I am no exhibitionist, so before I start rosterbating in front of the Denver Stiffs community, I would like to introduce myself.

First and foremost, I am a 20-year-old diehard Nuggets fan. In 2004 my family moved from Cincinnati to Denver. I was young and did not really pay much attention to the NBA, but I did have a favorite player. That player was Allen Iverson. His brand of basketball was never boring to watch. In 2005, when the Nuggets traded for Iverson, I begged my parents to take me to go see him play. After months of nagging, my parents buckled (as good parents would) and took me to see my first live NBA game. I don’t remember whom they played, but I do remember having a blast. After that game, I became a Nuggets fan for life. Nothing could deter my fandom. Not even countless 5-game first-round exits. When the Nuggets traded Allen Iverson to Detroit I was a little bit concerned. I did not want to see my favorite player on another team, but I understood his career was on the decline. After reading about the trade in the paper, I decided to find more info about it online. That is when I stumbled upon Denver Stiffs. I cannot describe how it felt to find a group of people who were just as obsessed (If not more) about the Denver Nuggets as I was. Being a 14-year-old kid who wanted to talk about the potential of Cheikh Samb (not much) or the possible addition of Antonio McDyess (We would have beaten the Lakers if he didn’t hate the Nuggets so much!) was hard when the other people my age had no idea what I was talking about. Needless to say, since I found Denver Stiffs, I have been a daily reader. I have gone through the highs, (The 2009 western conference finals) and the lows, (the 2013 "upset" by the warriors) with the Denver Stiffs community even though I do not comment.

My goal as a fan of the Nuggets is to see the team win an NBA championship. In order to do this, the team certainly needs to get better. There are a couple of popular ideas from the fans on how the nuggets can do this. One-way would be to make a trade for a disgruntled star (like DeMarcus Cousins or Kevin Love). Usually the team trading the star has numerous offers from other teams. What this means is that the team that ends up with the star had to trade an awful lot to get him (see the Carmelo Anthony trade). In my opinion, the nuggets cannot afford to give up too much in a trade for a star. The team would become the new New York Knicks, and without a winning culture, the Nuggets would have a hard time adding more stars. NBA stars gravitate towards winning programs like the Spurs and the Heat, not big markets like New York. Over the past two seasons the Nuggets have done a great job of dismantling their winning reputation throughout the league. While the fans and some of the Nuggets players may still remember how great the Nuggets were, free agents and players around the league do not. This is why I think that before the nuggets make a trade for a star, they need to bring back their winning culture so they can keep that star.

In order to do this, the Nuggets need to start a rebuild. The rebuild needs to target not only the roster of the team, but also the Culture of the team. I believe that the hire of Mike Malone is a step in the right direction. From what I have read about him, he values character and hard work much like any coach, but unlike most coaches he has an ability to instill these values into his players (Demarcus Cousins). That ability from a coach is incredibly valuable for young players and incredibly valuable for a rebuild. The trades that I am about to suggest for the Nuggets allow them to get two talented hardworking rookies capable of developing into franchise cornerstones over the next four years.

Now let’s start rosterbating!

My Draft Day Dream:

Trade #1:

Nuggets trade: Ty Lawson, Jamal Franklin, 2016 first round pick from Portland(http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed)

Kings trade: Darren Collison, Jason Thompson, #6 pick

Why the Nuggets do this: The Nuggets and Ty Lawson have had a rocky relationship over the past six months. If the Nuggets are looking to rebuild the culture of the team, the last thing they need is an upset veteran in the locker room. The nuggets get a good back-up point guard in Darren Collison, filler in Jason Thompson, and a valuable top-8 selection in this year’s draft.

Why the Kings do this: It is no secret that George Karl loved coaching Ty Lawson. Over the past two seasons with Brian Shaw, Ty Lawson has become much better at facilitating the pick and roll. With DeMarcus cousins as his roll man and young shooters like Ben McLemore and Nick Stauskas, I could see Ty Lawson averaging 10 assists per-game and making his first all-star appearance in the next two years. The Kings would be contending for a playoff spot without a doubt.

Trade #2:

Nuggets Trade: Kenneth Faried, , AAA trade exception

Pistons Trade: Jodie Meeks, Cartier Martin #8 pick

Why the Nuggets do this: While I do like what Kenneth Faried brings to the Nuggets, I only see him on a championship Nuggets team if he learns how to play consistently good Defense, or if he comes off the bench. I do not think his ego will allow him to be productive off the bench and I just cannot say with certainty that his defense will improve enough to play against top tier Power Forwards. The Nuggets would get a smart team first veteran in Jodie Meeks who would be great for a young roster. His contract also expires after 2 seasons, which allows the team some cap flexibility in the future. The Nuggets also get the #8 pick in the draft, which would give them picks 6-8.

Why the Pistons do this: With Greg Monroe being a flight risk (Free Agency) the Pistons have a need for a starting caliber Power Forward. Kenneth Faried’s lack of defensive abilities would be masked by his pal in the paint, Andre Drummond. Drummond and Faried together would create one of the most athletic frontcourts in the NBA. The Pistons roster already has two fast guards in Brandon Jennings and Reggie Jackson and the addition of the energizer-bunny Kenneth Faried would allow them to run all season long.

Trade #3:

Nuggets Trade: Pick #7 and Pick #8

76ers Trade: Pick #3

Why the Nuggets do this: The Nuggets are searching for a potential star and the top three prospects in this draft seem to be the most likely to earn that rarely gifted adjective. If I could have everything I ever wanted, D’Angelo Russell would fall to the Nuggets at the 7th pick. Because that won’t happen, I believe the Nuggets have to do what they can to get a transcendent player like Russell. No matter who falls to the #3 selection, the team that hold the pick will be drafting a potentially great NBA player.

Why the 76ers do this: The 76ers need more than one great player in this draft. The top 8 players in this draft all have a decent chance to become important players in the NBA, and a team like the 76ers that has so many needs, must start climbing up the giant talent grave that they have dug themselves. They will be competing for lottery balls again next year, and having two good rookies won’t hurt their chances of landing the #1 pick too much. Also, if Joel Embiid’s foot injury turns out to be serious, the Sixers need to make up for a lost draft.

With the 6th pick the Nuggets select: Willie Cauley-Stein

Willie Cauley-Stein is going to be a defensive revelation in this league. The NBA has not seen a player like Cauley-Stein who is so fast when recovering on pick and roll coverage. Offenses will have nightmares trying to find ways around Cauley-Stein once he adjusts to the NBA game. His offense is not as limited as some may think. In his workouts he has been showing the ability to shoot, which he was not asked to do at Kentucky. I believe within 6 years, Cauley-Stein will be competing for DPOY awards

If all of this happened, the Nuggets would have a young team ready to be molded by their new coach. The Veterans left on the team are great for the locker room (Except maybe Hickson) and this team would be fun to watch grow. The Nuggets would be capable of playing many different styles and probably be very receptive to the new coach. I could see this team getting into the playoffs in a couple years, and then bringing the Larry O’Brian trophy to Denver. Also, they might just be bad enough next year to get the #1 pick for Ben Simmons!

Here is what the Team would look like:

PG: D’Angelo Russell, Darren Collison

SG: Gary Harris, Will Barton, Randy Foye

SF: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler

PF: Willie Cauley-Stein, Jofferey Lauvergne, Jason Thompson

C: Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, J.J. Hickson

Thanks for reading this entire post if you did! Sorry for the poor Grammar. I had to write this up so I could stop thinking about the draft for just a little while. Only ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!!

P.S. All trades work in NBA Trade Machine and do not involve upcoming Free