Outside Shooting?

In the midst of the Nuggets impressive streak (with a minor setback against Phoenix), the most looming issue is whether the Nuggets need an outside shooter. Or, as the Nuggets seem to be hoping, is it possible to advance in the playoffs without a legitimate outside presence?

As the season draws to a close the Nuggets are basically set when it comes to the playoff roster. The starting lineup may need a little tinkering here and there - for example, is it really worth it to have K-Mart in the starting lineup when he's such a fractious presence and when Reggie Evans is playing awesome? - but the pieces are in place. And there just isn't a shooter. I love Melo (league MVP anyone?) and Greg Buckner is an amazing defender and teammate, but they just aren't shooters. Neither is Andre Miller, nor is Earl Boykins. The Nuggets don't have that guy who can open up space on the offensive end. Defenses typically grow stingy in the playoffs; offensive floor-space gets limited; without a shooter the Nuggets are walking into a cluser-f*#k on offense.

This will definitely be a problem come playoff time. Whichever team faces the Nuggets in the playoffs will do one thing: throw two and sometimes three defenders at Melo and force other guys to score. In such a situation Andre Miller will easily get 20+ points and Marcus Camby might even put up 20 too. But that's it. No one else on the team is a legitimate offensive threat. Andre Miller and Marcus Camby are not capable of taking over more than one playoff game apiece. Result: first round exit.

That leaves the Nuggets in the same spot they were last year - an exciting team with a lot of potential that never makes it to the second round. With the addition of Evans and Ruben Patterson, the defense is becoming more polished which will keep games close, perhaps closer than some of the blowouts against San Antonio last year. But if the Nuggets face teams like Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix - all of whom have two and sometimes three or four legitimate offensive threats - the Nuggets will lose. I guarantee that one of the three teams mentioned above will represent the West in the Finals because they have good defenses and multi-faceted offenses. Until the Nuggets find a shooter, they'll be trapped in Garnett-land: a dismal place where first-round exits are the norm and lone superstars win nothing.