The Denver Nuggets are a 3-7 trainwreck, and their issues extend well beyond the court.
Head coach Brian Shaw has voluntarily placed himself on the hot seat, the front-office doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing, and there’s now chatter that star forward Kenneth Faried is an unpopular figure within the organization.
GM Tim Connelly, who’s come under heavy criticism from other execs around the L, says that every Nuggets player is considered a “movable asset”.
Per ESPN:
Several sources around the league, a few close to the Nuggets, say the organization is “rudderless” under the controls of a young front office, led by general manager Tim Connelly, that has neither the experience nor the savvy to survive in a league whose executive ranks are teeming with predators. […] “I’m not sure Tim can do the job,” a league power broker, who has known Connelly for years, said. “He’s the nicest guy you’ll meet, but he’s out of his depths, and you saw it with the [Kenneth] Faried mess.”
Several sources around the league insist the Nuggets’ hand was forced with regard to Faried. After the signing of [JJ] Hickson to a three-year, approximately $16 million contract soon after Connelly’s arrival, the sense was the bouncy big man was insurance against Faried’s departure in free agency in 2014. Faried was a fan favorite in Denver, but multiple sources with knowledge of the Nuggets’ thinking maintain the team “isn’t crazy about him,” particularly Shaw. But with Faried’s boffo showing last summer with Team USA and a loyal following in Denver, the media-conscious Nuggets caved, adding yet another imperfect 4-man to their lot.
“[Faried] is a helluva player and plays hard, but he isn’t well liked [in the organization],” a league source said. “That gets glossed over. He says crazy s—. He thinks he’s the guy, and other guys take exception to his contract.”
