The NBA had a draft party. Cry if you want to. On Tuesday night, commissioner David Stern did not shake the hand of the next Shaquille O’Neal or a worthy heir to Michael Jordan.
That’s why championships are won in July, not on draft night.
The next 50 days will tell whether the Nuggetss are serious contenders.
The player they need to obtain in free agency is Michael Finley, twice an all-star for the Dallas Mavericks.
Finley is the answer to Denver’s prayers. He can stick a jumper from 20 feet. He growls with intensity. He figures to be available and could be acquired on the cheap.
Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe has announced to the world he’s in the market for a shooting guard.
So I asked him for a wish list of attributes for the gun Denver wants to hire.
“You have to focus on an experienced player. We want outside shooting. We like players who aren’t afraid to play some defense,” Vandeweghe said. “And, ideally, it would be a veteran who would be a real good influence on this team, because we still have some young players.”
Sounds like the exact description of Finley, although Vande- weghe never mentioned him by name.
When ratified, the league’s new labor agreement with its players will allow teams to waive one huge contract of a veteran to clear salary cap space. While Finley has been a warrior for the Mavericks, there’s loud talk in Dallas that the remaining $52 million on his deal will be pushed out the door with heartfelt thanks from owner Mark Cuban, a billionaire who won’t mind cutting the hefty severance check.
Denver would then be allowed to sign Finley as a free agent, at a reduced price the team can easily afford.
Vandeweghe did go on record as saying Denver must try to exploit this new rule in the collective bargaining agreement.
At a salary of roughly $5 million per year, the Nuggets could acquire a backcourt starter without having to trade any core member from their current roster.
Orlando’s Grant Hill and New York’s Allan Houston also could be available under the same conditions as Finley, but pale in comparison to a player who’s the perfect fit for the system of Denver coach George Karl.
Everybody knows what the Nuggets need most is a shooter. Julius Hodge, drafted 20th in the first round, is not the answer.
Hodge, as hard and wiry as the chain-link cages that enclosed the Harlem courts where he learned the game, brings the New York state of mind that you’re going to love. He describes his delightfully nasty attitude as: “Not taking no mess.” That’s perfect.
Now, for the downside: Hodge is a shooting guard who cannot shoot.
When Karl looks at Hodge, there are flashbacks to Nate McMillan, an intense, unconventional point guard for Seattle back in the day. One day, if Hodge makes it big in this league, he will be running the Denver fast break from a vantage point of 5,286 feet, 7 inches above sea level.
Karl dislikes utilizing rookies almost as much as he hates being made to look helpless by the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs.
At age 32, Finley could provide the toughness, the veteran voice in the locker room and the clutch shooting that Karl would love.
Finley averaged 15.7 points last season, when a chronic ankle injury robbed the lift from his jumper. After surgery, health should not be an issue. Dallas, however, wants to get younger, and a team that dared to cut ties with point guard Steve Nash doesn’t figure to hold onto Finley for any sentimental reasons.
If, as expected, Finley is cut loose from the Mavericks, there will be intense competition for his services from teams closer to winning a championship than Denver.
Anybody who cringed at Detroit’s incompetence from 3-point range during the NBA Finals knows that Finley could fill the role of instant offense that Vinnie Johnson provided in the Bad Boys era. After trading Quentin Richardson to New York, the Phoenix Suns would also covet Finley.
Vandeweghe, however, worked in Dallas before landing his gig with the Nuggets. His relationship with Finley better be worth something.
Can the Nuggets really be serious about winning 55 games next season?
Finley can give you the answer.
Staff writer Mark Kiszla can be reached at 303-820-5438 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.
