Morning Folks,

If you find yourself in the Denver area, hopefully your drive wasn't too much of a hassle; I simply feel sorry for those folks driving out East. Before I made my way out this morning, I had the chance to read the Kreiger column in this mornings Denver Post where he suggests we trade a young talent (JR Smith) for a middle of the road stop gap (Marc Gasol/Camby).

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_14053157

On paper it makes sense; however, the intangibles that he brings to the court far outweigh the inconsistencies that Kreiger presents. You can't argue that Denver does not have the big man presence of the traditional championship team (See LA Lakers) but it cannot be ignored that Nene must develop his inside attack. If Nene were to abandon the pass first mentality he has succumbed to, we should be able to solve this issue in-house. We know he can make buckets (5th in the league shooting pct) but we have yet to see Nene consistently go to the rim and dominate (20th Rebounds and 16th in blocks respectively). If he were to take charge other lanes would open up for K Mart and Bird in the paint. In addition J.R. might have more room to work with on the outside and maybe improve his shot selection and improve his consistency.

Kreiger is right about our lack of paint presence but he goes wrong when he suggests we look outside for the solution.

The Nuggets can improve through their current personnel and if we were to look to help from other teams, the route of the future draft pick might be more conducive or shed older experience ala AAAAC. If Denver is to expand its championship window, our best option is to keep our current nucleus together. JR is an exciting personality that brings an explosiveness off the bench when points are needed and has the capability to put the hammer down on games. Let's not put the hammer down on our championship chances.

-J