Tony Markovich

“Thirty-six wins last year has a lot of people underestimating the Nuggets. Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, JaVale McGee, and Wilson Chandler missed a collective 199 games last season, which hampered Brian Shaw's first year as Denver head coach. Much-improved health coupled with more offensive additions like Aaron Afflalo and Gary Harris should put Denver right in the thick of the West playoffs."

Ralph Warner

“The 2014-15 Denver Nuggets could turn into the dark horse of the West. To Tony's point, they have the talent to snag a 6-8 range seed but they need to stay healthy in order to get there. Side note: for fans of hilarious fail compilations, the return of JaVale McGee is as anticipated as Derrick Rose's comeback. TNT needs to win an Emmy for their 'Shaqtin' a Fool' segment this season."

Gus Turner

"Regardless of their health, the ceiling for the Mile High Nuggets is still decidedly low. Even at their peak, Denver's conglomeration of sorta-stars was never enough to break through in the West. As they head into the 2014-15 season, the conditions appear the same for Denver. For all his talents, picking up a guy like Aaron Afflalo isn’t the answer to the glass ceiling hanging over the team’s head. And, as much as I love watching him play, Kenneth Faried doesn’t strike me as a player who can be the no. 1 option for a contender. Denver’s recent history of striking gold on undervalued players such as Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, and Chris Andersen has kept the team relevant for over a decade, but it’s also yielded little in the way of actual success. The team held down a playoff spot for 10 summers in a row before missing out on the postseason last year. Unfortunately, they made a first round exit in nine of those appearances. I choose Denver to make the playoffs this year, but when the postseason comes around, I think Nuggets fans will be hearing the same old story: one and done."