Entertaining Nuggets gutted by rush to China

They were fearless, fun, deeper than the kind of poetry that dares you to find a rhyme and equipped with the motivation of rejection.
 
As pawns in Carmelo Anthony's desire to ditch Denver, the Nuggets came roaring down the stretch of the NBA's 2010-11 regular season. Those left behind had been considered incapable of supporting Melo's quest for June immortality. Those who arrived from New York were rendered expendable by the Knicks' fascination with adding another trigger-happy superstar.
 
It didn't take long for the Nuggets and their fans to embrace the subsequent uprising. Nets were ablaze (at both ends of the floor), the team was winning (19-7 without Anthony) and coach George Karl was dealing with mostly happy players, a lot of whom were young.
 
Although a 12-man rotation (give or take) can be a continuity nightmare, the Nuggets were collectively insulted enough by circumstances to postpone any truly divisive whining over minutes or touches.
 
Unfortunately, they now lacked a go-to ego capable of taking over in the halfcourt logjam that is the NBA playoffs. Denver was escorted to the door by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the rooted-for notion that a collection of good players working in X-and-O harmony could attain NBA glory was snuffed in the opening round.
 
Hello, lockout. Goodbye, insanely deep and entertaining Nuggets.
 
In case you were busy limiting your interest in Denver to the status of Tim Tebow, please note that three locked-out Nuggets free agents have signed to play for money in China. OK, since it seems that nobody will be playing for serious loot over here any time soon, several guys already are working in Europe, so it's no big deal . . . right?
 
Well, this China business could be kind of big to the Nuggets.
 
That's because the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA, brutally ironic) has refused to grant "out" clauses to NBA players seeking temp work during the lockout. Since its regular season ends next February and the playoffs dip into March, anyone (and, so far, they're limiting offers to NBA free agents) under contract will be stuck there if or when the lockout ends.
 
The China-bound Nuggets are small forward Wilson Chandler (a restricted free agent who came over in the Melo deal), power forward Kenyon Martin (unrestricted) and shooooooting guard J.R. Smith (unrestricted).
 
On an a la carte basis, losing one player wouldn't be a big deal. Losing all three could be messy. Even though Denver's post-trade interpretation of Noah's Ark provided a duplicate at every position, the Nuggets probably wouldn't mind keeping Chandler and proved it by tendering a qualifying order allowing them to match anything he signs with another team — whenever the owners and players' union reach an accord. (Go ahead and exhale on that one.)
 
Martin, the former overall No. 1 pick, has become less important to the offense as the seasons have rolled on — he's 33 now — but his versatility on defense was pretty important to a team that rarely generated interest in guarding anyone.
 
Smith is a deadly (for both the Nuggets and their foes) sniper who often clashed with Karl and subscribed to the philosophy of "defense optional." His unrestricted shot menu could turn into an emergency out clause in China.
 
Losing three pretty decent players on a really deep roster wouldn't be as dicey if Denver weren't facing other potential defections. The biggest — literally and figuratively — is Nene, an unrestricted free agent whose willingness to mix it up in the lane makes him something of a prize around the league.
 
Shooting guard Arron Afflalo checks in as a restricted free agent who would fit in with several contending teams. The UCLA product can be a beast on defense and makes open shots (42 percent from 3-point range). That's more unusual than it should be. The Nuggets reportedly have made him a re-sign priority.
 
But thanks to the uncertainty of the post-lockout financial landscape, losing Nene won't guarantee salary-cap space. There's no way of knowing how much loot will be available under the new collective-bargaining agreement even if Denver is interested in bringing back Chandler and Martin. With those two in China through at least February, the NFL-styled whirlwind of free-agent signings might come and go without them.

Even if losing Nene and working under a new CBA allows Denver to slide under whatever becomes the cap limit, we can't imagine the Nuggets being able afford replacing him with someone anywhere near his on-court value.
 
Further concerns might arise while small forward Danilo Gallinari and center Timofey Mozgov are playing in Europe during the lockout. Although we should expect them to pursue their careers back in the NBA, never underestimate the pull of playing at home. A prolonged lockout could make staying in Europe more attractive to a couple of players with only one season remaining on their current NBA deals.
 
Already missing from Denver's closing run is point guard Ray Felton, who arrived from New York and — after some early grumbling — worked well with Ty Lawson in an all-shorty backcourt that really terrorized some Western Conference foes. Felton went to the Portland Trail Blazers in a draft-night deal that yielded veteran Andre Miller. Miller, whose previous employment in Denver went well, can't do much as a shooter and really stinks on defense. Playing off the drive-and-kick stylings of Lawson would be a stretch for him, even if he accepted the role. With only one year left on his contract, too, don't expect Miller to happily caddy for Lawson.
 
By the way, swingman Gary Forbes is another restricted free agent with potential value around the league. But at least Denver has forward Al Harrington under contract for another four years and more than $37 million. Whoa.
 
The Nuggets did add a couple of rookies in Kenneth Faried — a rebounding beast who will be the shortest four man in the league — and Jordan Hamilton. Hamilton happens to be a highly skilled three man from Texas with a reputation for coasting a bit on defense.
 
Hey, it appears that Denver already has replaced Smith.