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Denver Nuggets
Overall: 119
Title track: 121
Ownership: 114
Coaching: T107
Players: 119
Fan relations: 121
Affordability: 85
Stadium experience: 99
Bang for the buck: 71
Change from last year: -21
The Nuggets are bottom-dwellers this year, ranked the second-worst franchise in the NBA (ahead of only the lowly Knicks) and the third-worst franchise in all of pro sports. Not an enviable spot, especially since Denver's other pro sports franchise ranks in the top 20 (hat tip, Peyton Manning).
What's good
Uh, well, very little, but let's go with the prices, which aren't ... terrible? At $54, the Nuggets' tickets are right at the league average, and their cost per game is slightly below that thanks to affordable concessions and parking. Not much on the court is good (and all but one of the team's ranks dropped from last year), but improvement might not be far away. Top draft pick Emmanuel Mudiay is a potential superstar, which is good news for new coach Michael Malone.
What's bad
The Nuggets rank second to last in two categories: title track and fan relations. Fans gave the team the worst score in the NBA in sharing information online or on mobile devices. Denver also got poor scores in social media, at-home watching and ease of buying tickets online. That terrible title track score makes sense considering the Nuggets haven't made the playoffs in three seasons and have advanced past the first round only once in 20 years. They received NBA-worst scores in willingness to pay to attract quality players and coaches and expectedness of a title in fans' lifetimes.
What's new
The firing of coach Brian Shaw, who in less than two years at the helm compiled a dismal 56-85 record, explains why coaching went from bad to worse (down five places to 107). The Nuggets don't exactly have a star-laden roster, and their players ranking fell 28 more places (to 119) after the team's top scorer, Ty Lawson, appeared to check out mentally and subsequently called his July trade to Houston a "breath of fresh air." Ouch. Of course, after Lawson's multiple DUI cases, Denver fans might feel the same way. After all, the team recorded the worst score in all of sports in "players that act professionally on and off the field."
Next: New York Knicks | Full rankings