Injuries:
And this is why Nuggets Nation can’t start panicking just yet. Remember, we’re still missing two of our five best players in Wilson Chandler and Jusuf Nurkic. And I’m hoping that when they get back into the lineup, Malone’s rotations will start to fall into place.
I respect Will Barton, and I like the energy he brings to the court, but Chandler is a much, much better player. And the same goes for Nurkic and anybody the Nuggets are currently playing at center — though Joffrey Lauvergne has played well when healthy.
When at full strength, Malone needs to start shortening his bench. I’d like to see a solid nine-man rotation, with Nelson, Chandler and Lauvergne leading the bench unit while using Barton in that spark-plug role every team needs. Darrell Arthur, J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye all bring something to the table, but right now, they’re probably better off joining Mike Miller down at the end of the bench — they should make a great cheer squad.
