With the trade deadline quickly coming up the Nuggets appear willing to move veterans like Anthony Carter, Malik Allen and Johan Petro. Carter could help a team looking for a backup point guard. He has played in 30 games (7 starts) for the Nuggets this season and he is averaging 18.1 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Power forward Malik Allen and center Johan Petro are both also on the block. Allen has played in 27 games (2 starts) for the Nuggets this season and he is averaging 7.8 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Center Johan Petro has played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Nuggets this season and he is averaging 5.8 minutes, 1.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. The Nuggets likely wouldn’t get much for these guys even if they packaged them together.

The Nuggets need small forward Joey Graham to step up while Carmelo Anthony is out of action due to injury. Graham has played in 35 games (14 starts) for the Nuggets and he is averaging 13.0 minutes, 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. The Nuggets need him to start helping out more on offense because the Nuggets will likely have some problems scoring without Carmelo Anthony in the starting lineup.

J.R. Smith was a 38% career three-point shooter coming into this season, and was a 40% shooter from three the last two seasons.  Well, something has happened this season as Smith’s sharpshooting ways have been a thing of the past.  He is only hitting 31% of his threes this season and he just can’t seem to get himself out of this long shooting slump.  In the last three games he has gone 3-17 from three, so it doesn’t look like his shooting woes are going to end anytime soon.  His overall FG% isn’t very good either at 40%, but this hasn’t stopped Smith from continuing to chuck them up.  Smith is very athletic and can get to the hole easily, so I would like to see Smith put it on the floor and be more aggressive driving the ball.  Perhaps some more trips to the free throw line could help him get out of this shooting slump, as he is only attempting 2.5 free throws per game.  The Nuggets are a very solid club and J.R. Smith is a big part of that, but they are going to need him to step up is shooting when the playoffs roll around.

J.R. Smith looked so good early in the season before he injured himself.  This April he hasn’t played too well and the Nuggets need his shooting in the playoffs if they have any hope of advancing past the first round.  Smith has played in 7 games this month and he’s only averaging 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He also has only shot 39.5% from the floor and that just won’t get it done for the Nuggets.

Linas Kleiza has been shooting a lot of bricks as of late.  He’s only shooting 34.7% from the floor over his last five games.  He’s averaged 21.5 minutes and 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game over the last five.  If his shooting improves he will be an asset to the Nuggets down the stretch, but if he keeps clanking shots of the rim he will have to sit.