The Denver Nuggets had a very successful season in 08-09 despite losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Not many expected the Denver Nuggets – who were notorious for losing in the first round it seems – to make it to the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets were out manned and out played against the Lakers but that still doesn’t take away from the excellent season they had.
The Nuggets look to improve on this upcoming season and make it to the finals. They didn’t have any real changes during the off-season, but their core is all healthy and will continue to improve with time.
Coach George Karl and the rest of the team had other plans though. The acquisition of Chauncey Billups proved invaluable to the team. Billups’ leadership, efficiency on the court, playoff experience, and his ability to serve as a natural point guard – a position the team had sorely been lacking ever since the departure of Andre Miller a few seasons prior – all gave the team a major boost in places that the Nuggets had been lagging before he joined the team.
Then there’s Carmelo Anthony, one of the most natural point scorers in the league. With the arrival of Billups and his defensive skills, this only helped Melo on the defensive side of the ball.
Birdman, also known as Chris Andersen stepped up off the bench and had a huge year. He’s become one of the best shot blockers in the league.
The San Antonio Spurs have added Richard Jefferson, the Dallas Mavericks added Shawn Marion, and the Los Angeles Lakers added Ron Artest.
The Denver Nuggets have the same core of players that had last season and it wasn’t enough to beat the Lakers, maybe Denver can add one more piece to their team to give them a better chance this season.
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