Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

[Phil89]

Judging by the way this game generates rookies, I'm guessing the guy from North Korea is black with bright orange hair and moustache?

I hate it when players 'retire' without any kind of notification. Same thing happened to me when I went to re-sign Byron Mullens a season after releasing him. Nowhere to be found.

[Andrew]

Tough break in the WCF, probably more heartbreaking than the first round exit especially with this being the year of redemption. Still, it was a great season and it's certainly making for an interesting story. Perhaps you need to be more of an underdog to win it all?

[Martti.]

Holy shit, North Korea? Only in video games...

At least you still have your All-Star Big Three.

[Axel The Great]

Shame that the Rockets didn't win the championship, such a let down. After you told me that Werner had a Kevin Martin-esque jumpshot, I took a liking to him so I don't like seeing him go. Terrible mistake taking Brook Lopez though, but I hope the sim season goes well.

[The X]

After two fairly dominant regular seasons, you once again fell short when it mattered. Maybe you could've used Durant in that game 7.

[Lamrock]

Odd seeing a 27 year old rookie from North Korea, but both of your first rounders look like guys you can use. Looking forward to seeing who you fill out your roster with.

[Warlock95]

Odd seeing a 27 year old rookie from North Korea.

I think Kim Jong-Il's successor blackmailed David Stern into adding his country's best player into the draft.

[Kenny]

Judging by the way this game generates rookies, I'm guessing the guy from North Korea is black with bright orange hair and moustache?

I hate it when players 'retire' without any kind of notification. Same thing happened to me when I went to re-sign Byron Mullens a season after releasing him. Nowhere to be found.

Actually, he's bald, white and has a goatee

I hate it too. Once he came out of his contract, I had every intention of signing Jeff Green for this season, but he retired as well

Tough break in the WCF, probably more heartbreaking than the first round exit especially with this being the year of redemption. Still, it was a great season and it's certainly making for an interesting story. Perhaps you need to be more of an underdog to win it all?

It definitely was tough, but there are many possibilities still over the next few seasons. I have a few ideas left up my sleeve, but 14 will be simmed.

I do like winning as an underdog; season 3 I believe I was 41-41 after the regular season and I won it all (the Marcus Camby season).

Holy shit, North Korea? Only in video games...

At least you still have your All-Star Big Three.

I'm still on the lookout for a rookie from Estonia

Hopefully the simulation will go easy on them.

Shame that the Rockets didn't win the championship, such a let down. After you told me that Werner had a Kevin Martin-esque jumpshot, I took a liking to him so I don't like seeing him go. Terrible mistake taking Brook Lopez though, but I hope the sim season goes well.

I was let down by that as well; it would have been the second story where a below .500 Rockets won it all.

I knew you'd probably be disappointed by that. But it turns out one of my free agency signings has the same jumpshot

I always had thoughts of reuniting Brook and Robin and have them be... wait for it; TWIN towers... but unfortunately, that didn't work out, as Robin already retired

After two fairly dominant regular seasons, you once again fell short when it mattered. Maybe you could've used Durant in that game 7.

Oh I definitely could have, but I was kind of happy to move him on. He was asking for too much and I was kind of getting bored with him... plus there was the opportunity to re-sign Melo that I wanted to take.

Odd seeing a 27 year old rookie from North Korea, but both of your first rounders look like guys you can use. Looking forward to seeing who you fill out your roster with.

An even stranger thing was that he was projected as having a big upside. At 27, he's probably as good as he's going to be. After about pick 15, the players you draft in this game generally have abysmal ratings.

I think Kim Jong-Il's successor blackmailed David Stern into adding his country's best player into the draft.

It was definitely a bizarre one. I'm just hoping he can live up to his Brent Barry comparison

[Kenny]

Off-Season Movement

Denver Nuggets Acquisitions

-Former Wizards point guard Steven Hunt signed a 4 year deal worth in excess of 50 million dollars. A championship player with the 2021 Washington Wizards, many consider him to be the best point guard in the league.

-Swingman Simon Sampson signed a two year mid level contract with the Nuggets. He was the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, but he suffered a setback last season as he didn't play a single game after sustaining a broken knee cap.

-Centre/Forward Nigel Costa signed a one year deal. He was previously a second pick in the 2020 draft. He played two seasons with the Phoenix Suns.

-Lino Sweeney signed a one year minimum contract. The third year point guard was a second round pick for the New Jersey Nets.

Other Notable Signings

-Duncan Werner was picked up by the Golden State Warriors.

-Still holding onto his NBA career, J.R. Smith went back to where it all began, signing a deal with the New Orleans Hornets.

Still on the Market

-Former Denver players LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Michael Beasley are still without a team.

[Lamrock]

Looks like you made some promising signings. Looking forward to seeing what Hunt can do. Hope he's at least better than Jennings. Also, sign Melo already!

[qfrmcpt310]

Yes! Bring Melo back for the last hoorah!

[Andrew]

Agreed, one more run with Melo for old time's sake. Should've brought back LeBron too, so that they could team up.

[kibaxx7]

I'm also up for one more Melo story

[Kenny]

Looks like you made some promising signings. Looking forward to seeing what Hunt can do. Hope he's at least better than Jennings.

Traditional point guard wise, Hunt superseeds Jennings in pretty much every way, but I think Brandon was actually a better shooter... in saying that though, it's probably because I haven't gotten used to Hunt's shooting stroke.

Also, sign Melo already!

Yes! Bring Melo back for the last hoorah!

Agreed, one more run with Melo for old time's sake. Should've brought back LeBron too, so that they could team up.

I'm also up for one more Melo story

Since signing Hunt and absorbing Brook Lopez' contract, I was at parity with the cap. I actually offered Carmelo a minimum contract, but it was 200k below what he wanted. So sorry guys, no second comeback for Melo

Same story with LeBron... only I was never really looking to get him back anyway.

[Kenny]

Prologue

Even though they were the best team last season, the Denver Nuggets were once again unable to get it done when it mattered. As much as they'd like to blame the "LeBron Curse" on their post-season shortcomings, the fact is that Houston were the much better team. With the team's confidence shaken, the Nuggets appear to be at their most vunerable... but they still have a lot of talent. They still have the scoring champion and last season's MVP, along with a future first ballot hall of fame centre. Through free agency, they picked up a guy who was second in the league in assists (Steven Hunt), along with a former first overall pick and a few other handy role players.

Aside from the roster changes, there have been a few changes for the individuals who make up the heart of this team. Not only is Borislav Perko sporting a new haircut and colour, but over the summer he added a new ring to his collection, marrying reality TV star Kim Courtney. As for Taylor MacKenzie, he went for a summer holiday to the Caribean and came back with a look that pays homage to former Nuggets championship winner Ben Wallace.

So can the Nuggets get back to winning another championship? Will Borislav Perko have another MVP season? All of which will be revealed soon.

The 2022-2023 Denver Nuggets

The Starters
| Dwight Howard | Borislav Perko | Cody Campbell | Taylor MacKenzie | Steven Hunt |

The Bench
| Simon Sampson | Liam Leopold | Bartholomew Myer | Lino Sweeney | Adrian Young | Ollie Stearn | Nigel Costa |

IR
| Cyrus Banks | Kitt Graham | Brook Lopez |


In

Steven Hunt (free agency), Simon Sampson (free agency), Ollie Stearn (first round pick), Kitt Graham (first round pick), Nigel Costa (free agency), Brook Lopez (via Boston), Lino Sweeney (free agency)

Out

LeBron James (free agency), Duncan Werner (signed by Golden State), Dennis Da Conceicao (traded to Boston), JaVale McGee (retired), Ed Reed (signed by Zhejiang Golden Bulls), Jesus Carlos (free agency), Jakov Branco (free agency)

[The X]

I like that you've picked up a legit PG. Hopefully it makes the difference.

Prefer Perko with hair

[kibaxx7]

Great homage to Big Ben, lovin' it.

[qfrmcpt310]

Suck about Melo , @ Perko marrying Kim Courtney. Lovin T-Mac with the Big Ben look

[Kenny]

I like that you've picked up a legit PG. Hopefully it makes the difference.

Prefer Perko with hair

I think it well when I get back to playing games. It's been a while since I've had one.

I prefer him with hair too, but I think I like him most as a blond.

Great homage to Big Ben, lovin' it.

It's pretty awesome... even when Big Ben played for the Nuggets, he wasn't rocking the big hair.

Suck about Melo , @ Perko marrying Kim Courtney. Lovin T-Mac with the Big Ben look

It does suck, but in a way, it's probably for the best. He's 38 and probably doesn't have a lot left; he would have been simply an IR stuffer.

And yes... I had to have some excuse for Perko's upcoming season performance

[Kenny]

2022-2023: The Dynasty's New Low

If you think the exit from the Western Conference Finals against Houston was disasterous, it was simply the prequel to what was an abysmal 2022-2023 season. The Nuggets went to the All-Star break with a poor record of 17-31, yet from there, the season managed to get even worse. Post All-Star Weekend, they won just 8 more games in the season, resulting in being the second worst team in the league, with Milwaukee (10-72) the only team worse than them.

So how does a team who was the best in the West previous go to being the worst? Skip Bayless weighed in on this with his own thoughts:

"I've been asking myself the same question; how does a team who won 66 games last season and has 5 guys who are at least top 10 players in their positions go to being the worst team in their conference? THEY WERE TANKING! You heard it here first! They knew they weren't going to win a championship, so hey, why not try to get a good pick? They were tanking Stephen A!"

Some of the evidence may support Skip's argument, but it was a season where the Nuggets' best player was their biggest distraction. During the season, Borislav Perko's high profile marriage to reality TV star Kim Courtney ended after just three months... and Borislav was playing like a distracted man. He easily had his worst season in the league, averaging 5 points and 7 rebounds after being the league's MVP twice. The situation got so bad that the Nuggets decided to shut him down for the last 10 games of the season.

When Perko is playing badly, his partner in crime, Taylor MacKenzie isn't as effective either. He averaged almost half (12.8) the points per game of the previous season, where he won the scoring title. Cody Campbell (17.8ppg) and Steven Hunt (17ppg 6.1apg) did their best to try and make the Nuggets competitive, but the team was absolutely terrible.

Where did LeBron and Carmelo end up?

-Many might find it ironic that the team LeBron choked against was also the one that signed him this season. Houston made the playoffs, but were a first round casualty to the Dallas Mavericks... the LeBron curse continues!
-Carmelo Anthony made his final stop at the Los Angeles Clippers. After they failed to make the playoffs, he decided to call it a career.

All-Star Weekend

Rookie Challenge

SOPHOMORES: 89 (Walsh 23, Williamson 15, Kohler 14)
ROOKIES: 53 (O'Neal 15, Stearn 13, Gibson 8)

MVP: Wyatt Walsh [POR] 23 points 6 rebounds 3 assists 1 block

Notes

-Ollie Stearn was Denver's only representative at the entire All-Star Weekend. He had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals for the Rookies.

All-Star Game

EAST: 97 (Conners 36, L Campbell 23, Banks 10)
WEST: 86 (P McNamara 18, Ferrer 16, J Williams 16)

MVP: Sam Conners [WAS]

Notes

-While the Nuggets had no players in this game, three former Nuggets played for the Eastern Conference. Todd Griffin (Miami Heat) was a starter, while Sam Conners (Washington Wizards) and Alejandro Carlos (Washington Wizards) came off the bench.

Nuggets Statistical Leaders

Points: Cody Campbell (17.8), Steven Hunt (17), Taylor MacKenzie (12.8)
Rebounds: Dwight Howard (8), Borislav Perko (7.5), Liam Leopold (6)
Assists: Steven Hunt (6.1), Bartholomew Myer (3.8), Taylor MacKenzie (2.5)
Blocks: Dwight Howard (1.5), Cody Campbell (1.1), Borislav Perko (1)
Steals: Steven Hunt (1.5), Cody Campbell (1.2), Taylor MacKenzie (1.1)

League Leaders

Points: [NOH] Hobbes MacDonald 24.8
Rebounds: [LAL] Archibald Sheehan 10.8
Assists: [IND] Murray Koch 8.8
Steals: [GSW] Duncan Werner 1.7
Blocks: [LAL] Archibald Sheehan 2.6

Awards

MVP: [NOH] Hobbes MacDonald (24.8ppg 7.6rpg 4.9apg)
MIP: [LAL] Bert O'Neal (13ppg 6.9apg 1.5spg)
DPOTY: [MEM] Darrell Flanagan (1.6bpg 1.4spg 5.4drpg)
ROTY: [POR] Fred Gibson (4.9ppg 4.5rpg 0.7bpg)
6th: [WAS] Duncan O'Farrell (11.7ppg 1.8rpg 0.9spg)
Coach: [OKC] Scott Brooks (57-25)

Teams

All-NBA First

[NYK] Grant Bernard
[HOU] Armando Ferrer
[NOH] Hobbes MacDonald
[DAL] Pat McNamara
[BOS] August Freeman

All-NBA Second

[LAC] Zach Pearson
[MEM] Darrell Flanagan
[ORL] Quint Myers
[MIA] Todd Griffin
[DAL] Brady O'Leary

All Defensive First

[LAC] Zach Pearson
[MEM] Darrell Flanagan
[NOH] Caleb Vick
[PHI] Chuck O'Farrell
[CLE] Lance Simpson

All Defensive Second

[GSW] Crawford Wilson
[HOU] Armando Ferrer
[SAN] Jamie Mathieu
[NYK] Ollie Rose
[MEM] Borislav Perko

All Rookie First

[POR] Fred Gibson
[UTA] Andres Carlos
[OKC] Willie O'Neal
[LAL] Rupert Davis
[MIL] Luke Vaughn

All Rookie Second

[HOU] Luka Cabral
[MIN] Timothy Worthy
[SAN] Pablo Carlos
[PHX] Bob Tate
[TOR] Jongilanga Saruchera

Best Records

WEST: Oklahoma City 57-25
EAST: Chicago Bulls 55-27

Worst Records

WEST: Denver Nuggets 25-57
EAST: Milwaukee Bucks 10-72

NBA Finals 2023

New Orleans: 4
Charlotte: 2

Finals MVP: Hobbes MacDonald 20.9ppg 7.7rpg 5.4apg

Notes

-J.R. Smith added to his ring collection with this one. He also announced his retirement after the success.
-Greg Oden now also has a championship ring. His future is still undecided though.

-----------------------------------

So after the farce that was that season, I've decided against completely simming season 15... however, I'm likely to do a play-5-sim-5 format. I didn't mind the idea of the Nuggets being a non-playoffs team, but to be last in the West with the talent I had is just absolutely ridiculous.

So season 15 is coming up. The off-season acquisitions and draft picks will be up soon.

[The X]

I like 50% simming best.

Damn, Bucks were brutal. Only one game better than the record.

I think this marks another amazing milestone in your dynasty. This is the first time that a real life player hasn't featured in any of the awards or All Star teams.

[qfrmcpt310]

Wow, Live's sim engine is terrible lol

[Kenny]

I like 50% simming best.

Damn, Bucks were brutal. Only one game better than the record.

I think this marks another amazing milestone in your dynasty. This is the first time that a real life player hasn't featured in any of the awards or All Star teams.

With the rate I actually play games, I think the next season could potentially be a quick one. I didn't want to have another 60+ season and choke in the playoffs again, so this would probably be a fair way to go about it.

Poor Derrick Rose, that's two terrible teams he's been apart of in this dynasty. First the T-Wolves and now the Bucks.

And you may be right with that one. If nobody else was making it, Dwight Howard certainly had a great run.

Wow, Live's sim engine is terrible lol

Yeah, I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but this team was much better than the one I had for the 3 seasons I simmed.

[Kenny]

Off-Season News

Who's Staying?

-Liam Leopold signed for another 2 years.

Who's Leaving?

-After three seasons with the Nuggets, Dwight Howard has decided to move on.
-Brook Lopez has called it a career.
-Adrian Young, Cyrus Banks, Lino Sweeney and Nigel Costa will all be seeking greener pastures in free agency.

Draft Picks: Denver Gets First Overall

-Much to the dismay of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise, the Denver Nuggets will get the first choice of the 2023 NBA draft. This will surely add to speculation that the Nuggets tanked last season. They will also get pick number 32.

[Phil89]

Congrats on getting top pick. Is this the first time you've had a top 10 pick, given all of your championships?