The competition within the game is between two, talented, young players.
In the end, there can only be one.
The battle for the final roster spot is being played out between two second-year players, guards Erick Green and Nick Johnson. The Nuggets will carry a third point guard on the team, and these two are vying for that spot.
While the situation may be stressful to the players involved, the Nuggets can’t choose wrong either way.
Timofey Mozgov has picked up right where he left off from his breakout campaign last season. His camp has been good, and during games he continues to separate himself in the question as to who starts at center for the Nuggets this season. As it stands now, there isn’t a question; Mozzy’s the guy until the job is taken from him.
His 20 points and eight rebounds in the Nuggets’ win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night were built on smart basketball combined with aggressiveness. In an 8-for-8 shooting performance, he was routinely in the right spots offensively, always aware and ready to receive a pass or clean up missed attempts. Defensively, he blocked three shots, showing quick feet to beat the offensive player to a spot, and great awareness in the type of defensive play needed at that time. All three blocks were of the help defense variety — on Andre Roberson, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Durant block was highlight-reel material, but was also an ode to using proper verticality to get a great shot contest finished off with a block at the top of the play.
Darrell Arthur’s contract. All things considered, Darrell Arthur would like to stay.
The Nuggets forward is entering the final season of a contract he signed when he played for the Memphis Grizzlies. Traded to the Nuggets last summer, Arthur will be a unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. He’ll be paid $3.4 million this season.
Chauncey Billups, who recently retired after spending 17 seasons in the NBA, is attending the Wolves’ training camp as the guest of coach and president Flip Saunders, according to the team.
Billups, a Colorado hoops legend and former Nugget, has a long history with Saunders. Billups signed with the Timberwolves as a free agent in 2000 and spent two seasons in Minnesota, with Saunders as his coach. Billups then signed with Detroit in 2002, and a year after leading Pistons to a title in 2004, Saunders signed on as their coach.
Recently-retired Chauncey Billups spending a couple of days w/ the #Twolves during camp as Flip Saunders' guest. Will be here today/tmrw.
At Nuggets media day on Monday, it was clear something was different about Kenneth Faried. And it wasn’t just the massive chunk of gold around his neck. He was always a confident guy, but not like this. Not with the determination and eagerness to continue to prove people wrong.
He spoke about how the medal was a bit of validation for him and how it proved to himself, and others, that he can be one of the game’s top power forwards. But as he spoke, it was also clear that this outlook was a result of the summer and his time with Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Under Krzyzewski, Faried learned how to lead.
Faried said Krzyzewski called him before the team arrived in Spain for the FIBA World Cup to give him a fair warning that he would not be a starter. Faried accepted that, and was mentally prepared to come off the bench.
But come practice, Krzyzewski threw him in with the starters. No heads up. No anything.
“He sat me down and said, ‘Look I need you to be the guy you are. Don’t come in here thinking you have to take a back seat to any of these guys. Lead by example, lead by your words. If you say something, I’m going to back it up,'” Faried said.
Earning the respect of Krzyzewski was a huge confidence boost for Faried.
Veteran swingman Alonzo Gee has been traded three times and waived once, all in the span of the last three months. But according to RealGM.com, he’s caught the interest of the Nuggets.
Gee, 27, averaged four points and 2.3 rebounds in 65 games with the Cavaliers last season, but was traded to New Orleans in July to make room for LeBron James. Gee was then traded to Houston as part of the three-team deal for Omer Asik, and was then shipped to Sacramento as part of the Jason Terry trade. Three days ago, Gee was waived by the Kings.
The Nuggets already have 13 players on guaranteed deals, with Quincy Miller and Erick Green on partially guaranteed contracts. That means those two, along with training camp invites Marcus Williams and Joe Alexander (and possibly Gee, now) will be fighting for the final two spots. The team can carry 17 players on their roster in the preseason, but they must whittle it down to 15 before the start of the regular season.
The #Nuggets roster is pretty much set. There are 13 guaranteed contracts. Erick Green was signed w/the expectation his spot is secure..