Vlatko Cancar on Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone, Calvin Booth & his best memories as a Nugget

Vlatko Cancar on Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone, Calvin Booth & his best memories as a Nugget

[Music] [Applause] Get down. [Music] Well, uh, what is happening? Anybody know? What is up everybody and welcome to the DMV Nuggets podcast? [Music] Uh, remote today because we are allegedly being joined by Black Oo Chanchchar. Although whenever you have a commitment from an an athlete, you never know. You never truly know. So, we think Blackco is joining us on the show today. But if not, there’s still a lot of things for us to talk about. Uh
that phrase has never been more true than today. You a commitment from an athlete is as flimsy as it gets.
Yeah, it’s a really interesting one. says there’s reports five minutes ago, no longer than five minutes ago, was there a report that Blacku I’m sorry, uh, Yonas Valenunis considering or maybe even deciding to forego his NBA contract and skip over to Europe. That would be a huge change to the Nuggets offseason. Harrison Wind is behind the scenes right now trying to get clarification on that. So, we’re going to continue with the show ahead. Maybe Blackco joins us. Maybe that’s why Blackco has not joined us so far. You know, the plan wasn’t to go all of a sudden radio silence. Maybe uh maybe there’s some lack of motion that
he’s got another phone call right now. Who’s to say
it? It really is true. So, um all right. Well, nonetheless, I do have a great panel and we have no shortage of things to talk about. Brennan votes in the house.
Hey guys, how’s it going? Who this was a show we tried very hard to prepare for. Turns out we’re doing a totally different show, but I’m ready to go. We’ll do it live. That’s one thing we That’s one thing we’re prepared to do here at DNVR. Uh it is one thing we’re prepared to do. We could talk about anything. We might go short today, but we’ll see. Uh over here. Looking good, by the way.
Yeah, I go.
Do a little a little grooming, dude. A little manscaping.
Uh no, I think that I’m sick and it’s making me lose weight in my face. So, it’s really kind of like it’s it’s it’s sort of a death rattle. Great look on you, buddy. Great look on you.
I might need to come like share a drink or something with you so I can lose a little weight before summer league. You know, you always got your best out there. You’re like, don’t hold your breath. Uh let’s start well let’s start with this top story here of course which is that there is a report from a reputable outlet that Jonas Valenunis is foregoing this is coming from basket news by the way is interested not is preparing here’s what they say the language is always important preparing to close the NBA chapter of his uh career according to basket news sources the 33-year-old Lithuanian is close to accepting an offer from Greek powerhouse Panathanikos and then it talks talks about how he has his deal is non-g guaranteed next year and he’s coming to the Nuggets. This is a very strange one. The Nuggets, you know, traded Dario Sarich, which turns out to be a positive trade asset. We didn’t expect it to be, but they used that chip get off of like allow another team to get off of money to acquire a player. They used Dario Sarich on that. They got a much better player than we expected. But this report is weird vote. If he is, if Valenudis is not here, it changes the entire texture of the offseason in my opinion.
Yeah. And we just saw this right before we went live. So, you know, I’m going to ask questions that I don’t have the answers to, which, you know, obviously it’s our job to have some answers, but I’m curious how what the order of operations are here. First and foremost, is that trade official? Um, I think all of these trades are kind of like in Q at the moment. So, no.
In Q. So,
but I don’t think it makes I don’t know that Denver would like take back that deal. You still get off Dario Sarich.
Well, but well, what I’m wondering is does does it affect that order of operation? Does this deal still go through if it’s not official and he leaves,
right?
Does it just void the trade?
It it should not because I think Denver would still agree to it. One thing that I think could happen and again, yes, this happened five minutes ago. We’re a little illprepared. We I do have some texts out. I do, you know, trying to gather some information now, but we are live. I think Denver would The reason these deals always get delayed, like all the deals are still right now like in the ether. None of them, you know, have gone through. And the reason is you kind of want to wait to see if there’s something else that comes available so you can add to the deal. One of those that Bobby Marx has highlighted is that Denver might expand the SAR deal into the Michael Porter deal because the order of operations, even though you’re doing the exact same thing, the order of operations can affect your flexibility and how you do them. So, everybody kind of waits to make sure they’re not leaving anything out. Then you complete all the deals. A couple things could happen. one, Denver would have to go into free agency, try to sign a guy, and maybe there’s some restrictions there that again, I haven’t been able to look at all the cap stuff and figure it out. But they might expand it now and say, “Okay, well, Val’s gone, so let’s include another player in this. Someone else takes on Val who ends up leaving or what have you.” So, it might end up evolving that way to where Denver gets another player. So, a lot to be sorted out right now. But, I was excited uh Eric about Valenunis. I like him. I’ve heard everything about him being a great locker room guy, leader, vibes guy, and on top of that, he’s just a big body. So, even if they go, I mean, unless they got like Al Horford, I would look at this and say, man, I was excited for the Val era.
Yeah. I mean, like, we’ve been delirious for the past like this past week has been an absolute fever dream. And it turns out we may have just actually had a fever like me. But um if that if that like doesn’t go through, it really changes the landscape of what it is we’re looking at. Although I got to say like I am now at such a level of um trust and belief in Ben Wallace that I feel like they’ll be able to pivot and figure something else out. Um, but yeah, like Valenunis felt like the exact right guy for this role and it just felt like everything was was falling into place. I don’t I mean again like we don’t have any insight, any information. Um, it seems insane to for him to make this move unless it’s just a uh um years on his deal kind of thing or perhaps done he’s just done living in America. Who knows? Could be part of it. But the framing of the reporting at Basket News is just that, Eric. Yeah. That he was lured by the multi-year deal. Now, it’s a pretty fat one-year deal, I would say. So, the the other thing we should reiterate is that this is the the reporting is that he’s nearing a deal. The reporting is not that he has accepted the deal. Correct.
So, that is just I think worth reiterating at the top. But, yeah, it does sound like that’s the logic, at least according to Basket News and their sources. Um 100% it could be a leverage play. I mean that was the first thought that comes through is is he trying to get an extension, you know, trying to get more money. I think from Denver’s perspective, I’m not sure they can offer him that. Not because, you know, he’s not worth it or whatever, but Denver is trying to maintain this level of flexibility. You know, they got in trouble in the Cal era and giving guys too many years and now you have less flexibility. Part of what made the Valenunis contract so great was it did have this flexibility going into the future. So, if that’s the leverage play he’s trying to hold over, it would put Denver in a tight spot. I got to be honest, feels a little icky. It does. You know, when you sign, there’s one thing in the modern NBA, you sign a contract and then you force your way like you sign an extension and then three months later you’re like, well, yeah, but now I want you to trade me, but only to these teams. But to just be like, yeah, I’m not actually playing. I’m going somewhere else. That’s a whole other level to this that would feel I mean, especially for Denver, it would just feel a little icky. It feels very icky. Like, and that’s the thing is like the NBA is icky. It’s it really like you’re reminded of it a lot. I mean, like it the the phrase like it’s a business gets echoed over and over and reverberated every time that you get into uh this kind of world. Usually, it’s not coming from the player side. Um I’m uh yeah, like I’m I don’t know. Like I’m I’m I’m a little shook. I don’t want to get like too dug in on any kind of idea until we have more clarification but maybe yeah you never know I mean it could be too it’s years starting job what whatever it is but yeah he could effectively just say I am done as an NBA player I guess my question then just you know which we we don’t necessarily know is is he still is he still a king so as as he makes this dec like do the kings need to make this trade now.
Yeah. Well, I think for the Kings, yes, because they and and this is something I forgot to to talk about yesterday, but Denver, part of why I think they felt good about their process throughout this whole offseason was that they had identified players they liked, but you can’t just dive in. I mean, oh, we want this guy, this guy, and this guy, and everybody knows that’s your plan. You kind of have to be flexible and have multiple plans. And I think the domino I think the domino that really triggered Denver’s aggression towards Val, they obviously had identified him as a player they wanted. And when they saw Sacramento or heard Sacramento was going after Dennis Schroeder, they look at their salary cap sheet and say, “Oh, they need to shed money. They are now a team that is uh incentivized to make a move that would take on less money and get them off.” And so you see Sarich at five and a half, you see Val at 10 plus. And it was like, hey, they would take this deal now to be able to make sure they can get Schroeder, who they really, they don’t care about Sarich, but this makes sense for them. So that was an example of I think how Denver felt, you know, everybody was prepared for the moment and had flexibility and then was able to pounce as things kind of unfolded. So I say all that to say no, I do not think Sacramento would void this deal because they were just trying to get off money. That was their motivation. They still got off money. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. This is shocking. I mean really truly like again like for it to come at the end of the week which has just been beautiful. like just pure this is the the vibiest week we’ve had since the Denver Nuggets won the NBA championship.
It’s so true.
Like we really like have been we’ve really been brought back. There’s been not an a like an inkling a an inch or a sniff of bad news and this is like this would be devastating. Like truly like this is really the a I would say as close to the centerpiece of what the Nuggets needed to accomplish. you know, obviously you’re talking about getting um off of Michael Porter Jr., but you’re not replacing with a much better player, if better player. I mean, that’s a lateral move. You’re just getting money. And then really the thing that they’re adding, which is the most valuable, is buying Nika Jokic time on the bench. And that is to me the most important thing is to have somebody that they’re able to reliably give Jokic rest, even maybe more than uh we’ve even were even expecting. it’s to have somebody that it is this level of of competency at at that position um is massive and so I mean it does you know like it doesn’t mean that we are screwed but it if he doesn’t come I mean it means that that’s a big change in plan and they have to obviously fill that space.
Yeah it’s it’s really surprising and then you know of course we were planning on having Vlatco on today right at the top of the show for a half hour uh in great communication with him all the way up until recently. So then you put your tinfoil hat on, Kale, I don’t know we have conspiracy corner on this remote setup, but you look at it and say, “Wait a second, hold on. Is this why he has all of a sudden gone radio silent? Is it possible they looked around and said, “Okay, we know a guy that could gain 40 pounds in short order, play a little backup center.” My god. My god. What are we doing? Who What’s going on, dude?
This is This is quite the Nuggets experience right here. vote. I know you’re you you’ve been around it for a while, but this feels like the most nuggets thing ever to be like, “We finally have it. We’re sailing on the what is it? The Akuna Matata or we’re sailing off the uh
everything’s good boat.” All of a sudden, to be clear, worth reiterating, this is not official. This is a rumor. This is a I I shouldn’t say a rumor. It’s reporting,
but it’s not it’s not official. And and we do the reporting isn’t even that Yonas has made a choice. So, we are talking about hypotheticals as the chat suggests. I get look my my point was the point I was trying to get at with the trade still being in the queue is if he just decides to retire a king and walk away, do the kings need to make that trade at all or are they just off the
or do they just get off of the money you’re saying without
That’s where I was trying to lead this conversation. Yes.
I I mean, look, we’re in uncharted territory. I actually don’t remember this.
You know what I mean? I don’t remember this happening before where it was like, “Actually, the trade’s off. Uh, someone quit.” Well, Rudy Fernandez did sort of a similar thing where I mean he it wasn’t that he uh voided a trade, but he was part of the Nuggets and he was just like,
“Yeah, no.” He just went back to Europe.
Yeah. This uh it really would make would it make Big Val a villain in Denver? I mean, we have at this moment he’s our guy, but you know, we those roots don’t go deep at all.
Of course not. Of course. Listen, I have no problem turning on uh anyone if if I get looked at wrong. Like, I’ll just I’ll You’re dead to me forever more. So, listen. I can Well, I don’t want to be too def I don’t want to say too much until I know it’s true. But I’m I’m ready for it. I’m ready for that life. You’re ready for whatever happens here. Um kind of a kick to the to the groin here, but we’ll have to get some more information as things evolve for us. And we’ll have Harrison win later on the show. I could see him behind the scenes right now checking in on everything. And hopefully we get Blackco Chantar on again. Um, you know, working with pro athletes always questionable. I thought Blackco for sure would be our one guy, but we’ll see if he ends up hopping on here any any moment.
Turns out there are no friends of the show. There are no true friends that we made along the way. Vote, you look very serious. Uh, I’m just trying I’m just considering the options, that’s all.
All right, let’s take a break. On the other side, there are some coaching hires, some other things for us to talk about that are very interesting. We’ll get to that after the break. [Music] We’ve got you covered here at DNVR. We’ve got your floor covered here with our friends at Empire today. They are your best bet at new flooring. And why are they their best bet, your best bet? Because they live and breathe flooring. They will be with you every step of the way. It’s a whole different ballgame. The flooring experts at their showroom are just that flooring experts. So they there’s no surprises. There are no questions that you can’t ask right there on the spot. They bring the showroom right to your home. They pick the right flooring and the right colors for your space. You can see how it looks with your furniture in your house. And you can just get a whole picture, right? A whole sense of the purchase you’re making before any costly commitment. Schedule a free inhome estimate today because some things are just better at home. DNVR listeners can receive a $350 discount when using promo code DNVR. Yes, you heard that right, a $350 discount with code DNVR. Restrictions apply. Visit Empire Today/DnVR for full details. And we’ll keep it moving along here and talk to you about our friends at First Bank. Whether on the road or at home or somewhere in between, First Bank makes banking easy, convenient, and secure. Their mobile banking app allows you to check balances, pay friends, and manage your money anytime, anywhere. Here’s the best part. Open a new First Bank checking account today, and you could earn $300. First Bank is all about helping you stay on track. Their tools make it simple to stay in control of your finances without the hassle. No matter where life takes you, First Bank gives you the freedom to bank how and when it works best for you. So, if you are ready for better banking and the chance to earn a little extra, head to efirstbank.com/bonus. That’s efirstbank.com/bonus to open your account. Bank how you want when you want with first bank certain restrictions and requirements apply member FDIC. All righty we are back here. Uh we bring Harrison Win into the show. You know I will say and this is the report that the language on this has been from like it changed to considering. It was nearing a deal. Now it’s considering a deal. I will say my gut tells me this is a leverage play against the Nuggets. you know, trying to get a guaranteed deal or guaranteed contract on the next year. But whatever you think, wind, I will say this feels like uh a test for Ben Tenzer, John Wallace. This feels like their first real, you know, or not their first real, but it feels like a big test. How do you navigate a real curveball like this? You’re mute. You mute yourself. Yeah, this is wild. The first thing I thought of was leverage play for sure. Yeah,
you know, he’s an expiring contract. I think there’s an option on Big Val’s contract for next season, but he’s pretty much an expiring deal. If he can get a three-year contract, that seems like a good piece of business to me. Um, but it does feel weird because he’s under contract right now. Yeah.
It’s not like he’s the free agent. It’s not like he has an option on his contract this season. Like Big Val’s thinking about doing the thing we were begging Dario Shards to do. This is what we’re begging Shards to. Opt out of his contract and go to Europe. But Big Val is under contract. There’s no option or anything. He’d have to get bought out of his deal, I think, to do this. Either Sacramento, I think, would have to buy him out for him to go to Europe, or if the trade’s completed, the Nuggets would have to buy him out for him to go to Europe. I don’t see why Denver would do that. I mean, you are getting off of charge, but I don’t even know if it’s worth it at that point. Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know. But I’m praying it’s a leverage play. I really freaking hope so.
Yeah. If nothing else, it’s a weird way to start your tenure at a new team, right?
Yeah. Feels a little bit awkward uh for that to all take place. So, we’ll wait and see as that story evolves here over the next hour and beyond. And we’ll update you. obviously stay locked to the DMV’s Twitter account as well as thednvr.com and maybe later in the show we’ll get to it, but the Nuggets do have some firm storylines that have uh come out and that is that Jared Dudley is joining the Denver Nugget staff. We knew he was interviewing this week. We knew there was a lot of momentum. Usually when an assistant coach has an interview lined up, they’re they’re going to go there. Like that’s that’s almost the formality where it’s going to happen. Well, it’s official now. Jared Dudley will be David Adelman’s lead assistant. What do you make of this vote? Two things. Jared Dudley is a great vibesman and I immediately thought about the way Adelman sort of articulated the way he wanted to approach the postseason and the player quotes around it. Particularly this dynamic of Adelman not really wanting to do any fathering or big brothering or handholding rather not it’s not about not wanting to do it. It was giving the players room to do it themselves so that he can just kind of walk in and talk about tactics. And I almost immediately thought about that division of roles, that delegation of roles. I mean, typically it’s the I mean, typically the head coach is in the NBA is more about the big picture and less in the weeds of tactics. I wonder if this will be a slightly different approach where Adelman is kind of more focused on the whiteboard and Dudley’s job is to do a lot of what Jeff Green and DeAndre Jordan did here, which is just sort of, you know, manage personalities, approaches, making sure everyone’s rowing in the same direction, in the same boat. I think that’s that seems to be Dudley’s calling card. That’s his reputation, his skill, if you will, as an assistant is his ability to relate to players. So, my first thought is, is he a guy who who is kind of here to help keep the peace while Adelman can sort of focus on perhaps potentially innovating this offense, integrating Cam Johnson, etc. Yeah. Yeah. Um, wind, what what are your thoughts there? I love the Jared Dudley hire. Um, I mean, it’s obvious he’s really well regarded. Like, everybody speaks highly of him. LeBron was livid when he left the Lakers to take an assistant coaching job with the Mavs few years back after they won the championship in the bubble. Um, know he’s been highly spoken of on the Mavs bench these last couple years. And he’s also in crazy demand. The Cavs wanted to hire him. There were a couple other teams wanting to hire Jared Dudley and he chose Denver. You know, he is getting the number two assistant job. He’s he’s quote unquote the, you know, number two guy on David Adelan’s bench. But he had other offers out there. He had other offers out there from good teams, too, other contenders. And I feel like the fact that he chose the Nuggets is cool. You don’t always see that, especially on the assistant coaching ranks.
Yeah. Here’s what I’ve heard about Jared Dudley. So, very well respected, uh, you know, by players, including top players. I mean, some of this is he’s one of those guys that has connections to the superstars of the NBA. Put a pin in that because I think that’s very interesting. But number two, you just talk about usually your head coach is the charismatic leader general type guy and then you have some specialists who are your assistants who are X’s and O’s, defensive sants or what have you. David Adelman is sort of the savant. He’s the one that knows the plan and and is very thoughtful in the strategic elements of it. Dudley almost feel it almost feels like it’s in reverse. The fact that he’s the lead assistant and I’m told by our our guys over out in DLLS that he was not like your defensive strategist. He wasn’t your offensive strategist. He wasn’t really doing the X’s and O’s at any point while he was in Dallas, but he was a good leader and would talk speak up in timeouts and and take on different roles like that. obviously keeping the team together. So, it almost feels a little bit um upside down, you know, like you have your strategist, your head guy. Just want to jump in really quick, Adam. I don’t I don’t mean to step on your point, but our guy Mark Stein actually did just put this out there. League sources confirm that the lure of a return to Europe holds strong appeal to Yonas Valenunis, which could lead to him seeking a buyout from his NBA contract to go to Greece.
Now, seek it, buddy. [Laughter] Who who doesn’t who doesn’t love a good buyout?
Yeah. Jeez, man. This the NBA, what is it? Adam Silver, get control of your league. What is going on out here? Can we have stopped all this buyout stuff happening? Like, this is the summer of the buyout, man.
What an absolute disaster this would be.
You guys want to buy me out? I’ll go somewhere else on a minimum.
I got I got to let you know, vote. I don’t think that the the numbers would be the same, but sure, we’ll buy you out.
I For me, it would be life-changing. for you, you probably wouldn’t notice.
Well, I mean, we would notice those missing illegal pets um gift certificates. So, yeah.
Oh, that’s right.
Like, here’s your buyout. You got peso for the next month with the purchase of one large entree.
Oh, man. So, Jared Dudley’s a funny player, too. Like, he’s been around the league for a long time, obviously. And he was like kind of the um
Oh my god. Uh he was like the big He was not like a super in shape guy. Who Who am I thinking of? The guy from the Cavs that’s like never in shape, but can Yes. He’s like George player. Yes. And but he’s he’s stuck around the league for a really long time. It really does honestly feel like we’re just
every they’re just taking all of the people that Luca liked bringing them over to the Denver Nugget staff. Maybe they uh because you know those guys have proven the ability to have good relationships with the foreignb born maybe Balkanborn players. But, you know, like I it does feel like there might be some long-term strategy at play here. Um, but that was just like another awesome piece of news on this week of beauty of just every time shams tweet something, you’re like, “Oh boy, what are the nuggets doing now?” And then I’ll all of a sudden like crash back down to reality. Who know? obviously not done, but um and again I I think it’s really important to to to say and to state again like if this does in fact happen, it doesn’t mean the Nuggets are screwed. It just means they have to find a different plan, which I again feel very comfortable with uh with these guys being able to do. But what a what a sl a splash of cold water, man.
Well, a lot of the dust has settled on other guys, though. I mean, one thing about the timing of this is that, you know, the last few days were where all the action was. So, if Denver is forced to go back to the open market, there’s fewer guys available and so that clouds things as well, but we’ll have to wait and see there. With Dudley though, I want to go back to Dudley. It’s something I do know a little bit more firmly. Yes, this is part of it. You know, connection to people around the league, I think, is big. You know, being anchoring, getting people in here who have the ability to recruit directly or even indirectly, I think, is a big part of it. And then you know the same goes for JJ Berea I think to some extent when you talk about not just Luca Donuch but connections and respected around the league. So it is interesting to me that Adelman is is hiring these guys but they are both inexperienced. They have never been in these jobs before. Berea has been a head coach in Puerto Rico but he has never been in the NBA and now I suspect he moves up. So you’re if these are your lead two assistants, neither of them are known as like offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator types. And so that would be a little bit strange to give a rookie head coach to not give him lead assistants who are, you know, proficient in one aspect of the game.
One one interesting thing that that David Adelman said at his presser with Josh Kroni was maybe that they would look at that structure and change it. you know, the sort of conventional offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator thing, like they may not be trying to fill it that way. So, that is interesting. I mean, I wonder if they’re just trying to add a little bit of NBA cache. you know, obviously
David Adelman and staff have been around, but these guys played these guy, you know, JJ Berea has won and just just a little bit more of sort of
yeah, we probably should be listening to these guys, you know, um from the players and obviously you ideally your players are listening to your coach in every situation, but we know in the NBA it’s almost half the battle and at one point it’s actually what happened to Michael Malone, they stopped listening. So, I wonder if it’s just maybe sort of reinforcing the cache of the coaching staff and putting a couple guys on there that can that can speak the language of the locker room. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. I I think that’s exactly what it is. And I do think there’s one big hire on the coaching staff still to make is if you got four coaches on the front row of your bench, Adelman, Jared Dudley, and JJ Berea, it still feels to me like there’s a big hire to be made. And I feel like that guy ideally would be maybe an ex-coach, defensive coordinator type. Um because if there’s one side of the ball you’ll feel more confident in, it’s probably the offense with that being what Adelman’s done here. And that that’s kind of his more of his background. But if they do hire another coach to the front of the bench, which I think they should, there’s an opening there. It seems like I would hope that’s a guy with some head coaching experience would be cool and a defensive kind of acumen. Be Tom Tibido. I know it won’t be, but wouldn’t that be a slim day?
It does, I think, have to be a defensive guy, right? It would have to be somebody defensive because that’s I think Adelman is your offensive coordinator even though he’s the head coach. So, bringing in somebody that can kind of anchor and figure out this defense would be really big. But, I do like the Dudley signing by all accounts. extremely um charismatic, very well-liked, very well respected. And Berea too, you know, Berea is considered a very sharp basketball mind. So, I think that would be great. Um so, so I mean, so I think these hirings are actually pretty exciting. But to your point, Wind, I am waiting for one more guy and they were linked to Berago. I mean, that was a guy that they were interested.
That’s the type of guy that that’s the exact type of guy they would look at. I found that really encouraging. By the way, fellas, in the midst of all the other news and transactions and coaches they interviewed and attempted to hire, it’s something we’ve we’ve we’ve kind of tried to carefully articulate in the past. It’s not about how how how good or bad any past head assistant coaches were. It was this sort of does a head coach have a green light to get aggressive in building a staff and go after people and people with high reps and people who are desirable. Will we get into bidding wars? Now, they didn’t land him, as it turns out, because they didn’t get permission for what was deemed a lateral move, but that they even went after him to be an assistant. I loved that. Like, to me, that was another example of what what seems to be this or taking some some real steps in the right direction.
Yeah. And and I also just love the idea that this is a all of these guys are guys that they’re not just guy, you know, oh, you’re here, come. These are guys that are in demand. Like these are guys that are sought out by other teams that Denver is doing seemingly you can tell obviously this Val news
turning itself into like an actual basketball destination like using the leverage of Nik Joic to actually be able to pull in prestige from around the league players coaches alike like wanting to get the best possible minds and bodies around Nicola Joic to make sure I mean nothing better than giving the opportunity to win have a real opportunity to win a a championship and and being able to leverage that. So, I love it.
Well, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out. You know, Denver not having to buy him out, you know, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out. You never want a guy that you’re forcing, I guess, to come. That would be weird. But at the same time, you know what? $10 million.
I think uh at some point I think and it’s like, yeah, this could be a leverage play. He he’ll make way more money in the NBA over the next three years than he’ll make in Europe.
Yeah. Like he just will.
Yeah.
So, I don’t I don’t know if that if my argument about that really holds up the more I think about it.
And I think it’d be bad for Denver to blink here. I mean, like I said, the flexibility was part of it. So, to guarantee his contract next year, I don’t know that that’s the right play. Denver’s going to have to be very firm. Like I said, this is a big moment for Ben Tenzer and John Wallace because identifying players, reading salary cap, reading the tea leaves, organizing, that’s all part of the job, but some of it is sitting across the table and finding a way to strongarm what you want versus whoever it is you’re negotiating with. They’re going to have be tested at that, you know, here in the coming week with Payton Watson and Christian Brown. So, they have some tests for them, but here’s a curveball that comes their way after a week of good vibes. All right, let’s take a second break here on the other side. Let’s talk about who the big winners are of this like new look team because I think this these moves Cam Johnson apparently some of the
us 20 minutes ago
that’s so true they benefit certain players more than others. We’ll talk about that on the other side. [Music] The big winners of the roofing game, Red Hawk Roofing, they’re winners, they’re pros. Go with the pros to make checking your roof a part of your screen spring cleaning routine. Catch any issues or repairs before they get out of hand. It might start with a small job. It could turn into a long lasting relationship with people you can trust for the bigger jobs, the more expensive jobs, the more dangerous jobs. I don’t know. If you’re anything like me, vertically challenged, the roof is not a place for you. It’s a long It’s a long trip up the ladder. You know what I mean? That’s why I just send the pros up there. Thread Hawk Roofing. You get quality materials, decades of experience, quick response time, Colorado’s best estimators and contractors. Huge DMV supporters, which I personally think is cool. free no obligation roof and property inspections. Free in-depth photo reports for all inspections. Supporting your local teams means also supporting local businesses like Redhawk Roofing. If you’re looking for a new roof over your home or business, be sure to check out Redhawk Roofing at redhawk roofing.com or call 720-771-8921. Tell them that we at DNVR sent you. Tell them that me, Brennan Vote sent you, and you’re the reason that they’re making a sale. Tell them Brennan Vote should possibly get in on it. Monarch Money is helping you because finances can be messy and confusing. Monarch Money acts like your personal CFU, giving you full visibility and control so you can stop earning and start growing. It’s more than your average budgeting app. Monarch Money is complete with financial command center for all of your accounts, investments, and goals. Don’t just manage your money. Start building wealth with 50% off your first year. For our listeners, get control of your overall finances with Monarch Money. Use code dnvr at monarchmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That’s 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code dnvr. All right, back here. I like the chat uh calling him Judas Valenonus. I like it too, especially preemptively like getting so mad and then later being like, man, this guy sucks. Then he join like he it doesn’t happen. If we love if I had a mention to if I had a message to Big Val, it would be I know you might be scared off by what’s happened at Backup Center the last several years. It’s true.
I I know that you might have seen some of the analytics, some of the onoff data, um watched some of our shows. This is a new day, though. This is a new day for the Nuggets bench under David Adelman.
Yeah. Here’s the Mark Stein tweet. says the agreed to trade between Denver and Sacramento to swap Dario Sar for Yonas Valenunis cannot be made official until Sunday. The Kings still need the trade to go through for salary cap reasons like we talked about with Dennis Schroeder. But the Nuggets’s ability to convince Valenunis to stay in the NBA as TBD. So, just a little more cont. I mean, I don’t have a ton of context here, but a little bit more I have. Uh, is that the he they believe this is not just a leverage play, but perhaps uh a preference that he has family in Europe, you know, family kind of pulling on him, made his money already, so why not get over to Europe and and kind of have not a semi-retirement, but be closer to family. By the way, Vlaco Chan just texted, sorry, he got stuck in some company. We’ll see if he’s hopping on still. He He got stuck where? Yeah, he just
he he’s drunk is what he’s saying.
He’s on a conference call convincing Big Val not to bounce.
Yeah, I’m sure. I’m sure that would be interesting. We’ll see if he hops on here in just a moment. So, we’ll continue to monitor this one. It is funny. I saw our guy um Andy Bailey say that sometime somehow if Denver if this deal does become where Val’s not included, probably still a win of a trade. you got rid of Daria, which it felt like you couldn’t do. It just is not nearly as much of a win as you hoped. Um, Al Horford is rumored to be going to the Warriors. It’s not official. Anything can happen, but I know everybody likes Al Horford. I like him as well. He might be a guy that is um not on the market, but we’ll see. Well, he’s also a guy who’s contemplating retirement, it sounds like. Yeah,
it’s either like going to the Warriors or maybe not playing. He would love the Nuggets, man.
I know. So would Big Val.
That’s the thing. This is the craziest part is that like I can’t It feels like such a perfect scenario that like I don’t really understand like why Unless you’re just done living in the US. You’re just like not interested. I mean like Yeah. I mean, like, listen, I get it. Like uh Europe is is a nice place to be. Um family is really important. Um, there’s all those things, but it just seems like at this moment, given this opportunity, it seems like the create like if you’re gonna be playing more time in Sacramento, you’re like going to be fighting for the eight seed, you know, and it’s sort of like you’re just kind of a wash in in another NBA season. I get it, but like there’s excitement here, man. Like this is like getting, you know, recruited by a new hot company in town and like you’re being brought on at the ground level. I I just don’t uh I don’t get it. I’ll be really curious to find out more details. Yeah, it will be interesting to see. Man, Denver’s a good city. I think you go to Sacramento and he spends a couple months there and he’s like, “You know what? I want out.”
I’m done with America. Those California taxes are out of control these days. The housing market. Wild.
Yeah. Um Vico Chanchchar should be joining here in a in a second. Um we’ll see. I I would say this feels to me like a I don’t I don’t want to be too optimistic. This feels to me like a thing that will not linger for long and my hunch is Val will be here. But we’ll see how this all plays out uh over the coming hours and days. You know, I will say that I am curious who you guys think is the biggest winner from Denver’s off season. If there was a single player that you think benefits the most from all these moves, who do you think? You’re shaking your head. Uh Eric, what do you Who do you think?
Because it was Big Val. It’s unreal.
I don’t think so.
Well, I don’t know. I mean, like, listen, he gets to whatever. Uh I mean, the big winner in a lot is is Cam Johnson. I mean, he gets to be he gets to be the part of the the starting five. He gets to be immediately dropped into something that’s like not only functional, but dominant and given opportunity to not only um be what Michael Porter Jr. was, but also build on it. uh you know being able to have some of his own creation in place and knew you know we we hypothesized a lot um that we envisioned a world where Michael Porter Jr. would be given a lot more opportunity to shoot the ball this next season with David Adelman coming in and running what we imagine will be a lot more of a you know dynamic kind of offense not just the sort of same thing over and over and over. um which has been successful, but you know, I I imagine there being a big role for a guy that can that can shoot it to his degree. So, to me, it’s a it’s a great move for him. And again, you get out of the most confusing NBA Siberia, New York City, Brooklyn. Like, for some reason, like that franchise just cannot get going in the right direction. I I don’t quite understand it, but like they’re in a perpetual rebuild. They have 8 million picks. They don’t nobody quite understands what they’re doing. Um, so but then also big I mean Big Val honestly was was being put in a great position too. We’ll see what happens but that I mean for me it’s Cam Johnson. What do you think wind? Well before the big V newsers I was going to say Nicole Joic and it still might be Nicole Joic.
I agree.
Um
the fact that he might potentially have a real backup center for the first time in a long time is going to benefit him a lot or could benefit him a lot. I think going from Michael Porter to Cam Johnson is a move that is gonna benefit Nicole Joic. Um just having, you know, a higher IQ guy on both ends of the floor who can, you know, hold the line a little bit more defensively, really smart player, and also a guy who’s just an incredible, you know, offball shooter and mover as well. And Michael Porter had some of those things, but I think, you know, Cam Johnson has some parts of his game that Michael Porter didn’t. Um, and then getting Bruce Brown back as well. I mean, I think these are just all moves that, you know, create more depth, create more options for the Nuggets, and all of that benefits Joker.
Yeah, I actually think the answer was Joker, too. But this Big Val News would change that because the ability to have a true backup center. You could rest, you could take nights off. But I also agree. I think this will be his favorite group. When you talk about not just Cam Johnson, who I think he’ll love playing with, but also Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., like you’re giving him guys that all seem like guys he would enjoy having on the court. So, I thought he was the big winner. And that tells you how Denver approached this off seasonason was, “Hey, what does the big fella need?” Like, you know, really thinking of him in mind. If Val’s not there, maybe it’s a little bit different. Oh, man. We just got Vlaco Chantar joining us, it looks like behind the siege. So, we’ll uh we’ll say goodbye to Dline and to Harrison.
Yeah. Let’s get rid of you guys now and bring in the real uh star of the show here. There he is. Chaki himself, Blackco. How are you doing? Hey, first and foremost, I want to apologize to everybody that I’m late. I got stuck in some company. It’s uh as you guys can see, it’s uh 11 at night, but uh I’m glad I’m here. And again, I’m sorry.
Yeah, it’s all good, brother. Thanks for joining, brother. Yeah.
Yeah, thanks for joining. Um does when you say stuck in some company, does that mean we’re getting drunk? Let go. Uh no, no, no. Maybe because I’m driving. Not not a lot.
Okay, there you go. There you go.
Smart man. Uh well, brother, we’re saddened by the news. You know, we’ve had a a great time covering you here with the Denver Nuggets, and you kind of go on now to start a new chapter in your career. Um, you know, can you walk us through when did you find out that was going to be the case and and you know, how did it unfold that you you’re you’ll be going over to Europe to Milan?
Uh, well, how it happened? Uh so after obviously like the season and then uh you know the before the free agency you know I was kind of talking with my agent and then I was asking uh you know what’s going on with Denver and uh you know unfortunately they came out with the news where you know it was kind of like a remodel but not really really like a remodel type of thing and you know they were like you know they thank you they want to say thank you for everything that you did but you know they’re trying to move on now and bring some new energy bring some new players and then I accepted it. I say okay it’s uh you know I’m glad I was part of the the the team for six years and uh you know for me it was okay. Um I asked if I can go somewhere else and then I I think they said for me to for the best for me it was go somewhere and play and you know Milano came straight away and they were you know eager to bring me in. Um and then obviously like I got that um that feeling of uh you know wanted being wanted and you know having being important you know I say of course I like I want to go to to Milano you know.
Yeah.
You mentioned looking you know feeling fondly about your time in Denver. Obviously, some disappointment, but as you look back at your time, man, the championship, getting to share the floor with a good friend and an an all-time great player, but also for you, man, some injuries, some frustrations. Every time it looked like you might might get to play a little bit more, you’d get hurt, man. And I’m just I’m curious how you characterize the experience, how you look back at it, uh, and how you feel about it.
Uh, you obviously like I want to say thanks to Denver, you know, you know, drafting me when I was, you know, young guy. obviously you know no mustaches no beard even though I don’t have none now uh you know for me to grow there not only as a player but as a person too you know being in America for six years it’s a long time especially in Denver um you know frustrations of course there are frustrations because all every every player has a frustration where I should be playing more and this and that but at the end of the day I feel like I can look myself in the mirror and say listen guys I gave it my all even through all the injuries and stuff like that, you know, I try to come back as as fast as possible. Even though maybe some people say, you know, it’s not the smartest thing to do, but you know, I felt obligated to the team and to, you know, to the franchise. I say I wanted to be available at any moment, playing, not playing, voice, whatever. You know, sometimes even make jokes and just, you know, have the the the presence there. Yeah. What do you think you’re going to miss most about the NBA? Or I can even expand it and say about living in Denver. Uh I will tell you what I will not miss first. The altitude for sure because really
man I every time I came back like from you know summer because I live on the coast. Every time I come back the first couple practices me and Auggie I say to Augie please like I can’t I’m I’m literally like my spleen hurts man how much the altitude gets me. But uh for sure I will I will miss you know the people there. That’s that’s what I miss the most. That’s uh what I felt most close with. You know obviously all the teammates you know the people I met outside the basketball court. You know um I think for me it’s all about the people that I’m going to miss the most. You know you have uh you know courts are pretty much the same just different logo and stuff like that. you know, but you know what made me feel most at I could call second home because this was the most I’ve been in a club because I was in Mega for two years, Bos 2 years, and then I was here in six years, so I could call it basically my second home.
Um, so yeah, I definitely going to miss miss the people the most,
man. Is there anything about American culture you’re I mean the altitude in Denver, but is there anything about American culture you’re like, you know what, not going to miss this part?
American culture? O um no I I can’t say because I really had it nice you know
uh I I like to say when people ask me like oh how is living in America I say for me is good because I’m in the best league in the world I get taken care of like I can’t complain living wise I can’t complain the only thing I could really complain is I guess maybe just playing but living wise everything was good
you know um if if there is something I’m not going to miss or I don’t maybe like uh maybe because I’m like a kind of a person who likes to like slow down. Everything is fast in America. You don’t have time to sit down, coffee, talk with people, you know, because everybody is just
work work and uh maybe maybe I can say uh maybe less uh less business, more like love for the sport. Maybe I can say it like that, you know. Um, is is there something now that you go to Europe, this almost feels like a halfway point in your career? You know, you’re going to have a second half now and you’re going to Europe. So, what kind of player do you want to be? It’s like different in the NBA. Now you go to Europe. Is this like I’m going to be the Nicole Yokic of Europe now or the Jamal Murray? Like is there what kind of player do you hope to be?
No, I’m I’m still trying to be the best player. You know, like you guys obviously watched me in the national team and just kind of the glue guy. I feel like I’m I excel the most at that that type of role. I think uh you know just having the team all connected always move the action always play and then obviously uh uh consistency of playing and then getting the confidence will is going to be like the point five mentality shoot pass or drive you know it’s just going to be like fast I don’t I don’t want to be either like the elite scorer or elite allaround uh I’m just going to trying to fit in in the system as best as I can and I feel like that’s how I play the best kind of like a kind of like a let’s say like a Draymond Green you know a guy who I I will try I will really try to um set an example first in like in defense and then you know offense is going to come but first you know focus more on defense try to you know like pick up full court because in Europe they do that more you know and trying to get in the best shape possible so I can do that and then uh from then on just having like the the you know the Draymond green in offense you know move the ball maybe like drive, kick, when I’m open, shoot, you know, just kind of be all around kind of, you know.
Yeah. Let me ask you some hard ones now. Or not hard ones, but I’m very curious about this last year because it was a very interesting year. What was it like in the weeks or really all year long, but in the weeks leading up to when they let go of Michael Malone and and Calvin Booth, did you see that coming this year? Was that something the team kind of sensed was on the horizon? Like, what was that like?
I think it was hard. you know, you never want to see some guy somebody get fired, you know.
Yeah.
Especially like I’ve been with coach, he’s been my only coach in uh in the NBA as a head coach besides, you know, David and DA at the end. Um it’s it I didn’t honestly I didn’t expect for them to get fired. Um, like like we say, I feel like they or maybe coach first and then obviously Calvin because he was behind Tim and stuff. I feel like they set a good good base and like a good culture and they fixed everything, you know, and then now I feel like it was time to move on,
you know, like like they moved on from me and then moved on from other players. I feel like it was maybe a time for them to move on, you know, from the coach and from the GM. I say it’s always sad, but they sensed that it was like a time to move on. And you know, you can’t you can’t be mad. Both of them won a championship like I did. You know, they brought to the to the city what they wanted for so long. I think they should, you know, go out go Yeah. go leave with their head high.
Yeah.
You know, they they shouldn’t be looking back and like say, “Oh, they uh you know, they effed me or something or they didn’t be right.” No, it’s it’s sports and it’s life, you know, people move on,
you know. So, I think it’s it’s like I say, it wasn’t expected, but you have to accept it.
Was it a happy locker room over the last couple years? Did you did like you know you win the championship, everybody’s on cloud nine, but it felt from the outside like there was a bit of a declining mood around the building and not something heavy but it did feel like noticeably the team maybe it was like you said it had expired or maybe it was something else. Was there a heaviness or or a lack of joy around the team this year? I could say not really. No, because like you say when you lose obviously you try to find the mistakes that um you or you’re trying to find the guy who to blame you know and I think before it was always like okay maybe it’s players fault you know maybe like oh we don’t have good enough players and you know maybe we need to move them around and still nothing changed still it’s kind of the same you know after because I always say after you show them you can be a champion people expect high from you have to be champion every year. It’s it’s human nature. And maybe when we were declining, but we were still playoffs, we were still playing for, you know, for for championship.
Maybe they find a way less. Maybe they say like, okay, maybe it’s not players fault anymore. Maybe now we have to, you know, change something else, you know. So I think it’s um I wouldn’t say I’m not going to say it was heavy but u like I said maybe it was just a point in time where people just have to like you know say thank you and then have to you know unfortunately part ways. One question, and it’s always tough to ask you to put any words in anyone else’s mouth, but we know you’re you’re you’re closer with the big fellow than we are. And and you know, one question a lot of people have about Yokic in Denver is is how happy he is, how comfortable he is, how is that something you have a sense of in terms of what he’s looking for, what makes him happy, and if if Denver is providing it. Uh I think Denver is providing it. Yes. Uh because he always people say uh with him it’s oh he doesn’t care and stuff like that. I say he cares. He would not you know dress up every night and go out there and play like he plays if he didn’t care. So all the amigma he gets around. I know maybe it’s maybe some marketing trick. I don’t know may I don’t know. But trust me guys he he cares about every little detail and he cares about winning. We talked about it before. If you win, everybody’s going to be happy. But if you lose, then you kind of like, what can I do more? Then you you put more pressure in yourself because obviously he’s the best player in the world and in our team. So he has to put more more pressure when we’re losing. But when we’re winning, he can be more, let’s say, not relaxed, but maybe he can say, let’s say, okay, maybe I can, you know, step back a little bit because we are winning and then all of the other guys are playing. But when you’re losing, you feel like you you have so much pressure behind you because everybody ask him, “Are you feeling okay? Is every, you know, are you happy? Uh, do we need to bring someone,
right?”
You know, it’s it’s everything comes to him and he just wants to play basketball. He doesn’t want to worry about all the other BS. That’s a good perspective. Good insight. You know, David Adelman obviously now is at the helm and you were around him for a long time. It seemed like when the firing happened and David take over, it seemed like there was new life. And again to your point, no, I don’t think anybody’s fault. Sometimes you need new, but did you sense that the team kind of had some new energy at the end of the year when he took over? And what do you what kind of coach is he? What can you tell us about him?
I I think yes. I think the energy changed just because when you are with a with a person for so long, you know, and you have the same practice, same speeches, you know, I’m not going to you kind of get used to it. We get too comfortable with it, you know. now with a new voice and new responsibilities, you know, you’re going to get refreshed and he he trusted also more the players to, you know, okay, I’m going to let you guys talk. I’m going to let you guys figure it out. I feel like you guys saw it more like how players are more talking than just the coach. Yeah. You know, like I said, the the it it’s not it’s not about you, like we say before about the the the basket, the hardwood. It’s just the people. You get used to one person as long as so long. It’s a same same as players. You can’t have all the players for I haven’t seen one team or it’s really rare for a guy to be on a team for so long, you know. Yeah. I stuck listening to this guy a long time ago. I I totally know what you mean. We’re stuck together though. Nobody’s trading us so I don’t know what we can do.
That’s good. That’s good.
Uh, a couple more for you real quick. Go ahead.
Sorry. I just wanted to say as a coach, I think he has a lot of potential. I think, like I say, uh, play the best is players are behind him and I feel like they’re going to listen to him and the best is going to be communication and to be straight on forward like he was with me and Dario at the end where he was like, “Listen guys, I uh might not play. I might not uh you know have you in the plans, but I still want to uh want you guys to help me like be with the voice, help the team. If you see something, please let us know. And then you know, you feel like you’re more important, you’re more engaged.
Yeah. Is there a player on the roster that hasn’t broken out yet that you really believe in that you say, you know what, this is a guy stick with this guy. He’s gonna he’s going to show you.
Uh I I I believe I believe in in the young guys. I feel like uh I I believe in the young guys and obviously you know Pwatt he can even more you know Julian even more uh [ __ ] Hunter Zeke obviously even more he’s still young you know I feel like all the young guys still have a lot of potential and still um can be part of the team and still can be progress a lot more a lot a lot more but I think it would be smart I’m not coach but my opinion would He uh sometimes it doesn’t matter who starts. Maybe it’s something in the contracts, I don’t know, but to put the young guy with the starting unit so he can make mistakes so he can learn, you know, he’s going to get the confidence then. Then okay, move it. Mix it up a little bit. It doesn’t have to be, you know, the starting five usual, the bench usual. No, mix it a little bit. Put the young guy in so he gets confidence so he plays, you know, couple baskets, you know, plays hard defense. And then that’s how you develop young guys. If you just put them uh you know the best starting five and then the the best young guys, of course it’s not going to be perfect and we don’t we don’t have the patience for them to you know mess up so much. So maybe you know mix them in you know with the starting unit. Maybe one guy, two guys and they’re going to learn and they’re going to develop because you can practice as much as you want but the games are the most important where you’re going to develop. Yeah I like
coach coachco. Hey I think we there’s an opening for an assistant. I think I found the assistant here. Come on. Uh,
maybe in this new last one I have for you here, Black. I I really appreciate you taking time with us, man. I mean, we’ve enjoyed covering you for all these years, and I mean this, you’re an interesting player, but you’ve always been very gracious with the media, too. I a lot of players, we’re like little mosquitoes, you know, so I appreciate you coming on the show and and giving us your time. The last one I have for you, if you were to say something nice about the Nuggets organization or the city of Denver playing for Denver to like friends or families or a co-star on the Slovenian basketball team, anybody just just random people, maybe a Luca Donic, like maybe Luca, maybe could be anyone. Would you recruit them and say, “Hey, man, you would like it there.” Um ah I I uh okay I would I would recruit players who uh want to win championship. Yeah
because this now in this time Denver is a championship team.
Yeah.
So all the you know all the ego that you have and all the things you think you’re a really good player and stuff like that. Uh I wanted to show you to uh get you to Denver to see okay what is really to win
and what is really to like uh feel like the the good people and and the the the I really say there’s no bad person in in Denver
you know that so you feel the love you know.
Yeah.
It’s you know you is the winning and the love. It’s no um oh he plays more he play you know. No, no, no. That doesn’t matter who plays in front of you, you always have his back. You always trying to be, you know, to have his push him to be the best.
Yeah. You know, I think what I’ve heard around, you know, the NBA, it’s like some teams are have locker room problems and stuff like that, but I swear in Denver, you would never have that.
I think it starts from the best players and then, you know, to the others and then obviously like the coaches and everybody who’s part of an organization. But I think it’s it’s you know when they say like it kind of sounds cliche but it’s like all for one for all and all for one.
It felt that way to you.
That that’s that’s how it felt to me you know.
Okay.
Are are you going to be playing in Euro Basket this summer? Can we watch you there?
Yes. Yes. Of course. Exactly.
I’ll be there. I’ll be there. Are you going to be tuned in for Nuggets games at 2 o’clock in the morning? 3 o’clock in the morning. Are you Are you Are you watching next year?
Yeah. Pro probably not because we’re going to probably have practice in the morning. Yeah.
Uh but I’ll make sure I’ll check scores and stuff like that. Uh
yeah,
you know, I I’ll be I’ll be watching.
Well, listen, man. We wish you the best of luck, obviously. And congratulations on another contract. Career is not over. Best of luck over there, brother. And uh hope you’re on the floor and you stay healthy, man. For sure.
Yes. Thank you. Thank you. I just want to say, you know, I I like to say it’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later. Maybe not as a basketball player, but as a fan for sure.
There you go, buddy. I hope
I’ll be like you say, coach or front office. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind, you know, coming back to America.
We’ll put in a good word when the time comes.
Cool.
You’re the absolute best, man. Thank you so much for hopping on.
Thank you guys. Thank you guys. Hey, sorry for the wait again. I love you guys. And then,
hey, have a good show. Have a good day. Have a good rest of the life.
Okay. Shocking. You too, brother.
You too, brother. Man, Blackco’s the best. That was great.
Uh, that was awesome, man. That was awesome. A very, very likable guy. And, you know, it’s my first thought was, “Ah, poor Blackco.” But ultimately, if he gets to go get on the floor,
Yeah.
you know, it’s pretty easy to sneeze at overseas hoops. That’s a professional contract. So, I hope he gets to play. Hope he makes some money and has some fun.
I hope we get a couple highlights, man. The Slovenian hammer coming down couple. Yeah. Or another halfcourt heave, whatever. He’s still he’s still got the the remaining athleticism is kind of he’s been a lot of injuries, man. Vaco, you wouldn’t look at him as a high flyer, but he he busted it out every now and then.
I also just love how positive he is. You know what? Like that was a very positive perspective on a tumultuous year and and and everything there. And it sounds like he gives the Nuggets organization rave reviews. I mean, he said this last time he was on that he has friends in the league and it’s it sounds like it sucks in some of these other orgs. So, however much the Nuggets are not a perfect organization, I do like that a guy like that with outside perspective comes in is like, “No, man. It was good here. There’s good people here.”
Yeah, 100%. And that they maybe were able to maintain some of that, that some of it persisted maybe more than we thought over those years. And uh it’s it it was cool to hear though his perspective on that. And I think, you know, Blackco is a guy who when he first came back from we first saw him again after the latest procedure, I said, “How’s it going, man?” you know, and I had such a solemn tone. He’s like, “Dude, I’m great.” He’s always He always keeps this really good perspective. So,
I’m sure I’m sure he’s got a positive outlook on what’s ahead. Yeah, he was a great guy, man. This is part of what makes covering teams fun. Like, we live in the trades era. Every fan I always say this, back in the 90s, everybody wanted to be like Mike. They wanted to be the player. I feel like nowadays, every fan just plays GM. It’s like trading guys, get rid of this or that. It’s fun when you get to connect with a guy like Blackco. Didn’t play a ton. wasn’t that impactful in terms of like on the court stuff, but still fun to root for, fun to be around and a part of the story, and that was cool to kind of put a bow on it. So, I hope you guys all enjoyed it watching it from home. Um, doesn’t know if we’re going to get the Luca Donuch uh recruiting from him, though. I did. He really
We tried.
Yeah, we tried.
Can’t say we didn’t try.
Yeah. All right, we got some super chat. Scale, what are the people saying? Maddox, a more fun thought. What will Cam Johnson’s equivalent of a Porter quarter or a Murray Flurry be? I couldn’t come up with anything,
man. We’ll have to really think about this. A Cam Jam.
Yeah, we’ll find it. We’ll find We’ll find Cam Jam.
Wham Bam. Thank you, Cam.
Playing Can Jam. Yeah, we’ll figure it out.
We’ll find something, man. We got to find What’s his nickname? Does he have any nicknames? Cam Johnson is such a like basic name that it it feels like he won’t have nicknames.
It’s Yeah, it’s too hard to to really play with. All right, let’s see.
He doesn’t. It just on basketball reference it says his nickname is Cam.
Yeah, does say that. Yeah, that’s not We’re gonna Listen, we’ll work on that. That’s one thing we’re good at here at DNVR. We’ll find a nickname for you, Kim.
We’ll find something out.
All right, Jimpa Gold. Let’s go get Horford, right? Impossible. As impossible as Mr. Nugget sitting out game seven. Hey, sure. Let manifest it. Uh, I I I like somebody said in there, uh, Cammy Whammy, maybe a Cammy Whammy.
Camwam.
It’s a funny one to say.
Evan Roy, ESPN and The Athletic are saying we lost the MPJ cam trade. What do you guys think about that?
Uh, we lost the MPJ Cam Train. What do you think about that? Um, I I have a hard time understanding that. I will say this, there’s one thing that I think is true of people who analyze basketball, especially these types of things, the people that get into salary caps and this or that. They value flexibility more than like winning, right? Like, and so there’s teams I remember, I think it was Pelton, who I think is really good, Kevin Pelton, very smart guy. I I remember he gave I think it was the Utah Jazz. Yep.
Yeah, it was Utah Jazz like A+ trade. is like they lost good players and retained future draft pick like
A+ business but it felt weird calling them winners literally waving the white flag you know.
Yeah. So um but I I mean look I I don’t care. There’s I don’t think there’s any way you could look at this trade and say that it was a bad one.
No, I think there was maybe an immediate erroneous perspective that the Nuggets made this trade to save money, but then they immediately turned around and used some of the flexibility. So, it’s pretty clear it was about helping build out the margins and I think it was the right call and I think
and also and also sometimes guys you can trade for less money and be better and I think that’s what the Nuggets did like if all everything other trade was the same but the roster was more expensive people be like oh they’re willing to spend it’s just at the end of the day is your roster better or worse I think Denver’s roster is a lot better
yeah I agree with that also a lot of these same people said Denver uh yeah B minus who are the contenders next year OKC and Denver and you’re like, “What are we doing? What was the point?”
Maroo, what do you think? Who do you think could help us as a point of attack defender? I know we have Bruce Brown, but he’s more of a jack of all trades. Pad is more of a ror shot blocker.
Do you think this is something? I do.
I I can I just say that I thought C CB actually did it in the postseason that we saw some actual point of attack defense whereas in the regular season, we didn’t. To be fair, we did not see a lot of uh doing your job from any of those five fellas. but defensively I should say,
but in the in the playoffs they did. So, you know, I still kind of hold out hope for CB as a guy who can who can do this. Uh, and I wonder if maybe he can allocate more of his effort and energy towards that than, you know, scoring 15 points a game. Yeah, I I do think that it is a concern though. I mean, when I look around with Denver now, backup center becomes a concern based on what this is. But when I look around, I I do look and say, yeah, I think point guard depth, but more in particular, point of attack defense, that is one of them. And same thing with wing defense. It’s why I think PWAT is sort of a a necessity this year, not a luxury. So defense is going to be a thing. But I will say Denver has flexibility at the deadline. And I know they always have some flexibility. They have a lot of it this year. And I do think if that’s a real concern, if we get to February and it’s like, yeah, we are not up to snuff. I do expect that they’ll be aggressive there as well. That’d be that’d be
That’d be one thing to shore up for sure. Another defensive wing or guard that can really just do it.
Any more, Kale? That it? If so, cue that outro music for us. Do we have outro music on the on Streamyard? I don’t remember if we do.
There it is. Look at that. Uh, everybody, thanks for tuning in. You might want to stay locked to our social media accounts because we will have updates as they come through on this Valentunis thing heading into a holiday weekend. And for everybody out there, this is my favorite holiday. Going to see fireworks tonight. I’m going up to the mountains for the next few days. Gonna be doing some fishing, some barbecuing, playing with the kids. I can’t wait. What do you got planned, Bo?
I’m going I’m doing this uh into friends into Friendance Day we’re doing at Cheeseman Park.
Independence Day. Into Friends Day.
I’m telling you, I love this holiday. I hope everybody else does as well. Go enjoy it. Go outside, soak up the sun, do something good, eat some good foods, tell some people you love them. Thanks for hanging with us. We will be back on Monday. Probably a lot to report. We’ll see you then. [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Vlatko Cancar joins the show to reflect on his time as a Nugget, his best memories in Denver, what went down at the end of last season when Michael Malone and Calvin Booth were fired, being teammates with Nikola Jokic and much more. Also, Adam Mares, Harrison Wind and Brendan Vogt compare Bruce Brown and the role he’ll play to Russell Westbrook’s last season and how similar and different Cam Johnson is to Michael Porter Jr.

Start – 0:00
Wait what’s happening with Val? – 1:30
Wind joins the show with reporting – 17:15
New coaching hires – 18:30
More on Val – 33:30
Who’s the biggest winner of the offseason? 37:40
Vlatko joins the show! – 40:50
Superchats – 1:02:48

📬 Denver sports in your inbox: https://thednvr.com/newsletter

An ALLCITY Network Production

PARTY WITH US: https://thednvr.com/events

ALL THINGS DNVR: https://linktr.ee/dnvrsports

BALL-KNOWER BONUS/Merch: https://promotion.allcitynetwork.com/promotions/store.allcitynetwork/7d48d294-4260-4bac-aca1-9a18eef8ca78

SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/DNVR_Sports

BUY GOLDEN ERA: https://www.triumphbooks.com/golden-era-products-9781637273692.php?page_id=21

Cake Mortgage: Get started on your Cake Mortgage home loan today at https://start-nonqm-dnvr-sports.cakehome.com/

Toyota: Visit Your Front Range Toyota Stores at a location near you – Toyota is the official vehicle of DNVR. Toyota – Let’s Go Places!

First Bank: So, if you’re ready for better banking and the chance to earn a little extra, head to efirstbank.com/bonus. Certain restrictions and requirements apply. Member FDIC.

Hall of Fame App: Get a 7-Day Free Trial + 50% Off your first month with code DNVR. Just download the HOF app on iOS and Android or visit www.hofbets.com, enter code DNVR, and you’re all set. #ad

Raising Cane’s Rooftop Fridays: https://thednvr.com/event/friday-rooftop-club-at-coors-field-presented-by-raising-canes/

Monarch Money: Use Monarch Money to get control of your overall finances with 50% off your first year at https://www.monarchmoney.com/dnvr

bet365: Go to https://www.bet365.com/hub/en-us/app-hero-banner-1?utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=usapp&utm_medium=affiliate&affiliate=365_03485318 or use code DNVR365 when you sign up. Must be 21+ and physically located in CO. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help call or TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER

Go to https://millerlite.com/dnvr to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate Responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Gametime: Download the app, create an account, and use code DNVR for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

Shady Rays: Head to https://shadyrays.com and use code: DNVR for 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated 5 stars by over 300,000 people.

Get 10 FREE meals at https://hellofresh.com/freenuggets. Applied across 7 boxes, new subscribers only, varies by plan.

When you shop through links in the description, we may earn affiliate commissions.

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

#Nuglife