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Free agency begins tomorrow in the National Basketball Association, and for the Denver Nuggets, one of the biggest priorities has to be re-signing Chris “Bird Man” Andersen, the tattooed giant known for acrobatic dunks and prolific blocked shots.
The Nuggets are also reportedly trying to re-sign unrestricted free agent Dahntay Jones and restricted free agent Linas Kleiza, according to Sports Illustrated. So most of the team that came within a couple of bad inbound passes from the NBA finals may come back, but SI also writes that the Nuggets will likely add another free agent scorer, perhaps even Grant Hill.
I may be dating myself, but Hill’s famous inbound pass to Duke teammate Christian Laettner, who then hit the winning shot to beat Kentucky in the 1992 National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball East Regional, was the first truly amazing sports play I remember (relive it in the video that follows). That’s part of the problem: That was 17 years ago, when Hill was in college. Hill is now 36, but he can still play a decent game from the small forward position.Â
The Nuggets will make a run at Ron Artest (known best for heading into the stands and attacking fans in one of the NBA’s most infamous melees), and Michael Finley, a proven veteran scorer with at least one year left in the tank.
The Denver Stiffs make the case for bringing back Nuggets backup point guard Anthony Carter, a player whose moniker of A.C. should stand for “Always Costly.” Although his actual price tag is low, he’s prone to passing the ball into the third row–and he’s not a particularly good shooter. The Stiffs think he’s worth the price, saying new rookie point guard Ty Lawson shouldn’t be the only option for resting Chauncey Billups’ aging legs.