Okay, I'm going to get on my soap box for a minute, so forgive me. But my response is to this article posted on a competing site (forgive me sbnation). I understand this writer has his opinions, and wishes for a WayBack Machine to take him to 2012, but it's not going to happen. Here's the original article that ruffled my feathers:
http://bsndenver.com/the-denver-nuggets-most-underrated-mistakes-since-2012/
Amnestying Chris Andersen
Chris Andersen was nearly useless for 90% of his time in Denver after the 2009 season. He signed a big contract and couldn't stay healthy, missed tons of games, much like JaVale McGee. They had to get rid of him. It's sad but true, because I really liked him and loved how he turned his life around. But like many athletes, they get paid, their NBA contracts are 100% guaranteed from that point forward and the fire that got them there is smothered by a pile of money adorned with many beautiful ladies.
What the writer doesn't realize is the amnesty provision applied to contracts signed before the current CBA (I like to call it the Rashard Lewis Provision) which would not have worked on JaVale's contract since it was signed in 2012, after the current CBA went into effect.
Trading Kosta Koufos for Darrell Arthur
Kosta Koufos was a solid, though not spectacular center. Everyone knew Mozgov had a much higher ceiling, yet Moz was the one wasting away on the bench under Karl. Remember how Koufos got destroyed by Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the playoffs in 2012? He had no edge and wasn't physical. Getting man-handled by more physical players was a major weakness of his. Denver was fairly deep at center (Mozgov, McGee) and had an under-sized forward in Kenneth Faried already. He was a solid player, and his trade value wasn't going to be higher, I see why they made the move. Darrell Arthur was a decent and consistent role player for Memphis for a couple of years and I thought it was a solid trade at the time. Hindsight is always 20/20.
Signing J.J. Hickson
Perhaps the only thing I agree with in the entire article. He is undersized and a liability on defense. Look, there is a reason why he's bounced around the league so much in his career and it's not because he has personality flaws like Nate Robinson.
Trading Rudy Gobert for pennies
Once again, this guy didn't do his homework. The pick was already set to go to Utah, but could not be formalized until after the draft, so Utah told Denver to pick for them. It happens all the time. It's how Denver acquired Ty Lawson on draft night in 2009. Why else did Minnesota draft 3 point guards in the first round that year?
Allowing the Iguodala trade exception to expire
I would also agree to a point on this. Trade Exceptions are nice to have if you're retooling for a playoff push and you are missing a piece or two to contend for a title. However, if you are the Nuggets, there was no benefit to doing this since they plummeted so quickly down the standings.
Now for the second piece of my rant:
My argument against every person who longs for the days of George Karl, Masai Ujiri etc.....
Masai Ujiri was not ever, for any reason coming back to Denver when the GM position in Toronto opened up in May 2013. Denver attempted more than once to counter with a better offer and Masai finally told Josh Kroenke not to bother. Ujiri LOVED Toronto after working there previously as an assistant GM and there was no $ amount that would change that. Josh really tried to keep him. It's over. Think of Gary Kubiak coming back to the Denver Broncos after previously stating he had no desire to leave Baltimore in January. It was essentially the same thing in my observation. He had a great run here in Denver. Thanks to Ujiri, we didn't completely implode after trading away Carmelo Anthony, but it's in the past. Move on.
George Karl should have been fired. He had NINE seasons to get his team out of the first round and did it ONCE! Even after the fallout of trading Anthony in 2011, Ujiri built a 'star-less' team for Karl and it didn't make a difference in the playoffs. Josh wanted to win championships and Karl had 8 1/2 seasons to do it. I loved Karl's time here, but he was notorious for over-strategizing in the playoffs and having it backfire against inferior competition (see Jackson, Mark and 2013 NBA Playoffs). Karl is a brilliant mind, but my observation was he couldn't get out of his own way sometimes and needed to go.
Now clearly Brian Shaw wasn't the answer, but that doesn't mean another few years of Karl was either. If getting to the playoffs only to say you got there again, and thus merely extending your season by 10 days, only to end up with an average at-best draft pick not in the lottery, then George KarI is the right coach for you and I'm sorry he's not here. If you want to win championships, you need the right mix of players and coaching. Karl wasn't going to win a championship, and not with this group of guys.
Okay, I'm done.
