Fansided

Predicting the final records of each NBA team

By Brad Rowland

CPer Forbes, LeBron James beats out Tiger Woods for most valuable sports brand. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
CPer Forbes, LeBron James beats out Tiger Woods for most valuable sports brand. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) drives to the basket during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) drives to the basket during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets won 57 games just two seasons ago. Does anyone remember that? It is certainly true that the team that put together that fantastic regular season run included a different cast of characters that included Andre Iguodala and George Karl, but at the same time, the roster is actually quite similar as we head into the 2014-2015 season. With that on the table, I am higher on the Nuggets than most pundits appear to be.

Denver struggled at times under new head coach Brian Shaw last season, and they were also bit with the injury bug on the way to a final record of 36-46. However, the Nuggets have two major additions this year, as Denver reacquired stud shooting guard Arron Afflalo and they will also have the benefit of a healthy Danilo Gallinari for the first time since April of 2013. As a result, this is an incredibly deep team with established rotation players, and that is before the inclusion of either of their first-round rookies in guard Gary Harris and big man Jusuf Nurkic.

The Nuggets do lack traditional “star power”, but with Ty Lawson (17.6 points, 8.8 assists per game; 19.0 PER last season) and the aforementioned Afflalo (18.2 points, 3.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds per game) making up one of the best backcourts in the NBA and a multi-faceted frontcourt that includes Wilson Chandler, Javale McGee and rebounding machine J.J. Hickson, Denver will be a threat to reach the playoffs even in the loaded West.

Oh, did I mention that the Nuggets also boast the “Manimal” in Kenneth Faried, who happened to be the breakout star of the FIBA World Cup? Like I said, Denver is extremely deep and talented this season, and if they can click with Brian Shaw’s system, the ceiling is higher than you might think.

Projected Record: 43-39, 9th in West

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