With the 2015-2016 NBA season tip-off just 4 short days away, it's always fun to consult the Oracles of Stiff and see how our talented team of Nug-gnosticators believe the season will shake out. As we move towards the close of the season, we'll revisit this post and see exactly if and how our predictions panned out.
Which brings us to the most important question of this round table, that question being…
1. How many games will the Nuggets win this year?
Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares): 33. The Nuggets will be the team that everybody hates playing against but unfortunately, they’re one season away from making a giant leap in the standings.
Colin Neilson (Beefy Swats): 35. The Nuggets are going to have to re-learn what it means to be a cohesive unit with a new coach, a new floor general and a number of unproven fresh faces.
Jeff Morton (@jmorton78): 40. The Nuggets will make hay at the end of the season after a brutal opening stretch. A seven game and eight game home stand will elevate their record significantly.
Zach Mikash (@ZachMikash): 39. This is of course contingent on health, but if Emmanuel Mudiay, Danilo Gallinari and Jusuf Nurkic are healthy, Denver is going to surprise a lot of people.
Kayla Osby (@nuggetchica): 45. With a healthy Gallinari, an emerging all-star in Mudiay, and a much improved defense, the Nuggets will win a lot more games than last season.
Dan Lewis (@minutemandan): 36. I am down on the Nuggets, and wouldn’t be surprised if they finish with below 30 wins. They have a brutal open to the season, with a ton of games against Western Conference playoff teams. But when I was doing win-loss projections, I couldn’t rank them below teams like Sacramento, Portland, Dallas, and Los Angeles. This is also influenced by Mudiay – I think we’ll realize again how big a difference a great point guard can make on a team.
Mike Olson (@visiblemike): 42. And one game out of the eight seed. I should remind everyone how much I suck at these. I see a lot of belief and resiliency in this team, and am betting on a bit of luck falling our way (for once) as well.
Gordon Gross (@GMoneyNuggs): 41. I’ve been feeling 38+ since before preseason, and I’ll call it a non-losing season. The homecourt should be good for 25+ wins again, and I’m betting on health. No one in the national media seems to think we’ll come within 10 games of this figure, but that’s what makes it fun.
2. Predict a Nuggets player’s statline.
Mares: Danilo Gallinari – 18 ppg, 5 apg, 6 rpg. Career year for Gallo.
Neilson: Kenneth Faried – 12 ppg, 10 rpg. Faried continues his double double prowess but still struggles offensively.
Morton: Emmanuel Mudiay: 12 ppg, 10 assists. Mudiay will be in contention for rookie of the year.
Mikash: Jusuf Nurkic: 8ppg, 8 rpg, 2 bpg. He’ll start slow as he recovers from knee surgery, but the big fella should continue to improve this season, especially on defense
Osby: Will Barton: 11 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 stl. Barton will establish himself as one of the better bench players in the league.
Lewis: Emmanuel Mudiay: 16 ppg, 7 apg, 5 rpg, 2 stl, 43/30/80 shooting percentages. Wins Rookie of the Year. Elite rookie production.
Olson: J.J. Hickson. 10 ppg, 6 rebounds, 21 mpg. All in another jersey, after the 25 or so DNP-CD’s he has over the start of this season. In a Nuggets jersey, Wilson Chandler, 15 ppg, 4 apg, 6 rpg, and in serious contention for the sixth man of the year award, if he ends up coming in against other benches most of this season.
Gross: Joffrey Lauvergne: 11 ppg, 8 rpg, and a steady chunk of minutes in a rotation spot. He’s gonna be a hard guy to keep out of the lineup even when Nurkic gets back on the court.
3. What will we all be saying about this team in April?
Mares: That they are on the right track. I think the back half of the season will be very encouraging for Nuggets fans and they will carry a lot of momentum and progress into the offseason.
Neilson: We’ll be abuzz about the development of Mudiay. Next year, we’ll say, will be the one when the Nuggets finally crack the top 8 in the Western Conference again.
Morton: We will be saying that this team is infinitely more entertaining and worth rooting for than the previous two seasons. Also a couple players will have career years which will heighten the appeal.
Mikash: What a difference a coach makes. Michael Malone is off to a great start and if it carries through the season the Nuggets will be looking like a playoff contender in 2016-2017.
Osby: That we have an extremely bright future. After going through some growing pains and struggles from having a new coaching staff and a new starting point guard, our potential will really show and we will all realize how good this team can be in years to come.
Lewis: Remember when our point guards were Nate Robinson, Andre Miller and Ty Lawson? What a mess that was, hashtag blessed.
Olson: How could we see what Michael Malone did with DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings and not immediately know this guy would lead this Nuggets team to better things?
Gross: That the Nuggets made playoff teams quake on their way into Denver to close out the year, and with one more great piece we can step back into serious playoff implications. Luckily the Knicks will be providing us with a top-5 pick to help with that. Thanks New York!
Eastern Conference – Standings Predictions
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Western Conference – Standings Predictions
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NBA Awards Predictions
NBA Conference/Finals Predictions
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Reminder: Stiffs Night Out Season Kickoff 10/28
Please join us for the next Stiffs Night Out on Wednesday, October 28th at 6pm as the Nuggets take on the Rockets in Houston to kickoff the 2015-16 NBA season. The event will take place at Jake’s Sports & Spirits at 3800 Walnut Street and Jake’s will be serving happy hour drinks until 7pm and 50-cent wings all night long! We will also play Nuggets trivia for prizes, including Nuggets game tickets. See you on the 28th!
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