Denver’s Troubles Are Starting To Go A Mile High
When you have a two-time reigning MVP on your team, one would assume things are going well. Denver has made the postseason for four straight years. They have the best center in basketball. When healthy, they’re one of the best teams in the league. But, with all of that, Denver’s future isn’t so bright.
They just lost one of the best executives in the NBA in Tim Connelly. Two of their best players missed basically all of 2022. Taking a look under the hood reveals some glaring flaws with this team.
Shitty Ownership
Excuse my language, but that’s the best way to describe Denver’s ownership group. I never really knew how bad they were until I did some digging. But, since Stan Kroenke’s name is attached to things, maybe I should have known better.
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has long been known for pinching pennies on coaches and executives. In 2013, they let Masai Ujiri leave for Toronto. He then became one of the best executives in all of basketball. More recently, talented executives like Arturas Karnišovas and Tim Connelly have departed.
Denver has one of the smallest front offices in the NBA. They were one of the last teams to acquire a G-League affiliate. One of the other teams without a G-League affiliate are my Blazers. Thanks, Olshey! Anyway, back to another crappy ownership group.
Denver’s practice facilities are in Ball Arena, the place they play. While other teams build modern, state-of-the-art facilities, Denver practices three feet from where they sit on the bench. But, I saved the best for last!
Do you know how you watch your favorite teams’ games on your cable provider? Well, not the Denver Nuggets. For the third season in a row, Nuggets fans couldn’t watch games locally on Comcast. Comcast is the most popular cable provider in the state.
Nikola Jokic’s greatness can’t even be viewed by the fans who belove him! How crazy is that? That would be like Bulls fans not being able to watch Jordan for three years in the 90s. It would be unfathomable, unheard of. But that’s the reality for Denver sports fans.
So, yeah. It’s safe to say I know more about Denver’s terrible ownership. Screw you, Kroenke.
All In, No Matter What
Bad ownership aside, this Nuggets’ roster isn’t great either. A few years ago, I thought they would be the team of the future in the Western Conference. Now, they don’t have much to show for that promise. Let’s start with Denver’s two injured stars.
Jamal Murray’s bubble explosion was his breakthrough into All-Star level play. But his ACL tear derailed that. He sat out all of 2022, and we don’t know what we’re going to see when he returns. When fully healthy, the combo of he and Jokic is deadly. Based on Murray’s demeanor and lack of explosive athleticism, I don’t know if he’s going to be that affected by this setback.
The same can’t be said for Michael Porter Jr. Porter fell in the 2018 NBA Draft because of back concerns. After signing a max extension, those back problems flared up in 2022. Back injuries are some of the toughest things to deal with throughout a career. For all my normal people, even a stiff back feels like hell.
Now, the Nuggets have to rely on both Porter and Murray to return to All-Star form for them to contend. If not, it’ll be nearly impossible for Denver to navigate a Western Conference that’s only going to get better.
Assets (or lackthereof)
Obviously, Denver needs more than three players to win it all. Having their big three rolling would be a good start, but they need more than that. The problem is, the Nuggets don’t have a lot of assets to get better.
Denver owes Oklahoma City a top-14 protected first in 2023, 2024, or 2025, and another top-five protected first two years after the pick to OKC is conveyed. So, finding steals in the draft is going to be more difficult.
Denver is also operating over the luxury tax. That’s what happens when you have three players on max contracts. They can still sign veterans to one-year contracts, but finding long-term solutions in positions of need will be tough. Having one of the best executives in basketball would have helped, but you let him go, remember?
Key free agents are also coming up soon for this ill-fated franchise. Jeff and JaMychal Green have player options for next season. Rivers and Campazzo are two other free agents this summer. Calvin Booth, Denver’s new honcho, will have his hands full during his first summer on the job.
The One Positive
There is one caveat to all this negatively. Nikola Jokic, Denver’s magnum opus who looks anything but is content with staying. He already signed a max extension in 2019 – and it sounds like he’s willing to accept the eventual supermax Denver can offer him.
If offer’s on the table of course I’m gonna accept it because I really like the organization, Jokic said after the Nuggets lost in the first round. I really like the people who work here.
Jokic on the idea of getting a supermax from Denver
Jokic’s two co-stars may not return to full strength. The roster around Jokic isn’t likely to get better over the next few seasons. But, at least Jokic wants to stay. With him and head coach Mike Malone, Denver will always find a way to remain competitive.
That is probably the only positive I can think about for this team right now. Sorry.
2023 Is Their Judgement Day
Not to be overly dramatic, but next season is kind of life or death for Denver. Outside of their 2020 run to the Conference Finals, this talented group doesn’t have a lot of playoff success. I know injuries have slowed them down, but with their franchise in disarray, 2023 is a chance to prove themselves.
If they can stay healthy, the idea of Denver being a top-five seed in the West isn’t hard to imagine. But we’ll have to see how this team fares in the playoffs. If they do well, then Booth and Denver’s new front office won’t have to make major moves to make this team a contender. It’ll be more trimming around the edges, which is what Denver has been doing for the past couple of seasons.
But, if the Nuggets lose in the first round again? Then it may be time for some soul-searching. Trading Jamal Murray after a season like that doesn’t seem crazy. Also, shipping off guys like Aaron Gordon or Monte Morris may be moves made after another hypothetical disappointing season.
Again, I don’t want to sound overly dramatic. The Nuggets are good, but they’re going to have to prove themselves. They are no longer the team of the future in the West. That title has been reclaimed by numerous other franchises, including the Timberwolves that Connelly is now going to manage.
We’ll have to see how this weird, somewhat dysfunctional franchise will fare in 2023, which I’m dubbing as their judgement day season.
(At the very least, could we give Nuggets fans their games back on Comcast? Please?)
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