Cue One Republic or put in the Tom Cruise HS football movie on VHS from the early 80s. Now that I have your attention after your brain being stimulated, I'll say it, the Nuggets made All The Right Moves.
I have been a fan of the Denver Nuggets for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching games at McNichols and watching Drew Goodman doing the games on PSN in elementary and spent nights listening to Jerry Schemmel in junior high while other kids were listening to All 4 One on KS104 (okay I listened to that on non-Nuggets nights). My HS years I had to be thankful for the Avs and Broncos keeping my spirits up and in college I had to thank alcohol and a rigorous school schedule along with Colorado football to keep me sane.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the Nuggets winning, but I want more. And finally the Nuggets ownership has said and shown they do too. Josh Kroenke made the right decisions these past couple weeks in firing George Karl and letting Masai Ujiri go for $3 million a year. I think the whining about Masai are pretty mute. The guy is getting paid a premium that honestly wasn't worth matching with the Nugs power structure.. I believe Kroenke in how it went down, he offered him and Toronto was Masai's one team he would listen to. Masai can work with someone he has an even better relationship with in Jerry Colangelo. Masai wanted to be back in Toronto in a city that fits his style and his worldwide name. People say no one knew Masai before he became GM in Colorado, well wrong. True fans knew of his scouting days here and how he left to take a bigger job in Toronto and how that city fit with his going to Africa and the international love that city has. Look for a foreign rich roster in Toronto with a lot of diamonds in the rough is my prediction. Hell, the Nuggets got one in Evan Fournier and Masai has that eye as such a great scout. He is well respected, well spoken and I believe a great GM, but I don't think he had the hand to rule the Nuggets. I believe Kroenke is that hand.
Once that hand didn't feel like it was going to swat away anything from his friend Ujiri, his first order of business was having some honest discussions with George. I don't think those two saw eye to eye with the personnel, with the style of play (especially the weak defense against inferior offensive teams) and with the adjustments needed to be successful when it mattered most at all, the playoffs. Like Kroenke said, "I am not here to win awards. I am here to win banners."
George and his supporters all point to the fact the Nuggets won more games without a superstar. They talk about how we haven't missed the playoffs with GK as coach. They miss the number one reason why he is gone, George Karl isn't going to win you championships. He has been in the league as a HC for 25 years. In that time he has been to one NBA finals and 3 conference finals. He was a coach you want if you want to win games in the regular season. I've had enough of that as a Nuggets fan and believe Karl was a big reason the Nuggets have not taken that next step, not the personnel the Nuggets have. I have enjoyed seeing 110 point games and seeing long lines for Tacos at Taco Bell. I have enjoyed seeing a winning product, but as a fan, as a franchise you want to see banners. They are missing at the Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets have lacked in a couple areas Karl always has, developing players and relying on an average player instead of an upside player. Karl has always been good at getting the most out of players that fit his mold of hard working and constant energy. Kousta Koufos is a great case-in-point. But Karl loves his overrated PGs; Anthony Carter, Andre Miller and Earl Boykins come into mind, and has always had a superstar issue (after his Supersonic days); Carmelo, Ray Allen are cases in point. Kroenke saw guys like Evan Fournier, Timofy Mozgov, Wilson Chandler and JaVale McGee and went why does it take an injury to get these guys on the floor? The Nuggets played their worst Center all year the most minutes because he was a Karl guy. They played Galinari while Chandler sat the bench (believe me Chandler's play in the playoffs was bad but you were having a SF play PF and C in GKs over reaction offense) and Fournier rode the pine in blowout games when giving Fournier minutes in place of Andre Miller made sense to a fan and Kroenke, but not to the stubborn Karl.
So, Nuggets fans, I have to say this, DON'T FEAR and QUIT BITCHING. Give Kroenke a chance. The fact is Kroenke loves basketball and it's the right time for him to take control and have a coach and front office ran how he sees fit. The Nuggets have talent. They need to get a couple more players that can fit whatever vision they and their future Head Coach have. In Denver we are seeing what sports is becoming, one guy making the calls and that guy is not a GM or coach. Those guys are hand picked to fit the vision for what the main guy sees working. The Nuggets are good enough to win 50 games with the talent they have and getting a couple of better role players. They lacked a guy that could hit it from outside to match the offense they ran. They lacked a coach that could make his team switch to a shut down defensive team, grinding it out and adapting to when they had to switch to half court. The coaching and the playing due to it were atrocious against Golden State and ultimately what I believe caused Kroenke to say it was time. The simple fact is the Nuggets had the advantage if they kept their game like they did in Game 1 since David Lee was injured for the playoffs. George overreacted after the best shooting performance I've seen from a team. I sat there in disbelief at the lack of pedal to the floor in Games 3 after a huge lead and being in control at half going into Game 6. The decision making was awful from not using timeouts correctly to personnel. I knew after watching Game 3 the Nuggets had no shot, not because the players but because the coach lacked the direction needed in the playoffs.
I will say it first, the Nuggets will make the playoffs and be more prepared for it. Their roster is playoff tested and they will have a coach that fits Denver but fits the NBA's style in the playoffs where defense and half court with shooting is needed. Kroenke will get some shooters through Free Agency and trade. I hear this crap about they won't win 50 games like they did with Karl and they won't be a Top 4 seed. Who cares? If they win 45, make the playoffs and look ready come that time that is all that matters. The fact is, you know after the first two games whether the away team has a chance in a series. I knew after that blowout the Warriors had a chance. After Game 3 you know who will most likely win the series if that away team shows they have a chance, at that time I knew Golden State would win the series. I haven't seen a chance since the Nuggets played the Lakers in 2009. I am excited for the next few months when a coach and roster is shaped. It may take some time, but unlike the Broncos did in the mid 2000s of spinning your wheels and being one and done in the playoffs, the Nuggets will either build upon what they've done and take the next step like Detroit in 2004 or like Dallas did a few years back or fall of the map and end up and in a few years like Golden State, Memphis and Indiana where they are on the cusp. I think with the right coach and a couple more players, you could say the Nuggets are on par with those last 3 teams who all looked like they have a legitimate shot in the next couple years. I think the talent level is not far off for the Nuggets and those teams. I know a bad team after watching that 11 win Nuggets team, this isn't a 30 win team with a different coach but a team that could win close to as many games (yes, in the 50s) and have a better shot come May to hopefully play into June. Because I don't care about any trophy the Nuggets bring in besides a Larry O'Brien!
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