2003–04 Denver Nuggets season

2003–04 Denver Nuggets season
Carmelo Anthony`s rookie season
Head coach	Jeff Bzdelik
Arena	Pepsi Center
Results
Record	43–39 (.524)
Place	Division: 6th (Midwest) Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finish	West First Round (eliminated 1-4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain, KWGN
Radio	KOA

The 2003-04 Denver Nuggets season was the team's 28th season in the NBA and their 37th season as a franchise. The season saw the team draft future All-Star Carmelo Anthony with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Despite a stellar rookie season from Anthony, the Nuggets only managed to play mediocre basketball all season, finishing with a disappointing 43-39 record. The record helped the Nuggets clinch a playoff spot as the number 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets' season ended in the first round with a defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves and league MVP Kevin Garnett in five games, the first of five straight first-round exits. However, the streak would end in 2009 as Denver finally made it out of the first round, advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

NBA Draft

Main article: 2003 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	3	Carmelo Anthony	SF	United States	Syracuse
2	46	Sani Bečirović	G	Slovenia

Roster

Denver Nuggets roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From F 12 Andersen, Chris 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Blinn College F 15 Anthony, Carmelo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Syracuse G 20 Barry, Jon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Georgia Tech F 32 Bowen, Ryan 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Iowa G 11 Boykins, Earl 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) 135 lb (61 kg) Eastern Michigan F/C 23 Camby, Marcus 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Massachusetts C 51 Doleac, Michael 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 262 lb (119 kg) Utah C 56 Elson, Francisco 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) California F/C 31 Hilario, Nene 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Brazil G 1 Lenard, Voshon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Minnesota G 24 Miller, Andre 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Utah F 41 Pope, Mark 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Kentucky G 4 Trepagnier, Jeff 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Southern California F 22 Tskitishvili, Nikoloz 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Republic of Georgia F 5 White, Rodney 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 238 lb (108 kg) North Carolina-Charlotte	Head coach Jeff Bzdelik (UIC) Assistant coach(es) John MacLeod (Bellarmine) T.R. Dunn (Alabama) Scott Brooks (UC Irvine) Adrian Dantley (Notre Dame) Chip Engelland (Duke) Jarinn Akana (Hawaiʻi) Bill Branch (Lenoir-Rnyne) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Minnesota Timberwolves	58	24	.707	--
San Antonio Spurs	57	25	.695	1
Dallas Mavericks	52	30	.634	6
Memphis Grizzlies	50	32	.610	8
Houston Rockets	45	37	.549	13
Denver Nuggets	43	39	.524	15
Utah Jazz	42	40	.512	16

Game log

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Pacers points	Opponents	Record	Streak	Notes
1

Playoffs

West First Round

(1) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (8) Denver Nuggets: Timberwolves win series 4–1

• Game 1 @ Target Center, Minneapolis: Minnesota 106, Denver 92 TNT 9:30et
• Game 2 @ Target Center, Minneapolis: Minnesota 95, Denver 81
• Game 3 @ Pepsi Center, Denver: Denver 107, Minnesota 86 ESPN 10:30et
• Game 4 @ Pepsi Center, Denver: Minnesota 84, Denver 82 TNT 10:30et
• Game 5 @ Target Center, Minneapolis: Minnesota 102, Denver 91 ESPN 9:30et

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Timberwolves and Nuggets.

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Awards, records, and honors

• Carmelo Anthony, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References

• Nuggets on Basketball Reference