Denver Nuggets 2006-2007 NBA Basketball Preview

The 2006 regular season was considered a success for the Denver Nuggets, as the once-inept franchise won the Northwest Division. But the title of division champs only masked the fact that Denver wasn’t much better than a .500 team in a weak division and one that still lacks any semblance of outside shooting. 

Unfortunately, the Nuggets did nothing to address that weakness in the off-season, instead inexplicably re-signing the offensively inept Reggie Evans and Nene. Expect the Nuggets to try and swing a trade during the season to add a shooter, although they’ve been unsuccessful in the past.

Here’s how they stack up going into the 2006-2007 season:

Starting Backcourt-

Andre Miller provides a steady hand at point guard and does a good job getting everybody involved while doing a little bit of everything out on the court. He’s not spectacular but he can fill up a stat sheet and is one of the better point guards in a league that doesn’t have too many great ones these days. 

Shooting guard has no front-runner right now but newcomer J.R. Smith might have the edge. He’s athletic and fits Denver’s up-tempo style in the thin air. Unfortunately, he’s not much of a shooter.

Starting Frontcourt-

Carmelo Anthony has taken his game to the next level, at least offensively, and he has the talent to give the Nuggets a go-to guy who can take over a game. Denver has a lot of depth here, but Marcus Camby’s health will determine the strength of this unit. He is the best two-way player of the bunch. Kenyon Martin has been a disappointment since signing a huge contact because of his weakness on offense and attitude problems, but he’s still an intimidator on defense. Nene will probably get the nod at starting power forward over Martin if healthy and provides even more shot blocking and rebounding.