In the ESPN/Entertainment Tonight world of Bennifer, Tom-Kat and Brangenlina... I bring you a "fairly" objective grading of the WRex era here in Denver.
The WRex era started on September 7, 2006; from that point I graded each step of relevance.
In short, WRex graded out as a C+... maybe a B-. They did some things well; they lacked in others. Regarding the "Bottom-line Stan" element a couple of thoughts... In every sport there are teams that overspend and don't succeed (Redskins, Knicks, Mets) and teams that are fiscally smart and excel (Patriots, Spurs, A's). Trying to play the "Stan won't let us spend" card is an excuse. How did they work around it is in question.
Disclaimer... the information is relatively accurate (based on online information)... any errors really won't greatly effect the overall score... or so I think.
| Year | Action | Grade | Comment |
| 2006 | Traded for JR Smith | A | Delivering the same as Day 1; hasnt grown up |
| 2006 | Acquired Joe Smith | B- | No impact other than inclusion in AI deal |
| 2006 | Trade for S. Hunter & B. Jones | D | Gave up Reggie Evans for players who played no role |
| 2006 | Traded for AI | A | Looked better on paper than on the court. |
| 2007 | Traded for Steven Blake | B | Gave up Boykins & Hodge |
| 2007 | Signed Anthony Carter | A- | Good role player |
| 2007 | Acquired Von Wafer | C | No impact |
| 2007 | Signed Atkins as FA | D | Chose not to re-sign Blake |
| 2009 | Traded Atkins for Petro/TE | D | Gave up a 1st rd pick to unload Atkins |
| 2008 | Acquired Sonny Weems | C | No impact |
| 2008 | Did not re-sign Najera | D | Lost good role player |
| 2008 | Acquired Juwan Howard | C | B for signing him, a D for cost cutting him |
| 2008 | Traded Camby | C- | Took back TE that expired |
| 2008 | Traded for Billups | A | All star acquisition |
| 2008 | Bought out McDyess | D | Needed to keep the big more than save money |
| 2008 | Signed Dahntay | B | Good role player |
| 2008 | Traded for Balkman | C | No impact |
| 2008 | Re-signed Birdman | A | Good role player |
| 2009 | Acquired Jason Hart | C | No impact |
| 2009 | Traded Cheikh Samb | C | No impact |
| 2009 | Drafted Lawson | A- | Good acquistion; jury still out just how good |
| 2009 | Stephen Hunter Trade | F | Gave up 2 pieces; took back a TE that will expire |
| 2009 | Did not re-sign Kleiza | D | Lost good role player |
| 2009 | Did not re-sign Dahntay | D | Lost good role player |
| 2009 | Traded for James White | C | No impact, traded off as part of AAA |
| 2009 | Traded for AAA | A- | Good role player acquisition |
| 2009 | Trade for Malik Allen | D | No impact |
| 2009 | Signed Joey Graham | B- | No impact |
| 2010 | Signed Butch | C | No impact |
| 2010 | Signed Karl | C | No impact |
| 2010 | Signed Harrington | B | Good acquistion |
| 2010 | Signed Shelden Williams | C | No discernable upgrade over Petro/Tacos |
I admit I did overgrade Laywson & AAA a little bit. They've proven to be valuable contributors but neither have proven they are long term legit NBA starters... so I gave the benefit of the doubt and gave them an A-.
To be frank, giving an A for Iverson is a reach. AI went to 2 all-star games but the team was worse with him than when they had Andre Miller. And they gave up a lot for AI.
The WRex apologists keep saying trading Camby was necessary for getting Billups. This is just flatly wrong and is convenient revisionist history. Bird signed a minimum contract; they could have easily gotten something back for Camby. Not doing so was just being cheap and it ultimately hurt the team's chances for a title in '08/09... think small, deliver small.
Full Disclosure... I graded Kiki's time in Denver as a C to C+. He accomplished more the WRex but he had more to work with. Most of the key Nug players are Kiki's work (Melo, Camby, Nene, KMart)... but Kiki also would've drafted Darko over Melo if he had the chance!
What do you think?
