The official Denver Nuggets thread.

[GMTD]

Hawks come back with a 40-19 final quarter to beat the 76ers by 3 points in Philly. The 76ers led by 26 at half time.

[GMTD]

The off-season has begun for Jokic.

https://twitter.com/LjubomirovicM/st...063728650?s=20

[beastlyskronk]

The FO has to take a long hard look at this team and try to figure out how to take the next step. I don’t think Malone is that guy at coach. We can do a lot worse but how often will you win it all when the coaching waits until elimination games to make adjustments? He stuck with Murray against the Spurs and it paid off but every other time sticking with the status quo has resulted in a bad result. Also he’s supposedly a defensive minded head coach and he can’t figure out how to not let Paul get to the same spot over and over again for 4 games in a row?

The next thing I’d look at is MPJ. He’s an incredible shooter most of the time on scary good efficiency. But he offers nothing else. He can’t dribble, he can’t catch either. I guess he can rebound when he’s engaged but he’s prone to someone knocking the ball out. The only thing he can do defensively is to get blocks from behind and occasionally tip passes due to length but overall he’s a huge liability on that end. Yes he probably will improve as his career goes on but how much is a huge question. He’s our most valuable trade asset right now so I think we really have to try and determine what his ceiling is. Personally I don’t think he’ll ever be even an average defender. His hips are incredibly tight, he has no lateral agility whatsoever and players can get whatever shot they want in an isolation against him. He can score 30 but what does that matter if he’s giving up 35? The problem with moving MPJ would be the money, we can’t afford any player that would make the trade worth it. But, if at all possible, my preference would be Pascal Siakam. Not nearly as good of a shooter but an incredible defender that can switch on to guards and eliminate mistakes at the rim.

The next players would be Gordon and Barton. I think Gordon is an incredible role player for a team with Murray and Jokic. Unfortunately we didn’t have Murray and he had to step into a larger offensive role that I don’t believe he ever got a great feel for. He’s going to be a big money expiring contract so he’s an option to be included in that Siakam trade I’d like to see although I’d prefer to keep him just for his defensive value. Then there’s Barton, and while I think he performed admirably in the wake of Murray’s injury he’s another high dollar guy who gets moved down a slot when Murray returns. I think he’s still under contract next season and if so he’s likely the guy Denver would try to move in a trade.

Then there’s the rest of the roster. Facu shouldn’t be playing extended minutes but he’s a solid emergency option. Monte Morris is solid, but he might need to be included in a deal to make the money work. Hope they can keep him though. McGee was only brought in for the Lakers and that never came to fruition, I doubt he’s back next season. The Green experiment didn’t work, he was ok but far too inconsistent off the bench, not sure if we bring him back. Millsap probably should retire as he’s now become a road block for young players. Howard showed that he is a good shooter and overall scorer when playing meaningful minutes, however his size is a massive concern on the other end. Harrison probably should’ve got more minutes in the playoffs. His defense was absolutely incredible, he’s purely an off ball cutter on offense and offers very little outside of that but I think we need to keep him. We payed Gary Harris a lot more to essentially do the same thing the past few seasons. Austin Rivers should probably be brought back as well. Inconsistent player but we need guys who can score off the bench and he can do that. Vlatko is only here to be a locker room guy and if he stays it should remain that way, he shouldn’t get many minutes outside of garbage time.

Finally, Bol Bol. What’s the plan? He’s 7’3” or whatever with the skillset of a 2 guard and the basketball IQ of a potato. He isn’t developing on the bench. If the plan is to develop him, then he has to get playing time. NBA teams don’t practice enough in the season to develop the last guy on the bench. Either live with the bad while he figures it out or offer him up in a trade hoping someone bites big on the tantalizing potential.



Losing this series sucks more than any in recent memory because this was the best chance we had at winning it all. It’ll only get harder with the super teams and Curry getting Thompson back. I said it at some point though, I felt like we could beat any team in a 7 game series and I also felt like we could get swept by any team. But the FO has to take this loss and figure out where to go and not fall into the pitfall of running it back with the same team because Murray was out. I don’t think Jokic and MPJ can coexist on a championship team defensively. I think Jokic and Murray can manufacture enough offense to be able to afford trading MPJ for a more skilled defensive player. I say Siakam because I think he’s the best player that we could have a shot at but it’ll take a lot and may cripple our bench unit. Jaren Jackson might be more realistic as a big but he’s not nearly as switchable although he’s a better shooter. If we want a smaller wing player, Lonzo Ball might have to be revisited. And if Malone makes it through the offseason he might be the target given his obsession with putting as many ball handlers out on the court as possible. I’d also look at some reclamation projects. Mo Bamba would be in serious consideration for a backup role to Jokic. Dennis Smith JR just to provide some athleticism as a 3rd or 4th guard option.

Edit: just looked it up, the only way we could fit Siakam’s contract is if we packaged Gordon and Barton. Barton has a player option so he may not be back anyway. So without Barton it’d have to be Gordon, MPJ, the full 9 mil trade exception, and Campazzo or some combo of our end of rotation players. I wouldn’t want to include Gordon in the trade because Gordon and Siakam would give us a lot of versatility on the wing. Whereas Siakam by himself just gives us a better version of Jerami Grant and while that’d be good I’m not sure it’s enough to get us over the hump.

[Bronco51]

Letting CP3 torch you for 37 is inexcusable.

[arapaho]

one thing i know the nuggs did a incredible job just getting there without Murray, that however comes with some criticism

1. was trading gary harris, who is a strong defender, along with RJ hampton and a 1st round pick for aron gordon worth it ? i say we got hosed big time...Gordon absolutely sucks offensively, he brings nothing to the team

[DenverBlood]

Freakin' embarassing.

The flagrant 2 and ejection was a joke, wouldn't be surprised if Jokic told Payne he was a good actor when he went over and shook his hand afterwards.

Malone's coaching has been a complete dud throughout the playoffs.

This team will never go far with Malone coaching. Plenty of excuses going around about Murray going out but the rest of the team allowed over 120 points per game for 4 straight games. Last I checked Murray isn’t exactly an elite defender.

[Houshmazode]

Freakin' embarassing.

The flagrant 2 and ejection was a joke, wouldn't be surprised if Jokic told Payne he was a good actor when he went over and shook his hand afterwards.

Malone's coaching has been a complete dud throughout the playoffs.

[GMTD]

Let's be honest. No other MVP or big star in the game would get ejected for that. On the other hand, if he was just another player he might get ejected for it. It wasn't deliberate but he did swipe at the guy's face (despite getting the ball). If the refs deem it to be a non-basketball play (in this case a bit of frustration) it could absolutely be a flagrant 2.

I'm sad for Jokic that the best season in his career ends on such a sour note.

[beastlyskronk]

The follow through was all ball though? Eh whatever

[Bronco51]

That's just how the season needed to end. With the Joker getting kicked out.

[Bronco51]

How do they let Paul get to the elbow on the right side every time!!!!!!!!

[beastlyskronk]

Time for an 8-0 Phoenix run

[beastlyskronk]

Maybe they’ll show up with elimination game energy in the second half. Such a disappointing series, very lackadaisical all series. They’ve rolled over pretty much every single game, I doubt this game will be any different.

[GMTD]

It's hard to believe how poorly this Nuggets team is playing right now. They can't even start games well.

[Bronco51]

Yep, just go ahead and get swept. They have no answers. And the only looking for threes is maddening.