The Nuggets are no more. Figuratively, and maybe literally. The Lakers swept 'em. Hooray for that! But you can put the brooms back up in the shed and lock the door. You won't need them anymore. It's not going to be this easy again.
At times, the series was almost embarrassing to watch. And I mean this not from the standpoint of a Nuggets fan – I'm not – but from the standpoint of a basketball fan. Yuck. To describe Denver's performance as shabby would be giving it too much credit.
Collectively, the Nuggets' players, coaches and management have to take a good, hard look at themselves and decide if they really want to put in the work to be better. Either that, or consign themselves to being forever also-rans. 'Cause in the West, being good just isn't good enough.
George Karl is making "I'm not coming back sounds," and having seen how his team seems to dis him, maybe that's the best course of action for everyone concerned. Karl is a good coach – maybe even a great one – but it's clear this gang of neer-do-wells isn't interested in what "the old fat white guy" has to say. Like Riles in Miami, it may just be time to throw in the towel for good.
The Nuggets do have some fine talent at their disposal. "A.I." is still a terror after all these years, and Melo has considerably more upside. Nene Hilario and Marcus Canby are intimidating on the inside, and J.R. Smith is a man to watch. K.B. even complimented his play after Game 4.
With the right mindset and leadership the Nuggets can be a lot better. But it's a big question mark at this point as to whether they can mould what they have into what they need.
The first priority is a quality point guard who has the support of the team's stars and staff, and the green light to do what he needs to do. Of course, that's always the first priority, and it's no small order. Really good point guards are as hard to find as really good centers.
As much as Kobe's been accused of being "a selfish ball hog" over the years, the same can be said of Iverson and Anthony. There's too much one-on-one and not enough teamwork on the Nuggets. This "gimme the ball and get outta the way" mindset can work in the regular season, where defenses are frequently porous and it's relatively easy to pour it on. But as the old-look Mavericks and Warriors (both Don Nelson teams) and Suns can attest, scoring lots of points in the regular season means nada come playoff time.
Though Jeff Van Gundy "fought with" fellow TNT commentator Marc Jackson for saying it, I agree with him about Alan Iverson. He is perhaps the greatest scorer – pound for pound – that the league has ever seen! He had flashes of brilliance in this series. He's often unstoppable, and worse yet hits ridiculously difficult shots with apparent ease. Kinda like Kobe. But it wasn't nearly enough, and on Iverson-led teams, this seems to be a common theme. Kinda like the Kobe of old.
Frankly, I was impressed by Iverson's post-game interview in which he said "we just got beat by a better team." True! In prior years he would have been too proud to admit that. Even though he had some flare-ups during the series that were painfully characteristic of the "old" Alan Iverson, the man really has matured – finally! Even more impressive was his commitment to the team and the organization to "do whatever it takes" to get better. He freely acknowledged the 800-pound gorilla in the room...
It's not that the Nuggets are bad on defense. To be bad on defense you actually have to play some! The Nuggets are non-existent on D.
Carmelo Anthony, too, must do a lot of maturing before he is going to be a credible leader, or the kind of player other teams really worry about in a series. His infamously asinine remarks after Game 3 probably hurt the cause, too. Like Iverson, there's no doubt he can score. And he's only going to get better in this regard. But it's the mental aspects of his game that need the most work.
I kinda feel sorry for Alan Iverson. I feel sorry for him the way I've felt for so many other great players who never quite made it to the "big time" – that is, winning a championship. I don't think he's going to with this Nuggets team, either, unless big changes occur. As Kenny Smith pointed out, Iverson's not a playmaker for anyone but himself, and neither is Melo. Their heads aren't in the right place, and they need a pass-first point guard. They've got their work cut out for them in the months ahead.