Insider Special: Denver's Plan

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

The Nuggets improved their win total from 17 in 2003 to 43 in 2004 by adding one top draft pick, a couple of good free-agent point guards, a healthy Marcus Camby and few nice role players.

The dramatic turnaround led to a rare Nuggets' playoff appearance and spontaneous eruptions of hope throughout the greater Denver area.

Summer Blueprints
What will your team be up to this summer? NBA Insider Chad Ford breaks it down


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What will GM Kiki Vandeweghe do for an encore?

That's the question on everyone's mind these days. Making the playoffs was a good thing. But how far along is Kiki's team in its quest to become a championship contender?

There is no Carmelo Anthony coming to the team via the draft. Camby and several other top role players, such as Voshon Lenard, Jon Barry and Rodney White, are free agents. And to read media reports, Jeff Bzdelik's status as head coach changes by the day.

The Nuggets improbably made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth last year, and the pressure will be on to keep the momentum going.

Vandeweghe, however, prizes something else more than high-priced free agents.

"The flexibility is the most important thing," Vandeweghe told Insider on Wednesday. "If you have it, you're in much, much better shape. I want to keep the flexibility and still try to improve the team a little a bit at a time. You have to be very, very careful. One thing I won't do is put us back in the same situation we were when I got here -- long-term contracts, guys didn't want to be here, no picks. If the right guys aren't there for us, we'll save our money. It worked for us last year."

True enough. The Nuggets were looking at similar cap room last year, but in the end signed only Andre Miller and Earl Boykins. This year they have their eyes on one elite free agent, Kenyon Martin, and several second-tier guys, such as Manu Ginobili, Quentin Richardson and Mehmet Okur.

Vandeweghe knows there isn't an easy answer out there in free agency. There isn't a player on the market, with the possible exception of Kobe Bryant, who could push the Nuggets to the playoffs overnight. That's why the team is moving ahead cautiously.

"I'm just looking for good players that like our system and want to be here," Vandweghe said. "It's not about getting one guy paid. There isn't a last-piece-of-the-puzzle guy. Teams get caught up in band-aid players. Instant gratification doesn't work. It's an interesting place to be. With that said, we'll gamble with some stuff."

Can the Nuggets keep up the momentum, or will they fall back to earth this season? Here's a look at what to expect as Insider continues its summer blueprint series.


Nuggets Summer Blueprint
DRAFT: The Nuggets hit a home run in the draft last season with Anthony. They had no such luck this year. By the time their turn came at No. 20, there wasn't anyone on the board the team felt could contribute right away. The Nuggets cut a deal with the Magic to send their pick, Jameer Nelson, to Orlando for a future pick the Wizards owe the Magic. The pick has few protections (lottery in 2005, top 3 in 2006, none in 2007) meaning if the Wizards make the playoffs next season, the Nuggets could own another nice pick to add to the five other first-rounders they hold for the next two drafts.
FREE AGENCY: The Nuggets have several significant free agents to deal with this year, but the blow is softened by the fact the team has a whopping $23.6 million in potential cap space.

Like last year, the goal is to land several significant free agents without overpaying. That may be tough this year. The Nuggets expect to face stiff competition from the Jazz, Hawks, Bobcats, Clippers and Suns -- all with significant cap space -- for the top free agents.

Over the past two years, Vandeweghe & Co. have gone out of their way to turn the organization into a free-agent destination. They've upgraded everything from the practice court to the players' lounge and locker rooms with an eye on this moment -- convincing a top free agent to pick Denver over another team.

In an ideal world, the Nuggets would love to land three of these five players: Martin, Ginobili, Richardson, Okur and a re-signed Camby. They don't have money for all five, but, under certain scenarios, they could land three.

The Nuggets got off to a fast start early Thursday morning, the first day that teams could negotiate with players, by setting up visits to Denver for Richardson, Ginobili and Darius Miles.

Marcus Camby
Center
Denver Nuggets
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
72 8.6 10.1 1.8 .477 .721



Camby is the easiest. The team owns his Bird Rights and has been working with his agent on a deal that makes sense for both sides. Camby opted out of his contract in June amid reports the sides already had reached some sort of agreement.

"It's important for other free agents to know that he's going to be here, because he's a big part of what we did last year," Vandeweghe said. "But it's also important to know, you play well, and we're going to take care of you."

However, the Nuggets don't want to, nor can they afford to, overpay. If Camby's demands for starting salary or a long-term contract get out of control, the Nuggets may have to cross him off the agenda. But right now both sides appear confident something is going to be worked out.

Martin, Ginobili, Okur and Richardson are restricted free agents, which makes things a little more difficult. Vandeweghe has maintained an ongoing relationship with Martin that stretches back to when Martin broke his leg during his senior season at Cincinnati. Vandeweghe helped him with the rehab, and the two have been close ever since.

Martin's first preference is to stay in New Jersey, but the team is balking at Martin's demand for a max salary that starts him off at $11.1 million next season. The Nets are trying to rein in their cap, and overpaying for Martin (especially when Richard Jefferson is also up for an extension this fall) frightens them. The Nets might trade Jason Kidd in an effort to clear the cap space, but if they don't, Martin could be available.

Kenyon Martin
Power Forward
New Jersey Nets
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
65 16.7 9.5 2.5 .488 .684



While his price tag is high, Martin's up-tempo, frantic style would be a perfect fit in Denver. While the team is still high on Nene, there are enough minutes for Nene, Martin and Camby to all fit together on the floor. Nene can play some five on occasion and Martin can swing to the three for a few minutes a game. The bottom line is that the Nuggets need more post players, and Martin is the best guy on the board.

Okur likely will leave the Pistons this summer, and there's little they can do about it. The Pistons only own his early Bird Rights, meaning the team can't go over the mid-level exception to re-sign him. If the Nuggets, or anyone else, offer Okur a starting salary of $5.5 million or higher, they'll likely get him. He could end up going for much more, however. The Suns and Jazz are going to be in the mix for Okur, as well.

Ginobili would be a fantastic fit in Denver, but he'll be very difficult to obtain. The Spurs want him back, and, short of landing Kobe, they likely will marshall most of their cap toward re-signing him. The question becomes, how much are the Nuggets willing to pay? There's talk Ginobili is looking for a deal with a starting salary in the $8 million to $9 million range. That's very, very steep. The Spurs might balk at that. But so might the Nuggets.

Richardson will come much cheaper, though no one knows for sure exactly what the Clippers will or won't match. A lot depends on what Kobe decides to do. The Clippers are saving their money for Bryant. If the Nuggets strike quickly and offer him an offer sheet July 15, the first day offers can be made or signed, the Clippers might not have enough time to figure out where Kobe stands.

Free agents like Jamal Crawford, Darius Miles, Andres Nocioni, Marquis Daniels, Adonal Foyle and Arvydas Macijauskas might also figure into Nuggets' plans, depending on what happens with their top five.

The Nuggets have a few of their own free agents to worry about, as well. After Camby, Lenard and White are the two the team would most like to sign. Lenard was an important cog in the Nuggets' playoff run last year. He gives them a solid outside shooter to beat zone defenses. White is a player the front office likes, but coach Jeff Bzdelik hates, which is why it's tough to see White returning if Bzdelik stays.

TRADES: The Nuggets don't really need to make any trades given their cap space. In fact, they turned down the Nets' offer of Martin for Nene, because the team believed it could sign Martin outright without giving up such a valuable asset.

If the Nuggets do land Martin, they might consider moving Nene, but it's probably too early to give up on him just yet. No one can figure out how such a big, athletic power forward can average only 6.5 rpg, but everyone understands he's still young (he'll turn 22 in September).

The Nuggets haven't given up on Nikoloz Tskitishvili, either. However, they're also aware that should they land Martin, there will be very few minutes left in the rotation. The team is still high on him, but if someone made the right offer for Skita, Denver would have to listen.

COACHING: Given the job Bzdelik did this year, you'd think he would've gotten a nice, fat contract extension this summer. Instead, Vandeweghe recently announced the team would not give Bzdelik an extension, meaning his contract is up at the end of the coming season. That has led to rampant speculation that the Nuggets are going to dump their coach.



BzdelikVandeweghe denies it, telling Insider, "He's our coach, and he has a contract; there are no changes." But it's clear Bzdelik is on less-than-stellar terms with the front office.
They all like how he motivates the team and gets his players to play hard. Certainly, they also respect the amazing playoff run. But there's a definite feeling that Bzdelik sacrificed the team's long-range goals to achieve a personal short-term goal. There was no pressure to reach the playoffs last season. Management actually would have preferred to see players like Skita and White get more playing time to hasten their development.

Bzdelik ignored that blueprint with a win-at-all-costs philosophy. It worked on the court, but in the long term, two of the Nuggets' most valuable assets weren't able to progress. He'll be on a short leash this year.

FRONT OFFICE: Vandeweghe is one of the top five GMs in the league, and his two right-hand men, David Fredman and Jeff Weltman, are also at the top of their game as assistant GMs. They had a vision when they came to Denver about how to rebuild the team and the culture of the organization.

They stuck to their plan amid constant criticism and saw a huge reward at the end of the season. The Nuggets are one of the most forward-thinking teams in the NBA, and you just get the feeling they have the resources and brain power to figure this thing out.

Finding the right two or three free agents this year is key, but it's not a do-or-die situation. The rebuilding plan is ahead of schedule. If the right guy doesn't say yes, the team will hold onto its money and be in a position to broker trades during the season or to tap a much better free-agent class next year.

The Nuggets are in great shape, but with a little help in the free-agent market, they could be a powerful force in the Western Conference next season.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.