Denver Nuggets: Can They Hold On For Danilo Gallinari’s Return?

After his season was cut short due to an ACL injury, Danilo Gallinari is looking to make a full recovery and bounce back for the 2013-14 season.

However, with Gallinari expected to be out to begin the season, along with Andre Iguodala leaving the team, the biggest question mark for the Denver Nuggets right now is who can fill their void in the meantime.

The worst was expected when Gallinari went down on April 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. Reports soon after the fall said that it was an ACL tear that would take nearly a year to recover.

In June, however, Gallinari posted on his Facebook page that he only suffered a partial tear and that his ACL responded well to a healing response procedure. Though no date is clear, expectations are that he can get back on the court as early as December.

Gallinari played a big part of the offense as the second-leading scorer behind Ty Lawson and drew much of the attention for the opposing defense. Now the point guard is left another scorer short and that much more of the offense to create on his own.

Other players will find scoring opportunities in Danilo’s absence, but it hasn’t gotten any easier for a team that has lost three of its top five scorers this summer and has been repeatedly criticized for not having a true star player.

Not only will his 16.2 points per game average be missed, but Denver will rely on Gallinari now to show the best defense of his career as well.

Coming back from his ACL injury, Gallinari may need a career year to get the Nuggets back to the playoffs. (Photo by Matthew D. Britt/Flickr.com)

The departure of Iguodala left a big hole in the defensive strategy as well as the starting lineup. With the ferocious All-NBA worthy defender gone, Gallinari will have to stand his ground against opponents that were usually left for Iggy last year.

The biggest additions to the team this summer were Randy Foye and J.J. Hickson, a combo guard and a big man, who don’t address the need in discussion. The small forward spot is open to Wilson Chandler and Jordan Hamilton, with some minutes open to Evan Fournier and Darrell Arthur as well when need be.

Chandler proved to be a solid performer last season, but dealt with injuries as well and missed 40 games. Hamilton still hasn’t shown any consistency in his two years, which makes the immediate future look pretty bleak for Denver at the 3 spot.

Will any player step up and succeed when it comes to defending the likes of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Stephen Curry and the other dangerous scorers in the West? When Gallinari comes back, will he even be that much of a better option on defense than the others?

With the Western Conference as stacked as it’s ever been, a minimum month-long hole on both sides of the court can potentially write them a playoff-berth death sentence.