After finishing 36-46 last season (thanks in large part to a slew of injuries), the Nuggets return to the court Wednesday with a (mostly) healthy roster and few new faces. As Denver prepares to host Detroit in its season opener, the Post’s beat writer, Christopher Dempsey, joined fellow writer Nick Groke and columnists Benjamin Hochman and Mark Kiszla to offer their predictions for the team and the league this season.
NUGGETS’ 2014-15 RECORD
Christopher Dempsey: 50-32.
Nick Groke: 43-39. The Nuggets won 36 games last season. If they improved by 12 games this season, it would be a big jump, but they’d still miss the playoffs. Dallas nabbed the eighth seed last season with 49 wins. The Las Vegas over/under on the Nuggets is 40. They’ll beat the odds by three, but they won’t outlast the West.
Mark Kiszla: 49-33. If Danilo Gallinari stays healthy for 75 games, if Nate Robinson occasionally plays with a brain, if general manager Tim Connelly makes smart trade at deadline. I know: That’s lot of ifs.
Benjamin Hochman: 47-35. Players are actually healthy, which should at least keep the
team in a playoff hunt.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINISH
Dempsey: Eighth.
Groke: 10th. A season-ending loss at Golden State pushes the Nuggs down a spot to 10th.
Kiszla: Eighth. In my handicapping, either New Orleans or Denver will rise to make playoffs. To repeat: One, but not both.
Hochman: Ninth. But everyone will be happy about the improvement, and that’ll be adorable.
NUGGETS’ LEADING SCORER
Dempsey: Ty Lawson
Groke: Lawson. His 17.6 points per game was a team high last go-round. But he carried the load a ton. His 8.8 assists might increase while his scoring dips. Lawson will be a shootout for the scoring lead with his wing.
Kiszla: Lawson. And that’s a problem. Lawson is very good player, but not a player who should be required to carry an offense.
Hochman: Lawson. He better lead in assists, too.
NUGGETS’ BREAKOUT PLAYER
Dempsey: Wilson Chandler.
Groke: Danilo Gallinari. The former Knickerbocker will be the first Nuggets’ all-star since Carmelo Anthony in 2011 when the game plays at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Kiszla: Jusuf Nurkic. Connelly was so giddy about the acquisition of the huge European center that I wanted to text JaVale McGee to start shopping for moving vans to ship his stuff out of Denver.
Hochman: Arron Afflalo. He’s going to be better than the Arron Afflalo you remember.
NUGGETS’ MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Dempsey: Timofey Mozgov
Groke: Gallinari. He’s a career 14.5 points/5 rebounds guy. He’ll get up near 17/7 this season, stretching the wing and spotting up for kick-outs.
Kiszla: Nate Robinson. At age 30, maybe it’s too late for Robinson to improve as player, but here’s hoping his helter-skelter style can be channeled to the team’s benefit.
Hochman: JaVale McGee. Healthy, he’ll play just well enough for Denver to collect some quality pieces in a February trade.
NUGGETS’ BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Dempsey: Injured players will take longer than expected to get to full-time minutes.
Groke: Jersey ads. When the NBA adds ads to jerseys, the Nuggets will end up with something janky, from some company looking to overspend to make a splash. Think: MLS’ L.A. Galaxy and their kit sponsorship with a pyramid scheme supplement company.
Kiszla: Should it be a rough road for the Nuggets, disappointed fans will remind Connelly only about 25,000 times on Twitter that Denver should have kept the No. 11 draft pick.
Hochman: Lack of creative concession stand options at Pepsi Center.
BOLD PREDICTION FOR THE NUGGETS
Dempsey: Mozgov will be second on the team in scoring.
Groke: Jusuf Nurkic wins rookie of the year. He’s a longshot – literally. Hs 100-1 to win ROY. And Jabari Parker is the favorite for a reason. Milwaukee needs Parker to score. But Nurkic will show well early off the bench. And after the Nuggets trade JaVale McGee (or, less likely, Mozgov), Nurkic jumps up the ranks and grabs national attention.
Kiszla: At end of another less-than-satisfactory season, the Kroenke family does the right thing and brings back Chauncey Billups to the franchise, either in front office or on the bench.
Hochman: Kenneth Faried will make the all-star team, either as a reserve or filling in for an injured player.
TEAM WITH THE BEST REGULAR-SEASON RECORD
Dempsey: Chicago.
Groke: Los Angeles Clippers. They have the NBA MVP playing for them.
Kiszla: Cleveland. If the Cavaliers don’t win 60 games in a weak Eastern Conference, then LeBron James’ hairline is not all that will show signs of age.
Hochman: Cavaliers. How can they not?
NBA CHAMPION
Dempsey: Clippers
Groke: Thunder. Kevin Durant’s early season injury will work in his favor. He’ll peak in the playoffs.
Kiszla: Bulls. It’s all about Derrick Rose. If his body can withstand eight months of punishment on the hard courts of the NBA, the Bulls are league’s best team.
Hochman: Cavaliers. How can they not?
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Dempsey: LeBron James, Cleveland
Groke: Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers. Once he masters a turnaround J.
Kiszla: James. I could get cute, but any other choice would be a reach.
Hochman: James. He’ll have an Oscar Robertson season of versatility.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Dempsey: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee
Groke: Nurkic!
Kiszla: Dante Exum, Utah. For all the hype, I actually believe this draft class was overrated.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Hochman: Paker. He looked like a quality NBA player a year ago at this time.
Dempsey: Doc Rivers, L.A. Clippers
Groke: Rivers. Free of the Clippers’ historic baggage, Rivers can run wild running another winner.
Kiszla: Monty Williams, New Orleans. Beware the Pelicans. Consider yourself warned.
Hochman: Rivers. The Clippers will win the West.
NBA’S MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Dempsey: Andre Drummond, Detroit.
Groke: Carmelo Anthony. Never underestimate Phil Jackson’s voodoo.
Kiszla: Anthony Davis, New Orleans. I’m cheating, because Davis already is among top 12 players in league. Most NBA fans just haven’t realized it yet.
Hochman: Anthony Bennett, Timberwolves. Take two.
NBA’S BIGGEST SURPRISE
Dempsey: Elfrid Payton, Orlando
Groke: The Lakers finish last in the West. Would that really be a surprise, though?
Kiszla: The news of Kobe Bryant’s demise will prove to be greatly exaggerated.
Hochman: How good the Jazz will play with its young roster. Like Denver, Utah will flirt with the eighth spot.
NBA’S BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Dempsey: The Knicks, in their first season under coach Derek Fisher
Groke: Houston Rockets. They’ll flub out in the first round, again.
Kiszla: Toronto. Our old friend Masai Ujiri has done what he does best: put together a team that plays decent basketball, but has zero chance of contending for the league championship.
Hochman: The Cavaliers won’t sweep the NBA Finals, instead settling for a title in six games.
BOLD PREDICTION FOR THE NBA
Dempsey: Nuggets’ Brian Shaw will be in the Coach of the Year conversation near the year’s end.
Groke: George Karl returns as head coach — of the San Antonio Spurs.
Kiszla: The Cavaliers will move the majority of home games in January to Honolulu or Bora Bora, because the NBA does whatever makes LeBron happy and comfortable.
Hochman:A prominent former star player will announce that he is gay.
