going down for the year, Denver turned in a big win to even their record to 4-4 on the year.
But that doesn’t mean that Denver couldn’t still use some help to replace Chandler’s productivity. And with additional injuries to big men Jusuf Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne, not to mention point guard Jameer Nelson, there are other gaps to fill for the Nuggets.
Chris DeHart-Reed, O’Malley’s co-host along with Dante DeMarco (aka Raider Dan), thinks Denver could swing a move that lands a top big-man talent from Philadelphia. And while Jahlil Okafor would be the “take him in a heartbeat” player, DeHart-Reed and O’Malley would be all over Nerlens Noel just the same.
Dan Williams of Morning Mayhem, however, has a much bigger trade in mind – maybe not in terms of height, but in terms of scale.
Williams says he could envision a wild three-way trade that sends Kenneth Faried to Oklahoma City where Kevin Durant would depart to Washington and send shooting guard Bradley Beal to Denver. The whole thing could be tied together with “a bunch of coleslaw and mashed potatoes,” says Williams.
That move would give the Nuggets the shooting guard they’ve lacked in years past. Even if Williams only gives it a “one- to two-percent chance.”
Are either deals feasible? Give the podcasts below a listen and decide for yourself…
Catch The Nosebleed Section every weeknight from 10p-midnight and Morning Mayhem every weekday from 7a-9a on Mile High Sports AM 1340 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of what’s new and what’s next in Colorado sports.
