A steady point guard. A healthy small forward. A consistent center. You name it, the Denver Nuggets need it, and general manager Allan Bristow already is plotting how to fill the gaps.
Bristow leaves Monday for Greece, where he will scout Denver's 1996 first-round draft pick Efthimios Rentzias. Signing the 6-foot-11 forward could be critical if LaPhonso Ellis is unable to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon.Ellis was scheduled for surgery Sunday, and Bristow would not comment on whether Denver would pick up the option year on his contract.
"I don't want to address that at this time," Bristow said. "Once I talk to the doctors and (his condition) is established .... I'd rather not get into it today."
When Bristow took over as general manager in February, he labeled Ellis, forward Antonio McDyess, guard Bryant Stith and center Ervin Johnson as the team's nucleus.
With Ellis in limbo, and Johnson ineffective since the All-Star break, Bristow has reassessed his earlier evaluation, and his priorities are not likely to be known until the June draft.
"Hey, let's just get a good player in this year's draft and go from there," he said.
"We'd like to get a point guard, we'd like to get a center, and there are other spots we can strengthen up. A lot has to do with what is available when we pick. I hate to put a priority on a position right now because we need so many."
The Nuggets have the NBA's fourth-worst record, assuring them a high draft pick, and they also have $4 million to spend on free agents after a mid-season trade sent point guard Mark Jackson to Indiana.
"There is no quick fix for this," Bristow said, "but ... I would think we have some flexibility in terms of us going out and getting players."