Trade Deadine, and going all In on these Nuggets!

            It’s that time of the season again, the most exciting time in the NBA, other then the Playoffs. In the past it’s been packed with massive deals including one that changed the Denver Nuggets forever. When Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Knicks, it was devastating to many Nugget fans, though many fans shrug it off as if it wasn’t that big of a deal, especially since we set a single season record afterword’s with an incredible team including Andre Iguodala, that went for 57 wins and was expected to make deep into the west with the 1^st seed, just like the warriors today, and the warriors where 8^th, just like the nuggets today. I don’t know if you knew where I was going there, but the warriors upset the nuggets with the 8^th seed, and that exactly where the nuggets and the warriors are positioned today but vice versa. The nuggets had a rather surprising start to this Trade deadline hoopla, when they traded for athletic big man Mason Plumlee, who looks to be very promising, and the nuggets are expected to attempt to extend his contract for he might make a great starter next to Jokic, or become a great bench player adding energy and versatility to the center position. Though the Nuggets made another move which just a year ago would have thrown Nuggets fans into a tizzy, picking up former All Star center Roy Hibbert. He has been on a downfall since his move to the Lakers, and though has made several great performances, just fell out of his former glory he once had paired with Paul George, who the Nuggets also reportedly went all in for with little return but a somewhat embarrassing denial. I know it is business to deny trades, especially if they seem unfit, but it seemed as though it was more the Pacers saving the Nuggets the time of trying to re-sign him then them not liking the deal.

Being an NBA fan this Deadline is somewhat of a disappointment, not for the Nuggets who actually had one of the better deadlines then anyone, picking up two legit centers to compete with an ever contentious division, but for the hype that comes every year’s trade deadline this was seemingly eventless. With under five major trades, including the two deals Denver made this year didn’t make that big of an impact. Many teams where expected to go “All-In”, including the Celtics and Nuggets, who both have a mass of assets and are looking to add All-Star to further compete in their current positions of the playoffs. One major trade that blew the top off the NBA world, was the Pelicans Trade for Demarcus Cousins for Buddy Heild and a few other Pelicans player, who will help the Kings in their rebuild this season. This move had major impacts on the Nuggets as they are the current 8^th seed, and the pelicans who are just a few games behind added another piece which could throw them into the contention for that spot. That’s where Hibbert comes in, the Nuggets made a small but impactful move in grabbing Hibbert for “very protected 2^nd round pick”. He has been a Monster on the defensive side for years, the Nuggets are one of the worst defensive teams for years, putting him at least on my radar for years.

Yes, many where expecting a big trade, one that would change Nuggets fortunes for years, throw them into Title contention, but that wasn’t going to happen this year, and the Nuggets made the best moves to keep them in the Playoff race, to bring back the Nuggets crowds which used to fill the Pepsi Center game in and game out. Sure it’s not going to happen immediately, the nuggets are one of the lowest in crowd attendance, but if the nuggets fight the rest of this season, make the 8^th seed and battle the Warriors in the playoffs, the Pepsi Center will fill. Though I don’t question trading for Hibbert, I do question what this means for Jokic. Not performance wise, I now he will get his minutes no matter who’s on the roster, but I wonder if this mean they dedicated to making Jokic a Starting Power Forward, Starting Plumlee and having Hibbert come off the bench. This would make since, as Jokic is somewhat of an undersized Center, and if we got a someone who could takeover that position and work with Jokic well maybe he could move to the PF position and be able to dominate the smaller players for rebounds and extend it out to the three more often.

We’ll see how this turns out, I think the addition of Hibbert could be a good counter-balance for the Pelicans addition of Cousins. Nuggets still have a lot of assets come this Summer and could make a move for the Draft, but for now it’s time to just let the Nuggets team groove it out, make a run for the playoffs, and return this team to its former glory days. I know fans are out there, they are watching and waiting, and it just might be time to go all in on this team. It’s not just up to the player, or the coaches, they need to have a fan base to play for, lets show them were here and well stay as long as they keep they’re winning mentality going and enter the Playoffs to contend the best team in the League, Golden State! Here we come, they take us like a joke, just as we took them back a few years ago. It’s our time, but the fans need to go all in with this team, filling that Arena would be Step One.