Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are entering a new era with owner Josh Kroenke at the helm. Stan Kroenke transferred ownership to his son in 2010 as a condition to purchasing the St. Louis Rams. Under Josh, the Nuggets have a new general manager in Masai Ujiri who has had to make some very bold moves during his short tenure thus far. The Nuggets traded two of their premier players during the 2010-11 season when they unloaded Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks - and overnight the Nuggets became a younger team with plenty of depth.

When the NBA gets underway again, it will be up to head coach George Karl to steer this new ship in a good direction. The Nuggets have two rookies that have their fan base excited in No. 22 pick Kenneth Faried out of Morehead State - a rebounding machine and defensive monster - and No. 26 pick Jordan Hamilton out of Texas - a potential high-scoring player that can play shooting guard or small forward. The list of veterans in Denver is a short one as Andre Miller will be back for his second tour with the Nuggets, this time as an aging point guard who will have to battle with speedster Ty Lawson for minutes. Fan favorite Chris "Birdman" Andersen continues to give the Nuggets a unique big-man off the bench who goes full throttle when he's on the floor. Danilo Gallinari will be playing his first full season with the Nuggets and expectations for the young Italian forward are very high. Gallo's sweet shooting touch and herky-jerky style have fans thinking the sky is the limit as far as his potential goes. But for a franchise with eight straight playoff appearances and four straight 50+ win seasons - winning basketball is expected in the Mile-High City.

The Nuggets are in search of new leadership and a new identity. Under Karl, players are given free reign on offense and expected to play with intensity on defense. The high altitude in Denver gives the Nuggets a distinct home-court advantage at the Pepsi Center. Always among the league leaders in points scored, the Nuggets thrive when their defense is creating fast-break offense. It's an exciting time to be a Nuggets fan as the team enters a new era where possibilities seem endless.