In the Nest

Yo, peep the food for thought, if food were thoughts
I'd be Lean Cuisine, you Mu-shu Pork...

The Nuggets went out and took care of their number one off-season priority, Birdman, and signed him to a deal. It appears they didn't overpay for the reserve, who when he's on can change a game. It could get a bit sticky in the later years of his contract, when he's in his mid 30s and pulling down a big salary. But hey, Marcus Camby, son.

As Birdman was settling into Denver, Dahntay Jones is packing up and bringing his defense to Indiana. Not the biggest loss, although it throws more pressure on JR Smith to be Mr All That at the two guard this season. And the Nugs better scour the league for a someone at the off guard who can provide 20 minutes this year.

Most troubling to many Nugs' fans is the Western Conference arms race. First off, the Lakers adding Ron Artest. On the basketball floor, this is a great move. However, how combustible will Ron Ron be in the locker room? How will he mesh with ultra alpha dog Kobe?

The Rockets added Trevor Ariza. Yes, the SG suggested Ariza would be a welcome fit in CO, but we are talkng about a player who only had about two months of solid play. With Yao out will the Rockets have enough?

The Mavs resigned aging Jason Kidd and brought in Shawn Marion, while their division rival Spurs added Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. These are the two teams that added the most with the veteran and scoring punch. Nugs' fans would hope the two would meet in the postseason and wear eachother out. The Spurs seemed especially primed with their roster to make a big push.

That leaves the Nuggets with the same team intact and we keep hearing "upside" on the team. Truth is, other than Portland, the Nugs appear to have the most "upside" in the conference. The Nugs still need to add a few players, but they can't add guys just to give the appearance that their trying to keep up with their Conference rivals.

A few names to watch: Wally Szczerbiak, Drew Gooden, Desmond Mason, and David Lee. Assuming Linas Kleiza walks, Wally World might give the team some quality minutes and a spot up shooter. Gooden, putting his KU past aside, offers valuable bench minutes and long spells of K-Mart. Desmond Mason would be an offensive upgrade over Dahntay who also surprisingly can get to the hoop and also grab some rebounds.

Finally, the SG has been pining for David Lee for more than a year, and not only would Linas have to leave, but they might have to jettison another salary to make it work with Lee. The dude averages a double double and can shoot the rock. However, he would be a bench player and add to a somewhat crowded front court for a hefty salary.

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