Nuggets' Lawson: 'People are going to sleep on us'
Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson is worried that the general impression of his team around the league is misguided.
“People,” Lawson told Jeff Caplan of NBA.com, “are probably going to sleep on us this year because of what happened last year.”
As Lawson notes, the Nuggets went through tenuous circumstances last season. Following their franchise-high 57-win performance in 2012-13, the franchise underwent a massive overhaul. In the front office, head coach George Karl was replaced with Brian Shaw, while general manager Masai Ujiri left for Toronto. On the court, their best defender Andre Iguodala left to join Golden State in free-agency.
The Nuggets were also hampered by injuries. Major pieces of their rotation - Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, JaVale McGee, Danilo Gallinari and even Lawson himself - missed significant time with various ailments. Given all the turnover, it's no wonder the Nuggets fell short of the postseason as they managed just 35 wins in 2013-14.
When healthy, Denver's biggest strength is depth, as Lawson notes. "There’s so many different lineups we can have. We can go small, go big, we’re so versatile."
With a full roster - as well as newly acquired guard Arron Afflalo - in tow for next season, the Nuggets appear primed for a bounce-back season.