Do the Nuggets still have the best starting 5 in the league? | DNVR Nuggets Podcast

Do the Nuggets still have the best starting 5 in the league? | DNVR Nuggets Podcast

on today’s dnba show do the Denver Nuggets still have the best starting five in the league what do we actually think will be different for the Denver Nuggets next season and who’s going to end up coaching the Lakers after all this is dnba [Music] [Applause] [Music] hell yeah let’s go first one I’ve ever seen of that that’s got to be a bot that is it’s called s sarcasm what is up and welcome in to the dnba show let’s go let’s go we are hanging out here in the Toyota Lounge tripping by your Front Range Toyota stores Toyota the official vehicle of DNR and uh you guys are hanging out in the Toyota chat today so if you uh if you see your names up there with something to offer thanks to Super producer kale you’re basically sponsored by Toyota 2o so congratulations congratulations I I’ve got a lot to talk about here with an Allstar panel how how about that panelist panel adadz of the all NBA show dmvr nuggets and a couple other shows that I won’t mention contractually obligated not to uh good to be a panelist good to have you hosting but I got to say you look great man the hair is looking incredible the arms the guns they’re out the key the key is that I host and then you compliment me that’s right such a throw such a difference this works better for me this works better for me and uh fresh into fatherhood but still still the same man still the same winner you come to know it’s Harrison wi I don’t know if you guys saw my guy Joe Maz with another fire quote I can’t do this brother last night what was it I actually have it give it Joe Missoula on the criticism of Jason Tatum shooting quote criticism is the ultimate Beauty it’s just a sign of the ultimate respect and it’s a beautiful thing I love the way Jason has handled it I love it it sounds so deep doesn’t mean anything man Jo man I’m telling you I’m in I’m in on Joe M this is the worst part actually the worst part it’s been tough it’s been tough watching the Celtics inherit everything guys they’ve got the beautiful game they’ve got great pressers great quotes uh they’ve got teammates that believe in each other they’ got Derek white and uh that leads us really to the first question of the show fellas which is the major question of the show do the Celtics have the best starting five in the league or really more widely more broadly do the Denver Nuggets still have the best starting five in the league that was obviously their claim to fame in their title season it was their hope for this season they took that route they fell a little short I think we’re going to hear them run that line back as far as how they view themselves and as as far as how they view their path to contention but Adam is it still true I know it’s interesting because it has been such a rallying cry for the last several you know the last two year two seasons and it has been true they won a title with it but statistically it was the worst fiveman lineup in the playoffs didn’t do great it’s not even like if they would have just gotten beat you know in one series and it got beat and you’re like yeah but it was the wolves and Murray was hobbled you could talk your way out of it but there was a negative in both series and there is something too that will carry next year what I will say is I don’t think that’s indicative of what the Nugget starting lineup is I think it can and will be better but I’m a fair guy you guys know that the Celtics are doing something right now that we can’t even laugh off as much as we would like to and just love to make fun of them they are I I I said this on all NBA today but I honestly think think that Tatum’s playoffs and Conference Finals and finals are actually the best thing that could happen to this team because it’s him Rising above the need to do the thing where he’s the guy and ironically he’s actually doing a lot that the team needs of him he’s setting the table well he’s he’s doing a bunch of Defending well he’s doing a bunch of stuff but his having a bad finals in air quotes over here because I actually think he’s been pretty good him doing that to me is the exact type of stuff we talked about the Nuggets doing all his time Aaron Gordon has reduced his numbers Aaron Gordon has sacrificed Michael Porter has sacrificed the Celtics are doing that and unfortunately they’re two games away from me allowing them to have the crown that Denver now has to chase to get back to being the best starting fight oh man at the highest levels you do what you have to do to win that’s what Jason Tatum’s doing he’s taking what the defense gives him he’s not forcing anything and the Celtics are so good and so talented and they got so many dangerous weapons where he doesn’t have to force anything he can just play the game the simple way and um that’s what he’s doing do they have a better starting five than the Nuggets no I don’t think so I would still take the Nuggets starting five because I would take a fully healthy nuggets Squad to beat the Celtics in a series and a big part of that is because I think the Nuggets starting five would outplay the Celtics starting five I do think the Celtics have easily the best roster in the league uh but one thing that I think is kind of funny is my sliding scale of how I view the way what makes Denver starting lineup one of the best are in contention and it kind of feels less and less like some of those things that we wanted to talk about a lot a year ago I mean they I think their their best argument is that they do have they’re is topheavy they have the best player in the world in my opinion and I think that would be their tatm uh no the nuggets in yic and that would be their clear advantage over a team like Boston but it does but like Boston has figured out they have such a Harmony and a balance and an understanding of what they want to do that the question of who their best player is is almost irrelevant right now I like I really get the sense that I’m sure quietly Tatum and brown would each like to win Finals MVP but I bet they can really comfortably say that they don’t care right now and it looks that way on the floor and that getting to the level of not caring is what basketball in particular is all about and it’s rare a lot of teams win because they’re so talented they don’t have to fully go to that there’s only a little bit of sacrifices needed a team like Denver and a team like Boston to me it requires full sacrif and to me that’s the most impressive thing about watching the Celtics in this round is just how much it really does not seem like anybody is trying to do anything other than win no and Denver was there last year I am curious though if you think that Denver is there right now I like like this year was there any trust lost in were guys not sacrificing a lot were guys not mentally willing to do that was there any selfishness there or was it I don’t think so so you think they’re still there just they were a little banged up a little tired and Murray wasn’t ready to go at his top level 100% I mean there were points in the regular season ironically enough in the couple games they beat Boston in right where we looked at this nuggets team and said are they actually better than last year so yes they’re still at that level this starting five I still think is the best starting five in basketball when healthy when clicking they’re still at that number one spot we saw it so many times in the regular season it’s easy to forget now with just how inep they look they looked at times in the playoffs or for most of the playoffs but if you go back to the regular season you run some of our post game winners lounges back from the regular season we were talking ourselves into the Nuggets being better than they were last year so there’s two point I actually think we can’t talk about this say the whole season cuz we weren’t saying this the whole season but we were saying it at two very specific spots yeah the first nine games or seven games whatever it was I guess it was seven those that was the story the nuggets are better than last year Banner night conversations they come out and they look like they were in playoff mode and we like oh my God they got better and They Carried that for seven games then Murray gets hurt I think the only other time we were saying that Harrison was right after the All-Star break I think we were saying it then as well it was like oh there they are they’re back to playing at that level well I remember me specifically saying on January 19th when they went into Boston and handed the Celtics their first home loss of the season that’s all I needed to see and then I said it again when they beat the Celtics at home in March like that was all I need to see the the March one is that post is that part of that was the end of statement week I believe the only thing about the 19th one was it was following that 76ers game that’s the only reason that I think maybe wasn’t in the air quite as far as we were kind of mad about that 76ers game yeah I saw enough in the regular season like I I remember it I talked about it every day I talked about it after every win every loss like I saw enough in the regular season to where my confidence is still very very very high with this starting five in particular does that change or I I know the answer to this let me rephrase how much does that change for you wind if cavius calwell Pope is is not a Denver Nugget next season oh a ton changes everything I AG it changes everything about this team everything is it still their path to Victory Adam is that something they have to re-examine is it something they even can reexamine such an interesting question right do they need to have the best starting five in order to have a best the best team I don’t know I don’t think so I think it was true of 2023 I think they needed that yeah I do think that there is a world where they are completely different approach next year and they maybe don’t have the singular best lineup but they have the best 48 minutes worth of lineups you know and maybe the best player and the best player so I would say I don’t know that it’s necessary and it’s funny because they did win that way and that’s why I understand Malone’s impulse to want to just play the same node cuz it worked the biggest fear I have with kcp leaving and Christian Brown potentially stepping in is that the like vaneless of the Nuggets offense I know that’s not a word I was trying to think of the right word vanality that’s a word no the repetitiveness yeah the um the joic Murray Twan game which is what the Nuggets offense is built on I’m worried that if kcp leaves and you put Christian Brown obviously a way worse offensive player there in his place that Denver just by its nature tilts even more towards the joic Murray Twan game sure like that’s a fear I have is there a player that’s not a starter Adam that you think has the best chance to change this framing so like right now it’s just all about the Five Guys and they weren’t good enough is there a player coming off the bench that you consider an xfactor in this conversation in this context of if if the team sort of get approaches this the right way they can change the way we talk about this roster I don’t think so I like your Framing and I think I know where you’re going with it but I don’t think so I think the nature of this team is that they are topheavy and expecting a pton Watson to make this leap where it’s like they have that look but then they have this other look cuz he comes in I just don’t see it could it be cultivated I do think there was a point this year where we thought the Christian Brown pton Watson even I know it’s funny but Zeke Naji they have this lineup that could just be like Predators they get steal the project Dynasty lineup the project Dynasty lineup and I just don’t really have faith that it’s not that I have less faith in the players I just don’t know that that’s going to be a thing Denver arrives at can it not be STW is he no because Strather can be a good player but I’m saying there was this hope that Christian Brown and pton Watson in particular were like two pit bulls and can you just add another one or two and it’s like they have that big punch starting five and then they have that counter punch where they throw all that athleticism and defense at you and it’s like a one-two punch that no team has both things they can do and I just don’t think Denver’s going to have that STW might come in and be a good player that creates a good lineup but I don’t think he’s going to make them a predator defense they kind of need him to be good you definitely need him to be good in a different way though but to me it sort of feels like the lack of of uh of ways they could call an audible here the lack of ways they could sort of change change this framing is it almost makes me think that in some ways they’re locked into this right like if you’re worried about jokic’s window as a great player and you feel like they’re wasting it by running it back are they are they shortening the timeline At All by making trades like don’t you have to sort of start a larger reconstruction to like we’re a balanced team we’re not as topheavy but do you really think you’re getting players for guys like Murray or guys like Porter that just change the whole dynamic of the roster overnight I almost feel like you’re looking at like a longer Visionary rebuild if you make any trades it’s it’s hard to Envision them getting better by trading those two guys Denver’s money is in their starter so they’re always going to have to probably win with their starters and survive with their bench yeah it feels that way I think that I don’t think it’ll flip do you think no win with their starters survive with their why would it flip like this this stuff has been crazy to me this offseason people are like oh man look how Boston built their team you know why can’t the Nuggets build their team like that Trad your saying look at the Mavs man like the Nuggets need to look at the Mavs to build their team like the Nuggets just won a freaking Championship well Michael Malone’s one of these guys saying this though they just won the championship they have this incredible roster they have this incredible starting five they have Nicole joic and Jamal Murray who’s coming off a bad playoff run Michael Porter Jr Aaron G like why do people think the Nuggets suddenly need to reverse course they just won the freaking Championship I’m with you and I I I these guys aren’t going at these guys aren’t getting worse that’s kind of my point like I think this whole thing of the bench just getting better with seasoning why wouldn’t you run it back like all this has been so crazy to me man is the best path well what will be different what do we expect to be different that’s a larger conversation another conversation we can have after the break oh shoot vable as sports fans we’ve all had the thought I know you’ve had the thought what if you could buy stocking athletes what if 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that’s the bet you have a you you feel something right now who do you think’s going to win that one drew a little wild card here Drew’s a wild I might go holiday Drew’s number one Drew’s number one on nba.com MVP ladder right now we know that’s very trusted of a source number two is brown it’s Luka Luka yeah come on uh look you don’t need the team to hold a 20-point lead to win at bet 365 if you’ve taken advantage of their NBA early payout offer you win when you’re your bet goes up by 20 points win or lose you have to be 21 or older and physically located in Colorado please G gble responsibly if you were someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help call our text 1800 Gambler and we’re back guys we’re back and I’m excited to throw maybe a curve ball at you here oh my go I put together a little group of things that might be different next year it might be but together we’re going to prioritize what we actually expect to be different next year okay okay so we’re looking at a number of different factors here backup point guard backup center the one starter stagger new alternate jerseys the starting that’s going to be the literal same I don’t think the Nuggets remember to submit the form to get a New Jersey the starting lineup itself no next year it’s just going to be uh 300 on the Jersey for 300 days of sunshine oh God oh my God is that still true do we think 300 days of sunshine oh it’s a fact it’s a it’s a fact are you kidding me uh could the starting lineup itself be different what about Murray’s numbers Porter’s numbers I I think we can maybe try to figure this out together and just what actually is going to change next season uh so we’re going to do this in a really fun reverse one that’s very difficult to do as a as a panelist uh we’ll start with this kale you have thing one on all five there okay you want to start putting together the templates my guy is that what we want Adam you’re a panelist now oh I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m out I’m out of my lines here so these are fluid rankings right we’re going to we’re going to start with one we might find it changes as we intr another don’t do it kale four five still say one there right so Adam I’m going to throw before we put anything else up on the board backup point guard oh God backup point guard you know what actually do you think this is going to be different here’s no this is actually going to be totally different this is going to be the biggest thing I don’t think Reggie’s on the roster next year hell no I think that they are going to have so there it’s going to have to be different I actually think it’s going to be jayen picket which is super different I think there’s a chance they move on even from him at the trade deadline which would be totally different so I’m going to go that this is maybe I would be shocked if there was something that was more different than this thing you cannot do the Reggie Jackson thing again you can’t do it man because a year from now we’re going to be in these same chairs talking about how Reggie Jackson played 82 games again you just can’t do it man um I think that is probably the biggest regret of Calvin boot’s tener so far signing Reggie Jackson as a bout guy and then subsequently reupping him in free agency looking back at just something the Nuggets didn’t need to do and I think Denver would agree with that as well you know where we sit right now you got to move on you got to get somebody else in there is somebody else is Jaylen picket enough for you right now when just curious is that is that are you comfortable with that plan or is that a deadline fix how could you be totally comfortable with it he’s he hasn’t played at all so you can’t be comfortable with it I think he could be the guy absolutely um but am I comfortable with it no no of course not I I think what Adam said is probably a good potential track to follow you begin the season with him as your backup point guard you see how it goes then you reassess in December in January all right but I think you give him the the chance to play the one thing I will tell you is I would not be totally surprised maybe you feel differently when if they brought in another point guard of piet’s caliber and was like you’re going to have to play one of them not a two-way but just like now you pick is it picket or is it this new guy a different mold of point guard but it’s like you got these two just pick one and we’ll trade the other sure okay wind I was excited to throw this one particularly at you oh God the one starter stagger how not I know how you feel about what you want I know what you want Harrison but How likely is it that the one starter stagger changes or goes away next year I think it’s kind of likely I I really do think Michael Malone publicly saying how he messed up in a couple different facets of managing the roster since the season has ended he said it multiple times how he kind of ran his guys into the ground I do think him acknow acknowledging that publicly is a good step forward so I do have some optimism that um it’s going to change I’d probably put it at like 49% though I put it at less than 50% that it does change thing five maybe sure is that a good place to spot it for now slot it for now sure Adam do you share W’s uh strong opinion on the one starter stagger and it needing to change to me it’s clear five if this list had 25 things on it I think it would be number 25 this is the one to me that I’m like come on man we were joking why why is it so hard to do I it’s not that it’s hard to do I don’t know I think Michael Malone likes it this way he likes optimizing and playing the starters as much as possible and I’ll tell you now we’re doing armchair psychologist here it’s my favorite thing to do I think the reason he likes it is that gives you a safe floor you play those guys together and you’re just going to know all right I have this we’re going to win game we win 57 this year franchise record it’s so funny that we don’t even it doesn’t feel like it but I just think if you told me you went with the same rotation forget get who the backups are you go to that same rotation this year you’re going to win 50 games worst case scenario you’re a four seed Y and I think that’s why whereas if you start messing with the the the ingredients I think you have a higher ceiling for sure much higher but your floor you might be suffering through some of this picket Murray mpj stagger minutes for two months and all of a sudden you’re 500 and I’ll also say this and I don’t think people want to hear this and I’m really playing armchair psychologist now but it’s also an excuse for Malone I agree I agree it’s excuse for Malone he can roll out the bench lineup and it sucks and then he can say I can’t trust the bench I can’t trust it look what I did I put them out there they blew the 10-point lead I all the bench guys I have to put back in all the starter guys you give me project Dynasty I can’t play them yeah I yeah I also think Malone you could give him a lifetime extension and by his nature he would probably sweat about the floor I just don’t think it has anything to do with whether he gets fired or not I just think it’s how he feels about basketball it’s his core belief that’s what that’s what it is is when you tap do something that’s not just a specific it’s like no but that’s core that’s a core belief of Malone and I just think it is so my hope is that he surprises us all and is more flexible but I’m just telling you I we joked coming into this segment that we should make it that Meme or maybe make that Meme it was the flirting vers harassment but it’s the same picture you know I feel like that’s what this was going to be is next year the Stagger is just different it’s a different one player stagger like we we mixed it up we mixed it up like that’s the same thing that one might work actually actually just yoke cuz actually does work was he going to be bad come on then it’s the four starters that are bad okay another point of much conversation in the chat on the online webs the interwebs backup center backup center Adam uh do you think it needs to change How likely is it to change with the way things are looking right now this one I think is very likely to change as in the details of it I don’t know that it’s going to meaningfully change the identity of the team I think that if you told me right now to rank the starting five players and the backup five players in order of most importance to least next year I would say joic is going to be number one most important player and I would say whoever the backup center is going to be the 10th most important player that I just think that’s how this will shake out yeah but it’ll so it’ll be different player but I would be shocked if it was like a Major Impact piece it was more just like oh that’s the guy doing like AEK Nagi type no I’m saying more like a DeAndre Jordan but not DeAndre Jordan but it’s the same as DeAndre Jord feel like the rubber met the road a little bit with this with how the season ended what do you mean like they need somebody now they played yic too many minutes he got tired I don’t man I don’t I think it’s more the load of fok carries more than the minutes honestly I think that I don’t know that this backup center is going to come in and steal minutes he only plays 34 minutes a game just get Dario SAR or Daniel TI just get him for a minimum boom done and I guess even even if it was just black go that’s a different look that’s still a different look oh sheby slotted in thing three to be safe all right I’ll bet you admin’s up four but we’ll we can put it there see how it changes okay Harrison how about the starting lineup itself How likely is this to be different next season um man I got to put that at two or four well you can you can we can put we can slot it at four um I mean kcp I I don’t have a great read on it to be honest based on how they talked about going into the second apron to retain him after the season it seemed like they were conveying some optimism there but um you really don’t know until the first moment of free agency and somebody throws a threeyear $60 million deal out there for you shout out Jeremy Grant right um so I don’t know man um I don’t know they certainly conveyed bunch of optimism felt like to me when talking about the second apron after the season this one’s tough I I think I would swap three and four personally backup CU I just think backup Center’s so low leverage here’s what I’ll say about the starting lineup I would love kcp to be back I’m not counting on it my personal hunch or gut is telling me it’s below 50% man but my hunch is also telling me that the Nuggets will be less meaningfully different without him than people think I still think he raises their ceiling I still think it would be a bad loss to lose him but I don’t know that it would be a thing that you felt night to night really I kind of do I kind of do man I think Christian’s a good player and there’s some areas that he is like going to be better and one he’s more youthful and like the regular season often times is just about that youthful consistency or energy or what have you kcp is an Iron Man though he is an Iron Man he plays a lot I mean he Sho he doesn’t shoot that much though and that that’s part of it spacing is really valuable but he does he just contributes a little bit less there I that’s what I mean I do think it affects their ceiling but when you talk about in January are we going to be like talking about how much we miss kcp I would guess a little not so much but really I I think differently I think it’s going to be a bigger loss than that I think we’ll feel it more in the playoffs when it’s like oh man this lineup can’t shoot or this lineup can’t defend I think that’s when you’ll really you have no shooting man the Nuggets already took no threes compared to every other team yeah but that to me that’s a lot more stylistically and that’s a lot more of the nature of like yok he has spots on the floor they’re not threes Murray even is a guy that has always been a little below what you would expect a guy of his shooting caliber in terms of volume I just feel like you’re void of shooting threats me too how many did he make though this year I think the spacing is probably a little the the threat of him as a shooter is a huge thing in itself yeah like that’s a huge part of the Nuggets makeup in terms of floor spacing and where their openings are and how the defense plays them going from kcp to Christian Brown that totally is completely different if you’re a defense I wonder too wind do you think it would trigger any bigger changes in the starting lineup or would it just be Christian Brown in or does I mean is there any chance you look if kyp’s gone you feel like you got to rethink the whole operation I mean it’s probably Christian Brown probably just Christian Brown It’s probably Christian Brown I will say though one thing that I I wonder if next year’s starting lineup would be less uh set in Stone I wonder if like if kcp was gone it was there were healthy times Christian started and healthy times he did not start and it was like Hey we’re trying out this lineup today Pat’s actually in there for this matchup tonight not Christian I don’t know I I I could see that a couple of different reie by the way almost took as many threes as kcp this year and basically the same amount of games that’s kind of wild to think all right so so far these have been some mostly rotation uh oriented factors but I have a couple of slightly different ones to throw at you on the other side of the break there you go there you go guys shout out to Circle K the Inner Circle Rewards program it’s totally free to sign up free membership easy to download all you do is uh use the QR code right there on the screen enter your email your phone number you’re fully enrolled good to go so when you go to Circle K you’re at the gas pump type in your phone 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dmvr rugby podcast subscribe to that wherever you get your dnvr pods and you can follow him at Colton strickler and our dnvr rugby account on the old Twitter to keep up with the latest news you can learn rugby with Colton’s 101 101 rugby podcasts exclusive interviews with athlete and the coaches he provides uh some betting advice as well on Super Rugby plus swag and ticket giveaways also save the date and come out to Infinity Park in Glendale Colorado for a movie night on Monday June 24 featuring the Marvels gates open at 600 p.m. as and the movie starts at 7:00 p.m. such a cool thing man that place actually really R really rules it really does there’s a lot going on in Infinity great for families you’re out in that area it is something to consider for example this event movie goers are encouraged to bring their own chairs blankets and pack coolers with your favorite snacks I love being outside for a movie in the summer so fun do please leave your uh grills and glass containers at home for those not bringing food onsite food trucks will offer delicious options for purchase and here’s the kicker all movie Nights in 2024 are free to attend so don’t miss out on this fun familyfriendly and wallet friendly event at Infinity Park and don’t forget about the American Raptors Colorado’s only professional rugby team I haven’t eaten today that’s why I’m almost s here you said food truck and it really sent me I know my stomach my God actually before I move on really quick our guy dline just brought up a point in chat before he went to break uh any chance Julian Strather could be the starter if kcp leaves yes there’s a chance absolutely you replace the shooting there’s a big drop off defensively I think that’s fair to say I mean you replace the shooting Christian Brown shot it way better than Julian strawber from three last there’s a good point there’s a good point I think you’re talking about of course I know jul is a better pure shooter right though that actually is good push back because Brown is handicap this it would be interesting like Christian Brown’s probably the leader definitely kcp to me would be second just because if he’s retained then he’s back but I think it’s less likely and then I STW third or is it like mle siny third or who is third actually in this in this instance Justin holiday oh Justin holiday ahead of straw it could be man you know what he he started a few games and played well as a starter yeah the tough thing if your booth is there’s really no contract slot low enough you could go that would guarantee your guy STW plays you sign a minimum if stw’s the starting two man I’m worried about offense and defense yeah I’m already worried about offense you know didn’t he shoot well with joic when he shared the court with yic on very it’s like on 30 ATT minutes 30 attemps or something no I mean I I actually really like Julian Str he’s he’s trending towards being like the ex one of the X factors it feels like for the Nuggets that can really swing a lot of things off the bench think they’re hoping he is yeah people around the team talk about him about how much his shot improved not in games but on the practice court over the second half of the season when he came back from injury it’s going to be a big summer for him I I’m a strawther guy I would be buying stock in him but you got to see it first yep got to see it okay I’m going to give you two more factors here or two more potential changes to just the dynamic of the Denver Nuggets let’s slot them in things we expect to be different next season Jamal Murray’s numbers which have been roughly similar for most of his care we F this at 150 this might be the can be off the list if you want it can be off the list if you put it off the list really are we being serious here no let’s pull this thread for a minute can we pull it well I give you the second one and then we can kind of decide okay Michael Porter Jr’s numbers Jamal Murray last year 21.2 points per game the year before 20 the year before that 21.2 they the same year three seasons in a row it’s wild the consistency of his play I I always think the guy’s going to be 20 what 7 28 next year yeah like he is who he is I think this is who he is an inconsistent guy who has this High upside I honestly think this one would be off the board for me the Jamal one I think would be number six I think the starter I think there will be a little bit more of a stagger next year than you’re likely to from five no no I think I think oh do we have a space oh oh then yeah then it’s number five we could bump everything well Michael Porter’s numbers though man I don’t know they’re both going to be exactly the same I do I if I had to choose I would choose Porter though Porter’s numberers at five and then we bump everything else up okay look at that was you know what man I I bumped Porter up I actually it’s wild I don’t think either of them happen but if you told me I had to pick one Porter was at 16.7 points per game if he has a healthy year man I think he I I think they work him into the offense a little more I I think he has a good a good year he also like weirdly didn’t shoot the ball that great 40% he didn’t though but I mean yeah I feel like that left a point per game on the board on his three point shooting yeah all right there you have it our definitive scientific def in argu able list about things we expect to be different next season another thing fellas that will be different depending on how they approach the pick uh is the roster if they use this draft pick or not if they make a trade but let’s take a look for now at the potential picks they could make we’ve got another Prospect breakdown courtesy of Harrison wind The Man With The Wind in his hair who are we talking about today Harrison talking about Baylor shyan there he is right there number 55 out of kraton this there are guys that has have the per remember we did the names draft and we were talking about some guys that have just great names oh yeah everyone that Baylor sh shyan has the worst one he would rank 330th is it worse than Jaylen Tyson yes cuz at least Jaylen Tyson sounds like an athlete sounds like this Baylor shyan I really hope Baylor is a family name I really hope so so J Baylor shyan CU that’s a tough look tough tough name I think for for just doesn’t sound like an NBA name yeah that is such a big part of it right yeah Lonzo ball I’m telling you this is the guy getting mocked in the 20s right now he’s around Denver’s draft range 67 Wing 68 wingspan 205 lbs senior out of kraton his strengths shooting he is a three-point shooter knockdown type guy really good NBA frame as well high IQ player decent passer makes pretty good reads in terms of his weakness is not a great defender his versatility is he just a shooter can he do other things as well my comp for him Joe Engles and he’s a lefty too I feel like the thing about it’s a great comp a Joe Engles comp Jo is more than just a shooter though oh way more yeah so that’s a that’s a very optimistic highend like Joe Harris isn’t the comp yeah no because he’s yeah maybe what about his brother Doug mcder or Kyle corber I think he’s got a little more to his game than just like the straight shooter little off the dribble stuff little passing ability last season 18 and a half points per game shot 38% on 8 threo attempts per game what a lot nine rebounds four assists big time player played 37 minutes of game he’s started every game that he’s played in the last four years two of those years were at kraton he played his first three years of college at South Dakota state but um yeah he can shoot the piss out of the ball eight attempts per game in college that’s getting them up yeah all right so it’s a fouryear senior you think Wy year senior a fifth year senior so when do you feel like this fits into into the booth into any sort of Booth philosophies in any sense oh well sure a experienced guy ready to go Um can kind of be a plug andplay option abs absolutely uh Michael Malone just said on Jim Rome I don’t know if you guys saw you can never have enough shooting this guy is a shooter and just watching him it looks like he could probably have a role from day one that being said though I don’t like this fit for the Nuggets I would just roll with Hunter Tyson who I think is right you already got the somewhat of a similar molda player here the concept of shooting at him I feel like all of a sudden it is something Denver doesn’t have a ton of or at least until guys like Julian staler and H Tyson are sort of let up you know given a chance in a longer Runway do you feel like shooting is a priority for them in any sense or should be this is such a tough one to me look a lot of teams get away with playing shooters that can’t defend I think Denver because of the nature of Murray and yoke who at their best can both be solid Defenders but are never going to be good ones it’s just hard to Envision them sharing the court with a negative Defender like both of those guys plus a negative defender in a playoff series maybe round one maybe round two but I just think the deeper you go there’s no way that guy’s playing that being said you do sometimes just need to get yourself through the regular season with guys that space the floor so Hunter Tyson Julian STW are in the pipeline I don’t know that it’s my top priority to be honest with you I don’t know that it would be my top priority but I do think that you can always use one are you any closer wind after going through these breakdowns so far do has it looking at these guys has it Sage your opinion at all on trading the pick versus using it I still think I’d rather trade the pick I think they’re going to use the pick though just because it’s it’s how they think is the best way to go about building this team yeah but um there are some interesting guys that could be there you know I’m I’m probably a little bit higher on the draft now that I’ve actually started to look at guys sure that’ll do it I think I said last week that you know this draft was terrible and it is a bad draft it absolutely is but looking at the guys that are likely available in the 20s there are some interesting dudes you know there there are some guys that you can definitely see U plugging a couple holes for the nuggets and guys you’d like to get into the pipeline is Baylor shyan one of those guys I don’t think so but there are other guys that I like I want to stick on him for a little bit here keep going I’m sending something to kale oh I was going to ask you if you have decided that they should trade the pick or not if you if you’re any closer to changing your mind on that I I mean part of this is what’s the the plan like you can’t separate the draft from you also have to look at like what are the deals out there you know like if if there’s no deal out there then of course use the pick um do you have I will say he is a headbands man oh no do you know this dude white guys white guys with headbands are not good oh you’re working on it I just sent it to Kale like literally one second ago um well it is funny Katon that you have the Kyle corver and Doug mcdermit there’s like it’s the kraton pipeline of guys that come through the lowest quality photos to ever exist God all three of them they’re all the low house trying to scramble here that’s all right look at him you see the head and the shooting sleeve and the undershirt that’s a lot of excess too for me it does remind me of Jason Kono a little bit you have Jason Kono this is between this and the name I think the you might oh look at this all the shooters headbands man unbelievable godamn you guys see how perfect that is unbelievable at that for the headband all the great Shooters Jason Kono as well so there’s three great Shooters you just saw there three of the best honestly to ever do it I think Mike Miller rocked a headband at Florida that’s right he did he well he had the long hair too so it makes sense yeah we have talked a lot about the Nuggets potentially needing to get cooler I don’t know this is negative cool Kevin herder remember he like added the head P I’m telling you if you have like medium length hair as a white guy you got to do the Headband Cory kiss no no no I’m saying it’s hard to pull off the headband like Cory kissper this is what you’re talking about medium long I feel like he’s his hair is even a little long like Kevin herder yeah oh I see what you mean looks bad in headband yeah you either need an absolute buzz cut or you need to have it flowing like Mike Miller I think I think it’s a good take actually yeah honestly the headband like coling glasby can’t pull off a headband just can’t you just can’t do can’t do it my only thoughts on FL shyman guys to put a bow on it is it just feels a bit like what I’m afraid of which is like all right another guy in the pipeline but in the meantime we’re still trying to get to see what the other guys can do so I don’t is he a guy that helps right away he’s close enough to Hunter Tyson where Hunter Tyson’s been here for a year I think he can be decent Hunter Tyson I’ve heard some good stuff about him lately shooting well in the gym allegedly like when they keep track shot well in the G league gague and Malone gave him nicknames like right away so I what was it Hunter uh yeah well well that’s his no no it was a Larry Bird one it was a Larry Bird there there was I think he just comped them to Larry bur the Menace for Monroe yeah yeah a lot of them so I think is Hunter Tyson going to be the hunter oh oh my god dude well last year he was the hunted and it just didn’t work out but he gets to go back to be Hunter Hunter that’s artiz is that the key can he be the hunter hunter Tyson in the rotation just kidding a completely different but I would just roll with him over Baylor Shan it was up to me after the break uh wera Credit Union check these guys out founded in 1934 right here in Colorado nine locations in the Denver metro area they’re all about helping members financially Prosper education is their thing they were started by a group of eight School teachers so helping others is in their DNA as a member you see that come through in every interaction it’s all about the local community with these guys they just launched an awesome new product as well smart money checking meet the checking account designed to help you earn unheard of interest on smaller balances with other great perks you can earn up to 6% annual percentage yield on your first $2,000 each month as your balance grows so does your potential to unlock additional great rates for higher balances uh so check these guys out wera Credit Union founded in 1934 they are a Colorado company nine locations in the Denver metro area and again you can earn up to 6% annual percentage yield on your first $2,000 each month with their smarty money checking check them out we’ve been having fun on Fridays in the off season snake draft season we did a best sounds draft and one of the sounds that Adam took was the sound of Red Hawk Roofing I wasn’t on for that you taking crack of the bat first overall with your first round pick you don’t like that I do I just didn’t expect it from you agree brother I didn’t think you were a baseball guy man agreed I like the pig I just didn’t expect it’s not even I’m a baseball guy that sound is so good it transcends the the fact it happen I thought I could have kept it on my board but you were sneaky didn’t matter though 53% of the vote by the way uh okay Adam’s last two picks unsurprisingly animal noises one of them red hog grouping that’s unsurprising pandering uh red Haw roofers they’re the best in den and they’ve joined the dmvr team with quality materials Decades of experience quick response time they are Colorado’s best estimators and contractors they’re huge dnvr supporters which is awesome we love that part if you want to help us out one of the best way to do it is to help out our local Partners you’re helping out your city as well and again these guys want to make sure they’re helping you out free no obligation roof and property inspections free in-depth photo reports for all inspections and again you know how it goes in Colorado it looks beautiful right now it’s also hail season it can change and a heartbeat don’t wait to take care of any issues before more big storms hit you can always see how bad the damage to your roof is from the ground don’t forget to check out Red Hawk Roofing support your local teams also means supporting local businesses like red hawk Roofing if you’re looking for a new roof over your home or business be sure to check out red hog Roofing at redhaw roofing.com or call 72-77 8921 and tell them that dmvr sent you real quick another reason I comped shyan to Joe Eng Les is when he shoots threes he kind of has that um thing with his feet where his left foot flies a little bit in front of his right really like Joe dude some of the best Shooters have the weirdest little you know so weird the Lakers guys the Lakers thought they had their next head coach lined up depending on which reporting you’re listening to and uh in Hurley and uh it it didn’t it didn’t work out that way it didn’t work out the way he’s sticking at Yukon he’s turning down their $70 million offer and so guys I thought it’d be fun if we could sit here together and try to figure out talk [ __ ] who is going to be the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers or we could just talk [ __ ] I would rather first of all I have a point though about this Hurley thing that that let’s talk about it well I have a couple points actually number one the Lakers have no Aura anymore you know what Lakers exceptionalism you can’t even steal a college coach away I hater has is touch a haters ball all sincerity I’m being serious out there like there was a time when it didn’t matter who you were the Lakers job is open boom they get whoever they want man and then they load up the money and they bring it out now it’s like he chose Yukon yeah well I mean is is it not not obvious I mean two things first of all in college basketball if you’re a great head coach you are a god wherever you’re at a God uh and then if you’re the Lakers coach right now you’re just first up for heads to roll when LeBron doesn’t get what he wants so it’s almost like not even just the money or just college versus NBA how about just like how happy am I at my job and I would have to think that that that factors in for some of these guys it totally does but I do think there’s an element this of the Lakers where it’s just like it’s crazy that this is the ation they go to by the way there’s a little getting left at the altar here for them right like they had a JJ retic rumor and they had all this stuff and they threw it all to the side to do this and then it’s like oh never mind they could just come up with a lot of egg on their face they got played they got played but here’s my real take on it that’s just haters ball stuff I have a real take on this why do you bring in a guy like Hurley some of the reporting from W about it Christie well some of the reporting was they really like and want to view the next head coach as somebody who builds a program not who comes in in here in coaches which by the way every coach they brought in has been aik you’ve got LeBron maximize the window act now don’t worry about anything they wanted Hurley because he could come in here and create a culture and a program and a system in place and I look at this and I go we’re hearing this from Calvin Booth to his vision from this whether you agree with it or not it’s not a one-year thing he’s like no we need to develop an identity a process to how we do everything that thinks uh that it’s almost like you have your starters or I I want to call them starters you have star players and that works like the old NBA like the NBA always will those people pull all the strings they have to appease them but then everybody behind them The Supporting Cast those are the guys that you might want to have to start cultivating like hey we have a system we get them in the system and they gain weight they get strong and then they get become good Shooters and they learn the system and I just they talked about hurle almost as if they were trying to make Lakers University and he was going to go in there for eight years and develop a pipeline of talent and I just thought that’s at least interesting that a team is big as the Lakers is even approaching this new CBA in a way they never have thought about their organization before yeah it was interesting but I also just laughed at it because it’s impossible for a team like the Lakers to do that it’s impossible I really think the only way you can like build a quote culture is by doing it from the ground up when you’re a bad team feel like that’s when it starts you can’t do that when you have a mandate to contend for a champion ship every season with LeBron James and Anthony Davis it’s just not feasible so like all that talk was nice it was cute it is right in theory but it’s just totally implausible to think that you could build a culture when you are trying to contend for a championship on day one next season you have to go through the the battles and the wars and the losses to do that and we know that when it’s a team like the Lakers the losses divert you from your plan very quickly yeah and it’s really difficult when you don’t know if the guy you hire to be the head coach is going to have that job in a year or two how much say you have in whether he has that job or a year or two and now the Lakers don’t even you know they still don’t have their coaches they approach pivotal offseason decisions what have they been doing for me though it reinforces the importance of like Denver understanding what they have working for them right which is for as much as there’s perceived conflict between booth and Malone right now not just perceived I could say we’ve talked about it on the show conflict of vision I should say it’s still like they still have this advantage of Malone’s probably not going anywhere and I think Booth can feel that way too right now for the time being and they can definitely feel that way about their best player so them just getting back on the same page I think is essential um and I think it’s easier said than done but I’m hopeful that they’ have at least identified it as as uh as something that they need to improve what what actually are the Lakers doing were they just waiting for the finals to end because it seems like JJ reic didn’t want to take the job until then and now and then they got talked into Hurley by W potentially got played by that and now they’re trying to Circle back to reck maybe he’s a little pissed off and now they might have to go to like Plan D which they don’t even have a plan D maybe maybe it’s David Adelman but what are they doing it’s a real question and I think what you’re getting at here is who is the real leader of a franchise yeah who is the real leader is it the star player in LeBron’s case more so than most you know like he’s leading the work is it the coach well they don’t have one at the moment is it the front office is pinka the Visionary of the Lakers or is it Genie bus and I would say that it’s a little bit that there is no answer to that you can go through the line of the the nuggets and say the exact same thing with all of their four pieces but the teams that are best tend to be the ones that have the most alignment and clarity about exactly what kind of leadership each one of those people where that Falls and with the Lakers I look at it right now and it’s like it’s unclear any of this what direction are they going cuz what direction you’re going that’s what kind of Coach you hire most likely are they staying with LeBron are they trading LeBron are they getting rid of him is Lebron leaving is this a long gear plan where they have LeBron for several more years who knows and then you go get Bobby Hurley which is like to me I’m like even if he is a good coach or Dan Hurley sorry Dan Hurley Danny Hurley you bring him in is that that’s not for LeBron right so what is the vision the craziest part of of this whole shenanigan thing to me was the reports that came out that said LeBron James is not involved at all in the Lakers coaching search why would you not involve LeBron James in the coaching search wouldn’t you want his input on who the coaches it’s true like shouldn’t he be a key voice in the I would think if the Nuggets ever had to change head coaches you would want theic’s opinion well I think with the LeBron that there’s a different thing there in that LeBron’s Camp has to run a PR campaign yeah they’re separating themselves so oh it’s not our fault they hired this college coach Whoever thought he’ translate to the NBA is there a chance I mean you mentioned it earlier wi but like could they run out of options and could it get to a guy like David Adelman and well apparently they’ve interviewed nobody except James bgo I I heard that that they did or he was set they were set to interview with David Adelman was that James bgo man the bell of the ball all of a sudden yeah kind of funny man but I just wonder if it if there’s a way that this ends up kind of falling so far out there were some things put out there oh maybe they’re interested in Jay Wright the villain ex Villanova coach and that is a Telltale sign that they are [ __ ] that is obvious side where you lose on your top candidate and you immediately go to Jay Wright who’s been out of coaching for like the last couple years and you really think he wants to jump back into the Lakers job this is the new Max Christie you know what’s funny though this is the new NBA there’s not a lot of established coaches that get you excited honestly that’s just the nature of it but the best coaches might not get you excited the more D but that’s what I’m saying but they have LeBron which is makes this whole thing tough It’s hard any team that is established like even if Denver moved on from Michael Malone it’s not like oh they clearly need Mike dantony he’s 90 years old there’s no guy the guy you would bring in would almost certainly be some form of a mystery I’m surprised Vinnie delro hasn’t gotten his name out there yet his got to pick it up I mean honestly I would say that they should just go for a guy like Adelman but is that even feasible with a guy like LeBron where it’s how much cache does Adelman have uh is that anything LeBron wants would he get to be this SE as in those guys or would he have to S sort of bow to other Talent be taken from him maybe I mean I don’t know how a team hasn’t hired David Adelman yet I think he’s like a star I feel like at some point in the next few years he’s been interviewing he’s been and other guys too like Mike anori and now Jordie Fernandez who has a job some of them don’t don’t hire mikori I love the guy don’t hire him though some of the Malone tree man chrch as well some of these guys great guy great coach I don’t think he’s a head coach I love Mike anori I do too do we have any super chats just one uh makeru draft prospect ulri uh chamchi would be a great pick at 28 for backup five and could run with jic as the four three and D big that can guard the perimeter well that’s a name guys that’s a name that we can put down I have no thoughts 18 years old 6′ 10 out of Cameroon I’m guessing a project I’m fine with a project I’m fine with a project you are I’m not I’m done with projects I am cuz I don’t there’s guys that have to play in front of them there’s guys that have to not play Yeah there actually is one project guy I do like for the Nuggets we’ll get to him at a later date though um Ted I I am just so of drafting a young big man I’ve been saying this man it’s so hard to develop a backup center especially in Denver man you get so few opportunities the leash is so short they’re usually the worst opportunities because you’re the one guy that doesn’t get to play with thing and it’s like I like Don Holmes seems like he’d be a good pick at 28 I’m just worried that it’s he’s not going to get the opportunities he should and in a couple years we’re going to have another Zeke na on I agree with that I think it’s a good point and I do wonder if I would much rather draft a young gter wing it does seem to me like they’ve been resigned to use the minimum the minimum contract slot on that backup center slot but we’ll find out we’ll find out I look so much smaller the seat right here in the middle I kind of like it thanks everyone in the chat for hanging out thanks wi thanks Adam for for helping me out here putting together another fun show and we’ll be back it is AJ Johnson James Davis we’ll be back on Wednesday he’s got a little Kyrie Irving to his game and Friday I’m dead serious go check him out let’s go he averaged like Five Points a game last year in Australia he’s got a little Kyrie Irving to his game oh I love what a note to close on we’ll be back uh back at the normal time for the rest of the week 3:15 we’ll see you guys thanks so much for hanging [Music] [Applause] [Music] out we all cting like the mayor sh

Do the Nuggets still have the best starting 5 in the NBA? Or have the Boston Celtics taken that crown? What can the Nuggets do to get that title back? Is it even possible if the Nuggets don’t re-sign KCP? And what do we expect to be different next season? Brendan Vogt, Harrison Wind, and Adam Mares come to you LIVE from the DNVR Bar to break down everything you need to know in this edition of the DNVR Nuggets Podcast!

Start – 0:00
Do the Nuggets still have the best starting 5? – 2:50
Any bench players that can be x-factor’s? – 11:00
What’s going to be different next year? – 16:00
Baylor Scheierman prospect breakdown – 36:00
What’s going on with the Laker’s HC job? – 47:30
Superchat – 56:40

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