Whether or not you’re a fan of the Denver Nuggets, you have to be at least a little impressed by what they were able to accomplish this season. First there was their ability to stay focused on winning through the incessant rumors and drama surrounding Carmelo Anthony’s future. Then there as the trade, in which the Nuggets front office did a masterful job of playing the New York Knicks against the New Jersey Nets to make sure they got top dollar for their trade-in. Then, after taking the Knicks to the cleaners, we saw a Denver team with no superstars continue their push to the playoffs and grab the Western Conference’s fifth seed. Finally, they were in every playoff game with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team with two MVP candidates, and might have even won the series if they had made a few more free throws.

In the middle of all that they even managed to sign their head coach to a contract extension.

Obviously, Denver fans would have liked to see the team get beyond the first round, but all things considered, it wasn’t a bad year for the Nuggets. Now it’s time to look forward, and we’ll start the Nuggets’ offseason with a look at their top five issues:

1) Nene. In a league where good centers are in short supply, it’s of utmost importance that the Nuggets keep theirs in place. Nene has a contract option for next season, but in all likelihood he will opt out of the deal in favor of signing a long-term contract. It’s not certain what a new long-term contract will cost under the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but the Nuggets’ top priority has to be navigating that in short order and keeping Nene in place. His first choice is to stay in Denver, so that shouldn’t be too hard.

2) Kenyon Martin. Like Nene, Martin is telling anyone with a microphone that he wants to be back with the Nuggets next season. The question is, would that be a wise investment for Denver? At 34 years of age, Martin may still have some basketball left in him, but considering he’s played in 66, 58 and 48 games over the last three seasons, respectively, how much should the Nuggets invest in keeping him around? When the Nuggets signed Al Harrington last summer part of the idea was that he would be the eventual replacement for Martin, and now it’s time to make that happen. The Nuggets should use some of the cap space created by Martin’s and J.R. Smith’s expiring contract to go after a young power forward to groom behind Harrington.

3) The two spot. It’s really a no-brainer for the Nuggets when it comes to picking up the options on Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler this summer. Afflalo is at least a very good sixth-man, and might even grow into starting role he held this season, and we’re just starting to learn what kind of player Chandler might become. His $3 million price tag could turn out to be a bargain if he can makes some strides over the next two seasons. Neither Afflalo nor Chandler has shown star potential yet, but they’re both young with plenty of room to grow. The Nuggets need more from their two spot, and there’s a decent chance they get it from one or both of their young shooting guards. It is also reasonable to assume that J.R. Smith has played his last game as a Denver Nuggets. He’s a gifted scorer, but head coach George Karl will likely be eager to move on from Smith’s quirks and issues.

4) Raymond Felton. When Felton came over in the trade with the Knicks, his first concern was whether or not he would be starting. He knew the Nuggets were grooming Ty Lawson to be their starter of the future, and as we saw, Felton never did get the starting nod he was hoping for. It also doesn’t seem as though he will; Lawson was easily the team’s best player in the postseason and he’s becoming everything the Nuggets hoped he would be. Felton is under contract for next season, and he gave Denver a heck of a one-two punch at the point, but if he pushes the issue and wants to be traded to a team that will start him, the Nuggets should have plenty of interested buyers. He’s no Chris Paul, but Felton is one of the best point guards in the first tier below the NBA’s All-Star floor leaders.

5) Free Agency. The Nuggets won’t have the most cap space this summer, but with only $41 million committed (including the options on Afflalo and Chandler), they can be significant players in free agency. Assuming they don’t bring Martin back, they’ll need to add a power forward, and someone like David West (who has an early termination option) would certainly put the Nuggets back in the West’s home court chase. Of course, the New Orleans Hornets are likely to make bringing back West their top priority, so the Nuggets may not even get an audience. That would make Carl Landry a solid option, as well as unrestricted free agents like Glen "Big Baby" Davis or Jeff Green. The Nuggets need scoring from their four spot, and those are the more offensive-minded fours in the free agency class. If they can’t get West, Landry and Davis are probably the homeruns in the group.

There’s a lot of positive energy associated with the Denver Nuggets as they look ahead to 2011-12. They have a group of players who value team over individual and a head coach who inspires the best from his charges. The Nuggets shouldn’t have any trouble getting meetings with key free agents this summer, and once a player visits the beautiful city, and breathes the fresh air that’s blowing inside and outside the Pepsi Center, they might just decide to stay.

Jason Kidd: "I’m closer to the Hall of Fame than to the starting lineup."

Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd talks with HOOPSWORLD about his heightened appreciation for his last years in the NBA, the importance of home court in the playoffs, what the Mavs have to do to close out Portland, and more in this exclusive interview:

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First Look At Tonight’s Action:

The first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs continues, and like last night, there are three potential elimination games on the docket.

Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks – Game 6 – Atlanta Leads 3-2

{AUTHOR_BOX}The Orlando Magic seemed to wake up and realize the playoffs had started as they made quick work of blowing out the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 back in Orlando. Will they bring that same sense of urgency tonight? As Jason Richardson pointed out after Game 4, the pressure is still on the Magic. If they lose, they’re out. The Hawks have been very good in this series and they can smell blood, but they need a lot more from Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford in Game 5 if they’re going to avoid a trip back to Disney World. This game is on NBATV beginning at 7:30 PM Eastern.

Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Hornets – Game 6 – Lakers lead 3-2

The New Orleans Hornets may have missed their window in this series. Facing a Game 5 in which Lakers star Kobe Bryant was hobbled by a foot injury, the Hornets let turnovers and sloppy play get between themselves and a shot at eliminating the defending champs in New Orleans tonight. Instead, it’s the Hornets who could be out after tonight’s game, and now that Kobe’s had a couple of days to rest and get treatment their job will be exponentially more difficult. Whatever happens, this is another chance to see two of the most ferocious competitors in the NBA go head-to-head as Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant do battle once again. This is Game 1 of TNT’s double-header coverage, beginning at 8:00 Pm Eastern.

Dallas Mavericks @ Portland Trail Blazers- Game 6 – Dallas Leads 3-2

Home court advantage is a peculiar phenomenon in professional sports, and it’s been demonstrated pretty clearly in this series. In particular, it’s been evident in the play of Brandon Roy. After being a complete non-factor in the first two games in Dallas, Roy exploded onto the scene in heroic fashion to help the Blazers win two games in Portland . . .only to disappear when the series returned to Texas. It could very well be that this series will hinge on the play of Roy . . .will he be super tonight, or invisible? On the flip side we have the Mavericks, who have no trouble building big leads, but often forget to hold onto them. They actually looked like toast midway through Game 5 back in Dallas, but then Dirk Nowitzki took a hard foul, got pissed about it, and dismantled the Blazers for the next 15 minutes. Maybe one of the Mavs should give Dirk a surreptitious cheap shot in the first quarter tonight . . .it might just end this series. This is Game 2 of TNT’s double-header coverage, starting at or around 10:30 PM Eastern.

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