Nuggets Score Impact Players on Draft Night

The 2011 NBA Draft was not dominated by big names. In fact, it is hard to say whether or not any bona fide superstars were selected in the draft at all (not that you ever really know, but, yeah, sometimes you know). While many teams will seemingly be unaffected by their actions/inactions on draft night in Newark, New Jersey, the Nuggets came away with a significant draft pick and a noteworthy trade that will certainly alter their team in upcoming seasons.

The Denver Nuggets scored big with the 22nd pick by selecting a ferocious defender in the awesomely dreadlocked Kenneth Faried, who left Morehead State University as one of the most prolific rebounders in college history. With the possible departure of Kenyon Martin, Faried could thrive at power forward whether it be in a starting role, or more likely coming off the bench. While it is difficult to gauge the immediate future of the squad due to a high number of free agents on the team, it is conceivable that Kenyon Martin may not be coming back, sliding Nene to his natural position at power forward and Timofey Mozgov in as a starting center. In this scenario, Faried would be a tremendous asset off the bench, especially considering he could be played in an ultra high-energy frontcourt alongside Chris "The Birdman" Andersen.

Denver also pulled off what appears to be a beneficial trade, acquiring former Nugget Andre Miller and 26th overall pick Jordan Hamilton in exchange for Raymond Felton. Although the younger Felton is in the prime of his career and is arguably more skilled than Andre Miller in his current form, this trade accomplished three important things for the Nuggets:

They got rid of the looming issue of having two capable starting point guards in their prime (Felton and Ty Lawson) on the same team, a factor that left a justifiably unhappy camper in Felton coming off the bench. With Lawson being younger, having a lower salary, and showing signs of a bright future and possible stardom, it was obvious who eventually had to go. To his credit, Felton played his short time with the Nuggets with class and character, providing a spark off the bench with his adept passing and leadership. The Nuggets avoided more "Melodrama" by dealing Felton, who was in his last year of his contract and deserves to be a starting point guard elsewhere. Nuggets fans can only hope that he doesn't come back to bite them in the rear too much while suiting up for the division rival Portland Trailblazers.

Denver acquired a more than capable backup to fill the void left by Felton. While Miller is getting long in the tooth (I know, weird expression, I'm just gonna roll with it), he still put up similar statistics to Felton last year with Portland and will get significant playing time with the high-octane Denver team that he knows well from previous years. Also, there won't be a problem with Miller coming off the bench at this point in his career, and coach George Karl is a big fan of him, so Andre will be a large contributor to the Nuggets this season. Miller's strong points are his passing, leadership, control of the game, alley-oop passing, free-throw shooting, and character. His weakest (virtually nonexistent) quality is his inability to make three-pointers.

Lastly, the Nuggets acquired Texas swingman Jordan Hamilton in the deal, who will contribute three-point shooting and rebounding from the shooting guard/small forward spots. With J.R. Smith likely heading out of Denver, Hamilton could possibly back up Arron Afflalo by providing his shooting touch and his fastbreak ability to the aforementioned high-energy second unit, a quality that could help the Nuggets use their energy and the mile-high altitude to remain the highest scoring team in the NBA.

The Nuggets also acquired Chukwudiebere Maduabum, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers after playing in the NBA Development League last year. Maduabum will certainly have an easy transition as he will be playing in the D-League again this year.

Overall, the Nuggets gained three contributors and lost one in this year's draft, and the front office succeeded most in addressing the specific needs and positions on the team. While it is always possible that any one of our acquisitions could not live up to expectations, the possible rewards seem to outweigh the risks after the draft day dust has settled.