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Denver Nuggets guard Anthony Carter dishes the ball around Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol during Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.

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The battle for the Nuggets backup point guard will be very interesting this offseason. We know A.C. filled in that role last season, but should Denver bring him back once again? It's a popular topic right now among fans, so let's discuss it.

Poll

Should the Nuggets bring back Anthony Carter next season?

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There's only one No. 7 in Colorado ---- and it's not Chauncey

Chauncey Billups is changing his number back to #1 instead of the #7 we've all become used to. CB1? Doesn't roll as well. Thanks to nycbroncos fan from Mile High Report for the link!

1 day ago Greyson comment 7 comments 0 recs

The Rumor Mill: Linas Kleiza draws interest from the Raptors (constant update)

by Nate Timmons on Jul 2, 2009 9:33 AM MDT in News Comment 5 comments

Realizing that rumors are probably going to be changing by the hour ... I'm going to set this space up for NBA rumors. I'll try to keep it mostly Nuggets related, but feel free to post rumors you are hearing (hopefully with a link) in the comments section as well. (Click ahead to the jump to see the latest ramblings from the league)

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NBA Offseason Moves (constant update)

by Nate Timmons on Jul 1, 2009 11:08 PM MDT Comment 33 comments

The old NBA trade swing in is full effect. We've seen a flurry of deals already this summer and I expect a lot more to come with the Free Agency period now open.

So, let's keep track of the offseason moves as they happen here.

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Nuggets have begun negotiating with Chris "Birdman" Andersen

by Nate Timmons on Jul 1, 2009 10:23 AM MDT in News Comment 8 comments

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Nuggets not wasting anytime working to keep the Birdman's nest in Denver.

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The Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman is reporting that the Nuggets have begun negociations with Chris Andersen.

The negotiations between Chris Andersen and the Nuggets have begun. Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien is currently in Los Angeles, meeting with Andersen's representatives, notably Denver-based attorney Mark Bryant and agent Steve Huemann of the Los Angeles-based Creative Arts Agency.

Bryant said the goal is to try to get Andersen a five-year deal around the mid-level exception (in the $5 million range annually).

"I think that's possible. But we're a team player," Bryant said this morning. "We'll make the necessary adjustments if we can and find the right fit."

For the full article click here.

Andersen's attorney Mark Bryant is right about in line with the dollar amount I expected Andersen to command. I do find his quote to be telling and positive as the Nuggets might be able to back-load a deal a bit to make it more cap friendly.

But I do like how Warkentien and the Nuggets are not wasting any time securing Andersen and allowing for other teams (notably Houston, Portland, Dallas, and Memphis) to get any hope that the Birdman will fly anywhere but Denver next season. Once a verbal agreement is reached then the Nugget can move on and get to work on other priorities.

Here is another quote from Bryant that really makes you feel like the Nuggets are doing all the right things and it's good to hear a hometown favorite's representatives talk like this about your team:

"We really respect what's gone on in Denver," said Bryant, who pointed to the selling of the second-round draft pick as a clear sign that Denver is trying to gather money to pay Andersen. "We really love the management, we really love coach (George) Karl. And maybe on the top of the list is the town — that town loves this kid, and he loves them."

ntimmons73@yahoo.com

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Marc Stein with some Nuggets rumors

Keep in mind these are all rumors:

Nuggets looking at Grant Hill:
"Fresh off a trip to the Western Conference finals, Denver keeps coming up as a team hot for Hill, who earned less than $4 million over the past two seasons with the Suns."

Andersen could come to verbal agreement soon:
"The vibe I'm getting already is that the Nuggets should be able to secure a verbal commitment from Chris Andersen on a new contract -- their first shot-blocker off the bench and the most popular Nugget not named Chauncey or Carmelo -- in fairly fast fashion."

Kleiza to the Cavs?
"... there's a fair bit of belief in Ohio that it would be better to add more of a rangy 3/4 type to counter the likes of Lamar Odom and Rashard Lewis -- someone like Villanueva or the more affordable Linas Kleiza -- than Rasheed Wallace or Antonio McDyess."

Cleveland, though, can offer only a contract starting at full midlevel (at roughly $5.6 million)."

UPDATE: Channing Frye meeting
Thanks to gnarlybroncodude for sharing the link from CBS Sports:
"...the Nuggets were meeting with Portland unrestricted free agent Channing Frye as the clock struck midnight ET. Nobody does more with less than the Nuggets, who would benefit from Frye’s pick-and-pop ability without breaking the bank."

2 days ago Nate Timmons comment 23 comments 0 recs

2009 Free Agent List

by Nate Timmons on Jul 1, 2009 10:00 AM MDT in News Comment 34 comments

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George Karl and the Nuggets front office get down to business tonight when Free Agency opens at midnight!

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Free agency kicks off starting tonight at midnight! We've already seen a slew of activity around the league via trades and obviously with the draft last week (Ty Lawson! All right!!), but now we get into the real money being thrown around.

Some chips have already fallen as Carlos Boozer has opted to stay WITH the Jazz and Kobe Bryant also chose not to opt out of his contract prematurely.

So, the list of marquee free agents has dwindled just a bit - and the Jazz may now have a more difficult time re-signing young power forward and restricted free agent Paul Millsap (who is looking for a hefty raise) since Boozer and his $12 million deal are back on the Jazz's books.

Here is my short list of marquee unrestricted free agents heading into the free agency period: Hedo Turkoglu, Ben Gordan, Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Shawn Marion, and Mike Bibby. Nothing terribly exciting there, but some pretty good role players will be searching for some new homes starting tonight!

Nuggets Free Agents:

And for the Nuggets ... Chris Andersen, Linas Kleiza (restructed), Dahntay Jones, Anthony Carter, Jason Hart, and Johan Petro should all be getting some calls from various teams around the league as well. The Nuggets have been saying all the right things regarding Andersen and it'll be interesting to see how quickly the two sides can hammer out a new deal.

The longer the Birdman remains on the market ... the more likely a team may come in and offer up a large deal. It'd be nice to lock him up and put any worry to rest that the Bird may be building a new nest away from Denver.

As for the Nuggets other free agents ... I think Denver can pretty much take a wait-and-see approach. L.K. should get some offers and might even have a team throw a big chunk of the MLE at him and it'll be very interesting to see how Denver counters any offers the Lithuanian gets.

Dahntay Jones has been rumored to be on the Celtics radar (click here for a link ... thanks Celtics Blog.)

Anthony Carter is a very interesting player to watch. Both Jeremy of Roundball Mining Company and Andrew of Denver Stiffs weigh the pros and cons of bringing A.C. back. And after reading Chris Sheridan's piece titled: Dead Money and cap ballast and realizing the Nuggets could be paying say ... Jamaal Tinsley $7.2 million, Marko Jaric $7.1 million, Antonio Daniels $6.6 million, or Marcus Banks $4.5 million (what were these GMs thinking?!) ... you see that Carter's minimum deals and production have been very underrated. If Denver can bring the veteran back for another one-year minimum deal at $1.3 million to help ease Ty Lawson's transition then I think it's a pretty good idea. If Lawson is as good as the Nuggets front office guys are thinking then A.C. will see his time dwindle next season anyway and the money he'll make will be very minimal as I pointed out with some of the hideous contracts in this paragraph. A.C. could get ballsy and try to play hardball with the Nuggets, but will a 34 year-old point guard get much interest outside of Denver for much more than the minimum anyway? I don't know, but I doubt it.

Jason Hart ... thanks for taking up a roster spot for us. If Carter cannot be re-signed and there are no other cheap options and Denver really trusts Lawson (unlikely) then Hart could be brought back on the cheap to help out at point guard when needed. Don't expect Hart back in Denver next season.

Johan Petro should get a look from a lot of NBA teams. The Nuggets did not offer Petro a qualifying at roughly $2.8 million and frankly Petro isn't worth that amount for the minutes he played (especially when you consider that Birdman may get a deal for $3 million to $6 million per season ... Petro isn't nearly as valuable as the Bird and shouldn't be in his ballpark money wise.)

Petro's best option would be to sign a cheap one or two-year deal with a team and play himself into a better contract offer down the road. Like we all know, young 7-footers with athleticism are pretty rare, but Petro shouldn't command big bucks ... unless some GM loses his mind. I'd like to see Petro back in Denver for the minimum and I'd really like to see the Nuggets go out and find a more reliable veteran big man to take his spot. I don't expect Petro to be back in Denver next season.

For a complete list of who is going to be free agents (restricted and unrestricted) just CLICK HERE.

UPDATED: Just an initial list of guys I would love to see Denver talk to this offseason (in no particular order):

Unrestricted: Channing Frye (Blazeers/power forward), Zaza Pachulia (Hawks/center), Joe Smith (Cavs/power forward), Brandon Bass (Mavs/power forward), Sean Marks (Hornets/center), Chris Wilcox (Knicks/power forward), Grant Hill (Suns/small forward or shooting guard), and Shawn Marion (Raptors/small forward).

Restricted: Shannon Brown probably out of the question with Lawson in town (Lakers/point guard), Leon Powe (Celtics/power forward), Aaron Gray (Bulls/center), David Lee (Knicks/power forward), Marcin Gortat (Magic/center), and Paul Millsap (Jazz/power forward).

Some of these guys are definitely out of the Nuggets price range, but there are a few vets in here that could make a lot of sense. Like a Grant Hill who has been playing for peanuts ($1.9 million this season) in Phoenix in hopes of winning a title. Grant could be a nice scoring option off the bench in a Brent Barry or Michael Finley role for the Nuggets.

State your case for players you would like the Nuggets to talk with over the summer in the comments section.

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J.R. Smith to serve 30 days in jail stemming from 2007 fatal car accident

by Nate Timmons on Jul 1, 2009 9:05 AM MDT in News Comment 4 comments

The Denver Post reports some sobering news stemming from J.R. Smith's car accident in 2007.

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith will serve 30 days in jail and spend 500 hours talking to hospitalized children after pleading guilty Tuesday to reckless driving, a charge stemming from a fatal traffic accident in 2007 that killed his friend Andre Bell.

Municipal Court Judge Debra J. Gelson sentenced Smith to 90 days in the Monmouth County jail but suspended all but 30 days provided he performs the community service.

Smith, whose full name is Earl J. Smith III, was taken into custody immediately by state police when the hearing ended about 10:30 p.m. local time and was taken to the county jail.

For the full article click here.

Statement from the Nuggets:

"We are fully aware of the legal proceedings involving J.R. Smith today and the judge's decision. J.R. Smith took responsibility for his role in this tragic accident that occurred in June 2007," Warkentien said in the statement. "The legal statutes mandate that J.R. serve time for driving recklessly, and he is grateful that the statutory sentence was reduced from 90 days to 30.

"We will continue to support J.R. during this difficult period and will have no further comment at this time."

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