Though this is strictly a Denver Nuggets-themed blog, I don’t think I’d be going to far as to say most of the our readers are likely going to be watching the Mavericks and Heat go at it in the 2011 NBA Finals this year. So, Roundball Mining Company has dug up an assortment of different links to help you further get acquainted with the nuances of this historic series.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports mentions a few keys to the series for each team.
Helin also touches on the unconventional practice methods of NBA superstar, Dirk Nowitzki.
Yahoo! Sports’ blog, BallDon’tLie, offers up a unique perspective on the Finals.
Must Reads:
A quick note:
The Denver Nuggets have revealed to Roundball its first series of workouts prior to the draft, and this year’s participants include Iman Shumpert, guard out of Georgia Tech; Nolan Smith, guard out of Duke; Jordan Williams, forward out of Maryland; Cory Higgins, guard out of Colorado; Charles Jenkins, guard out of Hofstra; and Travis Leslie, guard out of Georgia. It’s too bad I’m not stationed in Denver over the summer as I’d love to attend this event, if at all possible of course. Nonetheless, it’s interesting how five of the six prospects are guards, and of the five, four received heavy minutes at point guard for their respective college teams this past year.
So what does this this pattern of potential point guard prospects (how’s that for alliteration?) mean for the Nuggets? Not much to be completely honest. Between now and the NBA Draft on June 23, many different types of players will pass between the Nuggets’ realm of player-analysis, and it just so happens that guards appear to be first on the list. That said, it would be interesting to see management explore trade options in the form of a late first-round, or early second-round draft pick for Raymond Felton, as there will likely be a copious amount of point guards in this slot that could immediately step in and contribute back-up minutes for the Nuggets behind Ty Lawson. The big picture is this: Felton only has one more year left on his contract, wants to be a starter and with Lawson ready to assume full-time duties, it really makes keeping Felton around all the more illogical. Therefore, why not trade him to a team like the Heat for its second round pick (first selection of the second round, No. 31 overall), then draft somebody like a Nolan Smith, Josh Selby, Iman Shumpert, Charles Jenkins, Norris Cole, Shelvin Mack, Isaiah Thomas, Andrew Goudelock to backup Lawson and grow with the team similar to a Eric Maynor in Oklahoma City or Eric Bledsoe in L.A.? Though we wouldn’t be getting the proper amount of value out of Raymond Felton — the player — that we should, we have to realize that he does only have one year left on his contract, so unless we package him with another valuable asset (i.e. Wilson Chandler) or sign him to an extension — which can’t be done until the Collective Bargaining negotiations are complete — we simply can’t get the amount of value we desire out of him. Why not just resolve this potentially disastrous locker-room situation by dealing Felton to another team, giving him the opportunity he wants to start, and then drafting a backup point guard that will be here for years behind Lawson? This would save us money and leave us set at the point guard position for years to come. Just imagine an off-season in which we draft Marshon Brooks at 22 to replace J.R. and Josh Selby at 31 to replace Felton, then re-sign Nene , Afflalo (likely) and Chandler. That means we’d legitimately be two deep — once again — at every position (PG: Lawson and Selby; SG: Afflalo and Brooks; SF: Gallinari and Chandler; PF: Nene and Birdman) except maybe center (Mozgov and Koufos), for a long time into the future.
Something to think about fellow Nuggets fans, something to think about…
(Follow me on Twitter @24kGoldenChild)