Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets celebrate on the bench (Photo : Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
The Denver Nuggets missed the playoffs for the third-straight year under the tenure of general manager Tim Connelly. However, he feels good about the Nuggets season and may not be looking to make any major moves this upcoming offseason.
Denver had a record of 33-49 and was nothing but mediocre in the stacked Western Conference. He insisted in an interview with The Denver Post that the goal for 2017 is making the playoffs, while also praising head coach Mike Malone.
"All of the kudos go to Mo and the staff. We had to find out about a bunch of young players this year and that's not easy in this league," Connelly said in the interview.
Some of those player finds include a pair of rookies, Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic, and their sixth man going forward Will Barton. The Nuggets GM called Mudiay "fantastic" and praised his play the entire season but pointed out his performance after the All-Star break.
On the other hand, Connelly commends the presence of Jokic on the roster and the locker room. He described him as a source of fun with his smiling face and sense of humor, while also proving that he belongs in the NBA.
As for Barton, he is considered as a leading candidate to win the Sixth Man of the Year. According to Basketball Reference, Barton averaged a career-high 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while only starting one out of all the 82 games.
When asked about his plans for next season, Connelly answered that he feels the Nuggets are in a "good place" because the team has a lot of cap space to sign certain free agents and a handful of draft picks. However, he hinted that those assets make them flexible in the market.
The Nuggets have three first round picks this year while only two players are set to become free agents, D.J. Augustin and Mike Miller. Denver also has two players on a minimum salary, JaKarr Sampson and Axel Toupane.
If Connelly decides to make a big splash this offseason, his target may be Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love, per SB Nation. Love will be part of many trade rumors this summer if the Cavs fails to win the NBA championship this season.
In the video below, you can watch the Nuggets' best win of the season. They were one of the nine teams that have defeated the Golden State Warriors.
