As I have said on this site before, Denver will miss Danilo Gallinari come the playoffs. They’ll miss his ability to stretch the floor as a four and the fact he was part of most of their best lineups.
But they need to get Ty Lawson all the way back if they are going to be a threat.
Which is why it was good news that Lawson returned to the Nuggets lineup on Friday night against the Nuggets. Andre Miller still started but George Karl said Lawson would get 20 minutes off the bench. He is expected to play in the Nuggets final four regular season games.
Lawson, who leads the Nuggets with 16.7 points and 6.9 assists a game, had played in only one of the Nuggets last nine games, and in that one he wasn’t himself (1-of-7 shooting). The reason was a right plantar fasciitis tear, something that takes a while to heal.
If Lawson is back by the time the playoffs star, Denver is going to be a first round favorite and a tough out against whoever gets them in the second round.