Now that the NBA is back in business, most teams, including the Denver Nuggets, are facing a month-long whirlwind before the games begin on December 25.

The worry about missing an entire season is now gone, but the Nuggets must now try and piece together a roster and are facing more questions than answers.

There are only a few known quantities on team that underwent a massive shift last February following the trade of Carmelo Anthony.

Danilo Gallinari will be back and will likely be the focal point of the offense. He has been playing in Italy during the lockout and the Nuggets will hope that the 23-year-old makes the step towards stardom that they anticipated when they traded for him as the centerpiece of the Anthony trade.

Speed-demon Ty Lawson will start at point guard as he looks to put his stamp on the team and make it his squad.

Shooting guard Aaron Afflalo needs to be re-signed, but all signs point that because both Afflalo and Nuggets brass seem to want it to happen. Afflalo and Lawson together could be the starting backcourt in Denver for years to come.

Lawson runs the team and brings a unique element with blinding speed that few others in the league can provide. Afflalo balances him perfectly, bringing all-out defensive intensity and a deadly shot from the three-point arc. And with Lawson’s driving ability, Afflalo can sit outside and make sure defenses don’t collapse on Lawson.

While the backcourt looks set, how the front court will look couldn’t be a murkier picture.

Timofey Mozgov, another part of the Anthony trade, looks like he will get a chance to show if he can play a key role, possibly even as a starter.

Chris “Birdman” Anderson and rookie Kenneth Faried will provide high-energy, defense and rebounding for the Nuggets. Both will likely come off the bench.

Kosta Koufos provides additional size and athleticism on the bench.

But the biggest question is Nene. The dominant big-man opted out of his contract and became a free agent before the NBA locked out. He will be one the most sought-after free agents out there and the Nuggets will almost certainly look to re-sign him, but there seemed to be some bad-blood between Nene and the front office which forced him to opt-out.

Nene has spent his entire career in Denver and is married to a Colorado native, and the Nuggets will certainly hope that those factors keep him in town. If Denver can’t retain Nene it leaves a huge hole to fill, and with a thin market on big men, the Nuggets may see what they have with the young guys like Mozgov and Faried.

A few more holes have also been left in the roster by players that have gone to play in China.

Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith are all playing in China and players in China aren’t expected to be allowed out of their contracts to re-join the NBA. Martin leaves a void in defensive toughness in the paint as well as a veteran voice in the locker room. Chandler, another piece of the Anthony trade, was a solid defender for Denver and showed flashes of excellent offensive capabilities.

Smith was the offensive sparkplug off of the bench, but at times seemed to cause as many headaches as high fives for coach George Karl.

Rookie Jordan Hamilton from the University of Texas might get a shot at filling the off the bench, offensive sparkplug role of Smith.

Lots of questions. Not a lot of answers.

The blanks will begin to be filled in on Dec. 9 when training camp and free agency are expected to begin.

And it will set off a string of events that will shape the Nuggets for years to come.