1. What letter grade would you give the Nuggets draft and why?
Tom: A. Gary Harris has the mentality and the physical tools to become a Tony Allen-like defender with a better shot. I would have been happy with him as the 11th pick. Getting an extra asset in Jusuf Nurkic while clearing Anthony Randolph from the books was a savvy move. Both Nurkic and fellow Adriatic League big man Nikola Jokic are raw and inexperienced but have shown good development over the last two years.
Charlie: A. The Nuggets turned the 11th pick into two lottery-caliber talents and a future second rounder, in addition to shedding the wholly unnecessary Anthony Randolph. From a value standpoint, thats a win. Tim Connelly could have made the safe play with McDermott, whom I liked, but instead took the long view with three developmental picks. Nurkic, Harris and Jokic are three of the youngest players in the draft with a great mix of physical tools and upside.
Joel: A. The Chicago deal was a masterstroke. By trading down, Denver got a two-for-one without losing out on Harris, their primary draft target at 11. Both he and Nurkic were steals, falling lower than most mocks projected, and Connelly prognosticated that development very well. Moreover, packaging Randolph not only opened up a roster spot and got his dead weight off the team, but also helped the Nuggets cut nearly $1 million in guaranteed salary in 2014-15.
Frederick: The excitement might still be carrying over but I give it a solid A, not only because I had a blast but because they did everything they set out to do. I thought their biggest weaknesses were perimeter scoring and perimeter defense, and they acquired both in spades. I would have been perfectly content to snag Harris at 11, but trading down to get him at 19 means Nurkic was somehow free, a bonus that was awarded to the Nuggets for their foresight. After listening to the interviews with these guys (Harris in particular, since Nurkics English is a little shaky), Im convinced theyre serious competitors and high-character guys, which I put a premium on considering the Spurs model (also because Im getting old). The last offseason felt bad and turned out bad; this one feels good.
Kalen: Considering the Nuggets drafted the best remaining players on my Big Board in both the first and second rounds, I cant give them anything but an A-plus. I studied all year long and wrote upwards of 10,000 words on this draft. Im not saying my opinion is more valuable than anyone elses, but I feel fairly qualified in assessing the talent Denver acquired on draft night. McDermott may end up being a stellar shooter in the NBA, but he was considered a second-round pick for three years leading up to 2014 and still has major question marks about his athleticism and defense. Meanwhile the Nuggets got not one, but two of most every experts favorite late-lottery talents in this draft and shipped out Anthony Randolph in the process. How is this anything but spectacular?
