Don’t look now, but the New York Knicks are on fire – they snapped their nine-game losing streak against the Brooklyn Nets 113-83. With that win the Knicks improved to 4-13 and moved to just three games out of the playoff race, behind the Charlotte Bobcats who are 8-11.

With each Knicks loss the amount of questions I receive about clarifying the Knicks' draft pick increases. I would venture to guess that most of our readers here on Denver Stiffs know the 411 (information!) on the upcoming draft scenarios, but let's clear it up just for funzies. Funzies? Sorry about that one folks.

The Denver Nuggets will have four draft picks in the upcoming 2014 draft (Real GM), but they will only be able to keep three of those picks.

Here are the picks the Nuggets are owed:

2014 first round draft pick from New York
New York's 2014 1st round pick to Denver [Denver-Minnesota-New York, 2/22/2011]; Denver may convey this pick to Orlando (see Denver Debits)

2014 second round draft pick from Portland
Portland's 2014 2nd round pick to Denver [Denver-Portland, 6/24/2011]

Here are the picks the Nuggets owe to other teams:

2014 first round draft pick to Orlando
Denver will convey the less favorable of its 2014 1st round pick and New York’s 2014 1st round pick to Orlando [Denver-Minnesota-New York, 2/22/2011 and then Denver-L.A. Lakers-Orlando-Philadelphia, 8/10/2012]

**

The Nuggets also have both of their own picks in the upcoming draft. Meaning they have a first-round pick and a second-round pick.

What does it all mean?

The Nuggets will wind up with three of the four draft picks they own. The Nuggets will have their second round pick and they get the Blazers' second round pick (looking like that will be a very low pick towards the bottom of the draft).

The Nuggets will keep one of the two first round picks. If the Knicks’ pick ends up being #6 and the Nuggets’ pick is #22 then the Nuggets will keep the #6 pick and trade the #22 pick to the Magic.

If the Nuggets' pick is #20 and the Knicks' pick is #21 then the Nuggets will keep #20 and trade #21 to the Magic.

The Knicks' pick is unprotected as is the Nuggets' pick. So, just as an example, let's say the Knicks' pick ends up being #1 and the Nuggets' pick is #2 then the Nuggets keep the #1 pick and trade the #2 pick to the Magic. Or if the Nuggets' pick is #1 and the Knicks' pick is #2 then the Nuggets keep #1 and trade the #2 pick to the Magic. In that scenario this blogger's head would also explode.

Make sense? The Nuggets will have two first round picks, will keep the best one, and then the worse one goes to the Magic as part of that Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington trade that brought in The Mole.

There you have it.

Nate_Timmons on Twitter
ntimmons73@yahoo.com