Tough Talk From Nugs

Dedicated reader Who pointed out recently that we've been more than happy to find current Nuggets talking about being bummed about Marcus Camby's departure, but we haven't done as much toward looking forward along with this year's Denver team.  Fair enough assessment.

Just in case it had been painted here as though the Nuggets are drowning in Marcus-less misery, it's worth noting that this definitively isn't the case.

As reported by Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News:

[Carmelo] Anthony spoke of 60 last season, and the Nuggets went 50-32. But guard Allen Iverson and forward Kenyon Martin said they have the talent to add 10 to that.

"Sixty games," Martin said. "We won 50 games last year and came in eighth place (in the West). It will take 60 to be in the top three. So, I think so."

"We’re going to quiet a lot of people’s mouths," vows Nene, who will replace Camby as the starting center.

Rest assured, there is no shortage of confidence in Denver.

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That doesn't mean I would expect much of that confidence to be reflected in this team's results this season.  Whether Camby's defensive reputation was somewhat inflated (as some have contended) or not, it's hard to imagine the Nuggets improving in his absence. 

Allen Iverson's body has taken a thorough beating over his time in the league, and he isn't getting younger.  Melo Anthony hasn't given us any reason to believe he'll be committed at the defensive end.  J.R. Smith isn't just a nut; he's a nut no longer in a contract year.  This team is going to be heavily reliant on Kenyon Martin and Nene in the frontcourt.  Several other Western teams - Houston, Portland and the Clippers, to name a few - got appreciably better this summer, and the Nuggets have not. 

I'll believe the 60-win talk when I see some evidence of its likelihood.  This team hasn't given us any this offseason.