Arron Afflalo is back in Denver and is already convinced this team can win a title.
“Being traded for me is a positive experience,” Afflalo told . “I really enjoyed my time in Orlando. Rob [Hennigan], Scott [Perry], Coach [Jacque Vaughn], the assistants and all of my teammates really helped me develop as a player and as a person over the past two seasons so I’m very thankful for my opportunity there. I’m happy to be back in Denver, I got some very familiar teammates. I believe this is a championship team under the right mindset and coaching.”
Afflalo was acquired in a with Orlando for Evan Fournier and the 56th pick to help fill the Nuggets’ need for long-range shooters. The 28-year-old shooting guard averaged a career-high 18.2 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent from three-point range last season.
He had previously played for Nuggets, from 2009-2012, before being shipped to the Magic in the four-team trade that send Dwight Howard to Los Angeles and brought Andre Iguodala to Denver.
The Nuggets are coming off their worst season in more than a decade after going 36-46 in the regular season and failing to make the postseason for the first time since 2003. Much of that was due to injuries to many of their key players: Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee, Ty Lawson, J.J. Hickson, Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson.
But even with improved health, the Nuggets appear to lack the talent necessary of championship teams. Many teams have made it to the playoffs with a balanced attack, but few have actually won it all. It could be argued that the only NBA team in recent memory to win the title without a “star” would be the 2004 Pistons. Every other championship team has had one, if not a few, big-name players — Miami, San Antonio, the Lakers, Boston, Dallas.
Does this Nuggets team, even when healthy, have the talent to win it all? Afflalo may think so, but I’m not sold.
