Smith Upgrades

It's easy to despise the Nuggets when they do so many stupid things. But the last few weeks have been a relative potporri of positive excitement. First, the JR Smith deal gave the Nuggets a legitimate SG. The kid's not an all-star and he hasn't lived up to his vaunted potential...yet. But he's in his third year, and the third year is when most high school draftees finally "get it." His shooting and scoring ability should give the Nuggets more space than they had at any point last year on offense. The kid's got good size at 6'6" which will help him defend most of the 2-guards in the league. Plus, he's incredibly athletic, which should fit right in with the up-tempo style that the Nuggets play whenever Andre Miller's on the bench. He's the perfect compliment for Carmelo too. Now Carmelo will have someone to kick it out too when he's double-teamed in the post which happens just about every play. All in all, a great move.

And it only gets better. Today the Nuggets announced that Ruben Patterson was going to Milwaukee for Joe Smith. While both guys come with their share of baggage, I think this was a brilliant deal. Joe Smith is a veteran and a leader, and he'll be a perfect back-up for the 3,4, and even 5 spots when the Nuggets go small. He's a great insurance policy if any of the big men get hurt for extended periods, and he'll do great if and when the Nuggets can ever get rid of Kenyon Martin. As for Patterson, it's always a good thing when an NBA team can dump a guy who played at Cincinnati (one down, two to go). Patterson's absense leaves the bench short at the 2 and 3 spots, but it's possible that Kleiza or Julius Hodge will step up this year. And the Nuggets may have another deal or two up their sleeve...

While the off-season started on a bland note, the Nuggets have certainly kicked it up a notch.