DENVER (AP) – The Denver Nuggets have agreed to a five-year deal
with restricted free agent Arron Afflalo.

The Denver Post first reported Monday night the guard had agreed to a contract that could be worth up to $43 million.

Nuggets coach George Karl was preaching the importance of bringing back Afflalo, the player he considered the “glue guy” of the team.

Afflalo averaged 12.6 points last season and took on a bigger leadership role once Denver dealt Carmelo Anthony to the New York
Knicks last February. The team went 18-7 the rest of the way to make the playoffs.

This is the second deal Denver has orchestrated in a week. The team also re-signed Nene to a five-year, $67 million deal.

The Nuggets open the preseason on Tuesday by hosting Phoenix.

Read More: Carmelo Anthony (F – NYK), Andre Miller (G – DEN), Danilo Gallinari (F – DEN), Ty Lawson (G – DEN), George Karl (H – DEN), Kenneth Faried (F – DEN), New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have been getting their squad ready for the start of the NBA season, and on Wednesday Danilo Gallinari and rookie Kenneth Faried made some positive impressions with their play, while Ty Lawson continues his push for playing time with the first unit. Gallinari, acquired from the New York Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony trade last season, is a young forward looking for a breakout season, while rookie first-round pick Kenneth Faried is hoping to translate his college rebounding prowess to the NBA. Vic Lombardi of CBS 102.3FM in Denver spent some time watching the team scrimmage and came away with the following impressions:   

With Nene now back in the fold on a five-year, $67 million deal, it is difficult to take the claim about Gallinari being the best player too seriously, but the good news is that there is some visual evidence of improvement from the young talent.

As for the point guard competition between Ty Lawson and crafty veteran Andre Miller, Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com sees an early 60/40 split favoring Lawson, with additional potential to see both players on the floor at the same time. It will interesting to see how head coach George Karl handles the rotation with two diversely talented point guards at his disposal.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Denver Nuggets be sure to visit Denver Stiffs. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.

Read More: Matt Prater (K – DEN), Tim Tebow (QB – DEN), Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos

As excitement over Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos seems to grow by the week, even Denver Nuggets coach George Karl — who is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan — has gotten caught up in it. When asked about Tebow by media members, Karl had this to say:

“I’ve always felt that leadership by words is overrated – leadership by example, approach and attitude is what people follow. And passion and enthusiasm is contagious. There’s an energy that comes with that. He’s a guy who believes in himself, has a spiritual belief.”

Karl added that there was no doubt in his mind that Denver would win after Matt Prater tied the score at 10. He was also asked which player might be Tim Tebow’s NBA equivalent and suggested Spurs guard Manu Ginobili.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage of Tim Tebow, head over to Broncos blog Mile High Report. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more from around the league.

DENVER (AP)—The Denver Nuggets held a rare Friday night practice for their
first post-lockout workout, boosting their roster to 11 players with the signing
of first-round pick Kenneth Faried of Morehead State and three other rookies.

Also added to the roster was guard Jordan Hamilton, the 26th overall
selection by Portland who was acquired as part of a three-team draft-day trade,
and undrafted free-agents Cory Higgins and Julyan Stone.

Higgins played at Colorado and is the son of former NBA player Rod Higgins,
who was once coached by Nuggets coach George Karl when they were both with
Golden State. Stone is the Texas-El Paso’s career assists leader.

The Nuggets also remain hopeful of re-signing free-agent center Nene and
guard Arron Afflalo, a restricted free agent.