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

Finals MVP: Carmelo Anthony



18.9ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.5spg



The Starters



| Chris Andersen | Ty Maximilian | Carmelo Anthony | Chauncey Billups | Mario Chalmers |

The Bench



| Michael Beasley | Matt Bonner | Marcus Camby | Shannon Brown | Grant Hill | Arron Afflalo | Louis Williams

IR



| Ray Warren |

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I have to admit, Melo comes as a bit of a shock, but he played pretty well in the NBA Finals. Coming up soon will be the off-season. Thanks again to everyone who has read and followed this story so far. There will be more to come, I'm far from done yet

wow.. Maximillian just dropped 33pts..

Oh yeah! back to back champs GH and Camby finally have their ring and Melo is better than Lebron

wow man Congratulations nice repeat over the nets. good joob

No matter how much I like Melo, Maxmillian should have won it. Good Job on the repeat!

Maximilian should have been MVP. Congrats on the repeat!

so true.. Maximilian should have won the Finals MVP.. he really deserves it..

Yeah, MVP for Ty! Great sweep man. Hope I can win a Finals with my Nets... maybe in 3 or four years

Good job winning the finals. Despite being a winning team, this is an exciting dynasty.

Great job getting the repeat, though tbh, I hate a lot of players on your team now.

Congrats on the repeat! Certainly an unusual Playoffs with a few upsets and an underdog Finals but it was an interesting ride and as always, you did a fine job with the coverage.

wow.. Maximillian just dropped 33pts..

No matter how much I like Melo, Maxmillian should have won it. Good Job on the repeat!

Maximilian should have been MVP. Congrats on the repeat!

so true.. Maximilian should have won the Finals MVP.. he really deserves it..

Yeah, MVP for Ty! Great sweep man. Hope I can win a Finals with my Nets... maybe in 3 or four years

Yes, it was something that dumbfounded me as well. I actually thought Camby probably deserved it over Melo as well. Melo's post season numbers were good, but Ty Maximilian was just outstanding.

Oh yeah! back to back champs GH and Camby finally have their ring and Melo is better than Lebron

The most gratifying part of all this definitely. Melo is fantastic as well.

wow man Congratulations nice repeat over the nets. good joob

Thanks. Who would have thought the Nets would make it this far though? I thought I would be playing Orlando for sure.

Good job winning the finals. Despite being a winning team, this is an exciting dynasty.

Thanks mate. I'm glad the fact I'm winning isn't stopping people from enjoying it. I can still lose games quite easily, but I guess playoffs brings out the best of me.

Great job getting the repeat, though tbh, I hate a lot of players on your team now.

I've said previously that I like your honesty

Congrats on the repeat! Certainly an unusual Playoffs with a few upsets and an underdog Finals but it was an interesting ride and as always, you did a fine job with the coverage.

Thanks Andrew, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it

Ty Maximilian

Due to the fact that Ty probably should have been the MVP of the Finals, I thought I'd share a couple of highlights of him during the post-season.

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The off-season will begin next. Enjoy!

The Off-season

Upcoming free agents



| Carmelo Anthony | Chauncey Billups | Michael Beasley | Marcus Camby | Grant Hill | Matt Bonner | Arron Afflalo

Likely to stay

Carmelo Anthony: Arguably Denver's franchise player, he's a duel Finals MVP and he will be the main priority for the Nuggets in the off-season.

Arron Afflalo: Doesn't play every game, but the minutes he gets are quality ones. That added to the fact that he plays for shiny pennies will mean that he will be a drop in the ocean for Denver's salary cap. So why not?

Matt Bonner: He remains to be a good fit for Denver. He comes off the bench and can pile on the points on any given night. On the wrong side of 30, he's unlikely to get a big contract anywhere else, so hopefully staying on a winning team will entice him to resign.

50/50

Chauncey Billups: If Chauncey chooses to play on, Denver will sign him.

Not Likely to stay

Michael Beasley: Beasley was a stud for Denver when they first traded for him, but in the last playoffs series his game declined. This in addition to Ty Maximilian's breakout post-season, it's unlikely he'll get the big contract he wants out of Denver. He might have to find a new home.

Marcus Camby: If he chose to play on, he'd be welcomed back to the roster. Him choosing to play on is unlikely though.

Grant Hill: Same as Marcus Camby pretty much. He's welcome to stay, but next season he'll be 40. The odds are kind of against him.

The Off-season

Retirement news: Marcus Camby finishes in style



Marcus Camby has decided to call it quits on his NBA career. After an outstanding playoffs series, in which he wouldn't have looked out of place as the MVP, he has decided to take the fairytale ending.

Camby played for the Denver Nuggets for 6 years before being traded off in a move to get Denver under the luxury tax threshold. After two seasons with the Clippers, Marcus found himself on free agency. With a chance to right the wrongs of the past, Denver resigned him to a 1 year contract hoping to give him the ring he deserves.

During the playoffs he had two MVP performances. His best game was against the Memphis Grizzlies in game 6, where he had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks and 1 steal. Needless to say he provided solid backup for Chris Andersen.

Camby's retirement caps off a 16 year career in which he's one of the most prolific shot blockers of all time.

Grant Hill to play on



He might want to be apart of a potential 3-peat... perhaps he's making up for lost time... either way, Grant Hill will be playing on next year if Denver want him. He will be 40 next season.

Shaq to Denver?



After Shaq announced that he would be playing on once again, the rumour mills were buzzing. The major rumour being that Denver will be his last/latest stop. It just so happens that the Nuggets need a backup centre with Marcus Camby retiring. Is the Big Diesel going to finish his career in the Mile High City?

Resignings

Melo agrees to 4 more years



Carmelo Anthony will stay in Denver for another 4 years, resigning with the organisation. Melo is still seen to be the future of the Nuggets, and in combination with Ty Maximilian, it's looking good Denver.

Chauncey to play on



Chauncey Billups has agreed to taking a pay cut to stay with Denver for this year. It's believed that he has accepted 4 million less than his previous contract so the core of his team can stay together.

Beasley resigned, but unlikely to stay



Michael Beasley has signed a 4 year deal with Denver, however it is believed that he will be apart of a sign and trade. It's unlikely that he will get the minutes he wants in Denver and he could be a starter in just about any team in the league right now.

Hill decides on one more year



Grant Hill has been signed to a one year deal. He has mentioned that he wants to be around for Denver's chance at a 3-peat. It's likely his production will be decreased this year, but he will still be used as a backup to Carmelo Anthony.

Bonner resigns



Former 6th man of the year Matt Bonner has agreed to a two year deal with the Denver Nuggets. He was clearly pleased with the resigning, adding that Denver is now his home.

Afflalo sticks around



Arron Afflalo has been signed to another 1 year deal. For a player who asks for next to nothing, he provides solid production off the bench. A no brainer really.

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Resigned: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Michael Beasley, Grant Hill, Matt Bonner, Arron Afflalo
Gone: Marcus Camby (retirement)
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So far it looks like my squad has been kept together. Coming soon will be the draft, free agency and any possible trades that happen.

Thanks for the videos. Odd to see The Birdman running the break.

Good to see you're retaining most of your core, Grant Hill sticking around for another year is surprising. Shame Camby called it quits though. I'm interested to see what other moves you make, particularly what you've got cooking with Beasley and whether you end up bringing Shaq in.

Thanks for the videos. Odd to see The Birdman running the break.

Good to see you're retaining most of your core, Grant Hill sticking around for another year is surprising. Shame Camby called it quits though. I'm interested to see what other moves you make, particularly what you've got cooking with Beasley and whether you end up bringing Shaq in.

No worries, glad you enjoyed them

It's a shame Camby retired, but in saying that, I'm always excited about signing new players. Grant Hill definitely shocked me, but to have a quality player at a low price is something I find hard to refuse... even if they're 40.

NBA Draft

Denver's picks:

19 and 49

Denver's picks

#19

Taylor MacKenzie from Florida State
Age: 20
Position: Small Forward
NBA Comparison: John Salmons
6'7
196lbs

Inside: D
Outside: A-
Defense: C
Teamwork: C
Athleticism: B-

Denver traded their second round pick and Ray Warren to Milwaukee for their second round pick

#53

Erick Christian from the Republic of Serbia
Age: 23
Position: Centre
NBA Comparison: Adonal Foyle
6'9
266lbs

Inside: D
Outside: B
Defense: D
Teamwork: B
Athleticism: D

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Once again, I traded my second round pick and an IR player for a lesser second round pick. Second rounders generally don't phase me too much. To be honest, I just pick the person with the coolest name or hairstyle

Free Agent Signings

Ray Allen joins the Nuggets



Ex-member of Boston's big three Ray Allen has agreed to a 1 year deal with the Denver Nuggets. While he's not guaranteed a start, he will be a strong contender for the shooting guard position. Well into the twilight of his career, he's looking for one more shot at the glory and Denver can provide him this.

Hickson signed to two year deal



Power Forward JJ Hickson has signed a two year deal with the Denver Nuggets. This signing adds to speculation that Beasley is on his way out of the club, with Denver now having 4 power forwards on their roster.

Trade News: Denver acquire Gortat for Beasley







Ending an off-season of speculation behind his future, the Denver Nuggets have sent Michael Beasley away to the Boston Celtics in exchange for centre Marcin Gortat.

This is a trade that is a win for both parties. Boston get a starting power forward after recently losing Kevin Garnett to free agency, while Denver get a solid backup centre for Chris Andersen. Denver also receive an additional 2 million dollars in cap room.
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So there you have it. My search for a backup centre is over. I've successfully refused the urge to sign an aging Shaq and I'm getting a guy who will hopefully do an excellent job for me. As always, I'm eager to hear your responses

Talent wise you just got ripped big time. I mean Gortat is a hustling Center with almost no potential upside in him, whilst Beasley is a potential All-Star and has a bit of everything. You could have included way more, maybe a first rounder or something else. Your team is pretty old, but I guess you won't notice any disadvantages with that on a video game.

Good luck with your next season!

im glad that Chauncey and melo stay and it will be very intresting with allen.
i think that you have a very strong team now much more than last season and it will be intresting to watch if you can keep the championship in denver.

good luck.

Beasley is gone.. hmm but why Gortat?

Talent wise you just got ripped big time. I mean Gortat is a hustling Center with almost no potential upside in him, whilst Beasley is a potential All-Star and has a bit of everything. You could have included way more, maybe a first rounder or something else. Your team is pretty old, but I guess you won't notice any disadvantages with that on a video game.

Good luck with your next season!

Beasley is gone.. hmm but why Gortat?

Potential and overall talent wise, I kind of know that I got the short end. This trade was more out of need than potential though. With the lineup I have currently, Beasley wasn't going to see much playing time and I needed a backup centre to replace Camby. I thought Gortat was a good option because I won't feel obligated to give him a lot of minutes, but he would be effective in the role that I need him for in the minutes he does get.

im glad that Chauncey and melo stay and it will be very intresting with allen.
i think that you have a very strong team now much more than last season and it will be intresting to watch if you can keep the championship in denver.

good luck.

Thanks mate. I'm glad Chauncey stayed as well... him and Melo are the heart and soul of the team