Denver Nuggets By Eric Weinstein, NBA.com HEAD COACH Jeff Bzdelik (First year) 2001-02 RESULTS 27-55 (12th in West) SEASON OUTLOOK: Times will be tough in Denver this season. GM Kiki Vandeweghe has the Nuggets in a rebuilding mode that is intent on eventually turning around a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs since 1995. This means that while there is a lot of young unproven talent in the Mile High City, it will take longer than this season to have it pay dividends. Draft day brought in former Knicks center Marcus Camby and 6-11 Brazilian leaper Nene Hilario via trade, along with fifth overall selection Nikoloz Tskitishvili. While the two young rookies will get some playing time, they are not immediate impact players. The housecleaning left James Posey as the only Nugget returning from last season's opening-day starting lineup. Midseason acquisition Juwan Howard will be counted on to carry most of the load offensively while the rookies get their feet wet. Second-year guard Kenny Satterfield should get a shot at starting at point guard, a spot that is wide open barring any late free-agent signings. This fresh start gives new coach Jeff Bzdelik a chance to mold the team how he sees fit. He is already expecting a competitive training camp. "Nothing is set in stone. The players are going to have to earn their starting roles," he told Nuggets.com. VIDEO FLASHBACK: GREAT CALL OF 2001-02 James Posey and the Nuggets show how to convert the half-court alley-oop: "Oh goodness what a start!" 700k avi | QuickTime WHO'S IN: Former Pistons forward Rodney White. White never got a chance in Detroit and has plenty of room to fit in in Denver. He should move into either of the forward spots, and should get a chance to contribute. Rookies Hilario and Tskitishvili will see time and get a chance to shine. Marcus Camby comes over in the McDyess deal, but his health is an issue. WHO'S OUT: The movement of Antonio McDyess was a move needed to be made for rebuilding. Calbert Cheaney (Utah) and Scott Williams (Phoenix) signed free-agent contracts elsewhere, and old point guards Tim Hardaway and Mark Jackson were released. BENCH: You can bet the Nuggets will use a number of different starting lineups that will make their bench interchangeable. Donnell Harvey proved he could play after coming over from Dallas. Predrag Savovic, a rookie from Hawaii, has impressed in summer play and will compete for time at the point guard spot. NBDL call-up Chris Andersen will hope not to get lost with the glut of big men up front. THE NUGGETS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : The Lakers move to Denver. THE NUGGETS MISS THE PLAYOFFS IF ... : The postseason field is not expanded to include 12 teams from each conference.		The Nuggets will rebuild around rookies Hilario (left) and Tskitishvili (right). Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images P R O J E C T E D   S T A R T E R S POS PLAYER SCHOOL YRS PG Kenny Satterfield Cincinnati 1 SG James Posey Xavier (OH) 3 SF George McCloud Florida State 12 PF Juwan Howard Michigan 8 C Marcus Camby Massachusetts 6 S C O U T ' S   T A K E “So much change in every way ... They've got some pieces and some definite question marks. They'll need to establish some identity and figure out how they want to play ... Definitely a work in progress ... Hilario is a terrific athlete with a great body. I don't know what his position will be in the pro set -- he is such a good athlete and he is big and strong enough that I think they're going to find a way for him to contribute right away.” -- Western Conference assistant coach 2 0 0 1 - 0 2   L E A D E R S PPG Nick Van Exel 21.4 RPG Juwan Howard 7.9 APG Nick Van Exel 8.1 SPG James Posey 1.56 BPG Raef LaFrentz 3.00 G A M E S   T O   W A T C H 11/7 Detroit 10:00 ET, TNT 11/22 L.A. Clippers 10:30 ET, ESPN 1/3 Seattle 10:30 ET, ESPN 2/6 San Antonio 10:00 ET, TNT F A N T A S Y   S L E E P E R James Posey - Guard Posey becomes a more important weapon for an offense that will need help in a lot of places. He led the Nuggets in scoring four times last season and will see even more shots and floor time and should best his career highs in most categories. T H E   S T A T 1 Number of games out of 34 the Nuggets won when the opposition scored over 100 points last season.
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