The Denver Nuggets need help. Watching the undying optimism in the management you wouldn't think so, but as a fan and watcher of them, I have to say that the optimism has run out. That team needs some drastic and immediate help.

The draft on Thursday was full of winners and losers, and it was a day filled with moves and trades, some dumb, some smart. Nobody gave the Nuggets a second thought going in, and they still weren’t on the minds of anyone going out. The reason for this is, of course, the fact that they literally didn’t do anything. Not a single pick to show for that entire year of work by the players.

The draft day ended with both of their picks going to teams who, quite frankly, did not need them. The Charlotte Bobcats already had snagged a fine player with pick 9, and all of the players they really could’ve used were taken long before that 20th pick they’d taken from the Nuggets. Seattle didn’t need the other Denver pick either, since they had plenty to spare throughout the day.

This is even beginning to become a frightening trend for Nuggets fans, since this is an exact repeat of last year. Two years without fresh blood cannot be good news for a team stuck in such consistent mediocrity. And mediocrity is a word which perfectly describes this team for the last few years.

In short, the draft today was simply another bullet in the long list of problems causing the rut that the Nuggets have been stuck in since 2003. It was a great delight in Denver the year that they made the playoffs after one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history. The year after they made a repeat effort and optimism was still high. Even a third consecutive playoff stumble didn’t dishearten the happy Denver fans, who still couldn’t have been happier to be away from the NBA’s basement.

But times changed soon, as Carmelo Anthony started to get into trouble. His infamous “stop snitching” video cameo soon made the rounds, and a DUI showed up on his resume as well. They picked up, in their most notable moves since 2003, Kenyon Martin (an eventual troublemaker), and Allen Iverson (a noted ball-hog) as the first round playoff exits started to become monotonous.

Since Iverson joined, nothing of note has been added as drafts fell by the wayside and were seemingly ignored by the management. This year, a 4-0 playoff exit via the Lakers seemed an inevitable finale by Nuggets fans.

Perhaps the organization’s heads think the team is fine enough already? It’s true; the combo of Carmelo, Iverson, Marcus Camby and Nene could easily be called one of the best core player groups in basketball. Why, then, has the team not left the first round, or even won more than one playoff game, since Melo was added?

It's true that a move here and a trade there have given the Nuggets reasonable success. But what do the Nuggies have to show for it? Five straight first-round playoff exits, a myriad of wasted talent and probably soon the reputation as the NBA’s version of the San Jose Sharks. Reasonable success is only applicable in Horseshoes and most forms of government.

This is an intervention, Denver! Be it by trading players or trading the men upstairs, it’s high time you shook things up.