[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Bob Kravitz Loves The Trade From A Denver Perspective
Rocky Mountain News
Bob Kravitz
Finally, Nuggets playing for the present
All of a sudden, the Denver Nuggets are on a
one-year plan. There will be no more reliance on
the vicissitudes of the draft lottery. There will
be no more empty promises about getting better in
two years, or five years, or eight.
A one-year plan.
And isn't that a refreshing change?
Sure, there are arguments to be made against some of the deals
Issel did Tuesday.
Some of us cling to the belief Nick Van Exel is incorrigible
and not worth the megamillions. In response, Issel said he
loves Van Exel's assist-to-turnover ratio and his willingness
to take big shots. He said Van Exel's contract contains a
number of performance-based incentives, and that he's had long
talks with his point guard about his body language and public
persona. The thinking, too, is that by surrounding Van Exel
with better players, notably stand-up veterans such as George
McCloud, the point guard will be more inclined to stay in
line.
As for Ron Mercer, who was obtained from the Celtics, there
are legitimate questions about how he'll fit with a starting
five in which everybody needs the basketball and whether he'll
improve a defense that was the worst in the league last
season.
The biggest question, though, is what's up with his contract?
On the one hand, you had Issel saying Tuesday he would let
next season play out before worrying about signing Mercer, who
will be eligible for free agency. On the other hand, The
Boston Globe was reporting that Mercer would sign a six-year
extension when he arrives in Denver today.
Somebody's dealing in bad information.
Still ... risk is good. Risk is interesting. Risk is a virtual
requirement when your franchise has been so bad for so long
that the Clippers are making Nuggets jokes. For the first time
since heaven knows when, the Nuggets are committing to a group
of players -- especially Van Exel -- and casting their lot
with them.
"Our expectation is to be competitive for a playoff spot,"
Issel said.
Expectations? Since when did the Denver Nuggets start dealing
in expectations?
I look at the trade, in particular, and have a hard time
finding much downside.
With Mercer, the Nuggets are getting an athletic
18-points-a-game swingman who could be on the cusp of stardom
and gives Denver its best player at that position since Walter
Davis.
Popeye Jones is a backup forward who, if his knees are healthy
-- a big if -- figures to give Denver 10-12 minutes of
rebounding and defending.
And Dwayne Schintzius is a Y2K player, meaning he will be cut
Dec. 31 to create a bit of cap room.
But even if Mercer falls short of becoming a star here, it's
not like the Nuggets were forced to mess with their nucleus.
Danny Fortson is a hard worker and a gifted rebounder, but
wasn't going to start for a healthy Denver front line and
wouldn't have been worth signing after next season. Eric
Washington is a bench player. Eric Williams, an absolute drain
on the salary cap, never translated his improved conditioning
into quality play. (Does Rick Pitino get Nuggets games on the
dish, I wonder?) And the conditional first-round draft choice
won't come any sooner than 2001, which means if the Nuggets
bomb out again, they're still in the lottery next summer.
Consider this: The Nuggets have just one player, Bryant Stith,
remaining from the 11-71 atrocity. The Celtics, who might be
looking next to acquire Anthony Goldwire, have four (Tony
Battie, Williams, Washington and Fortson).
The bottom line is, it's not about building for 2002 or 2005
anymore. It's about building for now. It's about giving the
folks who drop $50 on a ticket something more tangible than
another bogus five-year plan. When Issel was hired, he said if
he didn't turn things around in three years, the Nuggets
should find a new architect. He is clearly acting like a man
with a sense of urgency.
Issel is blessed now with the tools his predecessors never
enjoyed. He benefited from the cap room Allen Bristow created
and then paid for with his job, and he is benefiting now from
having a new boss with deep pockets and a willingness to
invest in the present.
"We're going to have a more athletic team than any we've had
since I've been associated with this team," Issel said. "And
we're going to be awfully young."
The pressure is on now. It's on Issel, who has thrown his
reputation behind Van Exel and Mercer, and it's on Mike
D'Antoni, who will be expected to produce a team that will
fight for a playoff spot. But at least the Nuggets are taking
a shot at something resembling excellence. At least they're
making moves and making headlines. Finally, they've got a
one-year plan.
August 4, 1999
--------------------------------------------------------------
[An E.W. Scripps Co.] © Copyright, Denver Publishing Co.