2014 Training Camp

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Preseason Player Infographics

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Training Camp: Day 4

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Training Camp: Day 3

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Training Camp: Day 2

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Media Day: Player Portraits

DENVER, Sept. 29, 2014 – The Denver Nuggets will open training-camp with 19 players after signing F Jerrelle Benimon, F Alonzo Gee, F Pops Mensah-Bonsu and F Marcus Williams, Nuggets General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Benimon, 6-8, 245, went undrafted in 2014 out of Towson University where he was named the CAA player of the year in both his junior and senior seasons. The forward averaged 18.7 points while ranking second in the nation in rebounds (11.2 rpg) and third in double-doubles (21) during his final collegiate campaign in 2013-14. Benimon played for the Miami Heat in the Orlando Summer League and for the Nuggets in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 10.7 points, 11.3 rebounds (2nd overall) and 1.7 assists in three games.

Gee, 6-6, 219, has appeared in 277 career NBA games (173 starts), posting averages of 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.00 steals in five seasons with the Cavaliers, Spurs and Wizards. Gee was undrafted in 2009 after playing four years at the University of Alabama. He averaged 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds and was named Second Team All-SEC as a senior. Gee appeared in 65 games (24 starts) for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013-14.

Mensah-Bonsu, 6-9, 235, has four years of NBA experience and three seasons of international experience after going undrafted out of George Washington University in the 2006 NBA Draft. He’s appeared in 62 career NBA games for New Orleans, Toronto, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, averaging 2.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Mensah-Bonsu averaged 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 55 games for Galatasaray of the Turkish League during the 2013-14 season.

Williams, 6-7, 203, was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 33rd overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft after he averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds as a sophomore at the University of Arizona. The forward has averaged 1.1 points and 3.0 minutes in 13 career NBA games over parts of two seasons with the Spurs and L.A. Clippers. He also appeared in 89 games for the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League from 2007-2010, averaging 21.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Williams has spent the last three seasons with the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association.

The Denver Nuggets roster entering training-camp is as follows:

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Denver Nuggets Announce 2014-15 Training Camp Roster

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2014-15 Training Camp Infographic

One sure thing going into camp is that whichever big man comes out the other side as the starter, they will have had to earn it.  Coach Shaw has made it clear that nobody is entitled to anything, and the Nuggets big men JaVale McGee and Timofey Mozgov wouldn’t have it any other way.  They’re ready, and they know that rookie Jusuf Nurkic is waiting in the wings if they don’t bring their A-game.

JaVale McGee is a 7-foot freak of an athlete.  He’s an above the rim player and a dunking machine.  Whether it’s a quick baseline spin, or monster put-back, his offensive antics get the Pepsi Center faithful in an uproar.  However, his offense isn’t all there is to his game.  McGee is a solid defender.

An athletic body and a long wingspan enables him to come out of practically nowhere to block shots and send them sailing into the crowd, or grab a rebound that seems impossible for most big men.

In 2012-2013, McGee played in 79 regular season games, tying a career high, but unfortunately went down after just five games last season due to a stress fracture in his left tibia and missed the remainder of the season.

Timofey Mozgov is the only Nugget to have played in all 82 games last season.  The ironman of the Nuggets big man core, he is also coming off the best season of his five-year career, averaging 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, both career highs.  He accrued 10 double-doubles and had five games where he scored 20-plus points and two games with 20 or more rebounds including a ferocious 23-point, 29-rebound showcase in a win vs. Golden State on April 10, 2014.

Jusuf Nurkic was acquired in a 2014 NBA Draft night trade with the Chicago Bulls that also brought fellow rookie Gary Harris to Denver in exchange for former Nugget forward Anthony Randolph and draft rights to the Nuggets pick Doug McDermott.  At 6-11, 280 pounds, Nurkic is going to be exciting to watch develop.

Named the MVP of the FIBA Europe Under 20-Championship Division B twice for the Bosnian Nation Team, including 2014 where he averaged 21.4 points and 12 rebounds per game, he has the building blocks in place become a legit NBA center.

Rest assured, this is going to be an exciting camp as these giants battle for the right to hold it down in the middle for the rest of this deep and talented roster.

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Roster Breakdown: Centers

Come out to the Denver Nuggets 2022-23 Draft Party Thursday, June 23rd @ 6:00 p.m. at Tom's Watch Bar, presented by Miller Lite! 

Watch your Denver Nuggets make their pick, win team signed gear, and meet Super Mascot Rocky! For more information <a href="https://www.nba.com/nuggets/watch-parties">Click Here</a>