By Kevin Pelton | ESPN Insider

With the return of Arron Afflalo, who regressed to an average player (107 ORtg) during his two-year exile in Orlando, Denver has reunited the five players who started the most games for the 2011-12 team that went 38-28 after the lockout. As such, hope for a return to the postseason after a one-year absence is reasonable.

Besides how quickly multiple players returning from ACL injuries (Danilo Gallinari, J.J. Hickson, who was suspended five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, and Nate Robinson) get back up to speed, the biggest question for the Nuggets is on the sideline. Nobody juggled a deep roster without a clear go-to player like George Karl, the 2013 NBA Coach of the Year. And replacement Brian Shaw has yet to demonstrate he can have the same success. SCHOENE projects Denver to have the seventh-best offense, led by Gallinari, who in 2012-13 shot 37 percent from three and produced a terrific 116 ORtg, but the D projects to 24th.

The biggest issue for Denver is external-the West is simply too deep. Not only do the Nuggets have to make up a 13-game gap in the standings between themselves and the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, but they also need to hold off other lottery challengers who figure to improve. So once again, as has been the case for the last decade, the Nuggets are talented enough to compete for a playoff spot, but not bad enough to truly begin a rebuild. NBA purgatory, thy name is Denver.