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The Nuggets far exceeded expectations this season. The team ranked not as the squad most likely to scare the snot out of the Lakers, but as the old guard least likely to return to the postseason in the New World.

Chauncey Billups, Nene, Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony, George Karl, Chris Andersen, J.R. Smith and Joe Dumars changed that. The opening week trade for Mr. Big Shot completely transformed the spirit of the team, as did Karl's summer decision to focus on defense, even at the expense of his stars' allegiance. Everything else went right, for the most part.

But the franchise sit has payroll cuts to consummate, and little in the way of burgeoning youth to fill the holes. By trading the promise of cap space (in the convenient form of Allen Iverson) for Billups, the Nuggets trade a minor rebuild for contention. It worked -- the Nuggets were legit contenders. But what now? How can they possibly get better?

When Denver jettisoned all-defense center Marcus Camby to Los Angeles for nothing more than cap space this summer, most figured the presence of several big-minute big men in Nuggets powder blue was at least a minor factor. Kenyon Martin nor Nene will be going anywhere soon; as Camby held solid trade value, it (almost) made sense to move him as a way of freeing up space for the others (and cash for owner Stan Kroenke).

But backup center Steven Hunter has been knocked out of play by recurring knee problems; George Karl believes Hunter may never play again. No Camby, no Hunter ... no Antonio McDyess. There's no one left behind K-Mart (who might miss a third straight game with a sprained wrist) and Nene but Cheikh Samb (more raw than steak tartare) and The Birdman, Chris Andersen (who has a broken rib and won't play until roughly Thanksgiving). The Nuggets aren't happy about it, writes Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News.

"We don't have no big men," the 6-foot-8 [Carmelo] Anthony said. "I was the big man (Tuesday at Charlotte when the small forward played some center). Why not (acquire another post player)? If there's somebody out there we can get, why not?"

UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star reports that there is no deal yet.

The long-awaited trade of Jamaal Tinsley has finally happened, according to the New York Post's Peter Vescey (via Indy Cornrows). Vescey reports Denver has acquired Tinsley in exchange for incumbent back-up point guard Chucky Atkins and limited big man Steven Hunter. The deal is roughly cap neutral for the next two years (Indiana can save some 2009-10 money by cutting Atkins early), but Denver's on the hook for an extra $7 million in 2010-11. That doesn't quite reverse the mood from the Marcus Camby liquidation, but it does quiet the idea the Nuggets are ready to blow everything up.

The interesting thing about the move from Indiana to Denver for Tinsley is that both teams featured a high-octane offense last season. How did Jamaal do? He racked up plenty of assists ... but shot at a simply awful clip and piled up buckets of turnovers. He was certainly a nominee for the All Bad Starter Team. Denver really needs someone to a) bring the ball up with wasting time or losing it, b) get the ball to Carmelo Anthony or Allen Iverson, and c) deliver some easy buckets (hopefully by way of dunk) to Nene and Kenyon Martin. Atkins was more of a shooter than a playmaker; Tinsley needs to never shoot ever for this to work out. (Seriously, Tinsley is one of the worst shooters of the last decade who has had a steady job.) Anthony Carter started for Denver much of last season, but I imagine Tinsley will have the gig on reputation alone.

Atkins almost certainly doesn't figure into Indiana's plans, and Hunter should be used like a relief pitcher, in there to block shots only when necessary. The real prize is losing Tinsley, who reportedly had a falling out with coach Jim O'Brien last season and never did enough on the court or in the locker room to make up for it. Indiana didn't need to get an asset back -- saving a year of salary is worth the split.

Desperate for NBA news -- any NBA news -- in this basketball-starved month that is September? Here's a big one for you: the Nuggets and 76ers got together for a trade that sends Reggie Evans to Philly in exchange for Steven Hunter. Okay, it's not quite the Allen Iverson blockbuster that went down the last time Denver and Philly traded with each other, but it could still end up being pretty interesting, at least from Philly's perspective.

The Sixers are getting a rebounding machine: Evans averaged 7.5 rebounds in just 17.1 minutes per game last year, which translates to a league-high 19.7 per 48 minutes. He was more or less buried on Denver's depth chart, though, especially with Kenyon Martin returning, but in Philadelphia he could end up starting.

At 6-8, Evans is a bit small for power forward, but he's a strong defender and obviously knows how to clean the glass, so he could be a decent stopgap until rookie Jason Smith is ready to assume a starting gig. The Sixers also received the rights to 6-foot-11 Ricky Sanchez, who spent last year in the D-League. I don't know much about him, but hey, he's 6-foot-11, why not?