NBA: Grading each team’s 2014-2015 season

Northwest Division, Western Conference. DENVER NUGGETS. D. <p>Woof.</p> <p>The Denver Nuggets were a team with varied expectations depending on who you asked in the preseason, but in this space, they garnered a great deal of respect. Thankfully (at least for my credibility), the Nuggets landed outside of the playoffs with a 43-39 record projection, but assigning a record better than .500 to this group was a mistake.</p> <p>Because of a few more toxic situations (New York, LA, Sacramento, etc.), the microscope hasn’t quite descended on Denver from a national standpoint, but things have been ugly. The Nuggets have just 30 wins despite a talented roster, and Denver sent Timofey Mozgov and Arron Afflalo (among others) away midseason while parting ways with head coach Brian Shaw.</p> <p>There is still some talent on this roster, led by Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried, but the Nuggets have been known for quality depth and high energy in recent seasons and that faltered in 2014-2015. Because of their roster composition, Denver is a highly-discussed group on the trade market, and it will be interesting to see what their roster looks like when the season tips off in November.</p>. 4th