The Nuggets just became SCARY good: PHD reacts!

The Nuggets just became SCARY good: PHD reacts!

I think people want to hear what you got to say about these trades that are going down. So, thanks for taking a little bit of time away from the uh tanning outside. You know what I mean? Yeah. Now, now uh I’ll how soon before we hear they signed Damen Lillard.
I know, right? That was, you know, Dempse was just on with with coach and Raj and and they talked about the same thing. Do you let the guy kind of heal up in your like with a vet minimum contract and just hope maybe you get him back for for the playoffs? I mean, it’s not totally crazy.
No, that’d be interesting to see. Um, yeah, that I I mean, I guarantee probably some people are talking about I’m sure there’s other people talking about it too, obviously. But let let’s just go what they have done. The deal done today is not done if the Michael Porter Jr. deal is not done.
Right. Right. Because that got got you below the apron and got you below the cap and allowed you to have more money to free up. Um and I’m with Tyler. You the the the caveat for for Brooklyn. I was reading yesterday. Um they’re trying to stockpile picks. They figure they can give Porter’s got two years of his deal. they’ll pay him this year and then if not it’ll be an expiring contract next year which will be easier to move. So they’re gonna, you know, one year to give him a chance to see if he can stick in Brooklyn. Uh I think that was a home run trade. You got a guy who’s two years older. He’s basically the same guy I think offensively except I think he’s a better passer. Uh, I think he’ll move more and I and I’m not this into, you know, diss on uh on Michael, but I don’t know if it’s the hell things or what, but I don’t know how much he could really move. But this guy, this guy will move without the basketball, which will make him even more dangerous. Right.
And he’s a better defender. Well, he had to get more off the dribble in Brooklyn. Before he was kind of a spot up guy, brought him on off the bench and and do this. He kind of came into his own really last two years in Brooklyn where I think he shot like 43 and 40% from three. He’s always been a good shooter. I I I just think it’s a win. Uh and and I mean, look at all the money you save, right? I mean, you save $40 million basically in two years from the salary cap.
And that’s essentially why they included that first round pick, why it was worth making the deal. The players are really close to similar. They bring you a couple of variants in terms of different things, but like their shooting slashlines are close. Um, you know, MPJ arguably a better rebounder. My question for you is, you know, with the addition of that, now you got Jonas Valenunis in the fold as well. You bring back Bruce Brown. You know, you were on the show when we talked to the VPs and said, “Hey, what is your identity as a team?” And they said to be able to beat any style, which is great when 15’s on the floor. But when 15’s not on the floor, what’s your identity? Is it maybe defense now, Scotty? Well, it could be. I mean, Valentina is not the greatest defensive player, but that’s a big, stout, strong dude, who’s been a starter starter of the league, who’s a pretty good passer as well. Listen, when you compare passing with Joker, I mean, you got to see if Magic’s still got some years left in him. That’s only that’s the only guy you can kind of compare him with. But, um, no, he’s he, uh, it’s the first time since Plumbley, you’ve gotten a legitimate center that can back up Joker and take big minutes. That’s that’s probably about eight times more talented offensively than than Plumbley was.
How the heck did we get that deal done? And that one to me is almost crazier than the Michael Porter Jr. one. We we just swap Dario for a dude that actually plays basketball that that that scores 10 points a game that’s 6′ 11 that’s like a legitimate backup center. Like how do we get that done?
And if you go back to his Orlando days, made an all-star game I believe when he was in Orlando or Chicago, one of the two. Um and I think was a 2010 guy for a couple years in his league. Uh he’s probably getting up there. I don’t I didn’t look at his age. I bet he’s 31, 32, 33 maybe. Um, but no, he could, Dude, he’s a player. You add five more million dollars to your salary cap, but again, you’re able to do that because you traded Porter. Um, but next year his contract at 10 million isn’t even guaranteed.
Yeah, it’s a team. Well, it’s team option, which is great for the Nuggets, right? The opposite of what Daario just had. Work out, then guess what? So listen, this Hey, anybody had any question on John Wallace, I think ought to step back and go, “My bad.”
Yeah. My bad.
I want to ask you about that cuz now listen to give Calvin Booth his credit. Uh when he first came in, he made moves like this that did win them a championship. And so his credit is due there, but it makes him look kind of bad here on the back end. So, I wanted your take on, you know, John Wallace coming in making these moves and how why Calvin Booth didn’t. There was reporting that it got squashed by ownership a little bit. Um, trying to trade MPJ maybe at the deadline. Uh, your thoughts on, you know, everybody kind of felt like we were hog tied because the Nuggets never did anything and then, you know, the first 24 hours when they can make deals, all of a sudden they’ve reshaped this team. Well, and and going back what you said, Calvin did the same thing. And and I thought and I don’t know, maybe that’s the after you’re here for a handful of years, you kind of get stuck in your ways and just say, “Hey, let’s just trust, you know, as Tyler was talking about last week, just rolling it back, rolling it back, rolling it back.” Uh, and I’m not sure had Calvin not taken over from Tim Conley, they wouldn’t have tried to roll it back that year. and Calvin said no and made two significant uh um trades and and you know what a workmanlike draft and and getting Porter Jr. and even Peyton Watson didn’t play that rookie year but um but a good solid draft and two great picks. Well, they didn’t have any picks. The the the the draft day at two days was boring as heck if you were a Nuggets fan. There wasn’t a whole lot of news involving I’ve been checking my phone, you know, clicking on Denver and it’s, you know, Western Conference Stories this, Western Conference Stories that, blah, blah, blah. And and then all of a sudden, just out of the out of the blue, my phone’s blowing up and I’m like, “Oh, okay. Okay. Listen, I I think this good and I as Tyler this going to college football or even going to pro football with the AD or or the general manager and you hire one of them guys new. Does he want to put a stamp on the program right away?
Yep. Yep.
Well, John Wallace put a stamp on the program right away.
Pretty amazing. Uh I I I definitely did not see this coming. And and what’s so amazing about it is just what it’s it was one move. Well, getting rid of Michael Porter Jr. freed up about $40 million that they were able to play with. Uh, and now they had all this flexibility that it feels like, wow, what’s amazing about all this is that I I I still don’t even think they’re done. They they still have got the ability to make another move if they would want if they would like to. Uh, Scott, one thing one move that we haven’t even mentioned though, uh, they do bring back Bruce Brown. Uh, that felt like something that was inevitable almost over the last couple months because Brucey had been hyping it up. so much. Uh, do you think that his role looks the same as it did during the championship year?
Well, listen, um, and I said this last night on Andy Knight’s podcast and and I think we can look back in hindsight and Russell Westbrook did a lot of great things here, you know, he he helped you win a bunch of games. He was he was very good, but I think I not sure that was a stamp of approval to start the season from Jamal Murray. I think part of Jamal Murray’s reticence going into the year might have been the fact that that Russell was signed. I don’t know. He he can’t let stuff like that bother him if that were the case, but I’ve heard rumors to that. Um, now you bring in Bruce. Uh, he may not be the offensive rebounder, but he’s going to play just as fast, just as hard, better three-point shooter. Um, and and the biggest thing, guess what? When Russ came into the locker room last year, he had to reintroduce himself or introduce himself to everybody in there. I mean, everybody knows him by reputation, but you got to figure out what kind of guy he is. Bruce Brown’s going to come in there and guess what it they’re going to say, “Dude, what’d you do over the weekend? We ain’t seen you all weekend.” It it’s going to be like he was just gone for a little bit. Now all of a sudden he’s back. He He’ll He’ll fit. In fact, I’ll be shocked if Bruce Brown ain’t in town within the next two or three days. You know, getting ready to get a place to live, hanging out, going down to Kors Field, watching the Rockies play and and all the stuff Bruce does. Uh he’ll he’ll he’ll get in this and he he knows everybody’s routine. He knows what everything has to go through. He knows that the strength and conditioning coach, what the expectations are. He knows where the gym is. He knows where he’s supposed to park his car. Listen, come in. They just got to take a new picture for his badge and he’s he’s he’s back in. It’s going to be a smoother transition for a guy who will still back up Jamal in some moments. They’ll play him and Jamal together sometimes. Um and so it’s going I just think it’s going to be smoother. Now, the key is by getting Bruce and now adding Valenunis and and even and Cam, um I think you’ve added three scores or guys the capability to score. I think I think Cam takes what Michael could do and he can blow up and have big games. I think Bruce can do everything that Westbrook can do and score and have big Well, and now all of a sudden you got Valudas. Listen, go back and just look in his years. I think he was a 20 and 10 guy for a year or two in the league. So this guy now you finally for the first time ever got a real guy that can score and cause a whole lot of problems on the offensive glass uh as a backup center. And now again I’m going to stay consistent. If Julian Strawther takes that step up, you would add have added four pieces that are better scoring options that you brought in than from last year. at least three of them I think will be better than what you had last year.
Yeah, that’s incredible. Uh to Tyler’s point about the money, I did want your take on this too because a couple people have said it. If they stay under the first apron this year, everybody has said that this makes it way easier to sign Christian Brown to a deal maybe next year. I’m interested what you think about that. um that giving him a contract, all that. Uh this re situation of their cap uh kind of affords them the opportunity to do that next year. I assume that’s something that you’re interested in with the way that he plays. What kind of contract would you like him to have and and uh contribute to this team, Scotty?
Well, listen, money always creeps up. Uh but I don’t think he’s ever going to be a max deal guy. Um, but I think you’re going to see him float around between 15 and 20. And I think he’s making what, five, four and a half.
Yep.
Yeah.
Um, he’ll probably be in that, you know, depending on how much the escalation can be, 12, 15, 18, somewhere in there.
But no, I I think they’ll look at that. I think it’s a big year for him. He’s got to keep improving. He That’s a guy we don’t even talk about. And probably should have said the most I think maybe been the most improved player. They give the most improved player to Cape Cunningham who who was the first pick in the draft. Well, wait a minute. Maybe you just stopped sucking because obviously first pick in the draft. Everybody thought pretty good and now you went comeback player of the year from being the first pick in the draft. Come on, man. That that ain’t realistic. And you got a guy that went from eight points a game to 15 points a game,
you know, from bench to starter. That’s improved. So if if he could take another step next year and he he’s floating between 15 and 20, 17 points a game. Also, listen, all I know is this. You got to play him when you get him. Can’t wait till November. Um but they got better. They’ve gotten better in 48 hours.
Heck yeah. Are you Does it give you a little bit of juice? I had a little bit of juice this morning. Like I woke up, I was like, I’m throwing on my Nugget shirt to go in there today. You got a little bit of extra juice, Scotty? Yeah. You know what? Um, like I said, my phone started blowing up yesterday. I was like, “Oh, what did they do?” Because if you guys remember, I was talking to Cam Johnson at the trade deadline. Cam Johnson, I was throwing his name out last February. So, that excites me because I I like I said, I think he’s Michael. He’s a more mobile defensive- minded Michael Porter Jr. That that that’s what I think he is. Uh, Valunis is better than any backup we’ve ever had. Listen, he’s gone headtohead with Joker in Orlando and Chicago. I mean, he started against Joker and he’s had games where he played well. Uh that that’s a man. They got a they got a man backing up center. Now,
let me ask you this one more thing, too. So, Chris Dempsey was on with Kman and Lindell right when this trade happened and uh Bruce Brown got signed yesterday and
Brian Porter’s gone.
He Yeah. Well, he wasn’t overly happy about it. and he’s a big Michael Porter Jr. fan, but when he was talking about Bruce Brown, the guys asked him, “What is the expectation? Like, where should the expectation level be at for Bruce Brown coming back?” And I think that’s a fair question. He struggled a little bit in all his other stops,
right?
And part of that was and and there was a story
three teams in one year.
Yeah. There was a story about him in free agency where Michael Malone walked up to him and said, “These teams aren’t using you right. I know how to use you. Come play here. Now, DA was obviously here for that and knows how to use him, but I just do we need to temper our expectations on what Brucey B can deliver or do you believe that his expectation level should be right back where it was when he was the sixman for a championship team?
What was your expectations when he was here? A six-man of a championship team.
Yeah. Yeah. That’s exactly where your expectations should be. You think he it so the couple years he was away was just
well you gota remember he hurt his knee and had knee surgery so that that messed him up a little bit but everywhere I mean he had some nice games in Indiana and he had some nice games in Toronto before the injury so I I listen I I think he’ll be healthy. I, like I said, I’ll be shocked that he ain’t in in town and he’s going to make 100% sure that come come training camp, that knee is 100% right and ready to go.
Hey, Scotty, before we let you out of here, I got I got to get your thoughts on what uh Milwaukee’s done. I mean, moving on, what moving on from Dame, that’s a pretty insane move there. Uh, is it just outright desperation to keep Yiannis happy or or what what what’s going on there? Well, that’s a good question. Um, I think Dame needs to be the lead dog and I think Giannis needs to be the lead dog. Now, Giannis sounded on on X that he wasn’t real happy that they let Dame go.
Yeah, that doesn’t
Dane’s probably not going to come back, you know, way late in the year if he comes back. Um, I don’t know. To me, it seemed like a team that was up there in that tax and they didn’t want to keep paying that tax. So, let’s drop everything around. Covington got traded also, I believe, or was going to be. Um, let’s let’s get below the thing and then offer Giannis. The key is Giannis holds all the all the sway and let’s see if Giannis decides to die. I ain’t staying, you know. Give me an effect.
I mean, what are your thoughts on Miles Turner who they’re at basically or they swap Dame Lillard for Miles Turner in that situation? Well, they did moneywise, but they also lost Brook Brooks Lopez who who really needs to be a backup center at at at his age and where he’s going. He wasn’t the same guy he was when they won the championship. Um, so you needed a big I I’m not a fan of Miles Turner myself. I I I you know I I thought that was overpaying in my opinion. All right.

PHD reacts to the flurry of moves/trades made by the Denver Nuggets.
#Denver #Nuggets #NBA #FreeAgency #NBAtrades #MPJ #Jokic