Defying logic and bending laws of physics, the Nuggets believe they can make a giant leap forward by standing pat.
If the San Antonio Spurs can boast of being NBA champions and the Detroit Pistons are not far behind, then where can you find the No. 3 team in basketball?
Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe thinks it might be right here in Denver.
“Are we one of the top two teams in the league? I don’t think so. But can we play with those teams? Absolutely. Can we beat them on any given night? Sure,” Vandeweghe said Thursday.
“We are not head and shoulders above the rest of the league. But if you look at that next group of teams, the ones ranked 3 through 7 in the league, I honestly think that’s where we belong.”
Bold words from a franchise that has not won a playoff series since 1994.
And heady confidence from a general manager who has not made one significant offseason deal to upgrade Denver’s talent.
I hope Vandeweghe is correct. He is working in the final year of his contract. His fate, not to mention his career, depends on impressing Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke.
“Denver,” Vandeweghe said, “is back on the basketball map.”
No argument here. Coach George Karl made the Nuggets hipper in this town than orange Crocs.
But if Denver is truly serious about shooting the moon, the team needs another big gun.
“I would love to pull off a big deal,” Vandeweghe said. “It’s not for the lack of trying.”
The Nuggets need a guard who can score. To land one, they have taken three longshots. Talked deals that never happened.
There have been all-star shooting guards available. All have been out of Denver’s range.
Paul Pierce: The 27-year-old Pierce can guarantee any coach 20 points per game and indigestion. Boston has a love-hate relationship with him. The Celtics are rebuilding. After seven seasons of being the best reason to watch a franchise stuck in the stale nostalgia of its long-gone glory days, Pierce could use a fresh address.
Denver is among the teams that have been tempted to take on Pierce’s silky shot and rough personality in trade, but the demands of Celtics general manager Danny Ainge have been too high for the Nuggets to bite.
Ray Allen: He was sleepless in Seattle, restless to leave. Allen returned to the Sonics as a free agent only because there was not a viable alternative. Before Allen signed a five-year, $80 million contract this month, the Nuggets heard he might be willing to play for less in Denver.
At age 30, Allen was apparently ready to put an old feud with Karl to bed. Vandeweghe, however, could not figure any way that made sense to fit the game’s most dangerous shooter under the salary cap.
Michael Finley: After Dallas released Finley to save big bucks, the teams jumping in line to woo him were Miami, Detroit, San Antonio and Phoenix. Which only goes to prove that Finley might be 32, but is still regarded as a winner.
Vandeweghe told me if Finley joined the team, Denver could be as good as anybody in the league. Because Finley wants to win a championship now, however, Vandeweghe believes there is little or no chance he will sign with the Nuggets. Which only goes to prove not everybody in the NBA likes Denver’s talent as much as Vandeweghe does.
The Nuggets are willing to welcome starting guard Voshon Lenard back from an Achilles injury and wager Karl can do whatever it takes to win a weak Northwest Division, which would secure home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
Want to gamble on greatness?Here’s a smarter bet: Dangle forward Kenyon Martin and Lenard in a trade to Boston for Pierce. The salary cap details of the deal would not be hard to figure.
The Celtics won’t get a better offer.
If Karl can harness Pierce’s immense talent, then maybe the old coach really is a genius.
“You know me. I’m not afraid to pull the trigger on a deal. I’m a guy who likes to make deals. And it’s hard for me to sit and not make a deal,” said Vandeweghe, refusing to discuss the specifics of any potential trade.
“But I like our team. And our coach really likes our team. There’s a tendency to say, ‘Well, you’ve got to do something sexy to improve your team.’ But if a deal doesn’t clearly make us better, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Staff writer Mark Kiszla can be reached at 303-820-5438 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.
