Cary Edmondson-USA Today Sports
Just last week, the Denver Nuggets made one of the most surprising moves of this short off-season by releasing head coach George Karl from his position. Karl was named the 2013 NBA Coach of the Year this past season, but that wasn’t enough to keep him on board as the leader of this Nuggets’ organization.
After a 57-win season, the Nuggets need to prevent what could quickly turn into an avalanche effect. Denver exceeded expectations this past season and they’d like to remain competitive in the west obviously. This starts with potential free agent forward, Andre Iguodala.
Iguodala was brought on board last season via trade, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists in his first season in Denver. He has an early termination offer in his contract heading into this season, but one that could pay him upwards of around $15.9 million next season. Iguodala could opt to walk away from Denver and pursue a career elsewhere, leaving the money on the table.
However, Denver needs to make him a top priority this off-season.
“I didn’t bring Andre Iguodala to Denver to be here for one year. And that’s what I’ve told him,” Nuggets president Josh Kroenke told the Denver Post.
The key point though is this — is Iguodala the man for the Nuggets or should they look to get younger? This is a situation that can go either way, but Denver can’t really afford to let Iguodala walk. After 57 wins this past season, they have proven to have the ability to compete near the upper half of the Western Conference.
At this point, they need to do all they can to keep that potential intact. With that being said, it probably wasn’t the greatest of ideas to let the NBA’s Coach of the Year go, but what’s done is done.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
