The other thing I see is "well they'll have Jokic, they'll have a chance." I don't know which NBA you've been watching but the teams that think like this often times find themselves missing the player they assume they'll have the longer they think like this. So far no one in town thinks Jokic plays elsewhere. The problem is once that thought creeps into their heads that Jokic might finish his career elsewhere it's going to be too late. This isn't the Lakers finding a way to reel back Kobe into the fold.
"Jokic isn't like the other players," is the common refrain I hear. Were the other players like the other players before their teams surrounded them with completely lacking rosters? If Minnesota found a capable running mate for Kevin Garnett does he ever go to Boston? If the Cavs can keep Carlos Boozer and add another player does LeBron still go to Miami? People change in their 30s. At a certain point you focus on your priorities and you stop tolerating nonsense. Jokic looks more frustrated on the bench than he ever has. He's made reference to players getting their pay docked. There is a level of frustration with him that we haven't seen before. He has a player option in 27-28. The end of his contract is as far away in the future as the Championship is in the past. Listen to Jokic talk about the Luka trade. See what happens when Jokic sees what Luka is able to accomplish in LA, see what happens when Luka tells him what it's like out there.
Seems like a forgone conclusion that Malone is gone. Is a new coach guaranteed to have the same level of rapport that Malone did? Seems like MPJ will get dealt. Is adding an older player that needs more time off going to make this roster better? Would trading Murray guarantee an improvement? These are tough questions that the Kroenkes have to answer. Who is making these decisions? Are you going to let the guy that dug this hole fix it or are you going to trust another rookie executive to make that decision?
It will be hard enough to clear the deadweight on the roster. There's three guys with guaranteed money next year that need to go: Zeke, Tyson and Dario. Do they have the picks to move on from these players? Does that first apron flexibility that cost the team KCP feel worth it now? Now they'll get Daron Holmes and he'll help, but is a first year player off an Achilles injury really the difference between being a championship contender and being a play in team? Will this team get healthier as they get older?
The national media vultures will be out in force the second the Nuggets are eliminated from the Playoffs. There will be calls for Jokic to go elsewhere. They'll be hard to ignore because they've got a player averaging a thirty point triple double and might not lock up a playoff spot and at the very least they'll be a first round exit. How will KSE handle the "Jokic needs to go noise?" My guess is they'll ignore it. The signature quality of KSE isn't cheapness, it's laziness motivated by cheapness. Not only is ignoring it the easiest thing to do but it's also the most harmful. They've taken advantage of Jokic's low maintenance approach and look where that's gotten them. Ignoring the problem is the easiest way to ensure it will get worse.
The organization hit a brutal patch of bad fortune with the Porter and Murray injuries. However, fortune has a way of rewarding those that work and always strive for the best opportunities. Perhaps tanking the 21-22 year was the best approach. Perhaps building your organization during the Pandemic when absolutely no one was spending money would have helped. The thing is that they haven't done the work to earn more good fortune. They're not a franchise that players look to chase a ring. The only way out of this hellish nightmare is to accept their fate head-on and that appears to be the last thing that they'll do. This offseason needs to be approached with the urgency that keeping Jokic depends on nailing this offseason, anything less than that is full on self deception. Outside of embracing the do or die nature of the situation they are left to wander in the mist like the Lost Battalion.
It used to be that if you had the best player in the league, at the very least you're a playoff team and almost always a championship contender. KSE has found a way to bring Adam Silver's dream of NBA parity to life in ways he never imagined possible.
The most fundamental issue that the Denver Nuggets face is that they are dead and they don't even know it. This season is done. The author of this blog predicted the Nuggets to win the title, then they could make the championship but not win it, now they might make a WCF. This isn't going in the right direction. Guys are tired, guys are hurt and the roster is bad. The issue is that the franchise thinks that they can salvage this short of a miracle. They can't.
There's talk in the article about how the offense is fine. I disagree. Matt knows more about basketball than I do and watches more and watches more closely than I do. However, he doesn't watch the Nuggets with the singular spite that I watch. The offense doesn't have an easy button. Jokic and the offense generate plenty of open three point looks but they are never taken. It's one thing to put up a thirty point triple double, it's another to do it through constant double teams and passes coming off cuts not easy kick outs to an open corner. The offense is still plenty productive thanks to their transition game, but the half court has to work too hard for success given the spacing. Nor do they have the ability to go on those crushing runs that the 2023 team did. Their best shooter is hurt, their second best shooter is injured, their second or third best player is also hurt. That makes things tough. This roster will never have an easy button on defense, quite frankly I'm not sure any team in the NBA can have that but definitely not this one. They can have an easy button on offense and they just don't have it.
Basically stating that most contending teams have multiple all stars and an all defense caliber player. My biggest issue with Jokic is that he's being asked to put out fires that he can't put out. Not only does he not have the energy to defend to the level he did in 2022-2023, but the problems he's being asked to solve are of a much higher level than anything he was presented with in 2022-2023. Losing KCP it felt like the team as a whole had to level up their defensive game, while also dealing with lesser spacing offensively. Christian Braun has been a better player overall, but the fit has made things harder. Combine that with Murray's health issues this year, MPJ's Modern Day Scott Hastings-esque movement, and Aaron Gordon's struggles that's basically how you get this level of defensive drop off.
The bench is a whole other issue, and quite frankly the English language doesn't have the words to describe the level of rottenness that happens when Jokic is off the court. There's reasons for this, but it is what it is. There's really only one fix to this and it's the same fix to all of these other issues. They need another star. They need a star that can handle the offensive load off of Jokic. A player that lessens the load on their star and everyone else. Defense is largely an effort thing, and another star caliber player will allow the rest of the team to devote more energy to that side of the ball. Two gravitational pulls on the court at once open up the spacing. It also makes it easier to surround the team with defenders and still be able to score.
I see a lot of moves like trading MPJ for Wiggins and stuff, that's a fine move but it's also not moving the needle. LA will get better next year. OKC will get better next year. Houston will get better next year. Minnesota will still have your number in October. Victor Wembanyama might finally be ready for the playoffs with an improved Spurs roster. The Nuggets are closer to being one of the teams that stops being a contender like Phoenix this year than they are being a team that gets better. This isn't a roster they can "min-max" their way out of, thinking that will work is the sign of the Lost Battalion. Not only do there need to be small changes around the core, there also needs to be a major star player added to life the role players. I don't think they can find the perfect min maxed roster with these core pieces. Not only do the players not have the trade value, not only do the pieces they need play for teams that aren't willing to part with them, but the Nuggets do not have the picks to accomplish the perfect min max.
I see a lot of talk around town about fairness to the Kronekes or Booth. "Well what SHOULD they have done!!????!?!??!?" As if that's a fair standard to hold a billion dollar company. Imagine a key executive at Apple saying "well some jackoff wearing dirty sweatpants and a ketchup stained T shirt couldn't come up with a better idea so I guess I'm good!" The Shareholders would laugh him out of the room as security escorts him forcefully from Cupertino. The Kroenkes have, for all intents and purposes, unlimited resources. Calvin Booth is supposed to be one of the 30 best basketball minds on planet earth. If a blogger (no offense to anyone this applies to) can't think of a better idea that doesn't necessarily relieve Booth of any duty unless that Blogger has the same connections and paycheck as Booth.
Second, and most importantly: fairness does not exist in life much less in the world of professional sports. Was it fair they got a top ten player of all time with the 41st pick in the draft? Fair or not, this is the situation these men find themselves. Fairness has nothing to do with whether or not they acted adequately. If I were to fist fight a lion, that's hardly a fair fight yet any reasonable onlooker would say that the Lion absolutely demolished me. The fairness or lack thereof, does not change the fundamental result of what happened nor does it change anything about my ability to beat up a lion with my bare hands. (Ed Note: total cat guy, would never hurt even a large cat, I'd like to think we'd be buds and bro down in the sun rays)
Now that we've eschewed that bit of ridiculousness, KSE fundamentally did not understand the assignment. They have an all time great player, a player that can singlehandedly (or almost) turn a team into a contender. He's the most low maintenance superstar, so far anyways, in NBA history and he fell into your laps. That's more good fortune than most franchises ever see. The Nuggets saw it and its on them to capitalize. Now they didn't totally fail the assignment as they walked away with a championship but a single championship is never the standard for a player of Jokic's caliber. Imagine if the Heatles only won a single championship? How is that era remembered? How are the Miami Heat viewed? How is LeBron viewed? No, KSE hasn't failed but they live squarely in that C-/D+ range. They passed the assignment, yet still feel well short of the Cs get degrees mantra of stewarding a Super Star's career.
Quite frankly, most of the failures took place before they even realized what they had. There's been countless talk about the lackluster state of KSE's facilities. Russell Westbrook first noted how small the weight room is when he got here. NHL types are starting to comment on the practice and rehab facilities. There's rumors around town that KSE doesn't value physical therapists, chiropractors, or massage therapists. No one has ever denied these rumors. The fact that they had a three time MVP and there isn't even a shovel in the ground for a shiny new practice facility after both their NHL and NBA teams have won championships, their lacrosse team also won a title and their MLS team has had runs is pathetic. Now, there's people that will say they won without all of this but it isn't the facilities themselves that matter but more that facilities are signs of organizational integrity. Stan and Josh Kroenke have never been thought of as particularly attentive landlords.
Somehow we've went through a period of time where everyone wanted to live in Denver except NBA players. Much has been made of the "player empowerment" era, but one thing is certain that today's player is much more aware of the business aspects of the game than ever before. Today's athlete is better trained and better conditioned than any athlete of eras past. Athletes are well aware of their mortality and how quickly this can all be taken from them. If a player is signing with your team to finish their career and chase the ultimate goal they are not only trusting you with the last precious years of their lifelong endeavor they are trusting you with their bodies. Peyton Manning trusted the Broncos with that. Ray Borque trusted the Avalanche with that task. Undeniably two of the best ever to play their sports chose Denver and chose teams here, but somehow getting a good MLE signing or vet minimum player is beyond the Nuggets scope. They have to offer Reggie Jackson and Dario Saric a player option, something that offers the franchise absolutely no advantage.
It would be foolish to say "but for better facilities they'd be a better free agency destination," and that really isn't my point but that they haven't built the organizational integrity required in the modern NBA. The owners are farting through silk with this new TV deal and they still operate a step or two above a Triple A baseball team. Somehow a billionaire can't get a building permit in Denver and that's the big hold up. There's always something that prevents this team from doing what's necessary field an organization that compares to the organizations that have employed Jokic's peers.
In a key offseason, KSE let a key executive walk over what is likely a few million dollars a year. In his place they hired a first year executive to oversee the most important years in franchise history. While they won a championship with the core the previous executive built, the GM they hired managed to turn a championship roster into potentially a play in roster in less than two years. A stunning decline and a masterclass in incompetence. Booth has a lot of blame in this situation, but what did KSE expect hiring a first year executive? There isn't another towering figure like a Bill Belicheck or a LeBron James to have a say in team building, it's just Booth and Malone. No disrespect to Malone, but he's not a Popovich level coach/executive. This decline should be a surprise to no one who studies organizations, along with the why and the how they fail. Surrounding the best player in the world with a play in caliber roster is a stunning achievement in incompetence. In a way, Booth's early successes likely drove the hubris necessary to make moves this foolish. Connelly wasn't the architect of anything his first few seasons, and eventually it took time to get it right. Unfortunately, Calvin Booth was not allotted that same time. Fair or not, this is the situation. Whoever replaces Booth will not be allotted time to make a mistake either.
Much like this wasn't about fairness to the Kroenkes or Booth, it's also not about a moral stance about what Jokic is owed more of a historical look at the franchises that typically have players of his caliber and what is expected. Jokic will be fine if he never picks up a basketball again, that isn't the issue. The issue is have the Nuggets lived up to the standard of a top 10-20 player of all time.
I think you've hit a lot of the right notes here and on Locked On. What I think everyone in town is neglecting is the inevitable drumbeat of moving Jokic that will only get louder if they don't get out of the second round of the Playoffs. NBA history suggests players of Jokic's caliber don't suffer losers for very long. Ultimately, I think sports reporters forget the most fundamental part of sports fandom and that's the stages of team existence. There are five of them, and ultimately they all lead to the same place:
First stage: Rebuilding/Building. Your team isn't very good, but that's okay. There's no standards, no expectations, and there's only one direction to go and that's up. You're selling off vets for future pieces and paying attention to draft articles. Winning isn't the goal yet, the big wins and moments are nice...but ultimately there's other goals. The Colorado Rockies are not competing for a World Series this year. A successful year is Doyle (is extended) and Tovar take a step forward, Veen and Dollander look like they belong at the Major League level along with three guys wind up in the Pipeline/Baseball America/Keith Law/ESPN/Fangraphs top 50. Whether that be Condon, Fernandez, Amador, Brecht, etc. There's better examples of teams like this, OKC post Russ/PG13 trade was probably the signature example of it lately. It's not very fun for casuals, but for dorks like us interested in the process of things it's probably the most interesting to discuss.
Second Stage: Young and up and coming team. The most "fun" part of being a fan. Your team is young and on the come up. Title aspirations aren't exactly real yet, they're within sight but a title isn't the expectation. Your best players are all young with their best days ahead of them and you're looking to see what fits and what doesn't. You're dreaming on your best players and building agendas. It doesn't last very long, but these years are the most fun because while losses sting, they always feel like learning moments rather than setbacks. Nuggets pre Bubble were at this phase. The loss to Portland in the playoffs stung because of the way it took place, but it always felt like they'd learn something and comeback better. Help was on the way. Changes could be made with some degree of ease and there were almost endless possibilities to chase for improvements. Picks, young players, and cap space are available.
Third Stage: Contention. This is the toughest spot to be at, it's where most people tune in at, but it's also the most common spot teams find themselves in on their path. A championship is the expectation. It sucks, because at this point losses are setbacks. Those young players are mostly here, players may get better but mostly the players in your core are who they'll be, maybe you have some draft capital to spend to get better, maybe you have some cap space or financial flexibility but guys are off their second contract and maybe in their third contracts. Things are tough. Anything short of a championship is a failure. It's exciting because a championship is possible, but stressful because falling short of that goal means there are consequences. Future chances are no longer guaranteed. Maybe they'll get back, maybe they won't...winning now is what matters. The San Francisco 49ers (until this season) were the key example of the good and the bad. Major changes are tough, expectations are high, the clock is ticking.
Fourth Stage: The best stage, Championship Glory. You've won, the flag will fly forever and that moment of immortality cannot be taken away. Fans are happy after a big championship win, you have the aura of a winner and players want to be associated with that, you've got national attention, and full hearts at home. Losses may happen, but ultimately you're still in the Glory Days. The Good Ole Days are here and you know it. The best example of this is the Kansas City Chiefs. Losses in the Super Bowl are tough, but there's still the belief that another title is well within reach. You've got a winning recipe and a few tweaks here and there will have you back on parade in no time!
The Final Stage: Purgatory. It's the final stage because all roads lead here eventually. Your rebuild doesn't lead to an up and coming team? You're not really going anywhere, it's just another rebuild on a weary fanbase. The up and coming team doesn't take the next step? Bust! The contending team doesn't win? Choke artists. Spend too long in Championship Glory? You overestimated your formula. Sometimes guys get old, Father Time is undefeated. Eventually MJ retires and there needs to be something else. It's the worst stage. There's nothing to look forward to, you're not really playing for the future nor are you playing for the present and the past may as well be ancient history. You are the Lost Battalion. You are dead and don't even know it. The only way out of this spot is to realize that you are dead. That's the Catch 22 of this stage your team.
PART 1 of ....However long I can stay pissed off enough to rant.
One thing I’ve never seen anybody talk about with this team is the fact that in ‘23, Jokic’s Supermax extension had yet to kick in. Their starting five that year was still really expensive, but they still had room for Jeff green, Bruce on MLE, even Ish smith made more than the minimum. The timing of contracts is so critical in the NBA, and they’re just caught in a bad spot with this CBA. Joker and Murray only get more expensive going forward, but so do CB and PWat (if you keep them). I totally agree that change is coming
That being said, there’s still enough talent on this roster to win a playoff series, maybe even two or three if things break right. With Jamal out, and his health uncertain, it just looks completely over right now
I'm not sure how much better Malone or Booth could have been the last few years. I do hope if they decide to move on from Malone that the logic is that player moves are likely to make them worse so they will try this first. Perhaps I am wrong, I have a sense that Nuggets ownership is more active in player decisions than commonly discussed. But this does seem like the Nuggets are entering Bucks territory. Thanks for the article.
Nothing I hate like being right.
The other thing I see is "well they'll have Jokic, they'll have a chance." I don't know which NBA you've been watching but the teams that think like this often times find themselves missing the player they assume they'll have the longer they think like this. So far no one in town thinks Jokic plays elsewhere. The problem is once that thought creeps into their heads that Jokic might finish his career elsewhere it's going to be too late. This isn't the Lakers finding a way to reel back Kobe into the fold.
"Jokic isn't like the other players," is the common refrain I hear. Were the other players like the other players before their teams surrounded them with completely lacking rosters? If Minnesota found a capable running mate for Kevin Garnett does he ever go to Boston? If the Cavs can keep Carlos Boozer and add another player does LeBron still go to Miami? People change in their 30s. At a certain point you focus on your priorities and you stop tolerating nonsense. Jokic looks more frustrated on the bench than he ever has. He's made reference to players getting their pay docked. There is a level of frustration with him that we haven't seen before. He has a player option in 27-28. The end of his contract is as far away in the future as the Championship is in the past. Listen to Jokic talk about the Luka trade. See what happens when Jokic sees what Luka is able to accomplish in LA, see what happens when Luka tells him what it's like out there.
Seems like a forgone conclusion that Malone is gone. Is a new coach guaranteed to have the same level of rapport that Malone did? Seems like MPJ will get dealt. Is adding an older player that needs more time off going to make this roster better? Would trading Murray guarantee an improvement? These are tough questions that the Kroenkes have to answer. Who is making these decisions? Are you going to let the guy that dug this hole fix it or are you going to trust another rookie executive to make that decision?
It will be hard enough to clear the deadweight on the roster. There's three guys with guaranteed money next year that need to go: Zeke, Tyson and Dario. Do they have the picks to move on from these players? Does that first apron flexibility that cost the team KCP feel worth it now? Now they'll get Daron Holmes and he'll help, but is a first year player off an Achilles injury really the difference between being a championship contender and being a play in team? Will this team get healthier as they get older?
The national media vultures will be out in force the second the Nuggets are eliminated from the Playoffs. There will be calls for Jokic to go elsewhere. They'll be hard to ignore because they've got a player averaging a thirty point triple double and might not lock up a playoff spot and at the very least they'll be a first round exit. How will KSE handle the "Jokic needs to go noise?" My guess is they'll ignore it. The signature quality of KSE isn't cheapness, it's laziness motivated by cheapness. Not only is ignoring it the easiest thing to do but it's also the most harmful. They've taken advantage of Jokic's low maintenance approach and look where that's gotten them. Ignoring the problem is the easiest way to ensure it will get worse.
The organization hit a brutal patch of bad fortune with the Porter and Murray injuries. However, fortune has a way of rewarding those that work and always strive for the best opportunities. Perhaps tanking the 21-22 year was the best approach. Perhaps building your organization during the Pandemic when absolutely no one was spending money would have helped. The thing is that they haven't done the work to earn more good fortune. They're not a franchise that players look to chase a ring. The only way out of this hellish nightmare is to accept their fate head-on and that appears to be the last thing that they'll do. This offseason needs to be approached with the urgency that keeping Jokic depends on nailing this offseason, anything less than that is full on self deception. Outside of embracing the do or die nature of the situation they are left to wander in the mist like the Lost Battalion.
It used to be that if you had the best player in the league, at the very least you're a playoff team and almost always a championship contender. KSE has found a way to bring Adam Silver's dream of NBA parity to life in ways he never imagined possible.
The most fundamental issue that the Denver Nuggets face is that they are dead and they don't even know it. This season is done. The author of this blog predicted the Nuggets to win the title, then they could make the championship but not win it, now they might make a WCF. This isn't going in the right direction. Guys are tired, guys are hurt and the roster is bad. The issue is that the franchise thinks that they can salvage this short of a miracle. They can't.
There's talk in the article about how the offense is fine. I disagree. Matt knows more about basketball than I do and watches more and watches more closely than I do. However, he doesn't watch the Nuggets with the singular spite that I watch. The offense doesn't have an easy button. Jokic and the offense generate plenty of open three point looks but they are never taken. It's one thing to put up a thirty point triple double, it's another to do it through constant double teams and passes coming off cuts not easy kick outs to an open corner. The offense is still plenty productive thanks to their transition game, but the half court has to work too hard for success given the spacing. Nor do they have the ability to go on those crushing runs that the 2023 team did. Their best shooter is hurt, their second best shooter is injured, their second or third best player is also hurt. That makes things tough. This roster will never have an easy button on defense, quite frankly I'm not sure any team in the NBA can have that but definitely not this one. They can have an easy button on offense and they just don't have it.
The defense is another issue. A popular YouTuber published this video https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DlrRB7-hsXPM&ved=2ahUKEwiUzJOqg8iMAxUCOTQIHeptKl0QtwJ6BAgIEAI&usg=AOvVaw0NEcnFDwDnqOzphGagC-Q6
Basically stating that most contending teams have multiple all stars and an all defense caliber player. My biggest issue with Jokic is that he's being asked to put out fires that he can't put out. Not only does he not have the energy to defend to the level he did in 2022-2023, but the problems he's being asked to solve are of a much higher level than anything he was presented with in 2022-2023. Losing KCP it felt like the team as a whole had to level up their defensive game, while also dealing with lesser spacing offensively. Christian Braun has been a better player overall, but the fit has made things harder. Combine that with Murray's health issues this year, MPJ's Modern Day Scott Hastings-esque movement, and Aaron Gordon's struggles that's basically how you get this level of defensive drop off.
The bench is a whole other issue, and quite frankly the English language doesn't have the words to describe the level of rottenness that happens when Jokic is off the court. There's reasons for this, but it is what it is. There's really only one fix to this and it's the same fix to all of these other issues. They need another star. They need a star that can handle the offensive load off of Jokic. A player that lessens the load on their star and everyone else. Defense is largely an effort thing, and another star caliber player will allow the rest of the team to devote more energy to that side of the ball. Two gravitational pulls on the court at once open up the spacing. It also makes it easier to surround the team with defenders and still be able to score.
I see a lot of moves like trading MPJ for Wiggins and stuff, that's a fine move but it's also not moving the needle. LA will get better next year. OKC will get better next year. Houston will get better next year. Minnesota will still have your number in October. Victor Wembanyama might finally be ready for the playoffs with an improved Spurs roster. The Nuggets are closer to being one of the teams that stops being a contender like Phoenix this year than they are being a team that gets better. This isn't a roster they can "min-max" their way out of, thinking that will work is the sign of the Lost Battalion. Not only do there need to be small changes around the core, there also needs to be a major star player added to life the role players. I don't think they can find the perfect min maxed roster with these core pieces. Not only do the players not have the trade value, not only do the pieces they need play for teams that aren't willing to part with them, but the Nuggets do not have the picks to accomplish the perfect min max.
Part three of...who knows how long I can go.
I see a lot of talk around town about fairness to the Kronekes or Booth. "Well what SHOULD they have done!!????!?!??!?" As if that's a fair standard to hold a billion dollar company. Imagine a key executive at Apple saying "well some jackoff wearing dirty sweatpants and a ketchup stained T shirt couldn't come up with a better idea so I guess I'm good!" The Shareholders would laugh him out of the room as security escorts him forcefully from Cupertino. The Kroenkes have, for all intents and purposes, unlimited resources. Calvin Booth is supposed to be one of the 30 best basketball minds on planet earth. If a blogger (no offense to anyone this applies to) can't think of a better idea that doesn't necessarily relieve Booth of any duty unless that Blogger has the same connections and paycheck as Booth.
Second, and most importantly: fairness does not exist in life much less in the world of professional sports. Was it fair they got a top ten player of all time with the 41st pick in the draft? Fair or not, this is the situation these men find themselves. Fairness has nothing to do with whether or not they acted adequately. If I were to fist fight a lion, that's hardly a fair fight yet any reasonable onlooker would say that the Lion absolutely demolished me. The fairness or lack thereof, does not change the fundamental result of what happened nor does it change anything about my ability to beat up a lion with my bare hands. (Ed Note: total cat guy, would never hurt even a large cat, I'd like to think we'd be buds and bro down in the sun rays)
Now that we've eschewed that bit of ridiculousness, KSE fundamentally did not understand the assignment. They have an all time great player, a player that can singlehandedly (or almost) turn a team into a contender. He's the most low maintenance superstar, so far anyways, in NBA history and he fell into your laps. That's more good fortune than most franchises ever see. The Nuggets saw it and its on them to capitalize. Now they didn't totally fail the assignment as they walked away with a championship but a single championship is never the standard for a player of Jokic's caliber. Imagine if the Heatles only won a single championship? How is that era remembered? How are the Miami Heat viewed? How is LeBron viewed? No, KSE hasn't failed but they live squarely in that C-/D+ range. They passed the assignment, yet still feel well short of the Cs get degrees mantra of stewarding a Super Star's career.
Quite frankly, most of the failures took place before they even realized what they had. There's been countless talk about the lackluster state of KSE's facilities. Russell Westbrook first noted how small the weight room is when he got here. NHL types are starting to comment on the practice and rehab facilities. There's rumors around town that KSE doesn't value physical therapists, chiropractors, or massage therapists. No one has ever denied these rumors. The fact that they had a three time MVP and there isn't even a shovel in the ground for a shiny new practice facility after both their NHL and NBA teams have won championships, their lacrosse team also won a title and their MLS team has had runs is pathetic. Now, there's people that will say they won without all of this but it isn't the facilities themselves that matter but more that facilities are signs of organizational integrity. Stan and Josh Kroenke have never been thought of as particularly attentive landlords.
Somehow we've went through a period of time where everyone wanted to live in Denver except NBA players. Much has been made of the "player empowerment" era, but one thing is certain that today's player is much more aware of the business aspects of the game than ever before. Today's athlete is better trained and better conditioned than any athlete of eras past. Athletes are well aware of their mortality and how quickly this can all be taken from them. If a player is signing with your team to finish their career and chase the ultimate goal they are not only trusting you with the last precious years of their lifelong endeavor they are trusting you with their bodies. Peyton Manning trusted the Broncos with that. Ray Borque trusted the Avalanche with that task. Undeniably two of the best ever to play their sports chose Denver and chose teams here, but somehow getting a good MLE signing or vet minimum player is beyond the Nuggets scope. They have to offer Reggie Jackson and Dario Saric a player option, something that offers the franchise absolutely no advantage.
It would be foolish to say "but for better facilities they'd be a better free agency destination," and that really isn't my point but that they haven't built the organizational integrity required in the modern NBA. The owners are farting through silk with this new TV deal and they still operate a step or two above a Triple A baseball team. Somehow a billionaire can't get a building permit in Denver and that's the big hold up. There's always something that prevents this team from doing what's necessary field an organization that compares to the organizations that have employed Jokic's peers.
In a key offseason, KSE let a key executive walk over what is likely a few million dollars a year. In his place they hired a first year executive to oversee the most important years in franchise history. While they won a championship with the core the previous executive built, the GM they hired managed to turn a championship roster into potentially a play in roster in less than two years. A stunning decline and a masterclass in incompetence. Booth has a lot of blame in this situation, but what did KSE expect hiring a first year executive? There isn't another towering figure like a Bill Belicheck or a LeBron James to have a say in team building, it's just Booth and Malone. No disrespect to Malone, but he's not a Popovich level coach/executive. This decline should be a surprise to no one who studies organizations, along with the why and the how they fail. Surrounding the best player in the world with a play in caliber roster is a stunning achievement in incompetence. In a way, Booth's early successes likely drove the hubris necessary to make moves this foolish. Connelly wasn't the architect of anything his first few seasons, and eventually it took time to get it right. Unfortunately, Calvin Booth was not allotted that same time. Fair or not, this is the situation. Whoever replaces Booth will not be allotted time to make a mistake either.
Much like this wasn't about fairness to the Kroenkes or Booth, it's also not about a moral stance about what Jokic is owed more of a historical look at the franchises that typically have players of his caliber and what is expected. Jokic will be fine if he never picks up a basketball again, that isn't the issue. The issue is have the Nuggets lived up to the standard of a top 10-20 player of all time.
Part two of...who knows!
I think you've hit a lot of the right notes here and on Locked On. What I think everyone in town is neglecting is the inevitable drumbeat of moving Jokic that will only get louder if they don't get out of the second round of the Playoffs. NBA history suggests players of Jokic's caliber don't suffer losers for very long. Ultimately, I think sports reporters forget the most fundamental part of sports fandom and that's the stages of team existence. There are five of them, and ultimately they all lead to the same place:
First stage: Rebuilding/Building. Your team isn't very good, but that's okay. There's no standards, no expectations, and there's only one direction to go and that's up. You're selling off vets for future pieces and paying attention to draft articles. Winning isn't the goal yet, the big wins and moments are nice...but ultimately there's other goals. The Colorado Rockies are not competing for a World Series this year. A successful year is Doyle (is extended) and Tovar take a step forward, Veen and Dollander look like they belong at the Major League level along with three guys wind up in the Pipeline/Baseball America/Keith Law/ESPN/Fangraphs top 50. Whether that be Condon, Fernandez, Amador, Brecht, etc. There's better examples of teams like this, OKC post Russ/PG13 trade was probably the signature example of it lately. It's not very fun for casuals, but for dorks like us interested in the process of things it's probably the most interesting to discuss.
Second Stage: Young and up and coming team. The most "fun" part of being a fan. Your team is young and on the come up. Title aspirations aren't exactly real yet, they're within sight but a title isn't the expectation. Your best players are all young with their best days ahead of them and you're looking to see what fits and what doesn't. You're dreaming on your best players and building agendas. It doesn't last very long, but these years are the most fun because while losses sting, they always feel like learning moments rather than setbacks. Nuggets pre Bubble were at this phase. The loss to Portland in the playoffs stung because of the way it took place, but it always felt like they'd learn something and comeback better. Help was on the way. Changes could be made with some degree of ease and there were almost endless possibilities to chase for improvements. Picks, young players, and cap space are available.
Third Stage: Contention. This is the toughest spot to be at, it's where most people tune in at, but it's also the most common spot teams find themselves in on their path. A championship is the expectation. It sucks, because at this point losses are setbacks. Those young players are mostly here, players may get better but mostly the players in your core are who they'll be, maybe you have some draft capital to spend to get better, maybe you have some cap space or financial flexibility but guys are off their second contract and maybe in their third contracts. Things are tough. Anything short of a championship is a failure. It's exciting because a championship is possible, but stressful because falling short of that goal means there are consequences. Future chances are no longer guaranteed. Maybe they'll get back, maybe they won't...winning now is what matters. The San Francisco 49ers (until this season) were the key example of the good and the bad. Major changes are tough, expectations are high, the clock is ticking.
Fourth Stage: The best stage, Championship Glory. You've won, the flag will fly forever and that moment of immortality cannot be taken away. Fans are happy after a big championship win, you have the aura of a winner and players want to be associated with that, you've got national attention, and full hearts at home. Losses may happen, but ultimately you're still in the Glory Days. The Good Ole Days are here and you know it. The best example of this is the Kansas City Chiefs. Losses in the Super Bowl are tough, but there's still the belief that another title is well within reach. You've got a winning recipe and a few tweaks here and there will have you back on parade in no time!
The Final Stage: Purgatory. It's the final stage because all roads lead here eventually. Your rebuild doesn't lead to an up and coming team? You're not really going anywhere, it's just another rebuild on a weary fanbase. The up and coming team doesn't take the next step? Bust! The contending team doesn't win? Choke artists. Spend too long in Championship Glory? You overestimated your formula. Sometimes guys get old, Father Time is undefeated. Eventually MJ retires and there needs to be something else. It's the worst stage. There's nothing to look forward to, you're not really playing for the future nor are you playing for the present and the past may as well be ancient history. You are the Lost Battalion. You are dead and don't even know it. The only way out of this spot is to realize that you are dead. That's the Catch 22 of this stage your team.
PART 1 of ....However long I can stay pissed off enough to rant.
I’ll have more later but how is Jalen Pickett an NBA player on a minimum contract yet retaining negative value?
One thing I’ve never seen anybody talk about with this team is the fact that in ‘23, Jokic’s Supermax extension had yet to kick in. Their starting five that year was still really expensive, but they still had room for Jeff green, Bruce on MLE, even Ish smith made more than the minimum. The timing of contracts is so critical in the NBA, and they’re just caught in a bad spot with this CBA. Joker and Murray only get more expensive going forward, but so do CB and PWat (if you keep them). I totally agree that change is coming
That being said, there’s still enough talent on this roster to win a playoff series, maybe even two or three if things break right. With Jamal out, and his health uncertain, it just looks completely over right now
I'm not sure how much better Malone or Booth could have been the last few years. I do hope if they decide to move on from Malone that the logic is that player moves are likely to make them worse so they will try this first. Perhaps I am wrong, I have a sense that Nuggets ownership is more active in player decisions than commonly discussed. But this does seem like the Nuggets are entering Bucks territory. Thanks for the article.