Why the Denver Nuggets Will Win the West (With Andre Iguodala)

What? Did I just say that? Yes, yes I did.

On August 10^th 2012, the tides of the NBA seemingly shifted back in favor of Los Angeles. What were mere rumors of Dwight Howard being a Laker before, soon became reality. After months of teasing where this big-man was actually going to end up, whether it was re-signing with the Magic, being shipped to Brooklyn, going to Houston on draft day, or becoming a Laker, the trade to Los Angeles was finally made. After earlier acquiring Steve Nash, the Lakers managed to keep Pau Gasol and still receive the best center in the league.

The official trade had several angles to it, 4 different teams, and a whole lot of players being moved around. And due to the shining light of the LA spotlights, one key aspect was completely lost in the mix. This was the Denver Nuggets’ acquisition of Andre Iguodala.

(A link to the breakdown of the trade: http://es.pn/PrOaeU)

The perfectness of this player being in the system that he is now a part of is something that can’t be overstated. Andre Iguodala has been an all around player, leader, and all-star for essentially his entire career. He is a freak athlete, he hustles, he dunks, he runs, he’s accountable, he’s an Olympian, and he has won with mediocre talent around him. With no sort of sly to him, he is essentially a middle-class man’s (I won’t say poor man’s because that is a little too underwhelming) LeBron James.

If there was anyone who was handpicked to fit current Nuggets coach George Karl’s run-and-gun high-speed offense, it would be LeBron James. Then it would be Andre Iguodala. Over the past 8 years, it has seemed as the Nuggets’ defense was consistently its offense. It didn’t matter what the other team scored and how easily they did it, there was no sort of lockdown mentality within the players. It does seem silly to have any other sort of mindset when your star player is Carmelo Anthony. 

But once Melo was traded during the trade deadline of 2011, a new sensation occurred for George Karl and the Nuggets. With no “star”, Karl trademarked the phrase, “Team-ness” for his team. An emphasis on the ability to play as a whole, without over relying on one player. But still, that mentality has simply proved not to be enough to win in the playoffs. Losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011, and losing in 7 games to the LA Lakers this past season. Possibly a prophetic string of playoffs teams the Nuggets have lost to.

 

What has occurred since then is enough to propel this team into dominance. The Nuggets were the team that was just one piece away from solving the puzzle. And I truly believe that AI9 is indeed that missing piece. They have the “star”, the one who has been in clutch situations and succeeded, the one who is battle tested, and the one who brings a new ferocious defensive mindset.

Iggy is not just a solid defender; I can honestly say that he is currently a top 5 defender in the entire Association. I can ask him to guard one guy an entire game, and expect his man to be mostly out of the equation until that 4^th quarter ending buzzer sounds. On top of being a solid defender, he is an all-around leader. True leaders make their entire teams better and follow their style. What Iguodala will do for this Nuggets team will be exactly that. Most of these players have not seen what true defense is. They don’t necessarily understand the concept. After watching the likes of Melo expect help defense to always pick up his slack, Chris “Birdman” Anderson flock over just to flail his noodle-like arms in order to get blocks and flap his wings like a bird, and JR Smith who probably doesn’t even recognize defense as a word in his vocabulary.

The aging Lakers simply can't keep up with the youthful Nuggets

What has permeated from the trade to get Andre Iguodala is a young and deep team. Something that the LA Lakers and now the OKC Thunder no longer have. The Lakers have a team with no sort of depth, and rely on a 38 year old point guard, 34 year old shooting guard, 32 year old power forward, 32 year old small forward, and a center with an ailing back issue. Don’t get me wrong, some of those old players are in the top tier of the greatest playing their positions, but the Beatles used to be on top of the world too. LA simply will lack endurance, and will be physically incapable of matching up against the Denver Nuggets.

The Thunder threw away their chance for a dynasty by trading away the 6^th Man of the Year and all the chemistry in the world (see previous blog entry). What does that mean? Next team up. And that team is the Denver Nuggets.

Why will the Nuggets be representing the West in the NBA Finals this season?

They have the speed (Ty Lawson), the intelligence (Andre Miller), the range (Gallo, Brewer, Chandler, Hamilton, and Lawson), the leadership (both the Andres of the team), the coaching (George Karl), the pure athleticism (JaVale McGee, Iggy again, Kenneth Faried), and now they have the DEFENSE (the earlier mentioned mentality of Iguodala). They even have that player on the end of the bench who never does anything but essentially is the super tall cheerleader (Anthony Randolph). All the pieces are there, it just makes sense. I completely anticipate a slow beginning. Players adjusting to players in real time situations. But come playoff time, an absolute eruption of full throttle offense and lockdown defense will be a constancy for this squad. 

So what is my prediction for this team? Sky is the limit. The Western Conference is theirs to lose.

-Justin Nam
 @namjustin

Ladies and Gents, your eventual 2012-2013 Western Conference Champs