According to Marc Stein via Twitter, Al Harrington has agreed to a 5 year, $35 million contract with the Denver Nuggets. Last season Harrington played for the Knicks, where he averaged nearly 18 points off the bench. This signing also signals that the Nuggets will not match the offer sheet that Linas Kleiza has signed with the Toronto Raptors.
Harrington is a 3 point shooting PF who should be able to stretch the floor nicely when playing with Carmelo Anthony. I would expect Harrington to come off the bench and be part of a potent second unit with fellow chucker J.R. Smith (Ty Lawson may not see many shots off the bench!).
All of the sudden the Nuggets are really deep. Their starting 5 should consist of Billups, Afflalo, Anthony, Martin, and Nene with Lawson, Smith, Harrington, and Chris Anderson making up the 2nd unit. Having such depth should allow the Nuggets to explore some potential trade opportunities. Ty Lawson is a talented young PG and Kenyon Martin as well as the mercurial J.R. Smith have expiring contracts worth a combined $23 mil. Shocking as it sounds, if Smith and Martin are moved the Nuggets might be able to shed the label as the most inked up team in the NBA!
2 years ago the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals and played the Lakers in a competitive series. Last season was lost after Coach George Karl was recovering from cancer. While talented, replacement Adrian Dantley wasn't nearly the floor leader that Karl is. Nuggets fans have a lot to look forward to this season as they have a deep, talented team and some movable parts if need be for the deadline.
During last years playoffs, the importance of George Karl to this team couldn't have been more apparent. With the amount of personalities on this team, Karl seemed to be the only one who could keep it together. I think the Nuggets would be wise to explore trade opportunities as the addition of Harrington will bring a bit more consistency to that bench. But at the end of the day, every team in the Western Conference should be trying to build a team that can beat the Lakers in a 7 game series. That means finding height and length wherever they can.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised to see J.R. Smith moved. That team needs stability, and that is what Smith is not.
ReplyDeleteSmith and Nene for...?
ReplyDeleteNene is legit. More like Smith and Martin for.... I dunno see what's up at the deadline. I think you need to keep lawson to take over for billups in a few years.
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