1990-91: Denver Names New GM And New Coach
For 1990-91 former Seattle SuperSonics Coach Bernie
Bickerstaff was named general manager of the Nuggets. Bickerstaff
had 19 years of NBA experience, as an assistant coach with the
Washington Bullets and then as the head man at Seattle. His 1986-87
Sonics had been a group of overachievers who ascended to the
Western Conference Finals.
At Denver, Bickerstaff inherited one of the NBA's oldest
rosters. He began by replacing Head Coach Doug Moe, who had piloted
the Nuggets for more than nine seasons, with Paul Westhead, who had
previously coached the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. At
the time of his hiring Westhead was coaching at Loyola Marymount
University, where he had implemented a wacky, wide-open offensive
system that had made the Lions the highest-scoring collegiate team
in the nation.
Bickerstaff and the Nuggets set about rebuilding through
judicious draft selections. Armed with the third overall pick in
1990, Denver selected Chris Jackson, a 6-1 guard from Louisiana
State who later changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. In his
freshman season in college Jackson had averaged 30.2 points and had
been named an All-American; as a sophomore he had scored 27.8
points per game before turning pro.
The 1990-91 season saw Denver plummet to 20-62. The Nuggets lost
seven games to start the season and never righted themselves.
Westhead's philosophy was to pile up the points and hope the other
team couldn't keep up; defense was an afterthought. Denver's
resistance was particularly negligible during the first week of
November, when the Nuggets logged three of the four most generous
nights in franchise history.
The top opponent scoring mark against Denver-186 points recorded
by Detroit in a 1983 triple-overtime game-was not broken this
season. However, the shelling in November 1990 was prolonged. On
November 2 Golden State scored 162 points to top the Nuggets by
four; on November 7 San Antonio scored 161 for an eight-point
victory. Phoenix was getting the message, and on November 10 the
Suns besieged the Nuggets for 173 points and a 30-point win.
Denver's season record was an all-time worst both at home
(17-24) and on the road (3-38). For the year, the Nuggets
surrendered 130.8 points per game to opponents, shattering their
own 1981-82 NBA record for points allowed. They missed the playoffs
for the first time in a decade.
For all the season's futility, some good young players were
showing glimpses of promise. Chris Jackson scored 14.1 points per
game, better numbers than any first-year Nuggets player had posted
since the franchise had joined the NBA in 1976-77. With the roster
in transition, the team's scoring leaders were Michael Adams (26.5
ppg) and Orlando Woolridge (25.1), both of whom had inflated
numbers because of Westhead's offensive scheme.
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1991-92: Denver Finds A Nugget In Mutombo
During the offseason the franchise selected center
Dikembe Mutombo with the fourth pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.
Mutombo, a 7-2, 245-pound center out of Georgetown, was a native of
Kinshasa, Zaire, who spoke English, French, Portuguese, Spanish,
and five African dialects. His full name is Dikembe Mutombo
Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo.
In 1991-92 Denver took baby steps in the right direction and
finished 24-58. The Nuggets put up a valiant effort for much of the
year, reaching 17-26 before reeling through a 6-24 stretch that
doomed the season. The team saved the worst for last, losing 11
straight in March and April.
Mutombo made the NBA All-Rookie Team and was the only rookie to
play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. For the season, he averaged
12.3 rebounds and finished runner-up to Charlotte's Larry Johnson
for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Mutombo and Greg "Cadillac"
Anderson were rugged on the boards. Anderson set a new team record
for total rebounds with 941, erasing George McGinnis's standard
that had survived since 1978-79. Mutombo was right behind him with
870 boards and would have eclipsed Anderson if not for a thumb
injury that ended his season after 71 games.
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1992-93: Local Hero Returns To Coach Nuggets
Paul Westhead was fired after the 1991-92 season, and
the Nuggets brought back local hero Dan Issel as head coach for
1992-93. Issel, who had spent 9 of his 15 pro seasons with Denver,
took over as coach in the same season in which he was also elected
to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. With Issel in
charge, the team improved to 36-46 by getting the most out of its
young players. On the downside, the Nuggets set a new franchise
mark for consecutive losses when they dropped 14 straight between
December 5 and January 5. However, even that losing streak couldn't
obscure the team's potential.
The best news for Denver was the coming of age of point guard
Chris Jackson-who changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in July
1993-who enjoyed a breakthrough season. He posted career highs in
every offensive category and won the NBA's Most Improved Player
Award. Jackson set a new team record for free-throw percentage at
.935, erasing Walter Davis's 1989-90 mark. He also rained in 70 of
197 three-point attempts. Jackson led the team in scoring with 19.2
points per game, followed by Reggie Williams (17.0 ppg), LaPhonso
Ellis (14.7), and Dikembe Mutombo (13.8).
Ellis, a 6-8, 240-pound forward, was named to the NBA All-Rookie
First Team after becoming the first Denver rookie to start all 82
games. Mutombo also had a stellar season. He pulled down a
season-high 23 rebounds against Miami on March 15, and on April 18
he stymied the Los Angeles Clippers by blocking 12 shots to match
the franchise record set by Julius Keye in 1972. Mutombo rewrote
the Nuggets' NBA-era single-season rebounding records. He finished
second in the NBA in offensive rebounds with 344, and grabbed a
total of 1,070 boards for an average of 13.0 per game. (The club's
all-time individual mark for most rebounds in a season in Nuggets
franchise history, including the ABA years, belongs to Spencer
Haywood, who in 1969-70 collected 1,637 boards for a 19.5
average.)
At the end of the 1992-93 season the Nuggets were clearly a team on
the rise, and they were beginning to generate a new atmosphere of
excitement and optimism in the Mile High City.
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1993-94: Oh My! Nuggets Knock Off Sonics In Postseason
That optimism spilled over into 1993-94 in a big way.
After a mediocre regular season the Nuggets embarked on a thrilling
playoff run that made them the darlings of the NBA. Denver lingered
around the .500 mark for much of the campaign before finishing at
42-40 to claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western
Conference.
The Nuggets' first-round chances looked slim against the
swaggering Seattle SuperSonics, who had blitzed through the year
with the league's best record. The Sonics won the first two games,
but in Denver the Nuggets used the shotblocking presence of Dikembe
Mutombo, along with career performances by Reggie Williams, Brian
Williams, and Robert Pack, to win Games 3 and 4.
Denver won Game 5 in Seattle to become the first No. 8 seed in
history to defeat a No. 1 seed. The Nuggets then injected
excitement into the conference semifinals. After losing three
straight games to the Utah Jazz, Denver rallied with three straight
wins to force a Game 7, in which Utah prevailed, 91-81.
During the regular season the Nuggets were led once again by
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who scored 18.0 points per game and on the last
day of the campaign came within one free throw of setting a
single-season record for free-throw percentage. He finished at
.956, just short of Calvin Murphy's .958 set in 1980-81. Mutombo
led the NBA in blocked shots with 4.10 per game and also set an NBA
Playoff record with 38 blocks in the seven-game series against the
Jazz.
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1994-95: Injuries, Coaching Changes Dash Denver's Mile-High
Hopes
Denver's 1994-95 season ended in less spectacular
fashion than the previous year, as the Nuggets were swept in the
first round of the playoffs by San Antonio. The loss to the
top-seeded Spurs contrasted sharply with the Nuggets' first-round
upset of the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in 1993-94.
Denver's run in the 1994 Playoffs had placed high expectations
on the team for the 1994-95 season, but because of a number of
problems the Nuggets couldn't match those forecasts. Forward
LaPhonso Ellis, who had placed second on the squad in scoring and
rebounding in 1993-94, injured his knee in the preseason and missed
the first 76 games of the campaign. In addition, guard Robert Pack,
who early in the season was among the league leaders in both points
and assists, missed 40 games with a knee injury.
Denver went through three head coaches in 1994-95. Dan Issel
resigned with the team at 18-16. Assistant Coach Gene Littles was
then named interim head coach, but when the Nuggets stumbled to a
3-13 mark under Littles, General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff took
over on February 20 and guided the team for the remainder of the
season. Denver finished at 41-41 and qualified for the playoffs on
the last day of the regular season with a dramatic win over the
Sacramento Kings, with whom the Nuggets were battling for the final
playoff spot.
Dikembe Mutombo, who led the league in blocked shots (3.91 per
game) and was second in rebounding (12.5 rpg), won NBA Defensive
Player of the Year honors and played in the All-Star Game. Mahmoud
Abdul-Rauf again topped the team in scoring (16.0 ppg). The Nuggets
were one of only two NBA teams to have seven players who each put
up at least 10 points per outing. Rookie Jalen Rose showed promise
in the backcourt, breaking into the starting lineup late in the
season and averaging 8.2 points and 4.8 assists. At season's end he
was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
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1995-96: Mutombo and Abdul-Rauf Bid Farewell
Only one year removed from the playoff win over
Seattle, Denver had reason to be optimistic about 1995-96. Building
on a nucleus of center Dikembe Mutombo and guard Mahmoud
Abdul-Rauf, the Nuggets acquired Antonio McDyess, who had been
drafted with the second pick overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in
the 1995 Draft.
McDyess, who averaged 13.4 points and 7.5 rebounds, was quickly
an effective inside player, earning All-Rookie First Team honors.
His success complemented the skills of Mutombo, a 1996 All-Star,
who led the league in blocked shots (4.49 per game) and was fourth
in rebounding (11.8). The front line, though, still suffered from
the absence of LaPhonso Ellis, who missed the first 37 games of the
season with an injury. The Nuggets got out of the gate at 1-8 and
never recovered, finishing 35-47 and out of the playoff hunt.
Denver was one of only a handful of teams to beat the Chicago
Bulls, though, posting a 105-99 win at McNichols Arena on February
4.
Abdul-Rauf, who once again led the league in free throw
percentage (.930) and led the team in scoring (19.2), touched off a
nationwide controversy by refusing to stand for the singing of the
national anthem because of his Islamic Faith. After a one-game
suspension on March 12, Abdul-Rauf relented, agreeing to stand and
pray during the anthem. Not long afterward, an injury sent him to
the sidelines for the remainder of the season.
At the end of the season, Denver said goodbye to its top two
performers. Mutombo signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta
Hawks, and a trade sent Abdul-Rauf to Sacramento, as Bickerstaff
and the Nuggets looked to retool the team for the 1996-97
season.
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1996-97: Close Losses Nip Nuggets
A quick glance at their 21-61 record belies the
competitiveness of the 1996-97 Nuggets, a team which lost an
astounding 18 games by four points or less, including 10 losses by
one or two points.
Denver never recovered from a slow start. The team won only four
of its first 13 games, prompting GM/Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff
to hand the coaching reigns to veteran Dick Motta for the remainder
of the season. It marked the 25th season as a head coach for Motta,
who ended the season trailing only Lenny Wilkens and Red Auerbach
in all-time victories.
Motta had some good young talent in his starting frontcourt,
including center Ervin Johnson and forwards Antonio McDyess and
LaPhonso Ellis. Johnson, a free agent signee from the Seattle
SuperSonics, finished fourth in the NBA in rebounding (11.1 rpg)
and fifth in blocks (2.77 bpg). McDyess averaged better than 18
points and 7 rebounds per game, while Ellis, returning from a
severe knee injury, averaged a career-best 21.9 ppg, including a
career-high 39 points against San Antonio. Alas, just as Ellis had
re-emerged as one of the league's up-and-coming stars, he tore his
right Achilles tendon on April 4, earning him another long summer
of rehabilitation.
Running the offense at the start of the season was talented
veteran Mark Jackson. Jackson was leading the league in assists and
enjoying a tremendous season when the Nuggets dealt him to the
Indiana Pacers, beginning a youth movement. Bickerstaff also left
the Nuggets midseason, to pursue a coaching opportunity with the
Washington Bullets.
His replacement as general manager, Allan Bristow, continued to
turn over the Nuggets roster at the trading deadline -- by season's
end, a franchise-record 23 players saw action. Bristow resumed his
sweeping changes in the offseason, replacing Motta with former
Nugget Bill Hanzlik. Trades netted the Nuggets a trio of
first-round draft picks, including Tony Battie, the fifth overall
selection in the 1997 NBA Draft.
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1997-98: Searching for Silver Linings
The 1997-98 Nuggets are a team that sought long and
hard to find silver linings following a 11-71 season in which they
narrowly avoided the fewest single-season wins in NBA history.
Bright spots could be found, if you knew where to look. For
starters, there was the return to health of forward LaPhonso Ellis.
After missing 150 games over the previous three seasons, Ellis was
the picture of health. The congenial forward averaged 14.3 ppg and
7.2 rpg, and joined Johnny Newman in providing Denver with veteran
leadership to tutor the next generation of Nuggets. Newman had his
best scoring season in six seasons, scoring 14.7 ppg to pace the
team in scoring.
The next generation includes four rookies; Bobby Jackson, Danny
Fortson, Tony Battie and Eric Washington. Jackson, acquired on
draft day from Seattle, and Fortson, a bruising 6-7, 260 pound
forward, both represented the West in the Schick Rookie Game at
All-Star Weekend, with Jackson scoring 15 points to lead the West.
The youth movement also included the development of a pair of
third-year guards, Anthony Goldwire and Cory Alexander, both of
whom exhibited flashes of excellence.
The preseason trade that sent Antonio McDyess to Phoenix,
disabled the Nuggets in the short term, but netted three
first-round draft picks in the next two years, and cleared salary
cap room for the Nuggets to lure free agents during the offseason.
Looking ahead, the Nuggets will also once again have the services
of Eric Williams. A talented third-year player acquired by Denver
in the preseason, Williams established himself as Denver's top
scoring threat during the team's first four games before tearing
the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that sidelined him
for the remainder of the year.
For VP of Basketball Operations Allan Bristow and coach Bill
Hanzlik, the stay in Denver was a short one. Dan Issel replaced
Bristow on March 25, and pledged to redirect the franchise back to
the success it enjoyed while he was the star player, and during his
brief tenure as coach, when the Nuggets shocked the NBA world with
a first-round victory over the top-seeded Sonics. Hanzlik was
relieved of his duties after the season.
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1998-99: Welcome Back, Antonio
Antonio McDyess, who spent his first two NBA seasons
with Denver, returned as a free agent after one year in Phoenix and
became the centerpiece of a much-improved Nuggets team.
The Nuggets were only 14-36 during the lockout-shortened season.
But, under first-year coach Mike D'Antoni, they posted more
victories in 50 games than they did the previous season (11) in 82
games.
McDyess, an All-NBA Third Team selection, posted career-highs
with 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.46 steals per
game. Point guard Nick Van Exel, a 1998 All-Star who was acquired
in a trade with the Lakers, averaged 16.5 points and 7.4
points.
Danny Fortson averaged 11.6 rebounds (fourth in NBA) and led the
league with 4.2 offensive boards per game. Denver native Chauncey
Billups returned home in a trade with Toronto and was third on the
Nuggets in scoring (13.9 ppg).
Denver's frontcourt was depleted by injuries to a pair of
rookies. Starting center Raef LaFrentz averaged 13.8 points and 7.6
rebounds in the first 12 games before a knee injury sidelined him
for the rest of the season. Keon Clark missed the final 20 games
because of a partially collapsed lung.
The Nuggets played their final season at McNichols Sports Arena,
their home since 1975. They would move into the brand-new Pepsi
Center in 1999-2000.
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