Could The Denver Nuggets Lure LeBron James To The Mile High City?
By Andrew Dill
Dec 30, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets shooting guard Wilson Chandler (21) guards Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) in the third quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Heat defeated the Nuggets 97-94. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Editor’s Note: This is a guess post from Justin Becker of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.com. You can him on twitter @NBAandNFLInfo or on theFantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ Page, and for moreNBA basketball news and rumors visit Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues – afantasy basketball blog
The Denver Nuggets are one of those teams desperately trying to turn around their franchise. The front office in Denver already made it clear that they will stay aggressive in an attempt to improve their roster, no matter how much of a long shot it is. They have given that promise to the Nuggets fans around the world.
The Denver Nuggets aren’t a huge attraction to star players right now. They’ve been struggling with injuries that brought them a terrible season. However, the Nuggets have a reputation to keep with their fans. With all of the big name players on the free agent market this summer, you better believe that the Nuggets will make a pitch to every big name.
Let’s take a look at why the Nuggets need to make a move on LeBron James.
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Why Should They?
First Carmelo Anthony left. Then Andre Iguodala. The Denver Nuggets have been losing all of their star player, either to injury or free agency. Last season didn’t really go as expected and they clearly need a lot of help to improve next season. When the front office stated that they will be aggressive this summer, they made a promise to the fans. If they want to keep that promise, they will need to make moves on players like LeBron James.
The Nuggets can’t lose their credibility to their fans. Denver is not the Miami, Los Angeles or New York of the league. They don’t have the best attraction or lifestyle that all the star players want in a city. Denver needs their fans, deeply. It’s the only excitement they get every year and they can’t lose that now. Plus, chasing LeBron would give the team a good name around the league.
If Denver were to put a solid pitch together for LeBron, it would bring some attention to Denver. Fans would see their team interested in a huge name and see that the team is making efforts to keep that promise. On the other hand, it’s also grabbing the attention of other players around the league. Some big name players will see that as a team trying to improve their roster and build a winning culture in the city. That’s good news for a big name player trying to lead a team through the playoffs.
At the end of the day, most of it just has to do with keeping the team’s reputation that they’ve built, but also being hopeful they spark his interest. Don’t get me wrong, Denver will go all out for LeBron James. It’s not all about just making a pitch, Denver would love to actually add James to the roster.
Now, let’s talk about how much of a reality this whole situation is.
Predictions
I am confident that I won’t sound crazy when I say that it is highly unlikely for LeBron James to land in Denver. Truth is, LeBron most likely wouldn’t even consider joining the Nuggets. We all know that he is likely to go to a bigger name team. Denver will be just like the rest of the teams in the league. Every team is going to make a pitch at LeBron James. He’s the best basketball player in the league, no one is going to miss the chance to grab him.
So, yes the Nuggets will put together a package to lure James to Denver. However, I don’t find it possible to lure James into Denver because James already has his eyes on a few teams that he will likely sign with. He could even just stay with the Miami Heat.
Should the Nuggets lure James to Denver? Yes. Will they lure James to Denver? Probably not. But as I mentioned above, it will make the team look good. It will peak the interest of free agents in the next couple of years if they see Denver actively working towards rebuilding their team back into a championship team.
After facing that hard truth, what does the future look like for the Nuggets?
Nuggets’ Future
Despite the fact that they don’t have a big chance of adding LeBron James this summer, the Denver Nuggets still have a bright future ahead of them. This offseason will be tough for them, but not grabbing James isn’t the end of the world. They have a good pick for the draft and also some space to grab some great role players this summer.
In addition, they have Nate Robinson, J.J. Hickson and Danilo Gallinari returning from injury. Those players will be key next season, as they were very key for the Nuggets offense and defense. Losing them turned their season from bad to worse.
I fully expect the Nuggets to be back in the playoffs next season. They finished last season 36-46 in a tough Western Conference. They were 13 games behind the eighth and final playoff spot. However, I expect them to bounce back and have a 50-win season. They may not be one of the top seeds in the West, but making the playoffs in general would be an improvement.
Lastly, what’s the future for LeBron James?
James’ Future
Truth is, nobody knows. He has done a great job at keeping his mouth shut about this all season. He’s keeping everything discreet and making sure the media doesn’t find anything out. However, there are some possibilities of potential decisions he makes.
First off, he has been speaking to the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in particular. There is the chance that he opted out of his contract simply to make a new contract with the Heat. There is still a chance that he never thought about leaving the Heat, he just wanted to do the team a favor. It would really help the team because he would be able to sign a new contract that could feature a pay-cut. That would be a chance for the team to add some solid role players for the upcoming season.
And then there is the chance he signs with a new team for next season. LeBron James has been linked to rumors with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers as being the most-likely to grab him if he doesn’t chose Miami. There’s no doubt that every team will make a pitch to LeBron, but only one team can grab him when it’s all said and done.