Uhmmmm.............. Yeah. Are you gonna go ahead and have those TPS reports on my desk?

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I'll update this post with more info as it comes out.  But while there has been nothing going on with the Nuggets lately, the new Nuggets regime is showing some signs of life with their recent training camp invitations. Let's discuss what we know about training camp so far and the final remaining roster spot that's at stake. 

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Before the Nuggets landed Al Harrington in free agency, I probably couldn't have been more against it. Having casually followed his career as a Knick, including seeing him play in person at Madison Square Garden, I was convinced his no-defense, no rebounding chuckerman persona was the wrong fit. I pretty much dismissed the idea without even thinking about it, going so far as to call out Garret and my fellow stiffs for even suggesting it.

As the front office continued their futility in the draft by getting owned in free agency, Harrington became one of the most capable free agents left and it became a possibility the Nuggets had to look closer into and consider. Once I started doing the same, I think I've picked up why Denver pulled the trigger on AL and how their investment could really pay off. Check this shit out

One of the quotes that really caught my eye after the signing was George Karl's in the Denver Post, here's what he said about adding Harrington

As a young kid (out of high school), I think he did a good job, and lately he's asserted himself into an offensive weapon off the bench. I think he's a very difficult matchup for most teams. You can play him at the three, even at the two a little bit and you can also play him up front at the four position.

Al Harrington at the two....wha??? He even mentioned Harrington as a backup three before playing him as a power forward. Clearly, the Nuggets want versatility and they could be gearing up to surprise everyone with they way they'll use Harrington in the lineup.

One of the longest running arguments at Denver Stiffs is starting JR Smith. We all know he's struggled to be consistent in a scorer's role off the bench. We've seen him frustratingly show flashes of great passing and playmaking only to return to his ways as a whiny chucker. We also know he's a hell of a talent, and trading him for a player who can make a similar impact is pretty much just a pipe dream. JR has stuck with the Nuggets as a sparkplug bench scorer because we don't have another option to play that role - and when he's on there's no one better in the NBA.

The Nuggets may have just added that other option, allowing them to change what they do with JR Smith. Is JR finally going to flourish in a new role with the Nuggets because of this signing? Maybe not, but the possibility is there - and this new dimension wouldn't have existed without Al Harrington on the team. AL is already a great sixth man, having played off the bench for the Knicks and early in his career being a 6th man of the year candidate in Indiana. Kenyon comes back healthy, Harrington would be great off the bench as his backup - their games compliment each other nicely.

Harrington could start too, perhaps he's more likely too now - but I don't see that as the only reason we made this signing. Al Harrington is not the true Center, dominant rebounder, or defensive guru we all wanted. Time after time the small market Nuggets have had to make due without being able to get what they really want. The last true Center we had was Marcus Camby, and we made due pretty well without him. Nene, for all his faults, can start and play as a 5 - and he's a damn good one too.

One thing became abundantly clear to me as we go forward with our new-look Nuggets. I was way wrong to cringe at the Al Harrington signing simply because he has a game and a reputation that is easy to hate. Pretty much everyone has always hated our Nuggets, and now they are going to hate us even more. On second thought, I kind of like it.

It really doesn't seem like too long ago LK was chucking threes in the powder blue, and the Nuggets expected to have him back this past season at a reasonable $2.7mil for a final year. Alas, our season is over and LK is still playing in Europe where he signed a two year, $12.2 million dollar contract about a year ago. With the offseason in full swing now we might as well examine where Kleiza is now and what he can do for the Nuggets in the future

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Most other teams' blogs I come across have a good deal of discussion about playoffs odds, possible matchups and predicted standings being debated frequently. Blazersedge comes to mind, those are pretty much the best and check out all of the Western schedules analyzed by jscot on there. As a Nuggets fan my general feeling on it is who cares. The Nuggets control their own destiny, all they have to do is play like they have been all season which is a 2 or 3 seed in the west. We've already discussed how the Nuggets could take a huge step forward by acting like a great team on the road, it's the only thing stopping us from competing for a #1 seed. Nevertheless the K-Mart injury changes a lot and playoff speculation is just fun as long as we don't jinx the Nugs, which we won't because our fully healthy squad can beat anyone, I'm confident in that. Figured I'd throw out a few talking points on each conference to see what everyone has to say about it.

WEST

• The Blazers are just a half game behind San Antonio for that #7 seed right now. They just delivered a sub-par effort against us but we still have not seen them with Camby, who changed their team a lot. They gave up a significant part of their rotation to get him. San Antonio just lost Parker till probably the playoffs, and they still have to play at Miami, Orlando, Boston, ATL, and OKC and home against LAL and Cleveland this month. Their schedule sucks and Portland could definitely pass them. In fact, if they suffer another injury problem they are in danger of slipping out of the race should Houston or New Orleans muster a late push. Both of those teams have probably lost too many already so San Antonio is pretty safe from all except Portland. I'm hoping the Blazers pass them, because SA is a better matchup for the Lakers. They probably still aren't beating LA, but you can't count out a Duncan-led squad against anyone, the man's got 4 rings along with Popovich. The toughest out of the first round for the Lakers is San Antonio in my mind, no doubt. Same with Dallas against a healthy #7 seed Portland. More next bullet
• Utah looks pretty good to finish top 4. And Mavs plus their schedule have good odds to stay in the #2 seed. They made some good moves at the trade deadline, we're all hoping it turns around on them but if the Nuggets slip up just once it could ruin our chances beating them to #2. I will be happy if the Nugs can enter the playoffs a #3 seed ahead of Utah. Dallas, Denver, and Utah all have an outside shot at stealing the #1 seed, but I'm living in the real world. It's not happening, they are the defending champs, they are healthy and that's just the way it is right now. The road goes through LA. Denver should try to get a 2 or 3 seed for obvious reasons.

EAST

• There's a huge gap between the top 4 and the bottom 4 playoff seeds in the East. Only 2 teams in the bottom half of the East are a threat. The Bobcats and the Bucks. The Bobcats start a huge lineup, they have Augustin scoring off the bench, numerous 7 footers and a good coach in Larry Brown. They aren't making the Eastern Finals but they are certainly dangerous at home, having already shown that to a number of top teams including us. The Bucks are a wildcard too, 5th spot right now but honestly they'll only have a chance against a tired and hobbled Boston in the playoffs. I still like Boston, but they are struggling and right now they can't afford even a minor injury or an off-night from anyone. A question mark, but right now I think it's Cleveland or Orlando coming out of the East, with Atlanta and Boston having the smaller outside chance of beating them out, especially if Charlotte can knock off one of the top 2 seeds. The #4 seed could be a blessing in disguise for Boston.

What say you?

First I have to start this off by saying last summer when Andrew and Nate joined forces, who wouldn't take a 35-18 record after the all-star break? At that time the Blazers had crowned themselves Co-Champions of the World and we were all preparing for the Nuggets to fight the uphill battle in an improved Western Conference. Right now we still sit in a very desirable position. As a fan I've seen some truly inspiring moments out of this group yet I'm haunted by visions of AC at shooting guard and so many missed opportunities already. That's all in the past now (hopefully - Ty and Chauncey please do not ever get hurt). There is still so much room for this team to improve.

Still, after "losing" at home to San Antonio (that word isn't really strong enough) and realizing that the trade deadline will come and go uneventfully next week - I can't help but sense the gloom setting in. Why? After getting 6 full days off the Nugs get to play on the road against the hottest team in the league, who also happen to have the best record and best home record and have also been resting a full week too. Oh yeah, and the schedule the rest of the way isn't the friendliest either (more on that later), but this is actually not a bad time to be catching Cleveland or setting the table for the task they have in front of them

Cleveland is on a murderous rampage right now. They have won 13 in a row and their last loss came on a desperation three at the buzzer by Sundiata Gaines. In fact, had that shot not gone in Cleveland would be on a 16 game win streak going back to 99-97 loss at the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets were without Carmelo Anthony. They've also done this without the services of former All-Star point guard Mo Williams. It sounds bad, but when you have to catch the best team on the road doing it after 6 days rest is not a bad deal. We've fought them hard once and I think the Nuggets have a good chance at winning. If you don't like those odds, you need to get used to it because the schedule down the stretch is a doozy.

There are 29 games left. Only 13 at home and the other 16 on the road. Over half the total games will be played against winning teams which isn't as bad as it seems - we actually have a better record against winning teams than losers. March will be one of the most road-heavy months I can remember, with a 4 and 5-game roadies thrown in.

The way I see it is this - If the Nugs win all of their home games and go .500 on the road, they'll get 56 wins. My only point is we don't have to suddenly get perfect on the road, just better. Whatever side of last years record we end up gets earned on the road. In some ways, the Nuggets need this test starting next Thursday in Cleveland, because we better do more than get fortunate to make it as far as we did last year. It's not over until we go into LA spot them home court and take it away from them anyways. Then it's still not over until we go into Cleveland, Boston, Orlando or whatever and take that shit too. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor ?!?!?!?

Pssst... how you like me now?

With the Suns defeating the Mavs Thursday night George Karl has clinched the coaching duties of the Western Conference squad at the 2010 All Star game in Dallas. The coach with the highest winning percentage in each conference is awarded the spot. Last years All Star coaches Phil Jackson and Mike Brown are ineligible however. It's a fine accomplishment and Karl deserves props for putting the Nuggets in a position to have 2 representatives at the All Star game in Dallas. It should have been 3 through. Perhaps GK can make Pau Gasol wear a Billups jersey at the game.

I've been as hard on GK as anyone. We all need to show love when it's earned though. Good job GK! GO NUGGETS!!!!

Ever since Tomasson moved on following the demise of the Rocky Mountain News, decent Nugs coverage is hard to come by. The Denver Post has been getting worse despite being the prominent Nuggets news source with virtually no competition.

There is really only 1 writer following the Nuggets, Benjamin Hochman. I get the feeling Ben has a really important job at the Post and only has a half hour a day to do Nuggets coverage. By the time we get something it's already old news and a couple paragraphs re-wording whatever the headline says. I normally read the AP recaps on Yahoo Sports and listen to Koz's pregame and postgame shows on the radio to find out whats going on.

And then there's the unreadable Dave Krieger. The Bill O'Reilly of Nuggets sportswriting. There's no way this guy has watched a Nugs game since 2007. If you're reading this Dave, please stop.

And then something worth reading came out. From Kiszla of all people. Finally some objective insight into this year and a candid Chauncey Billups speaking bluntly. Personally, I probably would go B minus for a grade but that's probably fodder for another fanpost slash discussion.

But seriously, we need more from the Post. And better Nugs coverage. The DP should hire Travis Heath, and when can we get Andrew and Nate some media credentials too? Compare the coverage of Broncos versus the Nugs in the Post. Pathetic, like the Nugs road record. You might call it the AC of Denver sportswriting. That's right, I went there.

Coming off a sub-par performance in the month of December, the Nugs now have more losses than the Spurs and are in danger of falling behind the Suns and Blazers in the standings as well. With the latest news that Chauncey may not be ready to return from injury for the Jazz game, the upcoming week presents a critical point in the season with two important decisions to be carefully considered.

First is the Chucky Atkins trade exception, worth $3.2 million. It expires on January 7th. When the Iverson exception worth $7.4 million expired on November 3rd, the Nuggets were in the midst of the best start in franchise history and didn't appear to have any glaring roster weaknesses. Since then we have seen the effects of injury on this team. Keep in mind the Nuggets don't have to use the whole $3.2 million amount. The exception can be used to acquire players of any salary up to that amount. So once it expires, the Nuggets will have lost some flexibility as a tax team and be left with a $3.6 million exception from the Steven Hunter trade which expires next August. The Hunter exception is more valuable, but if the Nuggets plan on making a smaller, under the radar move to bring in some help - they should probably think about using some of the Atkins exception. I have said all along a trade will not help, which brings me to the next important deadline.

George Karl has turned down 1-year and 2-year extension offers to remain coaching the Nuggets. Apparently they do not want to guarantee a third year and GK is looking for long term security. As Chris Tomasson reported, negotiations with Karl have been ongoing for months and both sides are working with the first of they year as soft deadline. Next week if the Nuggets do not raise their offer to Karl, both sides should walk away from negotiations and leave it for next season. In my mind it's a distraction for everyone as long as the decision remains in limbo.

I won't repeat what I have said already, in my mind a trade will only bring another would-be contributor to a front row seat with the likes of Balkman and Graham. Maybe a roster shakeup would bring about some change in philosophy that would extend the rotation. My fear is that Kenyon, Nene, and Melo are playing way too many minutes this early. Getting some front-line help either from existing personnel or a trade would certainly not hurt. Either way, for Stan the Man and our front office, winning this year should remain the focus. And any money spent next week would be best used in pursuit of that. What say you?

In the wake of our disappointing loss to Memphis, George Karl's attitude and coaching have taken most of the blame here for this humiliation. I have heard those of you who say Karl is not on the floor and now I am listening. Karl or no Karl, this team's effort and energy in the face of adversity is pathetic. Its time to start questioning who wants to win and call out those who are reluctant to step up in our time of need.

It's unbelievable how quiet we have been about the slump Arron Afflalo has gotten into. HE HAS NOT SCORED IN DOUBLE FIGURES FOR NINE STRAIGHT GAMES. During the whole month of December, 11 games in total - he has been to the free throw line all of three times, and only made two. His three point shooting has dipped from 46% to 40% currently.

That's only the tip of the iceberg when you take a look at advanced stats. According to 82games, Denver is only getting out-produced at the SG and PF position. At the Power Forward position, you can chalk it up to Kenyon's injuries and our lack of depth when it comes to big men. However, the production we lack at PF is less than half of that we are giving up at SG, and that is with JR Smith and Chauncey Billups backing up AA. It's totally unacceptable. Afflalo is no longer the third or fourth-string guy in Detroit. He is the starter for the Denver Nuggets. There's nothing in any statistic anywhere that suggests this guy is a starting caliber shooting guard in the NBA.  I wish I could paint you a prettier picture, but this the ugly truth and it's fucking sickening.

I was stoked as shit when we got this guy, I thought he would give us everything Dahntay did and more. Afflalo is struggling mightily to find a role even as a starter. He does not foul when he should and when he does it is a bad foul. The defense is lacking, the offense is nonexistent and when key playmakers are out Afflalo is even more of a non-factor. With Chauncey Billups' offense missing, I had high hopes for Arron Afflalo's production. What I got was pretty much my worst nightmare.

I still believe in Arron, I know he can bounce back. Whatever success we can have this year depends greatly on him. I just don't know how much longer we can afford starting him playing like this. As bad as JR Smith can be, JR'S WORST GAMES HAVE BEEN ABOUT WHAT AFFLALO AVERAGES. And that is with similar minutes. Afflalo is not as bad as he has been playing lately, not by a longshot. My question to you is - how long do we keep JR on the bench in spite of it? You guys already know what I think about JR starting, I have been stating it ad nauseum since last season. In my mind there is no valid excuse anymore - it's time to start JR or trade him.

Well first off let me say I'm not throwing the towel in on the season after a single loss to the T-Wolves. I'm just trying to express how remarkably sad it is to see potential greatness go down in flames knowing there's very little the Nuggets can do to avoid it. There are too many things working against them, the worst being they took the forbidden fruit of buying into their own hype and a taste of the spotlight just wasn't enough. These guys feel entitled to greatness for losing the WCF and there's just no logical reason or excuse for it whatsoever.

It's funny how everyone started dickriding the Nuggets so suddenly. Going into the playoffs last year they were an afterthought, a cool story but more likely to be pretenders than a serious threat to LA.  Barkley then has a momentary lapse in stupidity and now it's cool to like the Nuggets. Everyone drank the kool aid, sportswriters, local media, fans and worst of all the Denver Nuggets themselves

I said even during the wins this team showed nothing inspiring. They are pretty good and should be, the payroll is quite high and luckily we got great talent for all that money. There is no identity to this team, no continuity to how they win because every night someone different is trying to shine, hit a new career high or get themselves on Sportscenter's top plays. The only Nugs I really enjoy watching are Aflac, Ty Lawson, Joey and Naldo because they play with a chip on their shoulder and play like they have something to prove when they do get minutes. The rest of them act like they are god's gift to hoops and opponents are going to piss themselves with fear upon witnessing them. Ego is killing this team and it's fucking killing me too

Normally I would be able to hold out hope for a turnaround but where does George Karl fit into this? Yes, he is playing the right players now but he is so helpless to deal with the coming implosion it's not even funny. The players have no discipline, no structured gameplan, and if you watch games it's easy to see that Chauncey and Kenyon have free reign - their egos are running the team, nothing more. Why were the Nuggets so tragically flawed during the Iverson era? Because Allen did everything on his own terms in Denver, GK was just there to watch. Karl can't handle the personalities on this team once reality sets in, he will lose the team quickly when they do get challenged and subsequently slaughtered by a squad more dedicated to championship TEAM basketball. Thank God it's the last year of his deal.

Honestly we could still win the division and shit, win a series in the playoffs or something too. For me I don't really give a damn. Maybe we should let Portland have it, and when they lose to LA perhaps it will turn them into a bunch of selfish conceited assholes like us. Well, Melo should average 30 shots a game and be on TV a lot - he may get some MVP votes too so there's always that. Good God basketball got shitty quick. I almost believed they had the heart of a champion.

Linas Kleiza has been absent from the Denver Nuggets and Lodo's bar scene for  3 months now, opting instead for getting trashed in Greece and moneybags full of Euros (Eurobags?).

Denver whittled away lots of trade assets in offseason moves, including most of their upcoming draft picks and even the rights to unsigned draft pick Axel Hervelle. Most of the tradable contracts are minimum deals and not of much value, so fans have been speculating on potential trades involving Kleiza's rights. From my understanding of the CBA and consulting with some more knowledgable heads on the subject, it seems clear to me now that Kleiza's rights or LK himself can't be traded for the forseeable future (while he is under contract), and even after that moving him remains kind of a headache.

Mark at ShamSports knows whats up, he clarified it for me and on a previous message board post a while ago. Here's what he said

No they can't.

Kleiza can be signed and traded (if he's not under contract somewhere, that is), and the Nuggets can match any offer sheet he gets as he's still a RFA. But they can't trade his Bird rights. You can't trade anyone's Bird rights. Never could.

Read the whole post here if you don't believe me

The same problem exists with Josh Childress' signing in Greece 2 years ago.  Both he and Kleiza are still restricted free agents, with their rights held by Atlanta and Denver respectively. That means they can only be signed and traded or signed to offer sheets once they are no longer under contract in Europe. The Nuggets could match any offer for Kleiza, they could sign and trade him to someone if he were not currently under contract. Kleiza has an opt-out after 1 year in Greece, so if he wants to return to the NBA Denver could re-sign him then or sign and trade him to another team. Or, he could sign an offer sheet with another team, and Denver would have seven days to match. None of this can happen until he terminates his contract in Europe though.

Josh Childress tried to return to the NBA after 1 year in Greece. Both Cleveland and Milwaukee wanted to sign Childress, but it didn't work out for several important reasons which are relevant to LK's situation now. Milwaukee and Cleveland would have had to use their MLE to offer Childress a contract, which Atlanta could match and would have 7 days to decide whether or not to do that. During that waiting period Milwaukee/Cleveland could miss out on other free agents they wanted to sign while Atlanta made their decision. Dallas signed Gortat to a full MLE deal which Orlando matched just to screw with Dallas, after stealing away Brandon Bass while Dallas waited for them to not match the Gortat offer.

The other, more attractive option would be trying to work out a sign and trade deal with Atlanta. Milwaukee and Cleveland would rather do that because Childress' would be signed with his bird rights by Atlanta, then traded to them so they would still have their MLE to spend on other free agents. Obviously, Atlanta wasn't amenable to this - they have no reason to help out Cleveland or Milwaukee by giving them Childress. At the least they would demand something in return like a draft picks, cap relief, or a cheap role player or two.

Childress is making decent dough in Greece, so even though he probably would have taken a cheaper deal to return to the NBA, the politics and rules of the CBA prevented it from happening. It was a hassle, so both teams said screw it - Milwaukee signed Hakim Warrick and Cleveland signed Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. Atlanta still holds Childress' bird rights, they will wait for a good deal to sign and trade him. Or, they will wait for him to sign a cheapo contract to return to the NBA, which they could match within 7 days if they wanted to.

Until then, everything is in limbo. Childress opted into the second year of his Greek deal and now he isn't a tradeable asset until next year, just like Kleiza. Bottom line, the Nugs can;t get anything for Kleiza right now. They can deal with trading him whenever he is done with Europe and chooses to return to the NBA. My guess is Kleiza will stay in Europe for at least 2 years, if he comes back to the NBA the most likely scenario would be back to the Nuggets on a pretty cheap contract. Anything could happen though, but LK cannot be traded until he's out of his Euro contract for now. Complicated, I know. Kind of a bummer too

After following summer league, preseason, every game since then and the way the Nugs have been playing, I didn't know what to think about watching the Bucks game. Nothing would have surprised me. I figured a blowout win was as likely as a blowout loss or a close game. There's little continuity to anything we are doing, the team hasn't established the way they want to play, and we have been through more lineup changes and starting fives than any team in the league.

This isn't about Karl rage. Put all that aside and just realize everything is not fine and peachy in Nuggets Nation right now. Watching the last 2 games has convinced me of something we can chnage that is immediately going to pay dividends for improvement over the rest of the regular season and beyond - start JR immediately and give him 30 minutes a game at least. It's time, and he's ready.

I thought the Nuggets actually played a pretty good game in Milwaukee. They missed too many shots and made some mental mistakes at critical times in the game. First off, it's clear that Afflalo in the starting lineup isn't as great as we thought it would be, especially with Melo trying his hardest to turn himself into Kobe Bryant. Aflac only plays the first few minutes of the 1st and 3rd quarters, nothing else. It doesn't matter if he gets a hot hand shooting because he's likely to be the first one sent to the bench at any given time. AA has shown good chemistry with Lawson and Billups, and surprisingly... JR Smith.

JR could solve a lot of problems Denver is having with establishing their offense. It's funny how easy it is to stop the Nuggets offense right now. All you need to is get set on defense, wait for Melo to get the ball and send help to the paint and stand straight up. JR is a willing passer and a playmaker who is going to shoot when needed and cover up some of this selfish stink eminating from Melo's game.

Even without his hot shooting, JR is providing the kind of defensive spark to rally back from a 10 point deficit in crunch time. The revolving door at starting SG has to stop now, give JR the job and play him 30+ minutes a night, the guy is clearly one of our best players without a doubt. The sooner George Karl and the Nuggets realize this the better. Otherwise I fear we're going to remain stuck in this terrible limbo never really knowing quite what we have with this group of Nuggets. Take my poll please

New Tomasson

Look!

Flip going to Charlotte, and McCants signed a nonguaranteed deal with the Rockets. I'm really not big on Wally or Udoka, at this point in free agency that is whats left. Tomasson also points out the Nugs wanted Flip because they believe JR can play minutes at the 3 backing up Melo. I haven't heard of any other teams seriously looking at Wally so we may be getting closer to him finally signing. If that doesn't happen though I think we will be fine signing somebody out of training camp like White and exploring trade options once the season starts.

There is literally nothing going on with the Nuggets right now. Novak is gone. I am being driven to think crazy thoughts about how to avoid signing Wally World to fill the vacant scoring swingman role. I don't think Wally would be a great addition. I won't lose any sleep if we do sign Wally, I just think he's a stiff and there are many other more interesting guys with a lot more upside who deserve a shot.

What's going on with Walter? He can shoot the 3, and it will give us another white guy and some long hair on the team. I guess it's probably unlikely we'll suddenly get proactive so late in free agency, so let's discuss who shoul dget the final roster spot

Wally, Kurz, Brumbaugh/Karl/D-leaguer, or someone else?

to Starbucks!

Check this out. All credit to Alan at Nuggets Hoops. Someone was able to spot AC and Birdman with his new wheels at a local Starbucks. AC was in that green Hummer, the one that was on Altitude a while ago. Birdman was in something so hilariously wrong it could only be his, a modified semi truck. This might be the greatest thing on the internet. Either way, it's really badass. I want a ride. Be sure to check out the site where there's more pictures.

via nuggetshoops

After acquiring Ty Lawson in the draft last month, many in Nuggets Nation agreed that bringing AC back for another season in Denver was a no-brainer. I hate AC as much as any good Nugs fan, but we're gonna need a 3rd PG at the minimum salary. Is there really a better, more logical option out there? I thought it was pretty much a foregone conclusion AC would be coming back. Let's rock this after the jump, where I explain why it suddenly seems not so simple.

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I'll post a link when official, but ESPN is reporting it's real. Minnie gets Charlotte's future first round pick (protected for top 12 in 2010).

I believe we just stole Ty Lawson from the Jazz and the Hornets who wanted a PG and probably Lawson. I feel pretty great about this pick, of all the draft prospects Lawson seems very much ready to go right away. What's funny is last year, there were rumors the Nuggets made a promise to Ty Lawson with #20. When he went back to school, they traded the pick to Charlotte, only to eventually turn that pick back into Lawson a year later. Fuck yes.