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Nuggets aim at shooter
With free agency open, Denver tries to fill glaring need
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By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
July 1, 2006
The quest for the Holy Grail. Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby Dick. There have been some lengthy searches in history. Add to them the Nuggets' hunt for a shooting guard.
Kiki Vandeweghe spent much of his five years as general manager trying to find a high-quality one and never did.
Vandeweghe is gone, but the search continues.
The Nuggets again enter free agency hoping to fill their shooting guard spot. But it won't be easy, being armed with only the midlevel exception of about $5 million.
"Everybody knows we want to find a shooter," said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team shot an NBA-worst 32.5 percent last season from three-point range.
NBA teams could start negotiating late Friday night with free agents, and the agent for Sacramento shooting guard Bonzi Wells anticipated he would get a call from the Nuggets.
The first day players can sign is July 12.
Karl said the Nuggets "want to make changes" this offseason, admitting they should not have stood pat last summer, when they did not bring in a shooter. Karl said the Nuggets could acquire a shooting guard by trade or free agency.
The free-agent crop of shooting guards is not strong. Wells is at the top of the list but might be out of Denver's price range.
"It's one of their significant needs right now," Wells' agent, William Phillips, said Friday afternoon about the Nuggets seeking a shooting guard. "He's going to play hard. George would like him. I think he would be a good fit."
Wells made $8 million last season, and isn't counting on taking much of a pay cut. Phillips, who said Wells wants at least a five-year deal, said the Nuggets would need to do a sign-and- trade since their midlevel exception isn't enough.
Wells, 29, has a good relationship with Nuggets director of player personnel Mark Warkentien, who has taken over many of Vandeweghe's responsibilities on an interim basis since his May departure, and assistant Tim
Grgurich. Both spent time in Portland when Wells played for the Trail Blazers from 1998-2003.
"Mark and (Grgurich) know Bonzi pretty well," Karl said. "But I don't know what his price is going to be. Is it going to be $5 million or $8 million?"
Phillips had expected Warkentien to call him as early as late Friday night. Phillips said Warkentien tried to trade for Wells last summer while serving as Cleveland's interim general manager.
Wells, a career 33.5 percent three-point shooter, averaged 13.6 points last season to raise his career mark to 12.8. He really stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 23.2 points and an NBA-best 12.0 rebounds while shooting 60.9 percent.
source: rockymountainnews.com
With free agency open, Denver tries to fill glaring need
STORY TOOLS
Email this story | Print
By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
July 1, 2006
The quest for the Holy Grail. Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby Dick. There have been some lengthy searches in history. Add to them the Nuggets' hunt for a shooting guard.
Kiki Vandeweghe spent much of his five years as general manager trying to find a high-quality one and never did.
Vandeweghe is gone, but the search continues.
The Nuggets again enter free agency hoping to fill their shooting guard spot. But it won't be easy, being armed with only the midlevel exception of about $5 million.
"Everybody knows we want to find a shooter," said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team shot an NBA-worst 32.5 percent last season from three-point range.
NBA teams could start negotiating late Friday night with free agents, and the agent for Sacramento shooting guard Bonzi Wells anticipated he would get a call from the Nuggets.
The first day players can sign is July 12.
Karl said the Nuggets "want to make changes" this offseason, admitting they should not have stood pat last summer, when they did not bring in a shooter. Karl said the Nuggets could acquire a shooting guard by trade or free agency.
The free-agent crop of shooting guards is not strong. Wells is at the top of the list but might be out of Denver's price range.
"It's one of their significant needs right now," Wells' agent, William Phillips, said Friday afternoon about the Nuggets seeking a shooting guard. "He's going to play hard. George would like him. I think he would be a good fit."
Wells made $8 million last season, and isn't counting on taking much of a pay cut. Phillips, who said Wells wants at least a five-year deal, said the Nuggets would need to do a sign-and- trade since their midlevel exception isn't enough.
Wells, 29, has a good relationship with Nuggets director of player personnel Mark Warkentien, who has taken over many of Vandeweghe's responsibilities on an interim basis since his May departure, and assistant Tim
Grgurich. Both spent time in Portland when Wells played for the Trail Blazers from 1998-2003.
"Mark and (Grgurich) know Bonzi pretty well," Karl said. "But I don't know what his price is going to be. Is it going to be $5 million or $8 million?"
Phillips had expected Warkentien to call him as early as late Friday night. Phillips said Warkentien tried to trade for Wells last summer while serving as Cleveland's interim general manager.
Wells, a career 33.5 percent three-point shooter, averaged 13.6 points last season to raise his career mark to 12.8. He really stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 23.2 points and an NBA-best 12.0 rebounds while shooting 60.9 percent.
source: rockymountainnews.com
