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| F J.R. Smith is taking his talents to China. |
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| F Wilson Chandler decided to take a chance and play in China. |
Two weeks ago, F Wilson Chandler, who was scheduled to be a free agent once the lockout ended, announced he was signing with an organization in the Chinese Basketball Association. Chandler started the 2010-2011 season with the New York Knicks, but was sent to the Denver Nuggets in the big deal that sent F Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. Nuggets' coach George Karl was impressed with Chandler's work, which helped the Nuggets stay in contention in the Western Conference.
J.R. Smith was also scheduled to be a free agent once the lockout ended, but he has followed Chandler's path and signed on to play in the Chinese Basketball Association as well. The league decided to not pursue any NBA players under contract, and stated whatever players signed there had to play the entire season. That eliminates Smith and Chandler for the 2011-2012 NBA season, should there be one.
There was no telling if the Nuggets management actually wanted to bring both of them back. If they did, this is a big blow to the organization. It's likely they wanted Chandler back, since he's still very young at 24, and can play multiple positions offensively and defensively. Smith always seemed to be a thorn in Karl's side, putting up ridiculous shots and not playing sound defense. At times, Smith was an electric scorer as the sixth man, putting up at least 35 points on several occasions.
Losing both of them would be detrimental to the Nuggets, who lost their superstar. No one knows if Chandler or Smith would've wanted to re-sign with them anyway, but the Nuggets cannot afford to lose two talented individuals. After the trade, they had about eight players who were capable starters in this league. Chandler, a starter with the Knicks, actually came off the bench behind F Danilo Gallinari, who was also traded to the Nuggets from the Knicks.
If there is a season, the Nuggets have some decisions to make. It seemed as if they were determined to trade G Raymond Felton, another member of the trade, this offseason. Now with the guaranteed loss of Chandler and Smith, do they proceed and trade another scoring option? That remains to be seen, but the season actually starting remains to be seen as well.
IF there is a season, the Nuggets contending for a championship won't be happening. Most people would make the argument that they are not capable of contending even with Smith and Chandler. The top four teams in the Western Conference this past season were the Spurs, Lakers, Mavericks and Thunder. The Nuggets, as crazy as it may seem, are capable of beating any of those four fielding the team they had after the Anthony trade.
Finally, let's see if the Nuggets are interested in bringing them back when they return to the states.
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