Another year, another eventful Nuggets season. Unfortunately, I don't believe it's what everyone was expecting. Here's the main reason why:

Danilo Gallinari was supposed to make his triumphant return to the basketball court after missing 19 months and leading the Nuggets to the playoffs with his elite shot, star ability, and perfect hair.

Well, turns out, these basketball players are human and Gallo has needed a couple extra months to get mentally and physically right, and just as he was finding his groove, as were the Nuggets, he goes out and the Nuggets look futile again. This is the most difficult part of the Nuggets season for me to swallow since it's uncontrollable. I wish Gallo a strong recovery and return to success.

I know the season has been tough for everyone. Players, coaches, and fans have struggled to figure out what to do with themselves since we aren't winning like we thought would happen. Here's a shoot out to some of those guys about what I would gift them for Christmas if I could:

For Brian Shaw, I would gift an open mind. He has been hard pressed into an injury-limited rotation, lack of star talent, and certain players that don't receive his message well. I ask him to understand that the current formula is not working, whether it's the system or the players does not matter, and try something new. Play Mozgov and Nurkic on the floor together, work in some minutes for Erick Green, try a stretch of games where the focus is fast breaking every possession. All I know is that the Nuggets can be the most exciting team (end of LAC) or the most depressing (7 minutes of hell in Brooklyn). They need something fresh to latch onto. Give it to them.

For Ty Lawson, I would gift the ability to call out teammates. He has been the only consistent player trying on both ends, and deserves more.

For Kenneth Faried, I would gift a retooled jumpshot. He is shooting in the 30% range on his Mid range jumpers this year. As a result, he is averaging a low number of points, low number of minutes, and much lower confidence. Once he sees the ball go through the hoop more, he will gain confidence and play with the passion he has previously had. This will give Shaw more confidence to play him which will put one of the most impactful players in the league back on the floor.

As I mentioned, for Gallo, I gift a speedy recovery.

For Wilson Chandler, I gift good health for the remainder of the season. He has played great, and even if he's not a Nugget at the end of the year, I wish him the best health for a guy who has struggled with injuries too many times.

For Arron Afflalo, I gift patience. He previously stated the potential of the team, which is still accurate, but can opt out after this season. I hope he stays the course after the year and resigns here for a reasonable sum of money. We can use what he can potentially become as well, a versatile scorer and defender at a scarce position.

For Timofey Mozgov and Jusuf Nurkic, I gift the benefit of the doubt from the referees. Both players have gone into more foul trouble than I can recall as a young Nuggets fan. The closest thing would be Birdman jumping on top of players on a fly by, but our foreign bigs have it rough with the refs. Hopefully that changes soon.

For the Nuggets bench, I gift drive and execution. These are two lacking categories for the Nuggets, and the once biggest strength of the Nuggets has become a weakness at times. More opportunities for younger players could do the trick, but I for one would love to see Randy Foye hit eight 3's in a row against OKC, including a game winner.

For Tim Connelly, I gift an aggressive stance as he promised in the offseason. This current group can be really good, but also really bad. I hope he turns some negatives into positives before the trade deadline has passed.

Now onto the Stiffs!

For Russcott and TyLawsome, I gift "Houston, we have a problem" with the floor spacing for the Rockets. As talented as Josh Smith and Corey Brewer can be, they suck. Enjoy the burning in Texas fellas :)

For Jeff, I gift 2 35 point games from Gallo and 1 game winner. He deserves it more than anyone, and I'm sure no one would appreciate this gift more. :)

For Hank, I gift a trade with positive outlook in the near future. Things have been looking down, but just keep remembering that the Nuggets won 57 games with worse talent, and that talent will eventually break through, as well as external players who will make a difference very shortly.

For SdCat, I gift less cat references and better execution from everyone on the court. Things will look up in January, and hopefully it makes the guys a bit more watchable. I also gift No Gallinari Trade because that would be dumb.

For Mancar, I gift an exciting second half of the season. The team has been slow, confusing, and boring at times, so let's get them to run and pick up some nice surprise wins against teams like San Antonio and Golden State at home.

For everyone else, along with the guys I just mentioned, I gift a fun, safe holiday season and a Nuggets win the day after. Next season is fun to think about, but it's this season that matters most right now.

Merry Christmas Stiffs, and go Nuggets.