The Denver Nuggets held a game-and-a-half lead over the DeMarcus Cousins-less Sacramento Kings entering play Thursday night. However, the hungry young guns of the Kings had other plans, handing Denver their second-straight loss as they closed the gap between themselves and the Nuggets to half a game.
Thursday’s trade deadline was expected to be a day of movement for the Nuggets, considering Danilo Gallinari‘s contract is set to expire this offseason and the rumors surrounding Wilson Chandler potentially wanting to take his talents to another time zone. There was a possibility one or both would be dealt.
Denver ended up holding on to their two wings as they felt complacent after the acquisitions of Mason Plumlee and Roy Hibbert.
Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone is caught in a coaching nightmare as we speak. 13 players on Denver’s roster (realistically) could play on any given team, which is a bit of a problem.
There are simply too many players and too few minutes.
Denver was rumored to make a push at Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Paul George prior to the deadline Thursday afternoon. However, talks didn’t progress to a point where a deal was even considered, according to multiple reports.
Chris Haynes of ESPN weighed in on the topic.
“Paul George respects what GM Tim Connelly is building in Denver, but with San Antonio, Golden State in the West, there’s no path to Finals.”
With that being said, Denver continues to be a less desirable place for superstars, even with the emergence of second-year center Nikola Jokic.
Thursday night’s game against Sacramento was a prime example of the coaching nightmare Malone endures. The team, for once, was at full strength and seemed confused on how to operate on the offensive end of the floor. The free-flowing style played through Jokic was replaced with isolation after isolation. Denver’s offense runs through Jokic, yet the Kings weren’t fazed by his presence and attacked him at will — thus resulting in Jokic’ four-point night.
The upbeat Kings, led by Willie Cauley-Stein and new addition Buddy Hield, were active on the defensive end, collecting 25 points off 15 Denver turnovers. Not exactly the ball security you would expect from a team with their eyes set on the eight seed.
Though it’s just one game and there are plenty more to come, Denver needs to re-discover their identity and quick if they are looking to make the playoffs. After all, the Nuggets are in search of their first playoff berth since 2012.
Denver, in their magical 130-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 13, was without five regular contributors — Darrell Arthur, Chandler, Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, and Emmanuel Mudiay.
It was a game of development for their young players like Juancho Hernangomez, Jokic, and Jamal Murray. Hernangomez took the opportunity and ran with it, scoring a career-high 27 points on 9-17 shooting, including 6-7 from three-point range.
However, in the time being, Denver will rely on their veterans to guide them to a playoff spot while the youngsters (not named Jokic) will see their minutes take a hit. Keep in mind both Arthur and Mudiay didn’t appear in Thursday night’s tilt.
Denver has been hell-bent on not mortgaging their future by dealing their assets. However, in their case, they have way too many when healthy.
