Devastating VanVleet injury sends ripple effect straight to Nuggets’ doorstep

New Orleans Pelicans v Houston Rockets | Carmen Mandato/GettyImagesThe Western Conference is going to be stacked this season, but the list of top-tier contenders is a short one that includes the Thunder, Nuggets, and Rockets. One of those teams was dealt a major and unexpected blow on Monday as Houston point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL that will potentially sideline him for the entire season.

We’ve been raving all summer about the great offseason the Nuggets had and how they are ready to make a major leap. That was true of the Rockets as well, who pulled off the biggest heist of the offseason, adding Kevin Durant to their loaded young core.

But unfortunately for Houston, a big…