Before we get started I'd like to make one thing perfectly clear. If you put your email address out there on the interwebs, you will get more spam than you could ever imagine. I have eaten actual spam in my time and that stuff is actually somewhat delicious – depending on how hungry you are – but email spam is rarely nutritious.
And with that … away we go!
Hi Nate,
Love the Denver Stiffs website.
I was wondering if you thought there is any chance the T-Wolves would bite at a [Kenneth] Faried, [Wilson] Chandler (is he worth anything anymore), [Timofey] Mosgov (need to trade him), draft pick (from the Knicks – not looking like it will be a good one) deal for Kevin Love? We would have to toss in a salary cap exception – putting us in the luxury range.
However, I think Love is what the nuggets need. A 4 that can create floor spacing with his shot both from 3 and more importantly off the pick and role. This will open up driving lanes for Ty [Lawson] and AI [Andre Iguodala]. Losing Faried would hurt, but we would still have energy guys in [Kosta] Koufos and [JaVale] McGee to grab offensive rebounds.
Also, we would have a big that that can play with his back to the basket?
If there is no way of working this out, what about AL Jefferson. Can shoot and play with his back to the basket. No D and a huge contract. Stick him at the 4. (I don’t think I would give up Faried for him in his walk year).
Thanks,
Dan
Thanks for the email Dan!
A lot of people have been discussing the Nuggets obtaining Kevin Love. The Minnesota forward had some interesting comments in an article by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski back on Dec. 11th. Take this snippet:
As much as Love believes strongly in the greatness of coach Rick Adelman, Kahn has offered no reason for faith in his own wayward vision.
“You walk into the locker room every year, and it’s completely turned over,” Love says. “There’s new guys everywhere. And then it happens again and again. You start to wonder: Is there really a plan here? Is there really any kind of a … plan?”
So, folks are thinking that Love may want to be one of those “turned over” guys sooner rather than later. But the one thing I caution about – that Jeff Morton has said on Denver Stiffs – is look at the above and think of how much those words could be said about the Denver Nuggets.
Yes, it’d be nice to add Love to this squad, but at what price? Not only which guys do the Nuggets have to trade, but how is the Denver locker room going to be after yet another big deal? Keep in mind that Ty Lawson is the only guy left on the roster who played with Carmelo Anthony as a Nugget – and I don’t count Andre Miller as he was traded and then brought back via trade last season.
But to answer your first question – I think the T-Wolves could get a more attractive package than the one you mention above. I don’t see anyway the Nuggets don’t wind up having to include Danilo Gallinari in a Love deal, if that were to ever happen. Faried is a special talent, but Minnesota will likely get more attractive offers and perhaps even better draft picks.
And for your thoughts on Al Jefferson – he sure can fill it up offensively. You would need to pair him with a very good center or power forward to hide him a bit defensively and I think he will likely end up with a new team either this season or next – where that will be is anyone’s guess. But I don’t see the Nuggets grabbing him and I’m cool with that.
Hey Nate, love your work. What are your thoughts on the future of Brewer? Does Masai risk him leaving for Free Agency and lose him for nothing, or does he trade him before the deadline whilst his value is decent. Also if he is not moved, what kind of contract is he worth that Masai would be prepared to offer?
Thanks
Cory
Cory – Wassup!?!?!?!?!?! Remember those comercials!?!
C-Brew! He's on the final year of his contract and earning $3.2 million this season. Brewer has carved out a nice little role with the Nuggets as an energy guy and scorer off the bench. Through 28 games he has scored 14+ points nine times and 17 times he has scored in double-digits.
Brewer’s 11.7 points per game is his best since the 2009-10 season when he scored 13 points a game for the Timberwolves. After playing 21.8 minutes per game for Denver last season, Brewer is averaging 23.4 minutes per game this season – some of that may have to do with Wilson Chandler recovering from injury.
Brew is taking 10.2 shots per game and connecting on 44.7% of those, above his 41.6% career average. The biggest jump in Brewer’s game thus far is his long-ball shooting (whether you like it or not). He’s taking a career high four threes-per-game and connecting at a 37.5% rate, well above his 31.2% career average. His true shooting percentage is above the league average of 52.9% at 53.1% and that’s the second best TS% among Denver’s rotational wing players (excluding Evan Fournier for minutes played) behind Andre Miller, according to Hoopdata.com.
So, no doubt that Brewer has, like I said above, carved out a role with the Nuggets and is a valuable member of the squad this season. He’s just 26 years-old and has a lot of time left to not only improve his game (notably shooting, which has come a long way already from his rookie year). But then again, what he does for the team could be replaced – by guys like Jordan Hamilton and Evan Fournier.
The Brewer decision will be a difficult one for Masai Ujiri in the off-season. I know Brewer is well liked among his teammates (check out this awesome feature by Aaron Lopez) and has been a mentor for Hamilton. But again, what will his price be? I could see a three year deal around $12-$15 million, but Brewer's future depends largely on what Hamilton and Fournier can do to push him for minutes. Ujiri has a great track record for not letting assets walk away, so I could see Denver re-signing him and making a decision later on.
Yes, I see Brewer remaining a Nuggets player this season.
[Via Twitter] @Nate_Timmons Any chance the Nuggets can get J.J. Redick? In our dribble drive offense, he’d flourish here methinks.
@ReaptheThird
The Preacher Man!
With your addition to Twitter it seems you are getting the hang of things. Twitter can be a real beast for a time. I've graduated to TweetDeck as I manage three Twitter accounts – craziness!
Anyhow, Redick – we did an awesome Question and Answer with Evan Dunlap from Orlando Pinstriped Post this week and he broke down Redick's game and what it'd take to get him. I suggest you check that out!
J.J. is having a nice season and his TS% is at 57.1% and that's well above league average of 52.9%. So yeah, he'd be fun to see in Denver's offense, but I doubt it happens.
Hi Nate,
Who is your favorite player to interview on the team? My favorite player is the Manimal, is he fun to talk to?
Thanks – Mark
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch? Is that you sending out the "Good Vibrations"?
It's pretty surprising that Wahlberg was able to transition into a serious movie star role after watching that. I'm sure folks will let me know that his tremendous good looks helped out a bit too.
Anyhow, yes – the Manimal is fun to talk to. The first time I got to chat with him was at media day where he told me about his time with Hakeem Olajuwon and incorporating what he was taught into his game. It's always fun to hit on a topic that a player wants to discuss.
Another time I was waiting to talk with Faried while he did a television interview. When he got done I approached him and he asked why I wasn't there with the TV person as he could have killed two birds with one stone and he had a serious look on his face – then he burst into laughter and flashed that big smile of his and told me he was joking. I felt a bit like a player being told he was going to have dinner bought for him on the plane, that's to say Faried was able to play a little joke on me and I found it funny as well.
Every player has been very gracious with their time and they have all be extremely nice and helpful in answering whatever I ask them. I liked being able to talk to Hamilton about his interests outside of hoops and he's an interesting dude.
Lawson is great to chat with as he likes to crack jokes quite a bit. And it also helps that he's closer to my height. The few times I've interviewed Gallinari he has been standing up, so my 6'2" self has had to look way up and hold my recorder way up – I now know what a few of my buddies feel like when they talk with me! haha
Stiffs guys –
Please stop with the trade talk. This team is coming together and they need to keep the guys here intact for at least one season!!! Again, trade nobody!
-Jim
Jimbo! Hopefully you enjoyed Colin's piece yesterday titled, "Patience." You two are on the same wavelength.
I would like to say that I'm not advocating that the Nuggets trade anyone – just having a little fun with trade talk. With the way the team has been playing recently; I too agree that they are coming together and I want to see what these guys can do.
Natedog,
Season ticket holder for the first time this season – are the leather seats new this year? I love them, but they need to make all the seats leather. I'm just glad that I'm in the new leather seats!
Keep up the good work fellas. Go Nuggets!
Thanks,
Ryan – Downtown Denver
Ryan, hopefully you are enjoying all the nightlife and Nuggets games that come with living downtown and having season tickets. The leather seats in the lower bowl are new this season, but I have yet to park myself in them! I must try it. Sounds like they are enjoyable. I've heard that more seats will be upgraded, but no clue on the timetable for that. I still say the best thing about Pepsi Center is that there really isn't a bad seat in the house!
Nate,
I have seen you write and tweet about your love of the "Kiss Cam" at Pepsi. I go to school at CU and have been to most of the home games this year. They also do the kiss cam, but it's not as good as the Nuggets games because they don't play any music and I don't think people pay attention to it as much. How do you get on the kiss cam at the games? Are they set up before the game (I have read they are) or is it all random?
Also, please stop mentioning trading Faried. He's going to be an All Star and he's going to rep the Nuggets there and it might not be this year, but soon! Go Manimal! Go Nuggets!
thank you,
Chris the Boss
Chris the Boss? The Cake Boss? What are you the boss of – this is going to bug me!
I do love the Kiss Cam! I often Tweet about it too! I actually went to the CSU vs. CU game up in Boulder this year and saw the Kiss Cam – poor effort by the Buffaloes as they do not play the romantic music or have the wonderfully deep Barry White-esque voice of Nuggets arena announcer Kyle Speller (check out his bio).
You know, I was going to email some folks and inquire about the Kiss Cam and how people get on it, but if it's set up then I don't want to know about it! I will always believe it's random and magical!
I like your thinking on Faried being an All Star!
Is the world going to end today?
Nate T., Denver Stiffs
If it is I want some warning time so that I can fill up a gallon bucket with chocolate milk and bake myself into a donut and eat my way out!
Have a good weekend folks and thanks to everyone who submitted a question!
