Trade Deadline Review

     It has been around one month since the Nuggets decided to not make a move on the trade deadline February 21st. When most of the trade grades come out the day of, or the day after the deadline, I decided to wait a month to grade the Nuggets. For an accurate grade you have to see how the team responds. Good thing I waited, I probably would have given the nuggets somewhere near a c-, I thought they should have traded Wilson Chandler for a three point specialist, boy was I wrong. I'm going to go ahead and give the Nuggets an A+ for not making a deal, and here are the reasons why:

1. Team Cohesion: At the start of the year, the Nuggets were many expert's pick to be a top 3 team in the West with the acquisition of Andre Iguodala. The year started shaky with Ty Lawson and Andre Iguodala really struggling. If you look at the Lakers this year, and the Heat when they first acquired Bosh and Lebron, you can see how hard it really is to adapt to new player in the regular lineup. I think the Nuggets were going through this big time, trying to see where Iggy and Chandler fit in, it also didn't help that the majority of the Nuggets games the first quarter of the season were away. With the decision to not make a trade, the team management have allowed the Nuggets to get over most of their growing pains instead of increasing them. I don't even think the way the Nuggets are playing on this 12 game winning streak is as good as they will be come playoff time, as one of the Nuggets most key players (Danilo Gallinari) hasn't been himself since his injury.

2. Wilson Chandler: If there was a trade involving the Nuggets, it most likely would have involved one of two players, Chandler or Mozgov. Just one month ago I couldn't stand Chandler, it seemed like when he wasn't injured (or in China) he played terribly, shooting at a terrible %, and making a ton of unforced bad plays, only having 1 or 2 good games. In one month I've come completely full circle on Chandler. Over the past month Chandler has shown the ability to shoot from the 3 point ark pretty consistently, drive hard to the basket and finish, defend, rebound, and frankly, carry a team in scoring if it comes to it. I'm excited to see how Chandler develops with this team. With Chandler's versatility, he fits in perfectly with what the Nuggets want to do. Of all the players on the Nuggets roster, I think Chandler has the potential to be an all star level player in the future. Knee jerk reaction? Maybe ha ha.

3. The Future: When I heard Masai Ujiri say,  "We're not a contending team, We also need to be patient as a team, organization, to grow a little bit." in his interview following the trade deadline, I couldn't help but be a little annoyed. "Why would you make a statement like this, with a team like the Nuggets, shouldn't you be going for it all this year? And why give them an excuse to not win it all?" were my initial thoughts. Now looking back I think I understand a little more. Why would the Nuggets trade a project like Chandler for a guy in his prime like JJ Redick (this is what I wanted) when the Nuggets aren't a huge threat to win the championship this year? That would be trading away the future for a player that might help you win a couple more games in the playoffs, that wouldn't have been a smart deal.

So a month later, I'll admit I was wrong about Chandler for Redick. I guess that's why I don't get paid for my opinions.

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