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 The Denver Nuggets organization is committed to using the web to educate, inform and entertain our fans. As a result, we have created a blog for the Nuggets Nation. The Nuggets Blog is designed to help fans separate facts from fiction. Here’s our latest installment: The Truth Behind the Trade Deadline Feb. 23, 2006 -- Trades are not easy to do in the NBA. It takes two teams (at least) to do them. Salaries must come within 25% plus $100,000 meaning, you can’t trade Shaquille O’Neal straight up for Ryan Bowen. So while it’s easy to say you should go get a big name player, it’s not that simple. Last season, the Nuggets acquired Eduardo Najera at the trade deadline and then signed Wesley Person. Both players had a tremendous impact on the Nuggets historical 25-4 post-All-Star-break run.
Hopefully the moves made today [Related Article: Four-Team Deal] will have a similar affect. In Ruben Patterson, the Nuggets acquire a tough, wing-defender with playoff experience. The Nuggets have had difficulty defending the 2/3 position this season and Patterson can guard multiple positions. Reggie Evans is one of the best rebounders in the NBA. He averaged a career-high 9.3 rebounds per game last season for the Sonics and led the league in rebounds per 48 minutes (18.8). He gives the Nuggets insurance in case of injury to the frontline. Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera have all been dinged up of late. Charles Smith is a veteran guard who can knock down shots. He will get a look. Some may say this season has been a disappointment. We disagree. If you had told us that after 55 games we would have a 2 ½ game lead in our division despite losing Nene for the season and playing another 33 games without either Kenyon or Marcus, we all would have taken it. It also must be noted that the Nuggets lost all four games in which Coach Karl was suspended this season, meaning they are 29-22 with him on the bench and 61-30 since he came to Denver. The Nuggets haven’t been in first place in their division entering the All-Star break in over 20 years (1984-85). Winning the division – which was one of our stated goals this year – would guarantee us a top three seed in the Western Conference. Some have said that we needed to make a major deal to shake things up. We really like our core group of players here and felt that given a chance to play together, they can do great things. Major deals in midseason can be tricky. Even minor ones sometimes backfire. Nuggets fans may recall one that didn’t work out during the 2000-01 season. On Jan. 12, the Nuggets were 20-16 and traded Keon Clark to Toronto in exchange for Kevin Willis. The move disrupted team chemistry more than was expected and we went on to lose 18 of our next 28 games and fell out of the playoff race. It seems in recent years with the explosion of the internet and a trend in journalism to use unnamed sources – sometimes no source at all – that rumors have gotten out of control. The Nuggets have been mentioned prominently throughout the rumor mill this season. A team may call the Nuggets and ask about a player and the team says ‘no’. The next thing you know it is on the internet or in the paper. If Team A calls us and offers a second round draft pick for Carmelo and we say ‘absolutely not’, someone could write, “the Nuggets and Team A discussed trading Carmelo Anthony for a second round pick.” Yes, it was discussed, but the discussion lasted as long as it took to hit the disconnect button. One rumor going around was that ownership is not committed to spending the money it takes to win a championship. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Nuggets owner E. Stanley Kroenke has won championships in both the NFL and NHL. His clubs have done so by doing what it takes to win while maintaining financial responsibility. He uses the same business model with the Nuggets. In the NBA there is no direct correlation between how much money you spend on player salaries and how many games you win. Some of the teams with the highest payrolls are near the bottom of the league in wins. The Spurs and Pistons have won titles in recent years despite being in the middle of the pack in terms of salaries. That being said, if the right deal comes along, the Nuggets have the backing from ownership to make it. The Nuggets have the best fans in the NBA and they deserve a great team. The free agent signings in recent years are proof of that financial commitment.
After a nine-year drought, the Nuggets have become an annual playoff contender. In 2004, the team handed out the richest contract in team history to Kenyon Martin and re-signed Marcus Camby. Midway through the year, ownership made the financial commitment to hire a proven winner as head coach in George Karl. That season, we won 49 games – the fourth most in team history. The front office is not in disarray and we have a plan. Because we don’t make the mainstream media aware of our plan does not mean we don’t have one. As we do with all our major decisions, ownership, management and the coaching staff collaborated on what was the best course of action leading up to the deadline. Were there disagreements? Sure. That’s what good organizations do. They weigh the pros and cons of every decision and then reach a conclusion. The best results come after every angle is addressed. Nuggets fans can rest assured that the entire organization is focused and committed to bringing a championship team to Denver.
Other Blogs for the Nuggets Nation:
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