Denver Nuggets woes reflect on the players or coaching?

Remember when watching Denver Nuggets basketball was fun? Ever since the 57-win season back in 2012 under head coach George Karl, the Nuggets have been a complete mess. I still believe moving on from Karl was the best thing Denver could do, but who knew it could be this bad. Sitting with a record 18-24 and nearly a healthy roster (minus Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee), Denver is riding a four-game losing streak, trailing the Phoenix Suns 6 1/2 games back for the eighth seed in the West.

Maybe the style of offense doesn’t fit this team. Maybe the coaching staff isn’t lighting a fire under the players. Maybe the players aren’t putting forth the effort. There are a lot of things that can factor into the situation in Denver, yet the team continues to fall toward the bottom of the pack. Tim Connelly made a good trade regarding Timofey Mozgov, shipping the center to Cleveland in exchange for two future first-round picks (Memphis, Oklahoma City). Perhaps Connelly knows the teams best option is to look forward to the future without a complete rebuild.

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With Timofey Mozgov and Nate Robinson getting shipped out-of-town, a couple of other players have been drawing interest and their stock probably won’t be this high again. One player in particular is forward Wilson Chandler. The 27-year-old from DePaul has provided a scoring threat for Denver this season. With 41 games under the books, Chandler has averaged 13.8 points on 41.5% shooting, hauling down 5.8 rebounds while shooting 79.5% from the charity stripe.

Another name is Arron Afflalo. In his return to Denver, Afflalo too has provided Denver with a scoring option. So far over 42 games, Afflalo has averaged 15.2 points, on 46.6% shooting, knocking down 83.7% of his free-throws. With Gary Harris in the wings, Afflalo makes the most sense to be dealt prior to the trade deadline.

Now I transition back to Denver’s woes. Watching the team of late has been irritating and makes you want to turn the television off. The team’s intensity and will to win is essentially non-existent. Whether that reflects on Brian Shaw‘s coaching or simply the players, something needs to give. It’s hard to believe a team with basically the same roster that won 57-games is struggling to stay above .500. Ever since Carmelo Anthony left town, Denver has yet to advance past the first-round of the playoffs. Denver is on the verge of missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

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Denver Nuggets lack of intensity, fire reflex on coaching or the players?

By Andrew Dill | Jan 21, 2015