However, this year I do not project the same rosy outlook. First of all, I do not think they had a very good off-season. While most of the leading contenders in the West were busy bolstering their squads, the Nuggets arguably got worse over the summer. Defensive ace Dahntay Jones left town after being lavished with a very generous contract from the Pacers and Linas Kleiza also departed. They did resign Chris Anderson and acquire Aaron Afflalo via trade, but that does not offset the aforementioned losses.
Why I think the Nuggets are really in for a rocky start to their season is because of the absence of J.R. Smith, who will miss the first seven games due to suspension. I cannot over-emphasize how big of a loss that is. His scoring punch coming off the bench is so critical to the team’s success. His three-point shooting is even more valuable when they play at home as it really gets their crowd going after he knocks down a few deep ones in succession. So counting Smith’s loss along with the departures of Kleiza and Jones, the Nuggets are now without three of their top nine players from last year’s team. That’s a third of their roster that is not there right now and hasn’t really been replaced. Their depth has taken a serious hit.
On the other hand, the Jazz are coming into this season really flying under the radar. You’re not hearing a lot of talk about them at all and I think that’s a good thing. Now obviously you can’t be thrilled that Carlos Boozer is still on the team after publicly stating he would pretty much never play another game for the Jazz. At the same time though, he makes
Of course I’m acutely aware of
Jazz +5.5
Jazz ML
You must really have something against the Nuggs.
Established in 1995,
Denver is going to have a monster year. 58 wins!
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