Nuggets thinking big for the 2009-10 season

They added All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups last November, clinched the Northwest Division title in April and advanced to the Western Conference Finals in May.

The next order of business: Be one of the final two teams standing in June.

Since Carmelo Anthony’s arrival in 2003, the Nuggets have always talked about winning an NBA title, but it seemed to be more of a lofty aspiration than a realistic goal.

After finishing two wins short of reaching the NBA Finals last spring, the title talk no longer rings hollow in the hallways of the Pepsi Center.

“That’s got to be the talk,” Anthony said. “Last year, it was, ‘Western Conference Finals.’ This year, I don’t think Western Conference finals is the talk. It’s got to be Finals.”

With Anthony and Billups headlining a roster that’s relatively unchanged from last season, the Nuggets have reason to believe they can validate their playoff run in 2009-10.

“The chalkboard is wiped clean,” Coach George Karl said. “Right now there’s 30 teams that think they’re great. We’re excited because I think it’s the first time we’ve probably started a season with a genuine, sincere championship attitude.”

The confidence and swagger comes from the team’s first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1985. The Nuggets split their first four games against the Los Angeles Lakers before dropping the final two.

“Coming up short like that in a series … yeah, you’re mad,” said Billups. “But once you have the time to sit back and reflect, we had a great, great season – a phenomenal season.

“We made great progress. We changed the culture among the guys. We raised the bar. We expect to win. We expect to be an elite team. But it just doesn’t happen. You’ve got to put the work in.”

The Nuggets officially started work on Sept. 26 (slightly earlier than normal because of an October trip to China), and defense once again figures to be a huge emphasis.

Still looking to push the pace as much as possible, the Nuggets turned up the defensive pressure last season, finishing in the top five in the NBA in opponents’ field-goal percentage (.440), blocked shots, steals, and turnovers forced.

The Nuggets lost defensive stopper Dahntay Jones to free agency, but new acquisition Arron Afflalo should help fill that role, while also contributing at the offensive end of the court.

“Defense is a part of the game that I don’t mind doing - that I love doing - but it doesn’t mean I can’t score, I can’t shoot,” Afflalo said.

“My rookie year (2007-08), what allowed me to get on the court initially was my defense, so that’s kind of what came along, but I work on every part of my game, and it’ll show.”

Afflalo, rookie point guard Ty Lawson and forward Malik Allen are three newcomers picked up during the summer months, while forward Joey Graham and swingman James White were added to the roster at the beginning of training camp.

The new names aren’t nearly as well-known as Richard Jefferson (San Antonio), Ron Artest (Lakers), Andre Miller (Portland) and Shawn Marion (Dallas), but the Nuggets are more concerned with their own business than that of their Western Conference rivals.

“There’s a lot of teams that got better,” Billups said. “But when I look at us and how we get better, it’s just on straight experience of what we went through last year - expecting that and just going to get it again.”

The Nuggets are aware of the critics who question Denver’s decision to stand pat in the offseason. It reminds them of the people who picked them to finish third in the Northwest Division a year ago. Those folks were silenced when Denver tied a team record with 54 wins and edged Portland for the division crown and the No. 2 seed in the West.

“It ain’t got nothing to do with pieces that we need,” Anthony said. “Everything is mental this season. I know this season will be two times harder than it was last season to get back where we were, but if we all stay strong mentally, we’ve got a chance to get back.”

Anthony, who enjoyed the best all-around season of his career in 2008-09, said his confidence, energy and swagger are “on another level right now.” His teammates are right there with him.

“Fifty-four (wins) ain’t going to get it done this year,” power forward Kenyon Martin said. “Sixty’s our goal.”

Karl stopped short of making any predictions about how many games his team can win in 2009-10, but he sure feels good about its attitude as the season approaches.

“Going into camp (in years past), we might have talked about winning a championship. I believe this team can win a championship,” Karl said. “Hopefully we stay healthy. Hopefully we get good luck. Hopefully we stay together and have another special season.”