The 2000–01 Denver Nuggets season was the 25th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 34th season as a franchise.
Season summary
Off-season During the off-season, the Nuggets acquired Calbert Cheaney, and former Nuggets guard Robert Pack from the Boston Celtics, acquired Voshon Lenard from the Miami Heat, and acquired Tracy Murray from the Washington Wizards. The team also re-signed free agent and former Nuggets guard Anthony Goldwire.
Regular season With the addition of Lenard, the Nuggets got off to a 10–8 start to the regular season, then lost five straight games, but then won 14 of their next 17 games, and were a playoff contender posting a record of 26–18 as of January 27, 2001. However, Cheaney only played just nine games due to a strained left hamstring, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad only played just 29 games due to weight problems. At mid-season, the Nuggets traded Murray and Keon Clark to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kevin Willis. The team held a 27–24 record at the All-Star break. However, the Nuggets lost 24 of their final 38 games of the season, and finished in sixth place in the Midwest Division with a 40–42 record, missing the NBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.
Antonio McDyess averaged 20.8 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while Nick Van Exel averaged 17.7 points and 8.5 assists per game, and also contributed 135 three-point field goals, and Raef LaFrentz provided the team with 12.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. In addition, Lenard contributed 12.2 points per game, and led the Nuggets with 147 three-point field goals, while sixth man George McCloud contributed 9.6 points per game off the bench, and Willis provided with 9.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 43 games after the trade. Meanwhile, second-year forward James Posey averaged 8.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and Pack contributed 6.5 points and 4.0 assists per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., McDyess was selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his first and only All-Star appearance. The Nuggets finished 20th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 619,300 at the Pepsi Center during the regular season.
Aftermath Following the season, Willis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, who then sent him back to his former team, the Houston Rockets, and Pack and Goldwire were both released to free agency.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 1 26 Mamadou N'diaye C Auburn 2 53 Dan McClintock C Northern Arizona
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
z - clinched division title y - clinched division title x - clinched playoff spot
Game log
Player statistics
Regular season Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPGAntonio McDyess707036.5.495.70012.12.10.61.520.8Nick Van Exel717037.9.414.377.8193.48.50.90.317.7Raef LaFrentz787431.5.477.367.6987.81.40.52.612.9Voshon Lenard805829.1.397.385.7972.92.40.80.212.2George McCloud76826.4.382.329.8402.93.70.70.49.6Kevin Willis431324.6.428.250.7887.20.70.90.79.6James Posey828227.5.412.300.8165.32.01.10.58.1Keon Clark35321.5.412.6005.31.00.51.36.5Robert Pack741117.0.425.387.7661.94.00.90.06.5Mark Strickland46211.2.443.000.6272.60.40.30.44.4Anthony Goldwire20010.1.375.265.7650.61.70.50.04.1Tariq Abdul-Wahad291214.5.387.400.5832.00.80.50.43.8Tracy Murray13010.4.309.304.9001.70.70.30.13.8Ryan Bowen57012.2.556.364.6142.00.50.60.23.4Dan McClintock619.7.500.0002.80.20.00.33.0Calbert Cheaney9517.0.333.5002.21.00.40.22.3Terry Davis19112.0.480.4092.80.40.10.11.7Garth Joseph204.0.000.0000.00.00.00.50.0
Player statistics citation:
Awards and records Antonio McDyess- 2001 All Star Selection
Transactions
References
See also 2000-01 NBA season