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Nuggets at a Glance Coach: Jeff Bzdelik Last Year: 28-54 (Stats) Key Additions: C Mark Blount, C Marcus Camby, F Nene Hilario, G Mark Jackson, C Don Reid, F Nickoloz Tskitishvili Key Losses: G Voshon Lenard, F Antonio McDyess, C Scott Williams Projected Starters PG Mark Jackson SG James Posey SF Nickoloz Tskitishvili PF Juwon Howard C Marcus Camby Key Subs PG Kenny Satterfield SF George McCloud PF Nene Hilario PF Donnell Harvey

By John Hollinger, CNNSI.com

Last year was a much-needed transition year for the Nuggets. Once Dan Issel finally managed to get himself fired, Kiki Vandeweghe took over the GM chair and quickly unloaded all of Issel's problem contracts. He had to blow up the entire roster in the process, but you can hardly blame him. The Nuggets were doomed to 35-47 mediocrity for the next several years unless he acted decisively.

Now it's time for a new beginning. Star forward Antonio McDyess was traded to the Knicks after the season, completing the transition from the Issel era. Newly acquired Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson will have to help along a young team that looks short on talent -- at least until either or both is dealt to a contender prior to the trading deadline.

Vandeweghe's player-acquisition skills look solid, as he added highly regarded youngsters Nene Hilario, Nickoloz Tskitishvili and Donnell Harvey in his short time at the helm. However, his coach-acquisition skills still need work. Vandeweghe looked like a dateless senior three days before the prom, with four different candidates rejecting his ever more desperate overtures before vowel-starved assistant Jeff Bzdelik finally accepted the job.

Bzdelik's patience will be tested this season by a roster that's long on potential but short on present skills. His lone star is Marcus Camby, who is a fine player for the 50 or so games he's healthy enough to take part in, but too frail to absorb the burden of leading such a weak team into contention.

Juwon Howard, F -- From the "How sad is this?" file: When the Nuggets need a big basket this season, chances are they'll be counting on the line-drive, knuckleball delivery of Juwon Howard. He isn't a bad player, actually, with a pretty effective post up game and enough range to take bigger players out on the perimeter.

However, there's a big difference between "not bad" and "go-to guy." Howard is capable of scoring in the high teens on a bad team like the Nuggets, but he was only the fourth option in Dallas, and it was a distant fourth. But don't feel bad for Howard. He will be a free agent after the season and may be able to use a gaudy scoring average to reel in a better contract than he deserves.

The Backcourt -- Last year the Nuggets began the year with a respectable starting backcourt of Nick Van Exel and Voshon Lenard. This year it will be James Posey and Mark Jackson. Posey is a shooting guard who can't shoot and would play small forward if there were any other decent options. Jackson is a fantastic passer, but he can't stay in front of his shadow and struggles to make outside shots.

It gets worse. Backing up Jackson is Kenny Satterfield, who improved greatly down the stretch last season but still has a ways to go if he's going to provide a credible replacement if and when Jackson is traded. At shooting guard, it looks like Posey's backup will be the geriatric George McCloud, an alleged shooter who hit just 27 percent of his 3-pointers last year and needs a walker to get over halfcourt.

How fast will the frontcourt of the future develop?

Forget about Howard, who is a free agent after the season, and Camby, who probably will be with a contender by the trading deadline. The Nuggets' frontcourt two years from now is going to be Harvey, Hilario and Tskitishvili, and on paper it looks like it could be awesome. Tskitishvili is a 7-foot marksman in the mold of Dirk Nowitzki, Hilario is by all accounts a freak on the glass, and Harvey showed late last season that he is one of the best ballhandling big men in the game.

Of course, that's on paper. The Nuggets have a major investment in this trio, not necessarily in terms of contracts, but in terms of this team being absolutely horrible for years if those three don't become major contributors. While Howard and Camby at least will give the kids another year to develop without all the pressure being on them, the Nuggets' future is tethered to that of their young froncourt trio.

Starting on a long road

Fast Facts • Denver shot just 42.4 percent last year, tied with Boston for the worst mark in the league. • The Nets and Nuggets were the only teams not to have a single player average at least 15 points per game. Juwon Howard led the club at 14.6.

Vandeweghe has done a lot of good thus far, and not only because he isn't Dan Issel. The frontcourt of Hilario, Harvey and Tskitishvili could be devastating three years down the road, and in the meantime he has been hoarding draft choices to build the kind of quality depth that is so sorely lacking right now.

Unfortunately, this season is going to be a tough one to stomach for Nuggets fans. Size is a question mark even if Camby miraculously stays healthy, the backcourt is a mess, and nobody can shoot. Unless the youngsters develop with unusual speed, winning 20 games could be a struggle.