The 2001–02 Denver Nuggets season was the 26th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 35th season as a franchise.
Season summary
Off-season During the off-season, the Nuggets signed free agents Isaiah Rider and Avery Johnson; however, Rider only played in just ten games before being waived in November. After finishing just one game below .500 in winning percentage the previous season, the Nuggets suffered another disastrous setback as Antonio McDyess suffered a preseason knee injury; he would only appear in just ten games this season.
Regular season With the addition of Johnson, the Nuggets got off to a 6–5 start to the regular season, but then lost nine of their next ten games. One notable incident of the regular season occurred, after a 99–96 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets at the Pepsi Center on December 11, 2001. Head coach Dan Issel yelled a racial slur towards a Mexican fan; Issel was suspended for four games and was forced to resign, being replaced by assistant coach Mike Evans after a 9–17 start to the season. At mid-season, the Nuggets traded Johnson, Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz and Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Juwan Howard, former All-Star guard Tim Hardaway, and second-year forward Donnell Harvey. The team posted a 7-game losing streak in March, and finished in sixth place in the Midwest Division with a 27–55 record, missing the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.
Howard averaged 17.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 28 games after the trade, while Voshon Lenard averaged 11.5 points per game, and McDyess provided the team with 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. In addition, Hardaway contributed 9.6 points and 5.5 assists per game in 14 games, while George McCloud provided with 8.8 points per game, and Harvey averaged 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 29 games. Meanwhile, Calbert Cheaney contributed 7.3 points per game, and Ryan Bowen averaged 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
The Nuggets finished 20th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 633,846 at the Pepsi Center during the regular season.
Aftermath Following the season, McDyess was traded to the New York Knicks on draft day, after six seasons and two separate stints with the Nuggets, while Lenard signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors, and Cheaney signed with the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, McCloud was traded to the Washington Wizards, but was released to free agency, Hardaway was released, and Evans was fired as head coach.
Offseason
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 2 47 Ousmane Cisse F St. Jude HS (AL)
Roster
Roster notes Shooting guard Isaiah Rider was waived on November 20, 2001.
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 PPGNick Van Exel454438.6.408.337.7823.88.10.70.221.4Juwan Howard282834.9.457.000.7707.92.70.60.617.9Raef LaFrentz515132.7.466.434.6677.41.20.63.014.9Voshon Lenard711923.5.410.371.7832.61.80.80.411.5Antonio McDyess101023.6.573.8185.51.81.00.811.3James Posey736330.7.376.283.7935.92.51.60.510.7Tim Hardaway141423.2.373.373.6321.95.51.20.19.6Avery Johnson511323.5.486.000.7471.35.10.70.29.4Isaiah Rider10117.3.457.400.7653.31.20.30.29.3George McCloud692626.5.358.270.8103.63.00.80.38.8Donnell Harvey29423.4.492.6476.21.10.60.78.0Calbert Cheaney684724.0.481.000.6873.51.60.50.37.3Tariq Abdul-Wahad201220.9.379.500.7503.91.10.90.56.8Zendon Hamilton541515.7.420.6524.70.30.40.36.0Kenny Satterfield36415.6.367.259.7831.43.00.90.05.3Mengke Bateer271015.1.402.333.7843.60.80.40.25.1Ryan Bowen752122.5.479.083.7504.00.71.00.54.9Scott Williams411618.0.396.000.7325.10.30.40.84.9Carlos Arroyo20113.8.439.000.7501.42.50.30.14.1Shawnelle Scott211012.0.493.4004.90.40.10.33.9Chris Andersen24110.9.338.000.7863.20.30.31.23.0
Player statistics citation:
Awards and records
Transactions
References
See also 2001-02 NBA season