Al Jefferson
Al Jefferson (Denver Post file)


It would be an over- simplification to suggest Karl was fired as Nuggets coach because of his refusal to develop McGee into a player worth anywhere near a $10 million salary. But it was no coincidence new general manager Tim Connelly declared he's a big fan of McGee and added the team's growth is dependent on the 25-year-old center's growth.

So here's the tough question: What if McGee isn't the answer to improving the Nuggets?

Bring me Al Jefferson.

While the summer's free-agent frenzy will focus on whether Chris Paul and Dwight Howard can start a bro-mance in an NBA city of their choosing, Jefferson is a free agent who also offers intriguing questions.

Can Utah afford to keep Jefferson? Despite his defensive shortcomings, how many 6-foot-10, 265-pound players are capable of providing 18 points and nine rebounds on a game-by-game basis? And should swingman Andre Iguodala walk away from Denver, how will an offensively challenged team fill the $15 million hole in its payroll?

On the day Connelly was introduced, he paused in the Pepsi Center hallway to consider one of my long-held beliefs of the NBA world:

It is relatively simple, given hard work and hoops acumen, for an executive to take a team from 27 victories, where Connelly's former employer in New Orleans is stuck, to a 50-32 squad that makes the playoffs. But it's far harder to make the jump from 57 victories, which did the Nuggets proud last season, to league champion.

"No question. I agree completely," Connelly told me.

The barometer of the Nuggets' success will no longer be primarily measured by regular-season record.

"I don't think our success should be judged by wins. I think our success should be judged by our ability to return to the playoffs and our ability to build off that. Hopefully, we can win a round in the playoffs, and then see what happens," Connelly said.

Maybe Jefferson isn't the answer for Denver, for any number of reasons, from finances to roster fit.

But here's the deal: If the Nuggets are going to have any hope of winning the NBA title, Connelly will have to think out of the box.