big honey and the nuggets

it's a long season

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-basketball/id1428290303?i=1000591786808

enjoyed this deep dive into jokic, one mind blowing stat is that this year the nuggets have 11 fewer assists per 100 possessions with jokic on the bench, which I guess is the best of all time, other leaders on the list are like peak nash lebron curry etc seasons

I think there’s a reasonable chance that in terms of impact on wins and losses jokic is significantly better than his basic numbers indicate, might be even better than being a 2 time MVP might suggest, just my thoughts

Feel like you could say that for the handful of mvp level dudes in the league but I get your point.

thats why everyone wants the big dogs

theres also a thing where denvers roster just really doesnt work without him in there

Very random but I can't stop thinking about how the other night Nikola Jokic jumped to try to create space between him and Bam Adebayo.

No fake pass from Jamal Murray or anything. Just jumped to try to trick Bam, then ran to the ball.

Gonna call this the "Joker jump." pic.twitter.com/PJ2nttyCHm

— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) January 4, 2023

ha got em

him and kornet should start a cheerleading school

Bruce Brown, last 2 seasons...

31-for-57 (54.4%) from the right corner.
12-for-59 (20.3%) from the left corner.https://t.co/ejDRStYnU9https://t.co/2YxCnuFdcJ

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) January 7, 2023

gonna use this as a nuggets thread

faked me out in slomo while i was expecting something crazy

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS JOKIC pic.twitter.com/aWNRj59h51

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) January 10, 2023

Love those kinda slow mo 360 dribble moves, luka does does a lot

yeah good for husky boys who can give a lil bump at the end of the spin and get their shoulders by

14-11-16-1-1 tonight. ON 5 SHOTS (5-5 fg, 1-1 3p, 3-3 ft)

what on earth lol

that’s truly silly it is making me laugh thinking about it

I missed 95% of the game due to a flight but it’s a sort of line Ive seen plenty of times from jokic (ok, the perfect shooting triple double is only something he’s done once). it’s a thing he does when he doesn’t respect the opponent in my viewing experience

also does anyone know if anyone keeps stats on opening tips? jokic has to be bottom 10% at that, seems like I never see him win one lol

alright maybe I’m way off base because according to “degendata.com” the nuggets win 70% of their tips?

https://www.degendata.com/games/20230109

Nuggs vibe check

“This is the best locker room I have been a part of.”

-Bruce Brown on the Nuggets roster. He said they spend off nights together, play Call of Duty and other stuff.

— T.J. McBride (@TJMcBrideNBA) January 10, 2023

Nugs vibes seem good but let’s not forget that Bruce Brown’s previous NBA locker room experiences are the Pistons and Nets

haha yes

true lol

wow this locker room is great theres no kyrie or james harden in it

i now realize that was a bad post i apologize

lol it does seem like the vibes are good tho

I think having a chill guy like jokic who is also a world-beater leading the team is a formula for good vibes. his teammates legit revere him

its true saw a bones interview where he seemed legit amazed at jokers humility, like it was something he hadnt even considered possible

yeah I watch a lot of local segments they show on the league pass streams and it’s a borderline cult

you are in a cult kev seek help

I seek help from jokic only he will save me

lmao

joks bruv

two biyombo pick and roll finishes to start out, nice

the torrey craig redemption show part 2

The best 1:42 you will spend today 😂 pic.twitter.com/NcTSjiSin0

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 14, 2023

Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe are such Nikola Jokic fans/supporters/believers.

They can’t help themselves when talking about Nikola, they are like little kids on Christmas morning when they talk Jokic.

Love it. @Adam_Mares @HarrisonWind @DLineCo @BrendanVogt #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/jqZxs5mn5M

— JB Denver Sports (@JB_DenverSports) January 14, 2023

No cap like I am wearing no hat

8-6-5-1 in 10 mins of the first quarter

JOKIC. BANGARANG!https://t.co/UuwxYJmnXx pic.twitter.com/qM43q7xXBd

— Wobkola Jokić (@WorldWideWob) January 16, 2023

big shot big honey

he's somehow so chill

just don’t dunk on him

Nikola said he told Bol after the game: "If you dunk one more time on me, I'm gonna F him (up)."

— Mike Singer (@msinger) January 16, 2023

Great pass, comical shot pic.twitter.com/2jQntQmEVa

— Taco Trey Kerby (@treykerby) January 18, 2023

lowe:

With the Orlando Magic, Gordon was miscast as a wing. Orlando was overstocked with bigs. Gordon had ambitions of LeBron James-style ball dominance. Over several roster mutations, none of it worked. Across the league -- even within Orlando -- insiders wondered: Why couldn't Gordon access his inner Draymond Green? He could be the superstar role player every good team needs!

How wonderful when experience and luck put someone in the right place to fulfill their destiny at the moment they are ready to accept it. Gordon is the perfect support player for Nikola Jokic, and he's enjoying a career season: 16.5 points, 7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 59% shooting -- 37.6% on 3s, and 65% on 2s.

As a leaper with size and anticipation, Gordon is an ideal target for Jokic -- on cuts, and leaking out in transition. But Gordon is doing so much more than dining on Jokic's passing genius.

He's been vicious as a post-up scorer, and defenses are starting to send help -- even when Gordon doesn't have a size mismatch. Denver's trusting Gordon to make the right plays:

He still gets to run some pick-and-roll, and has great chemistry with Jokic. The Nuggets have averaged 1.33 points when Gordon shoots out of the pick-and-roll or dishes to a teammate who fires -- No. 1 (!) among almost 200 ball handlers who have run at least 75 such plays, per Second Spectrum.

Gordon's supplementary passing has been a big boost. He's heaving accurate outlets, leading fast breaks, and pinging smart extra passes around the perimeter. The Nuggets have sets for Gordon to facilitate from the elbows. What are you supposed to do here -- with Gordon holding the ball at the right elbow, Jokic setting a down screen for Bruce Brown at the left elbow, and ace shooters in each corner?

On defense, Gordon can guard all five positions. His pinpoint rotations and shot-blocking are essential in Denver's demanding scheme.

Gordon has a real All-Star case.

jamal is doing his best jokic impression: has 12-9-9-2 3 mins into the 3rd quarter. would be his first career triple double

*taps the sign*

jesus christ this nuggets game is a religious experience

30 assists for the team through 3 quarters with jokic not playing. 38 point third quarter

season high 15 dunks

nikola jokic is a system player

hope they dont have to break the band up over some accounting bs

the country needs celtics nuggets.

btw I got a fat lever rainbow jersey for my birthday, I will be behind enemy lines in LA until the foreseeable future so wish me luck

ha nice

V nice

Denver has landed the Suns' pick at No. 22, source tells ESPN. The Nuggets are sending Phoenix No. 28, No. 56 and two future seconds.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024

holmes has been tightly linked to the nuggets for at least a week now, and I support this move in that we need a backup big and we certainly don’t need any more rookies… but I’d been under the impression the nuggs were just gonna take him at 28

That’s the dude I had thanksgiving dinner with. My cousin is there in the stands with him, they were High school teammates and have remained friends. Super nice kid. I watched most of their high school games a few years back.

sick

nice! sounds like someone we can all root for

wait really!! that’s sick, and a confirmed guy to add to the nuggets wkiw roster

Yeah man we talked ball for like an hour. He was basically like I wanna go anywhere but the pistons or wizards lol. But even back then he was hoping for the nuggets or bucks. Said it was a hard decision to declare, he coulda come out last season but was making crazy NIL money in college.

couple of not unexpected but less than ideal shams bombs

Denver and star Jamal Murray are working toward a four-year, $209 million maximum contract extension this offseason, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Nuggets will present the deal to Murray – a 2023 NBA champion and one of the best clutch players – and sides expect agreement. pic.twitter.com/tOZ7UBWuli

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024

Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is declining his $15.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season to become a free agent, sources tell me and @Tjonesonthenba. Caldwell-Pope – a two-time NBA champion – is expected to receive interest from multiple teams with salary cap space. pic.twitter.com/R1P8fhqBfn

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024

still seems like KCP re-signing at a higher but not totally unreasonable AAV is a strong possibility. hopefully the bruce brown situation was instructive

kevin, congrats

Denver is trading Reggie Jackson to Charlotte with three unprotected second-round picks, source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024

heh

https://i.imgur.com/lshNrjj.png

our long national nightmare has ended

Keep getting locked, but… Denver is trading the Nuggets’ own seconds in 2025, 2029 and 2030 to Charlotte of move off Reggie Jackson’s $5.2 million salary for next season, league sources told @YahooSports.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 27, 2024

wait they’re TRADING three picks to offload reggie?

yeah

oh…

seems like a lot just to offload $5m

he’s really bad and they’re up against the apron. but still

Holy fuck bro please keep the beard and mustache this is aura pic.twitter.com/BhZOSVBKZ7

— moose (@MooseRantanen) June 27, 2024

new era/aura

oh no

so close to zangief cosplay

feeling pretty bummed about this off-season and the team’s trajectory. it seems likely now that KCP will walk and the nuggets will get nothing in return. the team is in a tough spot because under most scenarios, re-signing KCP (which they can do at any number since they have his bird rights) puts them into the second apron and severely limits their future flexibility. but losing KCP risks capping their ceiling and squandering some serious championship equity.

I’ve thought for a while that while he’s been great for the team, KCP is probably the most expendable starter. he’s an excellent defender and shooter, though both of those skills are highly dependent on his mobility and he’s about to hit his mid-thirties, and maybe losing him a year early is preferable to two years too late… but if the alternative is getting nothing of real value in return, that’s a bummer

yeah letting him walk sucks is prob the right move but they really need to hit on some guys

New cba succcccks

if i were an nba team i would simply not pay my role players max salaries

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope intends to sign a three-year, $66 million deal with the Orlando Magic, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Massive pickup for the rising Magic, acquiring the starting shooting guard of two NBA title teams. pic.twitter.com/fhu04mauIx

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2024

sigh

we’ll see if there’s another move there, but that has not really been the MO of this team. I’m pretty despondent and mad at ownership. worried they’re just going to take jokic’s prime for granted

idk what pretty similar means here

Denver offered KCP a salary pretty similar to what he ended up getting from Orlando and I’m told the Nuggets offered three years. The Nuggets definitely tried here

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 30, 2024

they also offered a contract in us dollars

I honestly am not sure how plugged in tony jones is — he’s kind of the stopgap beat reporter for the athletic but he’s primarily a jazz guy. I’d be shocked if the nuggets matched and KCP chose orlando, but I guess anything is possible

No state taxes

yeah honestly if that’s what it came down to, fuck him

https://i.imgur.com/B8ooBaK.png

they did… ?

🚨🚨🚨

THE DENVER NUGGETS ARE SHOWING INTEREST IN SIGNING RUSSELL WESTBROOK (per @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/kXNIeLK4eZ

— Nuggets Lead (@NuggetsLead) June 30, 2024

please execute me

oh no

I’m so sad about the KCP thing man. guy decided he had no interest in contending for a championship and preferred a few extra bucks. really goes against everything I thought I knew about him. good riddance

ugh

mostly mad at the kroenkes I guess :/

There’s a genuine case to avoid the second apron if you’re Denver. Matt’s not wrong. I just fundamentally disagree because we know this five-player starter core can win the title. We’ve seen it be the best group in the NBA. And removing KCP without a replacement REALLY downgrades https://t.co/6NNXCAoUIz

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) July 2, 2024

there’s an interesting dynamic playing out here where there seems to be a clear divide between national writers, who are mostly pillorying the move, and local writers, who are sort of sheepishly defending it. there are probably some access factors at play but otherwise I find it pretty baffling

yeah isn’t that usually the dynamic, riskier for local writers to just kill the team

local writers are hayseed rubes is how i break it down to an extent