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No. 13: Denver Nuggets
Last Season: 30-52
12th place in West; missed playoffs
In 2012-13, the Denver Nuggets were one of the league's most pleasant surprises, winning 57 games without an All-Star. After the Nuggets were upset in the opening round, however, general manager Masai Ujiri left for a more lucrative position in Toronto and head coach George Karl was fired. Since then, Denver has won a combined 66 games while losing 98.
Following a 30-52 season, there are signs Denver is again moving in the right direction. The Nuggets have amassed extra draft picks to go along with a young core of Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari, Jusuf Nurkic and rookie Emmanuel Mudiay, and new head coach Michael Malone should bring a steadier hand on the sidelines. But Denver still has a ways to go before returning to the playoffs, let alone reaching the heights of 2012-13.
The Nuggets began last season with the expectation they would contend for the postseason. After all, their 36-46 finish in 2013-14 had been marred by injuries, with Denver losing the fourth-most games due to injury of any NBA team, according to my research. So it came as a surprise when the Nuggets lost six of their first seven games. While they got over .500 once, and were still in the mix at 18-20 in mid-January, Denver went 2-19 through March 1 to fall firmly into the lottery picture.
That stretch cost Brian Shaw his job as head coach after less than two rocky years at the helm. Shaw's ability to connect with players as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers didn't translate as a head coach, and he could never establish an identity after trying unsuccessfully to move the Nuggets away from the fast-paced style that has historically been successful for them.
Interim replacement Melvin Hunt gave the team more freedom to run, and Denver responded with six wins in its next eight games, finishing 10-13 under Hunt. Still, the Nuggets' final 30-52 record was the franchise's worst since 2002-03, the season that allowed them to draft Carmelo Anthony.