The term "Absolution" is primarily used in religious circles. If you happen to be a Catholic you probably would have heard this. Maybe you have in other Protestant versions of Christianity as well. It seems to all mean the same thing. The definition is:
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ab·so·lu·tion
[ab-suh–loo-shuhn] Show IPA
You could probably use this word in pretty much every situation life throws at you. If you are religious, atheist, agnostic or whatever … everyone has the desire to be forgiven.
Nuggets fans may take a different spin on that word, and they want something completely different from Josh Kroenke and General Manager Tim Connelly … what they want is Absolute-tion. Nuggets fans want a direction. They want certainty. They want to know for certain this team’s direction. Will it come only when they start playing in October?
As indicated by new Head Coach Brian Shaw when he was interviewed by NBA TV during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, wherein the new coach proclaimed a running style as a “cute” idea. Well, that is a rather passive aggressive way of saying the Nuggets are going to slow it down. Yet, no one has really come out and said it. Just hinted around the edges, using obvious phrases like “half court emphasis” and “you have to be able to grind”. While we all believe this to be the direction the team will be heading, we just don’t know.
Some clarity would be nice. Some Absolute-tion.
Additionally the rash of players the Nuggets have signed and/or traded (or lost via free agency) since the draft has left a certain portion of the Nuggets fan-base scratching their collective heads. Losing Andre Iguodala (free agent), Kosta Koufos (trade) and Corey Brewer (free agent) from last year’s team … and subsequently signing J.J. Hickson, Nate Robinson, Randy Foye (sign and trade) and Darrell Arthur (Koufos trade). So the Nuggets lost two wing players and a center and have replaced them with two power forwards, a point guard and a shooting guard. The collection of power forwards has been most perplexing considering there’s now a total of four on the roster. Also, the Nuggets will have three point guards who will demand playing time (Ty Lawson, Andre Miller and Robinson).
This leads people to believe there will be a trade of SOMEONE. Right? Well, Tim Connelly has said repeatedly that Andre Miller (specifically) isn't going anywhere. So either you believe that Connelly is simply keeping Miller's trade value up OR he really means it. This adds to Nuggets fan anxiety. No one knows exactly what the plan is, but we can all assume certain things. It LOOKS like there's a trade on the horizon featuring Andre Miller and a power forward, but if it doesn't happen … this team is going to look extremely imbalanced. Right?
After completing the best win total in NBA franchise history, the constant flux of change that has circled this Nuggets team has been nothing short of staggering. What has been hard for Nuggets fans to grasp is rhyme or reason. What do all these moves actually mean in the greater context of competing next season? No one knows.
My own theory is that the Nuggets aren’t interested in “competing” next season in the larger sense of the word. They are biding their time until Danilo Gallinari gets back. They are “developing” JaVale McGee. They haven’t come out and said it, but I believe they are putting in a dramatically new offense and it will take a very long time for it to be absorbed. More than the player acquisitions, this new offensive “system” and defensive focus will take nearly a full season to implement. This year may be a throw away. That doesn’t mean they intend to tank, it just means their priorities don’t involve banners this season.
That's just a guess. No one has really clarified if that is the goal. Just platitudes.
Hopefully all these questions will begin to be answered around training camp time. Nuggets fans need Absolute-tion. Will we get it soon?
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Twitter: @jmorton78 https://twitter.com/#!/jmorton78
