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Golden State Warriors: Darrell Arthur says Nuggets are contenders with GSW

By Carlos Murillo

DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 22: Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors tries to move around the Darrell Arthur (00) of the Denver Nuggets during the second half at the Pepsi Center on November 22, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets lost to the undefeated Golden State Warriors 118-105. (Photo by Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 22: Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors tries to move around the Darrell Arthur (00) of the Denver Nuggets during the second half at the Pepsi Center on November 22, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets lost to the undefeated Golden State Warriors 118-105. (Photo by Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /
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Denver Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur thinks his team is now a contender to challenge the Golden State Warriors in the western conference.

The Golden State Warriors played an intense series with the Denver Nuggets in the postseason recently. Stephen Curry went supernova and destroyed everything in his path in 2013. Since then, a lot has happened for both teams.

The Warriors would go on to establish one of the greatest runs in league history. They have two championships to their name in the last three years. Curry has developed into an all-time great, Klay Thompson established himself as the second best shooter ever, and Draymond Green turned out to be revolutionary. Those three things happened and then the team signed Kevin Durant.

After the Nuggets’ first round loss to the Warriors in their best regular season in franchise history, they fired legendary coach George Karl. They would let their General Manager go as well. Andre Iguodala would pack his bags and go to the Bay Area,

The rest of the team would eventually fall apart. Things are looking up for the Nuggets, though. They’ve assembled a pretty good squad in the Mile High City.

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The star is Nikola Jokic. The guy is an absolute stud. He might be the best passing big man in the league, with the ability to hit any teammate in any spot in any situation.

Denver signed Paul Millsap this summer, adding one of the most skilled big men in the game to a front court with a high skill level. Gary Harris and Wilson Chandler are solid role players that can get buckets. They are building.

Darrell Arthur, veteran forward, was speaking to media and fans after the team unveiled their new uniforms. He was very optimistic about his team’s upcoming season. Per Nick Kosmider of The Denver Post, Arthur said that “We can be a contender, for sure. Right up there with Golden State.”

A year after missing the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, Arthur is saying that Denver will be one of the best teams in the league. They will be championship contenders.

Now, a shift like that isn’t completely ridiculous. It’s hard, but it’s possible for a team to miss the playoffs then become a title contender the year after. Denver did not do enough to do that.

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Millsap is really good, but he’s not enough to uplift a Western Conference team to that height. And, even if Jokic takes another leap, it still probably won’t be enough. The Nuggets will still have to deal with the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs.

Arthur’s confidence is admirable. It’s great for his team–especially the young guys–to hear that a vet has that level of confidence in them. Still, he’s wrong.

Maybe in a few years, but right now the Nuggets don’t have the firepower to compete the West’s big guns, let alone the mighty Warriors.

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