The Denver Nuggets Are The NBA’s Most Puzzling Team

By Court Zierk @courtzierk on December 3, 2014

We’re only a month and a half into the 2014-2015 season, but the Denver Nuggets have already faced division rival Portland Trail Blazers three times. Each time, they have come out on the wrong side of the box score, and each time they have lost in an increasingly confusing and disgruntling fashion.

From an outright defeat on the road, to a historically embarrassing dismantling on their home court, to their most recent loss, which entailed them giving away a 14-point second-half lead. Each game leaves Nuggets fans and NBA fans alike scratching their collective heads about the real identity of this team.

Entering the season, predictions about where the Nuggets would finish spanned the spectrum, anywhere from 13th in the Western Conference to 6th. I stood somewhere in the middle, thinking they could be a borderline playoff team, believing their wealth of good, but not great, talent could be enough to make them a realistically competitive team.

Through 18 games, my understanding of this team’s makeup has actually become increasingly blurred, as the other 29 NBA teams begin to crystallize.

The fourth quarter of their most recent loss to the Trail Blazers was a microcosm of the perplexing nature of this team. As the buzzer sounded, ending the third quarter, the Nuggets held a seven-point lead, and had seemingly been in control for the majority of the game, despite their slowly dwindling lead.

Timofey Mozgov, who has had a recent penchant for getting into early foul trouble, followed suit, and had four personal fouls before reaching the halfway point of the third quarter. With 5:26 remaining in the third, J.J. Hickson entered the game for Mozgov. With 3:34 remaining in the 3rd, Darrell Arthur checked into the game for Kenneth Faried.

Hickson never left the game after that point until the final seconds of the game, and Faried never checked back in. Yes, you read that correctly. Despite getting absolutely killed by LaMarcus Aldridge the entire game, Shaw decided to rely on Hickson down the stretch, a player whose defensive prowess is in line with the most inept players the league. All of this while his $12 million power forward was left to watch from the bench. Not to mention the fact that JaVale McGee, who had recently been cleared to return to action, had yet to see any minutes in two games.

In his defense, Hickson did make some plays, as he does from time to time, but he also was called for three goaltending violations, and was on the wrong end of what ended up being the game-winning basket by Robin Lopez. I said it at the time, and I’ll reiterate it now — I will never understand Shaw’s fascination with Hickson.

One thing that is becoming clear, among the fuzziness and otherwise puzzling aspects of this team, is that Faried is not a “Shaw guy.” It was reported by ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz two weeks back, in a damning article about the Nuggets, that Faried wasn’t exactly a favored child within the Nuggets front office and locker room.

“[Faried] is a helluva player and plays hard, but he isn’t well liked [in the organization],” a league source said. “That gets glossed over. He says crazy s—. He thinks he’s the guy, and other guys take exception to his contract.”

At the time, it seemed a bit hyperbolic, but watching the past few weeks play out, it is hard to deny the fact that Faried appears to be an utterly dispensable part of this team’s future. There are currently 20 power forwards across the NBA that are logging more minutes than Faried on a nightly basis. This includes players like Carlos Boozer, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Ryan Anderson — a reserve player.

His usage rate among power forwards sits at 18.0, good for 30th. Brandon Bass, Kris Humphries, and even teammate Darrell Arthur all have a higher usage rate. So what gives? There is only one clear answer. Nobody outside of that locker room, and maybe even inside of it, knows.

Why would Faried be given a massive contract extension this summer, on the back of his outstanding play in the FIBA Tournament, only to receive the cold-shoulder by his coach? To answer that, I take you back to December of 2011, when the Nuggets re-signed then power forward Nene, to a five-year, $67 million extension. Three months later, they shipped Nene to Washington in a three-team deal that resulted in the Nuggets receiving McGee.

It’s not entirely an apples-to-apples comparison, as Nene was actually one of George Karl’s favorite players, and had helped him and his family battle through his fight with cancer, and it was an entirely different regime running the Nuggets at the time. But, it did set a precedent, showing that the Nuggets are willing to part with a player, despite having seemingly committed to them long-term. In some ways, already having an extension in place makes an asset easier to move, as the trading party is assured they will not have to deal with future contract negotiations.

Bottom line, I would be more shocked if the Nuggets decided not to move Faried before the trade deadline, than if they didn’t. A player like David West will most certainly be available, has a history with Shaw, and is the prototypical player Shaw is looking to insert into his offense.

One other thing that has become clear to me over the past five weeks is that Shaw has a long way to go in terms of his abilities to coach the x’s and o’s of the game. Look no further than the final four seconds of Tuesday night’s loss to the Trail Blazers as evidence.

Blazers’ coach Terry Stott put a lineup on the floor that consisted of Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, Aldridge and Lopez. Shaw responded with a lineup of Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler, Arthur and Hickson. It was the Blazers ball, with Batum inbounding. Aldridge, positioned beneath the basket, cut to the top of the key to receive the inbounds pass. Meanwhile, Lopez, also positioned underneath the basket, sealed off Hickson, who was inexplicably not fronting Lopez, and received a perfect pass from Aldridge for an easy layup. This beautifully drawn-up, and perfectly executed, play left 1.3 seconds on the clock.

Shaw then took Hickson out of the game, for the first time since the third quarter, and replaced him with Danilo Gallinari. Chandler was inbounding the ball. Arthur and Gallinari were positioned at the top of the three-point line. Lawson was positioned in the corner, never intended to even be in the play, even as a decoy. Arthur broke for the basket, while Gallinari cut away from the basket, towards Chandler. Gallinari would then receive the inbounds pass, probably a good 30-35 feet from the basket, with all of his momentum going the other direction, and subsequently heaved up an impossible shot, which missed the rim by several feet.

This is what Shaw drew up to end the game. Lawson, their hottest player and supposed leader, wasn’t even involved. Gallinari, while probably a good candidate to take the final shot, was never even given a chance to succeed.

While the Nuggets have figured out a way to become competitive, despite their disastrous start, they remain the league’s most confusing and puzzling team. Their players make little sense together. Their coach has shown some growth, but doesn’t have the roster he wants, and doesn’t understand how to utilize what’s in front of him. Their front office doesn’t appear to have a digestible plan.

Nuggets fans are as confused as the players, and have shown their disdain by refraining from coming to games. Currently, the Nuggets are 27th in the league in attendance.

Nothing makes sense right now, and the only advice I have is to enjoy the wins as they come, lower all your expectations, and provide your support for this team. Believe me, they need it now more than ever.

Court Zierk is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CourtZierk, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.