George Karl’s Denver Nuggets are ready for the NBA Playoffs
The Nuggets’ leading scorer and team captain, Carmelo Anthony was traded away to the New York Knick as part of a 13-player deal in February. Now, if you thought Anthony was responsible for making the Denver Nuggets tick, you could not have been more wrong.
In return for Carmelo, Denver welcomed Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, and Timofey Mozgov.
"How we rebuild our team and construct it, there are going to be some tough moments," Nuggets Coach George Karl said after the trade. "But I think it will be fun to see how fast this team will come together"
It is almost as if Karl had foreseen the future and predicted the outcome. The new-look Nuggets quickly jelled and are 18 – 6 since the trade.
The Nuggets have unexpectedly improved ever since Carmelo made his departure. Coach Karl parted with the countless isolation plays that had come to dominate the Denver offence, and replaced them with more spontaneity. Every player on the Nuggets roster now
contributes to the scoring and they help each other on both ends of the floor.
Their offence is no longer stagnant, boring and predictable. They play unselfish basketball and help each other on the offensive and defensive end to create a harmony that is seldom seen in the big-leagues.
Nuggets Guard Raymond Felton shed light on the way they have been playing lately, he said, “We did a great job staying together and playing together as a unit, with nobody really caring about who’s scoring or who’s taking shots.”
It was perfectly clear from the way the Nuggets played against the Golden State Warriors on Monday that they certainly have turned over a new leaf.
Denver shot 53 percent and trampled the Warriors in the second half to quickly take control of the game. They put up 80 points in the second half alone and recorded 31 assists on the night. Denver also had nine of its 10 players posting double-figure scores,
and all of that was accomplished with the Nuggets still missing Danilo Gallinari and Al Harrington.
Another big difference in the new Denver Nuggets is how the team hustles on the defensive end and always keeps their man in check, on every play of every game.
Former Houston Rockets Coach and TV Analyst, Jeff Van Gundy was all praise for the way the Nuggets had been playing.
"The harder team to score against is this Nugget team right now that they have," Van Gundy said. "They are bigger, they are more active, they're more aggressive and they're more tied together."
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Denver Nuggets are capable and talented enough of making a deep run into the playoffs. The only question is whether they possess the mettle to handle the stressful two-month long exhibit that is known as the NBA
playoffs.
Coach Karl should be thankful for the fact that he has a deep Denver roster to choose from in the approaching playoffs, which is if he can manage to keep his players healthy. Nene has been plagued by a groin injury, while Arron Afflalo has had hamstring
trouble. Danilo Gallinari sprained his right ankle on Saturday night against Minnesota, but is planned to return before the start of the playoffs.
George Karl believes the Nuggets are focused and committed and is confident that his team is ready for the playoffs.
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