Loyalty vs. Progress (The Denver Nuggets' Story)

According to Google, the Denver Nuggets are the only team currently set to enter next season within the 'dreaded second apron'.  But if you look at their roster, it's like oh sh*t, what are they spending that money on?

Under conventional logic, being the most-expensive team would mean the roster is replete with superstars or at least has a big three.  That's not the case with Denver.  Or let's say they may have been big, back when these contracts were signed.

NIKOLA JOKIC

I'm not about to engage in any Jokic bashing.  But let me say that just like virtually everyone else, you have to put him in the right kind of environment to succeed.

And that's one funny thing about the Nuggets' braintrust, even though they're relatively good.  It seems that it never dawned on them to actually build a team around Nikola.

That's the ultimate honor in a way, having a braintrust construct a roster around your skillset.  But now that I think about it, the two most blaring examples of that phenomenon which comes to mind - the Iverson Sixers and the Nash Suns, neither resulted in a championship.

AARON GORDON

Aaron Gordon is the perfect type of frontcourt running mate for Jokic, which may sound like a contradictory statement based on what I just said.  Don't forget that he was, at one time, an alpha.  And you have to give it up to Aaron for being able to go from a number one option to a role player.

Gordon's ability to play like a traditional big while at the same time not clogging the lane fits Nikola well.  But the problem is, oh sh*t, he's noticeably past his prime - in a league that, despite outlawing straight from high school, feels like it's getting younger.

Meanwhile, Jokic never had an intimidating athletic build to begin with.  And both, as partners within the current "parity" system, are being paid like kings.

MICHAEL PORTER JR.

Letting Michael Porter Jr. go, all things considered, may be the biggest mistake Denver made in relation to their current situation.  He was supposed to be the future of the team so to speak, not Christian Braun or Peyton Watson.

Back in his Nuggets' days, I criticized dude a lot for being too passive.  Now, what I'm starting to believe is that he was relegated to that disposition due to the structure of the roster (i.e. lacking seniority) and also health-related issues.

Porter Jr., at 6'10", is what we would conventionally define as a big, even if he plays like a wing.  He went from being a third or fourth option in Denver to averaging 24pts and 7assists in Brooklyn.  If the pitiful Nets had won a respectable amount of games, he would have likely been an allstar.

I predicted his potential way back in the day, which is one of the reasons I was pissed he wasn't trying harder.  But I mean, the Nuggets knew what time it was also.  Remember how highly regarded he was, despite being a 14th pick.

CHRISTIAN BRAUN

Christian Braun is now the scapegoat, which is kinda poetic, considering how Denver rationalized clearly prioritizing him over Westbrook.

I'm not a Braun basher and can somehow see why the Nuggets believed in him, to the tune of about $25mil/season(!).  They thought he had more potential than has thus far been displayed, which may be true if he didn't get injured (though I kinda doubt it).

Also, he's entertaining to watch.  That's true for all white players who are respectable wings, maybe just because they look different.  But also, in the case of Christian, he can like dunk and shit.

Let's not forget that he was also, even as a rookie, a notable part of that Nuggets' rotation who won a championship.  And that brings me to the heart of this post.  I do believe Denver may be one of those franchises that really values loyalty or continuity, to the tune of overpaying dudes they're committed to.  And I mean, you can appreciate why a braintrust would feel that way after winning a championship and especially with a roster consisting largely of homegrown talent.

JAMAL MURRAY

For example, let's not forget that Murray has been running with Jokic since day one.  If Jamal was in the East, he'd probably be a perennial allstar.  He's like a poor man's Steph, so to speak.

But I mean, so what?  It ain't exactly like dudes are Steph + Draymond, you know, having won four championships and shit.  I appreciate that even winning one is hard enough.  But it shouldn't be that the nostalgia persists into perpetuity.

THE DUBS' MODEL

We see this same type of loyalty, arguably, with the Warriors.  Yes, they let Klay walk in a less-than-ideal fashion.  But \they also behave questionably when it comes to appreciating youth.

When it comes to NBA executives, a lot of times we see younger, attractive dudes front and center.  But I do believe many of these organizations are run by old dawgs.  And the point being made is that, changing one's way of thinking isn't easy.  Some decisionmakers may still be stuck on the 20th century model.

And it's all good.  Again, winning a championship is a rarity.  So the next best option is to at least keep yourself in the game.  You know, like the 1990s' Jazz.  Malone + Stockton never won a championship, and so what?  At least you can't look back and say the team wasn't garbage.  The most you can ask for really is a fighting chance.

CONCLUSION

All of that is a euphemistic way of saying that unless the Nuggets do land DeRozan or possibly Kuminga, it's really hard to get excited about their upcoming season. And the moral of the story is that you shouldn't pay top dollar for a roster that was a contender three years ago.  But maybe the braintrust didn't foresee the powers-that-be's decision to raise taxes or probably didn't even care.  So all things considered, I mean yeah, they remain the most expensive roster despite losing a coveted player, one that fit well into their rigidly-set system.  Ultimately, you can't knock an organization for showing love to some of its most storied employees.

2025 NBA Playoffs Ruminations (May 8)

INDIANA PACERS (2) VS. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (0!)

I don't have anything against Tyrese Haliburton - Myles Turner maybe, though he's reclaiming his strength of late.  Instead, there's a more practical reason I want the Pacers to lose.  If they win, they're going to f*ck up all that shit I was talking about the small-ball era being over.  Remember that shit I said about about 'the Cavs players look like they genuinely like each other, so other teams need to watch out!'  Well I guest at doesn't really matter if the other team is playing harder or smarter.

As for the Cavs, it's kinda hard to blame it on injuries because (#1) by all means at least one, if not two of their big four is likely to be hurt during any given game by this point in the Playoffs, and (#2) they have or had the homecourt advantage.

Me wanting Indiana to lose doesn't mean it's going to happen, of course.  But damn, son.  I saw some headline at NBC that at least gave me the impression that the writer thought the ending of Game 2 was rigged.  When Nesmith banged it on Mitchell, especially the first time I saw the play, it just looked like he wanted it more.  And Haliburton deciding to shoot a three on that last shot, that was a gutsy play, especially considering that the defense on him, though one-on-one (against Jerome), was pretty sound.

Tyrese appears that he may be on the verge of superstardom, if he isn't already there.  If that happens, I would argue that the party who deserves the most credit is the Pacers' braintrust.  They deadass pulled off a Kobe, believing in a player that every other organization slept on.

You also have to give Indiana credit for believing, like Cleveland, in the power of continuity.  Remember that they retained their entire rotation from last season, and the only addition they made was James Wiseman, with that experiment lasting a good game or two.   

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (1) VS. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (0)

Let me just get this off my chest - if Curry is healthy, I have no reason not to believe that the Warriros would beat, if not swept, Minnesota.  There's something like inexplicable about the Wolves underachievement.

There was this one play when Gobert backed down Butler I think and dunked.  Gobert is like an entire chest bigger than anyone on the Dubs' roster.  And the announcer was like, 'you'd expect to see more of that from Minnesota'.  After all, isn't the size of Gobert how they ultimately finished the Lakers off?  But that's what I mean sometimes when I say head coaches are obsolete on many teams.

Draymond is also playing like a man inspired.  And as for Buddy Hield, previously he never lived up to the marketability of his name.  But this team has a winning culture, so you would expect dudes to overachieve, or at least their achievements to shine more.  But beating Minnesota without Curry, I mean anything is possible, you know, they do have "Playoff Jimmy".  But I can't see it.

NEW YORK KNICKS (2) VS. BOSTON CELTICS (0!)

Zero nigga, lol.

Yahoo currently has a headline up about Tatum not panicking and believing Boston will still pull through.  Yeah, maybe, I guess.  I mean, it's not like the Knicks won either of those games resoundingly.

But the scary thing is like, I mean I only have a small sample to refer to.  But at the beginning of the Playoffs, it looked sorta like the Knicks didn't really know what they were doing but winning on superior talent.  Now, it's starting to look like all the guys know and accept their roles, and everyone expect Brunson I guess understands they need to sacrifice their game in one respect or another to make shit happen.  Does that make Jalen the leader?  Yeah, I guess so.

The thing about Brunson is, remember when he was Luka's sidekick?  No one but the Knicks (and myself) picked up on the fact that Jalen is actually better than Doncic in some applications.  Like there was this one game - I believe it may have been against Mitchell's Jazz - when like Luka was hurt, and Brunson led the Mavs to victory  The next game Luka came back, and they lost.  And I'm sitting there like 'does anybody else see this shit'?  Yeah, I guess NYK did.

As for the Celtics, like now that people are starting to jump on the Miles Bridges bandwagon, remember who was biggin' him up first.  I was the one who said, like two whole years ago, that he's a better all-around player than KD (at this point in his career). So why the Suns preferred Durant anyway, I guess it was in the name of selling tickets or whatever.

My point is that Brown and Tatum are studs, but so is Bridges and, let's not forget, Anunoby.  They have the athleticism to counter.  So then you have to look at the rest of the roster and ask, which team's is better, especially considering the inconsistency of Porzingis?

I believe the Celtics braintrust may be a bit cocky, but you can't blame a champion for running it back.  But win or lose, they should now know that some type of major upgrade is in order.

DENVER NUGGETS (1) VS. OKC THUNDER (1)

The Nuggets won Game 1 on a last-second clutch pay, while the Thunder won Game 2 by absolutely demolishing Denver.  You do the math.

The Nuggets are one of my favorite teams, on some days my sentimental favorite in the West.  But damn do they have a thin rotation, even in these Playoffs, when most teams are playing it tight.

The thing I'm most thankful for is at least Jamal Murray is playing and effective.  Remember that, just a week before the postseason, dudes was like he wouldn't even be suiting up.

Remember that, it was Mike Malone who made that statement, who Denver then like fired the next day or some shit.  And we have to remember also that these dudes lost their coach right before the Playoffs, though whether or not that was a good thing remains to be seen.

I believe ultimately, it everyone stays healthy or whatever, the Thunder are going to simply outrun the Nuggets.  Obviously, they can turn it up on Jokic if they want to.  And who on the bench, nay, the entire team, can alternatively take his place in terms of productivity?  Westbrook is a stud, but he isn't a C.

2023 NBA Playoffs Ruminations (May 24th)

LET'S GO CELTICS!

Do I believe the Celtics can beat the Heat four times in a row?  Yes.  Do I actually think that will happen?  No, not really, since they're already pretty deep in a hole.  Also, Boston's interior defense - especially when Robert Williams is on the bench, which he seems to be a lot - absolutely, positively sucks.  And on that note, I'm hoping that this offseason teams around the NBA will once again realize that shotblocking, or at least the threat of being able to do so, really is a thing in basketball.

SHOUTOUT TO NIKOLA JOKIC

I knew this was going to happen.  The NBA was dickridin Nikola Jokic so hard the last couple of seasons, giving him MVPs he didn't really deserve (as compared to other players), that when it finally did get around to him actually deserving it they'd have to give to someone else, i.e. Joel Embiid, who got flunked out of the Playoffs.

I've had my eyes on Jokic for awhile, ever since back in the day when the Nuggets were debating whether to trade him or Jusuf Nurkic.  Obviously, their braintrust made the right decision.  And that's one thing I've been saying about Denver for the longest, that they have one of the better braintrusts, even if they haven't won a championship yet.  For instance, when was the last time the Nuggets were actually garbage?

And on that note, just like you can't mention Jordan without Pippen, you also can't mention Jokic without Murray.  Holding on to Jamal Murray is another bold move the Nuggets made, one that a year or two ago I definitely didn't support.  The Nuggets, upon staying healthy, are finally about to prove  that they're the best team in the NBA.

SHOULD LEBRON RETIRE?

Lebron may be acting emotional, but I believe that by this point he must be accustomed to the Lakers getting their asses bust.  Post-bubble, LAL has been one of worst and arguably most-disappointing team in the NBA.  So it ain't like them losing is really anything new, though it is a stark contrast from earlier in LBJ's career, when he was able to lead a team of nobodies to the Finals.

I've been advocating for Lebron to retire for the longest, but now, I don't really know.  Imo he's one of only four players - besides Dame, Mitchell and especially Curry - who can score 40 points on any team at will.  The problem with Lebron though is that at this age, he doesn't play defense for shit.  And the fact that no one in the mainstream media seems ever mentions that, that LBJ doesn't even make semi-consistent defensive effort these days, is like a coverup or something.

Another problem is that, as I've also been pointing out for at least 2-3 months now, he and AD don't play particularly well together.  This is in part because AD has his own issues in terms of being able to effectively play defense.  But here we have the Lakers giving arguably the two most important defensive positions in basketball, C and PF, to one player who's (relatively) old AF and another who has a number of injury issues.

The Lakers' braintrust is like the opposite of the Nuggets.  LAL relies more on luck than strategy or effective roster construction.  For instance why now, after all this time, they suddenly decided that LBJ shouldn't run the point?  Now that they finally have the type of players - like Hachimura, Beasley, Vanderbilt, Walker and even Austin "Sound White" Reaves - to surround PG King James with wings, why now do you insist to have Russell and Schroder bringing the ball up the court and having one of them on the floor at all times?  It became obvious after Game 1 that the small-guard strategy was not going to work against the Nuggets.

So in terms of Lebron retiring, I don't know.  But the Lakers have to do a better job of recognizing and accommodating his aged, though still offensively-great, skillset.

The Mo Bamba Sweepstake

Mo Bamba came into the NBA with more notoriety than is usually afforded a sixth-overall pick, due to the efforts of Sheck Wes.  To help put that into perspective no other basketball player, not even Micheal Jordan, has ever had a hit song named after him.  So I figured, also considering his age, that Bamba came into the league under a type of pressure other players in the mid-lottery wouldn't have to immediately deal with.  But at least with a team like the Magic, he'd get an opportunity to represent.

And at first, it did kinda look like Mo may be bust.  Averaging like 5pts/5rpg, even for a developing big, isn't really that encouraging.  But since then, he's starting putting up above-average PF numbers.  So last season, Bamba achieved a respectable 11pts/8rpg.

But even back at the end of 2020-21 he started to show signs of progress, like you could see that your boy did have potential.  So it was also around that time that I first suggested that the Nuggets pursue a player like him.

Now this is the thing about playing for a team like Orlando.  If a player does exceptionally well, then the question becomes how would they perform on a team where they're no longer allowed to chuck.  But then if they perform poorly, especially the young ones, then it becomes a question of would they perform better on a quality team, because winning does matter, folks.  So when NBC recently reported for instance that sometimes Mo 'fades into the background', well, you can't really expect anyone to kill themselves for the Magic.

What that report is really about is the Magic being on the verge of basically dumping Bamba, since they have the no. 1 pick in the upcoming draft and will undoubtedly choose another big.  You're never supposed to just give up on a bigman, especially a young one showing progress.  But Orlando has never been one of the brighter braintrusts of the Association.  If it weren't for Shaq and Dwight Howard, who were both like no brainer no.1 picks, then it's like this team wouldn't even have a history.

Now the thing is that even if the NBA  has recently been devaluing bigs, some organizations are starting to re-realize what they're worth, and Bamba is on an expiring contract.  So if he averages 10/10 again next season or better, then he's in for a payday.  Meanwhile Denver, who I still feel should go after Mo, is already paying three dudes $30mil or more.

The unique thing about their situation though is that two of their big three - Jamal Murray and Michael Porter - can't even play.  Porter is someone who I believe, if circumstances were different, could one day be an MVP.  And Denver must be able see that also, to be paying so much money for a perennially-injured player.

Murray also is worth that salary when he's actually playing.  He almost became the next Steph or like the next Dame.  But like Porter, now his body is also on that 'fuk an NBA' shit.  And you can't get mad because, you know what I'm saying, niggas need their knees and ankles just as much as they need money.

CONCLUSION

But what about Jokic?  What about giving him what he needs during his MVP years?

Denver has never been garbage and has always been deep, going back like two decades now.  So it isn't like they have a bad roster, even when Murray and Porter aren't playing.  But Jokic ain't going anywhere with this lot.  They're a well-constructed team but not one compatible with his skillset and leadership.

What Jokic needs is someone like Mo Bamba, who also averaged nearly 2bpg.  Why?  Because believe it or not, even though he's MVP (twice), Nikola didn't receive nary a All-Defensive Team vote.  He needs someone to make up for his defensive deficiencies, since he's a center.  And on offense, he needs a partner he can throw lobs to and to clean up his misses.  Aaron Gordon had that potential, but it's probably time for him to move on.  And I do think that Jeff Green plays well with Jokic, though he doesn't really do much defensively.  But at some point, the Nuggets are going to have to learn that reality beats fantasy.  They need players who can produce as opposed to those who may produce.

Where Do We Go From Here? (Denver Nuggets Edition)

I'll be honest and say that at the beginning of this season, I predicted (on another website) that the Nuggets, if healthy, would win the Championship.  That was when Michael Porter Jr. was playing, and rumors were circulating that Jamal Murray could come back on any given day, like they've saying for the past two years now.  Well, I don't know if Porter will ever be "healthy" in the NBA sense of the word.  And as for Murray, like what exactly is wrong with him anyway?

So instead of contending, now the Nuggets look like they're going to swept out of the 1st Round.  I know that anything is possible.  But what the historians are saying is that a team has never come from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Playoffs to win a series.  And I doubt if Denver is about to break that record.

Even though he isn't really a bad coach, I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Malone is the first to go, because he seems to lack Playoff creativity, even worse than Steve Kerr.  At least with Kerr, he has the Splash Brothers and a championship caliber team to depend on no matter what.  Malone doesn't have that luxury.  So it was kinda surprising for instance how he insisted to staying with Monte Morris during crunch time of Game 3, even though Morris hasn't done like shit the entire series.

You have Austin Rivers who was doing an admirable job taking Steph out of his zone.  Sometimes it's like that.  No one is going to argue that Rivers is better than Steph.  But there's just certain players who are able to guard certain stars well.  And even if I am overexaggerating, it isn't like Rivers is a scrub.  He has a history of showing up in pressure situations, and I don't see how it would have hurt letting him play out the fourth quarter.  In fact, I would even played Bones Hyland over Morris during crunch time in Game 3.  I mean by that point, why not?  Hyland may not have done anything spectacular during the game, but at least he wasn't making bad decisions with the ball.  Sometimes, having a lack of confidence is a good thing.

I also would have put Boogie in at the same time as Jokic.  I even heard one of the announcers suggest that.  Having both of them in at the same time would have made it more difficult to chase around the wily Warriors, but it isn't like they really did a good job of that anyway.  With Boogie and Jokic in simultaneously, they would have really been able to punish Golden State in the post.  And then, it wouldn't look so stupid with Jokic lingering around the key, as he seems to prefer to do.  And then it's like slide Aaron Gordon over to the 3, which I believe he has experience playing that position from his Orlando days anyway.

Outside of Jokic, Boogie and Hyland, I don't really see why Denver would be breaking their necks to keep anyone else on this roster.  But sometimes it's like that.  The thing that separates stars from role players is moment like these.  You know what I'm saying?  Every player theoretically has superstar potential, until they're placed in a situation which proves whether they're actually a star or a role player.

CONCLUSION

Denver doesn't look like a team that's worried about their future.  What that means to me is that they're banking on the return of Murray and Porter.  And I'm like, why?

I also wouldn't be surprised if they don't re-sign Boogie.  The NBA hates Boogie, which is a discussion for another day.  So who knows what's going to happen this offseason?

Last year, after they got embarrassed in the Playoffs, I suggested (on another site) that the Nuggets go after a player like Mo Bamba who could cover Jokic's defensive deficiencies.  Bamba just had a career season with the Magic and probably isn't even available like that any longer.  But the Nuggets do have trade chips, even outside of their big three.  But at the same time those long, skinny defenders are now kinda popular, and there aren't that many of them out there anyway.  So it looks like unless they try something really creative and risky, the Nuggets will remain a "what if" team into the foreseeable future.

1st Round Predictions - Warriors vs. Nuggets

My feelings about this series before it started haven't changed at all after Game 1.  I knew the Warriors are a vastly superior team.  Denver shouldn't even be wasting their time in the Playoffs, which I guess is a testament to just how great Jokic actually is.

DENVER NUGGETS

This team has like the worst injury issues in the league.

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

PG-SG-SF-PF-PC (PointGuard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward, PointCenter)

The Nuggets look like a traditional lineup, until you get up to the center position.  People are calling Jokic the best passer in the NBA, and he's like a 7-footer.  Ideally, he'd be surrounded by players that complement his attributes.  But instead, the Nuggets have a traditional lineup.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Jokic.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Jamal Murray is the second best player on this roster, and Michael Porter arguably the third.  If you take any squad in the NBA and remove two of their three best players, no one would realistically expect the team to accomplish anything significant.  And so it is with the Nuggets, even if they do have the reigning MVP.

X-FACTOR

The one active player on the Nuggets roster who I do think perhaps complements Jokic best is Jeff Green.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

A couple of weeks back I was peeping a Nuggets game, and there was like little joy on this team.  It was clear, as least to me, that some of the key players may have issues with Nikola, and vice versa.  And that kinda stuff is never good if you want to go deep into the playoffs.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

The Warriors are my sentimental favorite to win the Championship.  That doesn't mean I actually think they'll win, but if there's any team capable of NBA magic, everyone knows that it's the Splash Brothers (incl. Poole) + Draymond.

STARTING 5 MAKEUP

2G-SG-SF-PtF-C (2Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, PointForward, Center)

It's Draymond's versatility and preference to pass that really makes a lineup like this work.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Depth.  Back in the old (non-KD) days, if Steph or Klay had a bad game then the other would have to carry the offense.  Now they have a sidekick in Jordan Poole who at this point is better than Steph.  The Warriors also have more quality forwards than perhaps any team in the league.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Lack of interior defensive presence.  That may not matter to the Warriors so much now with the Nuggets, but it may bite them in the ass later if they advance.  But they do have some potential options to mitigate that issue.  And even though I, as with many others, may have been disappointed that Kuminga didn't get any burn in Game 1, I'm slowly but surely learning to trust the wisdom of Steve "Doogie" Kerr.

X-FACTOR

The deadass Glove was sitting near courtside in Game 1 - naked head, gray hair and all.  And he had this look on his face like if a Nuggets player was driving to the basket and momentarily glanced in his direction, they'd probably miss the layup.

KARMA ASSESSMENT

At the beginning of the season, a lot of people were thinking that the Splash Bros. + Draymond were washed.  But true dynasties are multi-generational.  And just when they needed it most, now they probably have more backup than ever.

CONCLUSION

Jamal Murray was ridiculously hot in the bubble, and Michael Porter, if he were healthy, I believe could one day be a MVP-level player.  But if I'm tired of waiting for these dudes to heal, then I can imagine how frustrating it must be on actual Nuggets fans.  MVPs are players that you can build an entire team around.  So maybe it's time for Denver to truly take that approach with Jokic instead of holding on to aspects of the past.