by Eldon Khorshidi | @eldonadam
All-Star swingman Andre Iguodala can’t wait to join his new team, the Denver Nuggets. Prior to acquiring Iguodala, the Nuggets were already one of the most athletic and fastest teams in the NBA, and with AI on board, they will presumably be that much more dangerous. With a promising young core of Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee in place, and with former teammate Andre Miller on the roster, the Olympic gold medalist is very optimistic about Denver’s future. After all, the Nuggets did take the Lakers to seven games last May.
More details, via NBA.com:
“I really like what they’re building in Denver and I look forward to being a part of it.” The Nuggets acquired Iguodala from the 76ers on Friday as part of a four-team, 12-player deal that also included the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. During one post-trade interview, Iguodala said he was thankful for the opportunity to play in the NBA and added that he would be happy playing basketball anywhere—even in Alaska. Some misconstrued the comments as ambivalence toward the Nuggets. “I like the roster that Josh and (executive vice president of basketball operations) Masai (Ujiri) have assembled,” Iguodala said. “It’s a high-energy group with a lot of athleticism. I’ve played with Andre Miller and know how valuable a player he is. Ty (Lawson) is one of the best young point guards in the league and Danilo (Gallinari) can really stretch the defense with his shooting and can do a lot of other good things offensively. The young bigs like JaVale (McGee), (Kenneth) Faried and (Timofey) Mozgov are all talented guys who will only continue to get better.” It also should be a good fit. Nuggets coach George Karl loves to run; Iguodala loves to run. Denver loves to create offense with its defense; Iguodala is a lockdown defender who can create turnovers. “I think my strengths as a player fit in very well with Coach Karl’s system and the way he likes to play,” Iguodala said. “I like a more up-tempo game, and I know this team gets up and down the floor being among the league leaders in scoring and possessions per game last year.”
