one of the all time greats deserves his own thread.
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Thursday, 29 December 2022 17:15 (two years ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsE3ZcQ25Zw
from hollinger’s column:
The thing about the NBA MVP award is that only one person can win it, which makes things a bit problematic when multiple players appear to be having MVP-caliber seasons.I wrote about this dilemma a year ago, when three players had bonkers campaigns that would have made them runaway winners in any normal year. Instead, Nikola Jokić narrowly won a second straight MVP award over Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.Granted, we’re not even halfway through the 2022-23 season yet, but this year’s MVP traffic only seems worse. To wit:Boston’s Jayson Tatum has been the best player on the league’s best team, automatically bestowing MVP equity. And this isn’t on the same level as the “You have to consider Devin Booker because the Suns won 64 games” vibe of a year ago. Tatum legitimately has a case for being the best player this time around, as a two-way menace averaging 30.9 points per game for the league’s best offense. He punctuated his candidacy with a 41-points-on 22-shots tour de force against mighty Milwaukee on Christmas.Kevin Durant has spent the past month reminding everyone how amazing he is. Durant is averaging 29.3 points on 68 percent true shooting since the beginning of November, and his defense has been on par, if not even better than his offense. The Nets have won nine straight to pass Cleveland and Philly in the standings and are breathing down the necks of Boston and Milwaukee for the top spot. At age 34, Durant has also played in 33 of Brooklyn’s 34 games and is third in the NBA in minutes.Luka Dončić is an offense unto himself for a short-handed Dallas team, one that is ninth in the NBA in offensive efficiency despite having virtually no shot-creation anywhere else on the roster. On top of his ever-widening array of tricks, feints and pivots in the basket area, Dončić has massively increased his free-throw rate in his fifth pro season while shooting a scalding 58.1 percent inside the arc. He’s third in the league in PER, second in scoring and second in BPM despite the near-constant attention from defenses.Giannis? No, he didn’t go anywhere. The Bucks superstar is fourth in scoring, leads the league in free-throw attempts and remains a monstrous presence for the league’s fifth-ranked defense despite a dip in his PER to “just” 28.1 so far.Embiid is still here too. He got off to a slow start, but quickly made up for lost time, to the point that he now leads the league in scoring. A lack of durability could again work against him – he has already missed eight games – but at his current rate, it might not matter. Embiid’s December splits are truly ridiculous: 35.9 points, 50 percent from 3, 86.4 percent from the line, 65.8 percent true shooting, more assists than turnovers and eight straight wins for the Sixers. He’s also played every game since Nov. 28.All of this would make for an amazing five-way MVP race! How we do choose?Except for one inconvenient fact … the Joker.The two-time reigning MVP is still here, clowning fools in slow motion with no-look passes, impossibly soft running floaters and all the other random cool stuff he does that seems impossible for a huge ground-bound guy until he does it.Here, have a Smitty from your opponent’s giant center:That’s from Nikola Jokić’s 41-point, 15-rebound, 15-assist triple-double against Phoenix on Christmas night, which was notable mostly for how unremarkable it seemed. He was just kind of having a regular game for him and ended up compiling these stats. At 24.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game, Jokić has an outside shot at averaging a triple-double for the season.The NBA hasn’t had an MVP three-peat since Larry Bird (1984-86), and those of you suffering from Joker fatigue in the MVP vote will need to do some soul searching again this season. Jokić’s PER of 32.2 not only leads the league, but also nearly matches last season’s career high. His 12.4. BPM leads the league by a wide margin … and it’s also higher than his first MVP season.His 68.5 percent true shooting? Well, it doesn’t lead the league, but it does for medium- to high-usage players (anyone over 20 percent) and it is easily the best mark of his career. Durant is choking on his dust back at 67.3. There’s a good reason for this: Jokić has cut back sharply on taking 3s after hitting 33.7 percent a year ago, flinging them barely half as often as last year to instead move to his comfort zone from midrange. (Fun stat: Jokić is shooting 61 percent this season on midrange shots, according to Cleaning the Glass. What?!?!)His 45.7 percent assist percentage? No, that doesn’t quite lead the league. Dončić and Indiana’s Tyrese Hailburton are still slightly ahead of him. But, did I mention Jokić is a center? His rate is nearly twice that of any other five (Embiid is next at 24.4), and yes, is a career high for a player who already was cemented as the best passing big man of all time before the season tipped off.All of this would be easy to write off were it not for one other inconvenient fact: Jokić’s team is also in first place in the West at 21-11, a half game ahead of second-place New Orleans.The biggest argument against the Joker the past two years – and the biggest reason voter fatigue was likely to get in the way of a three-peat – was that the Nuggets were good, but not among the league’s elite, winning 47 and 48 games, respectively. Well, what now? What if they finish first in the West, with the team still hemorrhaging points any time Jokić leaves the floor? This year’s Nuggets have a whopping TWENTY-FIVE-POINT differential between having Jokić on the court (plus-11.3 points per 100 possessions) and off it (minus-13.6 points).No amount of staggering or tinkering has seemed able to fix this, although the Nuggets’ recent stretch of seven wins in eight games has seen more stability from the second group. If they finish first in the West with the team going instantly into tire-fire mode anytime Jokić leaves the floor, how could he not be the MVP?There’s still more than half a season to play and torrents of water left to go under the bridge. Injuries will inevitably scratch a few names from the race. Slumps may do so as well; the Nuggets are hardly ironclad with their half-game lead atop the West, especially given that they rank only 11th in net margin of victory and 25th in defense. (Jokić, for all his positives, is not exactly an imposing rim protector; he has good hands and positions himself well, but to date, his greatest defensive accomplishment has been mastering the kick-ball violation.) And maybe Durant renders all this discussion irrelevant by averaging 35 a game during a 20-game win streak or something.But the Nuggets’ unexpected appearance at the top of the standings, despite still trying to incorporate Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. through an uneven first half of the season, makes for some interesting conversation for the second half.The presumption heading into the season was that Joker fatigue would take over the MVP race, and voters would shift toward rewarding a player whose team was at or near the top of the standings.But what if that player turns out to be Nikola Jokić?
I wrote about this dilemma a year ago, when three players had bonkers campaigns that would have made them runaway winners in any normal year. Instead, Nikola Jokić narrowly won a second straight MVP award over Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Granted, we’re not even halfway through the 2022-23 season yet, but this year’s MVP traffic only seems worse. To wit:
Boston’s Jayson Tatum has been the best player on the league’s best team, automatically bestowing MVP equity. And this isn’t on the same level as the “You have to consider Devin Booker because the Suns won 64 games” vibe of a year ago. Tatum legitimately has a case for being the best player this time around, as a two-way menace averaging 30.9 points per game for the league’s best offense. He punctuated his candidacy with a 41-points-on 22-shots tour de force against mighty Milwaukee on Christmas.Kevin Durant has spent the past month reminding everyone how amazing he is. Durant is averaging 29.3 points on 68 percent true shooting since the beginning of November, and his defense has been on par, if not even better than his offense. The Nets have won nine straight to pass Cleveland and Philly in the standings and are breathing down the necks of Boston and Milwaukee for the top spot. At age 34, Durant has also played in 33 of Brooklyn’s 34 games and is third in the NBA in minutes.Luka Dončić is an offense unto himself for a short-handed Dallas team, one that is ninth in the NBA in offensive efficiency despite having virtually no shot-creation anywhere else on the roster. On top of his ever-widening array of tricks, feints and pivots in the basket area, Dončić has massively increased his free-throw rate in his fifth pro season while shooting a scalding 58.1 percent inside the arc. He’s third in the league in PER, second in scoring and second in BPM despite the near-constant attention from defenses.Giannis? No, he didn’t go anywhere. The Bucks superstar is fourth in scoring, leads the league in free-throw attempts and remains a monstrous presence for the league’s fifth-ranked defense despite a dip in his PER to “just” 28.1 so far.Embiid is still here too. He got off to a slow start, but quickly made up for lost time, to the point that he now leads the league in scoring. A lack of durability could again work against him – he has already missed eight games – but at his current rate, it might not matter. Embiid’s December splits are truly ridiculous: 35.9 points, 50 percent from 3, 86.4 percent from the line, 65.8 percent true shooting, more assists than turnovers and eight straight wins for the Sixers. He’s also played every game since Nov. 28.All of this would make for an amazing five-way MVP race! How we do choose?
Except for one inconvenient fact … the Joker.
The two-time reigning MVP is still here, clowning fools in slow motion with no-look passes, impossibly soft running floaters and all the other random cool stuff he does that seems impossible for a huge ground-bound guy until he does it.
Here, have a Smitty from your opponent’s giant center:
That’s from Nikola Jokić’s 41-point, 15-rebound, 15-assist triple-double against Phoenix on Christmas night, which was notable mostly for how unremarkable it seemed. He was just kind of having a regular game for him and ended up compiling these stats. At 24.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game, Jokić has an outside shot at averaging a triple-double for the season.
The NBA hasn’t had an MVP three-peat since Larry Bird (1984-86), and those of you suffering from Joker fatigue in the MVP vote will need to do some soul searching again this season. Jokić’s PER of 32.2 not only leads the league, but also nearly matches last season’s career high. His 12.4. BPM leads the league by a wide margin … and it’s also higher than his first MVP season.
His 68.5 percent true shooting? Well, it doesn’t lead the league, but it does for medium- to high-usage players (anyone over 20 percent) and it is easily the best mark of his career. Durant is choking on his dust back at 67.3. There’s a good reason for this: Jokić has cut back sharply on taking 3s after hitting 33.7 percent a year ago, flinging them barely half as often as last year to instead move to his comfort zone from midrange. (Fun stat: Jokić is shooting 61 percent this season on midrange shots, according to Cleaning the Glass. What?!?!)
His 45.7 percent assist percentage? No, that doesn’t quite lead the league. Dončić and Indiana’s Tyrese Hailburton are still slightly ahead of him. But, did I mention Jokić is a center? His rate is nearly twice that of any other five (Embiid is next at 24.4), and yes, is a career high for a player who already was cemented as the best passing big man of all time before the season tipped off.
All of this would be easy to write off were it not for one other inconvenient fact: Jokić’s team is also in first place in the West at 21-11, a half game ahead of second-place New Orleans.
The biggest argument against the Joker the past two years – and the biggest reason voter fatigue was likely to get in the way of a three-peat – was that the Nuggets were good, but not among the league’s elite, winning 47 and 48 games, respectively. Well, what now? What if they finish first in the West, with the team still hemorrhaging points any time Jokić leaves the floor? This year’s Nuggets have a whopping TWENTY-FIVE-POINT differential between having Jokić on the court (plus-11.3 points per 100 possessions) and off it (minus-13.6 points).
No amount of staggering or tinkering has seemed able to fix this, although the Nuggets’ recent stretch of seven wins in eight games has seen more stability from the second group. If they finish first in the West with the team going instantly into tire-fire mode anytime Jokić leaves the floor, how could he not be the MVP?
There’s still more than half a season to play and torrents of water left to go under the bridge. Injuries will inevitably scratch a few names from the race. Slumps may do so as well; the Nuggets are hardly ironclad with their half-game lead atop the West, especially given that they rank only 11th in net margin of victory and 25th in defense. (Jokić, for all his positives, is not exactly an imposing rim protector; he has good hands and positions himself well, but to date, his greatest defensive accomplishment has been mastering the kick-ball violation.) And maybe Durant renders all this discussion irrelevant by averaging 35 a game during a 20-game win streak or something.
But the Nuggets’ unexpected appearance at the top of the standings, despite still trying to incorporate Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. through an uneven first half of the season, makes for some interesting conversation for the second half.
The presumption heading into the season was that Joker fatigue would take over the MVP race, and voters would shift toward rewarding a player whose team was at or near the top of the standings.
But what if that player turns out to be Nikola Jokić?
― k3vin k., Thursday, 29 December 2022 19:51 (two years ago)
they shouldnt have given it to him last year now they cant give it to him this year, his best season
― lag∞n, Thursday, 29 December 2022 19:54 (two years ago)
there's an understandable urge to vote for someone new, but as k3vin's article indicates, that vote's going to split badly among four or five other players and the joker might just win again based on that
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, 29 December 2022 20:14 (two years ago)
it's a long season
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 29 December 2022 20:20 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Monday, 2 January 2023 00:34 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 3 January 2023 00:55 (two years ago)
Feel like you could say that for the handful of mvp level dudes in the league but I get your point.
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Tuesday, 3 January 2023 05:01 (two years ago)
thats why everyone wants the big dogs
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 3 January 2023 15:21 (two years ago)
theres also a thing where denvers roster just really doesnt work without him in there
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 3 January 2023 15:23 (two years ago)
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
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Wednesday, 4 January 2023 23:34 (two years ago)
ha got em
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 4 January 2023 23:55 (two years ago)
him and kornet should start a cheerleading school
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 5 January 2023 02:27 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Saturday, 7 January 2023 16:45 (two years ago)
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
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 02:22 (two years ago)
Love those kinda slow mo 360 dribble moves, luka does does a lot
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 02:43 (two years ago)
yeah good for husky boys who can give a lil bump at the end of the spin and get their shoulders by
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 02:49 (two years ago)
14-11-16-1-1 tonight. ON 5 SHOTS (5-5 fg, 1-1 3p, 3-3 ft)
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 04:45 (two years ago)
what on earth lol
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 05:15 (two years ago)
that’s truly silly it is making me laugh thinking about it
― Clay, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 05:52 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 10 January 2023 06:27 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 10 January 2023 06:28 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 10 January 2023 06:35 (two years ago)
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
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 06:47 (two years ago)
Nugs vibes seem good but let’s not forget that Bruce Brown’s previous NBA locker room experiences are the Pistons and Nets
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 13:53 (two years ago)
haha yes
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 15:50 (two years ago)
true lol
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 10 January 2023 17:22 (two years ago)
wow this locker room is great theres no kyrie or james harden in it
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 18:15 (two years ago)
i now realize that was a bad post i apologize
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:25 (two years ago)
lol it does seem like the vibes are good tho
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:28 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:29 (two years ago)
its true saw a bones interview where he seemed legit amazed at jokers humility, like it was something he hadnt even considered possible
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:31 (two years ago)
yeah I watch a lot of local segments they show on the league pass streams and it’s a borderline cult
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:46 (two years ago)
you are in a cult kev seek help
― im a beacon of light (Spottie), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:46 (two years ago)
I seek help from jokic only he will save me
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:49 (two years ago)
lmao
― lag∞n, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 20:40 (two years ago)
joks bruv
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 20:43 (two years ago)
two biyombo pick and roll finishes to start out, nice
― k3vin k., Thursday, 12 January 2023 03:15 (two years ago)
the torrey craig redemption show part 2
― k3vin k., Thursday, 12 January 2023 03:21 (two years ago)
The best 1:42 you will spend today 😂 pic.twitter.com/NcTSjiSin0— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 14, 2023
― k3vin k., Saturday, 14 January 2023 22:01 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Saturday, 14 January 2023 22:58 (two years ago)
No cap like I am wearing no hat
― “Cheeky cheeky!” she trills, nearly demolishing a roadside post (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 15 January 2023 05:58 (two years ago)
8-6-5-1 in 10 mins of the first quarter
― k3vin k., Monday, 16 January 2023 01:43 (two years ago)
JOKIC. BANGARANG!https://t.co/UuwxYJmnXx pic.twitter.com/qM43q7xXBd— Wobkola Jokić (@WorldWideWob) January 16, 2023
big shot big honey
― k3vin k., Monday, 16 January 2023 03:37 (two years ago)
he's somehow so chill
― symsymsym, Monday, 16 January 2023 05:23 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Monday, 16 January 2023 05:28 (two years ago)
Great pass, comical shot pic.twitter.com/2jQntQmEVa— Taco Trey Kerby (@treykerby) January 18, 2023
― four square ups... no punches thrown (Spottie), Wednesday, 18 January 2023 17:00 (two years ago)
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.
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.
― k3vin k., Friday, 20 January 2023 15:41 (two years ago)
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
― k3vin k., Saturday, 21 January 2023 03:29 (two years ago)
joke obv
― sparkling hebroic couplet (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 19 November 2024 21:56 (seven months ago)
it’s a good joke man
― sparkling hebroic couplet (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 19 November 2024 21:57 (seven months ago)
it better be a great baby
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 19 November 2024 22:12 (seven months ago)
Jamal Murray: "It's a long season. Guys have lives outside of basketball. We just beat LA in LA. We've got some guys who live in LA, so stayed in LA. I don't think the focus was there from everybody, and that's what happens when you don't have the focus." pic.twitter.com/FG0QFtq4We— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) November 26, 2024
inching closer to the “trade jamal” position personally… his attitude sucks shit
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 26 November 2024 05:13 (six months ago)
“The Man Beyond the Dunk” Aaron Gordon (@Double0AG) graces the cover of the Winter Issue of @MileHighSports Magazine pic.twitter.com/8hqE6U6e5y— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) December 2, 2024
love this local profile lol. AG is in the wkiw mount rushmore I think
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 3 December 2024 06:53 (six months ago)
jamal and AG both out vs the wizards, nuggets down 17 a few minutes into the 3rd quarter, now down 8. denver can’t guard anyone. jokic has 40 with 3 mins left to go in the 3Q
― brony james (k3vin k.), Sunday, 8 December 2024 01:46 (six months ago)
he just missed his last like 10 shots however in a 30 second span lol
― brony james (k3vin k.), Sunday, 8 December 2024 01:51 (six months ago)
think it’s time for malone to go tbh. between his insane lineups, refusal to develop young guys (who go to excel elsewhere) like huff and hartenstein, and that fact that he’s evidently lost the locker room, seems like the only thing keeping him in denver is his contract and the kroenkes’s cheapness.
― brony james (k3vin k.), Sunday, 8 December 2024 03:59 (six months ago)
The start that changed NBA history 🃏 pic.twitter.com/CN5ODnCrh6— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 15, 2024
merry jokmas 🥺
― brony james (k3vin k.), Monday, 16 December 2024 02:26 (six months ago)
how are we feeling about these zach lavine rumors
― lag∞n, Friday, 20 December 2024 00:02 (six months ago)
I lean against the lavine deal. in its favor are the fact that lavine is a better more versatile offensive player, and could very well anchor the nuggets second unit offensively, something they’ve never really had in the jokic era. his ability to put the ball on the floor would be really big for them because they are pretty short on playmakers
on the other hand, he’s 3 years older than mike is and makes 10+ million more, and misses games all the time while mike (miraculously) never misses games anymore. I also strongly feel if a starter is dealt then it needs to be a situation where the nuggets get multiple rotation players in return. their issue is not their starting lineup, which is still the best or close to the best lineup in the league, but the fact that they have 7-8 playable guys and jokic has to play 38 minutes a night. trading mike (the only realistic trade asset they have) and not getting depth in return is just a lateral move.
I’ve been more intrigued by the hypothetical nets and hawks packages. but honestly and part of this is a sentimental thing, I don’t want mike to get traded and it would bum me out if he was scapegoated for the front office’s and jamal’s sins
― brony james (k3vin k.), Friday, 20 December 2024 00:29 (six months ago)
yeah makes sense re depth, lavine and murray is a pretty dubious defensive pairing too
― lag∞n, Friday, 20 December 2024 01:00 (six months ago)
yeah their defensive rebounding would likely get even worse. it’s already bottom 5-6 in the league
― brony james (k3vin k.), Friday, 20 December 2024 01:02 (six months ago)
the nuggets should get creative and trade Malone, like that time Ainge traded Doc Rivers to the Clippers for an unprotected 1st
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Friday, 20 December 2024 01:19 (six months ago)
im watching zach levine lay right now hes pretty good maybe the bulls could give them a second guy
― lag∞n, Friday, 20 December 2024 01:33 (six months ago)
if zach already makes $10m more, i think if you added a second guy's contract, it would have to be pretty small not to invalidate the deal
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Friday, 20 December 2024 01:44 (six months ago)
the nuggets can have a second guy as a treat
― lag∞n, Friday, 20 December 2024 01:57 (six months ago)
nuggets are “aproned” so they can’t take more salary back, would possibly need a third team in certain 2 for 1 or 3 for 2 scenarios.
I just got home and missed the game tonight but the nuggets have apparently lost to the blazers of the portland trail. not great
― brony james (k3vin k.), Friday, 20 December 2024 06:36 (six months ago)
we beat the 5-26 pelicans in overtime pic.twitter.com/Xpob33zN3i— Bobby (@BobbyMlRE) December 23, 2024
― brony james (k3vin k.), Monday, 23 December 2024 02:59 (five months ago)
if you have tears, prepare to shed them now
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Monday, 23 December 2024 03:23 (five months ago)
I think Hunter Tyson's former Clemson teammate PJ Hall enjoyed that one a little bit. https://t.co/FSk1P9gBNx— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) December 24, 2024
the booth boys are evolving
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 24 December 2024 16:40 (five months ago)
pic.twitter.com/lKuAVRXSJu— Guin (@yoitsguin) January 13, 2025
― brony james (k3vin k.), Monday, 13 January 2025 12:13 (five months ago)
Love it.
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Monday, 13 January 2025 12:46 (five months ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwxo92oByc
video on the jokic-westbrook connection
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 14 January 2025 03:15 (five months ago)
don’t want to clog up the main thread too much, but the nuggets offense is really humming right now. they’ve won 7 straight mostly against weaker competition, but they’ve taken care of business and jokic has sat out a lot of 4th quarters.
christian braun is evolving some off the dribble moves and is already the best transition player in the league aside from giannis. has been an amazing release valve for this offense and his finishing is genuinely a revelation. didn’t think this kind of touch around the rim would come for a few years if at all. MPJ has missed the last couple with what is reportedly a very precautionary hammy tightness but is playing possibly the best basketball of his life, at least since 2021. jamal is rounding into form too
most encouraging is the non-jokic minutes are no longer hemorrhaging points. some of that has to do with the staggered lineups they’ve been using with a couple of players in and out of the injury report, but jalen pickett being a consistent contributor has been huge too. I think he might be too small to contribute in the playoffs this year, but he’s a low-mistake player who plays hard on D and is a great passer and can hit shots. we’ll see if he sticks in the rotation when russ comes back but if he can give 10-12 minutes a night, it would really take some stress off the main guys who have played a ton of minutes. strawther is NOT a low-mistake player but can really shoot, and one of those two guys is probably going to be needed for spot minutes in the playoffs. even zeke nnaji is giving some useful minutes.
and jokic is on a huge shooting heater right now. he’s made 32 of his last 41 field goal attempts, and that includes a heave two games ago and 3 semi-rushed three-pointers in the last 30 seconds of the game last night when he was trying to get a 2 for 1. in the 23 games since christmas he’s averaging 28.9-12.5-11.3-2.0 with just 2.6 turnovers on .592/.408/.850 shooting in just 34 minutes a game.
denver is up to 2nd in offense, 5th overall in schedule-adjusted net rating, and a game behind memphis for 2nd best record in the west. I am pretty sure they’ve never won 10 straight in the jokic era, but they’ve got the blazers again tomorrow, then charlotte right after the ASB before the schedule gets tougher and hopefully they should have their full team
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 11 February 2025 16:28 (four months ago)
jokic has attempted a hilarious 15 heaves this year and if you take those out (including the one he made), he’s shooting 49.0% on threes this year
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 11 February 2025 16:36 (four months ago)
his 3p percentage might be the story of the year just insane
― lil $CHUB (Spottie), Tuesday, 11 February 2025 16:53 (four months ago)
the other thing about the nuggets I should mention is they’re such an anomaly in the way they score. they’re last in three point rate by a laughable margin, but are second in efg% and ts%, because they’re great in transition and get to the line a ton (both huge changes from last year). last night they had 88 points in the paint and tied an NBA record shooting 77.8% on 2s. (they’re also tied for the all time record for assists per game.) on the one hand this is totally contrary to where the league has been heading…on the other hand their ability to figure out a defense and score in the paint might translate to the offs
― brony james (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 12 February 2025 06:50 (four months ago)
feel like good halfcourt offense usually carries over to the offs unless its based on something weird like julius randle hitting a bunch of tough shots or something, transition scoring on the other hand does tend to dry up
― lag∞n, Friday, 14 February 2025 00:27 (four months ago)
weirdly shaky game from jokic*, but otherwise I have to say I’m so encouraged by how zeke nnaji’s played, to the point that I really think he can give the nuggets 10 good minutes in the playoffs. he’s been amazing defensively, and even has shown some good signs offensively without jokic on the court.
*actualy not surprising considering his bizarre splits where he plays better with fewer days rest
― brony james (k3vin k.), Thursday, 6 March 2025 04:52 (three months ago)
make this team make sense man
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 18 March 2025 05:10 (three months ago)
So to recap the last week for the Nuggets:- Beat the Thunder in OKC- Get Embarrassed by Minnesota in Denver- Barely scrape by the South Bay Lakers while at full strength- Lose to the Wizards at nearly full strength- Beat the hottest team in the league without Jokic or Murray…— Jack 🏹📋 (@murray_center27) March 18, 2025
― brony james (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 18 March 2025 05:32 (three months ago)
I went back and watched the 30-20-20 game and my biggest surprise was that Aaron Gordon was 7/10 from 3 and they still had to win it OT
― circles, Tuesday, 18 March 2025 06:10 (three months ago)
Real Madrid is considering signing Dario Saric this summer. Dario Saric is considering leaving the NBA and has been offered a deal. According to @webEncestando— Luca D'Alessandro (@DAlessandro_LU) March 24, 2025
have to hand it to malone if his season-long benching of saric drives him to leave the country and off the nuggets’ books
― brony james (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 26 March 2025 14:39 (two months ago)
lol
― lag∞n, Wednesday, 26 March 2025 14:44 (two months ago)
ant reax to jokichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IejFE7gzJaE
― lil $CHUB (Spottie), Wednesday, 2 April 2025 15:53 (two months ago)
thought that was so cool
― brony james (k3vin k.), Thursday, 3 April 2025 02:48 (two months ago)
nba players know when the other guy is doing stuff nobody else on earth can do
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, 3 April 2025 03:48 (two months ago)
that does for for this era of the nuggets I think. jokic and braun are the keepers, everything else is for sale. utter disaster
― brony james (k3vin k.), Monday, 7 April 2025 02:30 (two months ago)
so, yeah.
― Theodor W. Adorbso (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 8 April 2025 21:55 (two months ago)
damn that Jamal Murray knee injury, man
― alpine static, Wednesday, 9 April 2025 07:03 (two months ago)
k3v - any idea who the "full of shit / coach is trippin" guys are on the nuggets?
― alpine static, Wednesday, 9 April 2025 07:09 (two months ago)
I still need to go and listen to all the podcasts from yesterday. but from what I had understood over the course of this year, guys like pickett and strawther (booth’s draft picks along with tyson, braun and watson), plus nnaji who booth extended a couple seasons ago, had rocky relationships with malone. but honestly, other than maybe gordon and watson, who’s known to be a good studier, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that applied to anyone on the squad. plenty of poor effort and execution to go around
― brony james (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 9 April 2025 18:32 (two months ago)
from law murray on twitter
Final tally for a Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokić 5-man lineup that we might not see againNuggets were +34 when that group was together in 142 minutes vs ThunderNuggets were -98 in all other lineups vs Thunder in semifinals.
Nuggets were +34 when that group was together in 142 minutes vs Thunder
Nuggets were -98 in all other lineups vs Thunder in semifinals.
― brony james (k3vin k.), Monday, 19 May 2025 02:02 (one month ago)
Brutal
― lil $CHUB (Spottie), Monday, 19 May 2025 04:14 (one month ago)
I understand why they limited AG’s minutes in game 7 because he was limping up and down the court (despite playing pretty well), but I thought adelman played the bench too much. I get there is a balance you have to strike, but they blew lead after lead
― brony james (k3vin k.), Monday, 19 May 2025 04:56 (one month ago)
genuinely heroic effort from AG tonight
― brony james (k3vin k.), Monday, 19 May 2025 04:57 (one month ago)
yeah, fuck michael malone for saying shai “showed why he’s the MVP”. ripping the band-aid off
― brony james (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 21 May 2025 03:19 (one month ago)
have to say the reaction on twitter to that malone bit confirms my longstanding view of nuggets fans, the kinds of people who have been pining for years for reconciliation with carmelo, who couldn’t make it more clear he couldn’t care less about the franchise. a really down bad group of people who clearly have daddy issues
― brony james (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 21 May 2025 06:22 (one month ago)
like I have defintely had my issues with malone over the years, you can prob just search ILH about that, but the thing I did like about him was his pugnaciousness, the loyalty to his guys. obviously being fired is rough on anyone but to say something like that for a buck, after q everything he’s said all year, tells me all I need to know. george karl reigns supreme
― brony james (k3vin k.), Wednesday, 21 May 2025 06:31 (one month ago)