Look, with the way the series has played out, the Nuggets will be making yet another early first round exit from the playoffs. Straying away from a biased standpoint, statistics and gameplay show that the Warriors are outplaying the Nuggets. With that being said, why not take a look at our offseason.
In the Offseason, the Nuggets should look to replace their starting 5, 3, and backup 1, 3, and 4. Perhaps the biggest problem is George Karl. He insists on playing without a superstar which is fine. His argument is that no one knows where the scoring will come from each night and that that is a strength for Denver. However, if he continues to coach this way then it would be logical to have a team with consistent players at least. Because the problem in this playoff series is that all the inconsistent players have been playing badly. Only Lawson has been producing at a steady rate game in and game out. It can be argued that Iggy has been consistent but in-game he has started hot and fizzled out as the game wears on. Inconsistency has killed the Nuggets. The perimeter shooting is bad. On some nights Denver gets lucky with Corey Brewer and Chandler but it is so hard to coach a team when they cannot be confidently relied on to shoot from outside.
To fill in Gallinari's void, the Nuggets should look to try and attain Danny Granger. He is entering a contract year and has a lot to prove to earn his last big pay cheque after just turning 30 a week ago. He has proven to be a good scorer who can shoot the 3 ball very well. He also has good size and would be able to play the 4 when Karl wants to play small. The Pacers have moved on without him as Paul George has taken his spot. Possibly trading picks along with Anthony Randolph, Hamilton and Koufus for Granger and maybe scraps.
The Nuggets should look to grab Al Jefferson from the Jazz. They have voiced that they are looking to move either one or both of their current starting bigs, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Jefferson is bigger and a better post scorer. He is a career 16 and 9 guy who would make Denver's starting front court a very good rebounding team. Faried is great at grabbing O boards while Jefferson secures the defensive boards. The Nuggets get 2 inches smaller with this acquisition but McGee will be coming off the bench and will probably be seeing a few more minutes each game anyways. Plus, he would be a reliable first or second option, especially in half court offense.
Denver's wings are too crowded. There is no need to keep Hamilton, Fournier, Brewer, and Stone. Despite Brewer's great contribution with his perimeter shooting and energy off the bench, he is inconsistent which is a Nugget weakness. The Nugget's would be smart not to resign him. Hamilton should be traded away with so much scoring potential and athleticism wasting away on the bench as the 12th man for Denver. Fournier has shown good potential if Karl gives him enough minutes. He fits in well with the dribble drive offense and if his 3 can improve he should be able to provide solid minutes off the bench. Stone is somewhat of a mystery. Some say that he has high potential as the Nugget's future backup pg. It would not hurt to keep him around. With no backup 3 though, the Nuggets should find either a good defender or someone who can hit the 3. Some options are Kyle Korver, Anthony Morrow, Dorell Wright, or Jeff Green. This player would see 20-25 minutes considering the Nuggets would be less deep and have a more conventional rotation.
Anthony Randolph should be gotten rid off. He cannot score using post moves, his on-ball defence is not great and he is another inconsistent player on the current roster. As a replacement for a backup 4, the Nuggets should target Kris Humphries and try to sign Marreese Speights. A possible trade would be Chandler for Humphries straight up.
I have no idea salary wise how or if these would work. But in terms of the Nuggets future roster, this is all we can be sure of:
?/ Fournier
?/?/(Gallinari - injured)
?/ JaVale McGee/?
I doubt Miller will be traded because of the trust and love Karl has for him. Igoudaula may very well sign elsewhere after this disastrous playoff round. Chandler is not reliable and was involved in many trade rumours. Corey Brewer is a FA with skepticism on whether he should be re-signed. Mozgov is definitely out but Koufus has been playing horribly the past month and post scoring/ defence is a dire need. Randolph doesn't provide any upside for the team.
This offseason has so much potential. Hopefully, Masai will build a great team around Lawson, our future. It is obvious what Denver's needs are. He just has to commit to making tough trades and cuts. He proved it in the Carmelo trade but that was under pressure. Masai can easily say the current roster needs more time to develop and waste another regular season of 50+ wins with another first round exit.
