Has Jusuf Njurkic Already Made Timofey Mosgov The Backup Center?

At the close of last night's drubbing of Memphis at the hands of Denver's desperate Nuggets- who needed a win like air and water,  the lead Grizzly bear Marc Gasol, gave hugs and sincere respect to the new Nugget big man he had ferociously battled just minutes before.

I believe that Nurkic is our future.  Teach him well! 

During a pivotal moment of the game, Jusuf Nurkic finished a back-to-back block brigade, including one against Gasol, with a Dikembe Mutombo-esque bit of crap talking as the icing on his patty cake. According to coach Brian Shaw (in the post game press conference), Nurkic was promised more minutes with less fouling.  Nurkic, who loves to reach and has the wing span to justify the bad habit, finally had a game with no fouls despite a VERY physical battle against one of the leagues best centers.


Along the way he compiled a double double, including 5 blocks, while simultaneously forcing Timofey Mosgov to wonder if he should count his remaining days as the Denver Nugget starting center.  Javale McGhee is working on his ball handling skills as we speak so that he can become a 7 foot power forward/center for his remaining days in Denver.

Nurkic is but one of several young talents that are quickly trying to earn their way into the trust of the city that they play for.  When you become a fan favorite, even your bad play gets overlooked as with Kenneth Faried.  It sometimes even gets you a second opportunity to return to a city that thinks they missed something in your game- as with Aaron Aaflalo who is quickly convincing me that Orlando got his best year/s.  Aaron Augustus Aaflalo is unafraid to shoot in the waning moments of games, but opposing coaches are totally fine trusting AAA  with a slightly contested look to win a close game. The signs say that Wilson Chandler will never be a player who wants that shot, so the hope in  this area remains with two up and coming guards that simply haven't come up quite yet. 

Last night, Nurkic might have been the first Nugget rookie to officially come up.  He certainly got lucky to catch a team that had played the night before, however he was unfortunate for that team to be the 3rd placed team in the vicious NBA Western conference- and a team whose center is probably the best in the league-  unquestionably the center (not named Tim Duncan) with the widest array of skill sets. Denver beat Memphis by 29 points, but Denver fans discovered a reason for hope in the coming days and years.  Denver Nugget point guard and current team leader, Ty Lawson, had another stellar game displaying all of the reasons why you appreciate Ty when he's feeling it.  Even when Ty is not "feeling it", he remains an effective player in the league and would easily lead the league in assist if his current guards weren't such erratic, sporadic, dare I say spastic scorers of the ball.  With a reliable person to deliver the ball to (i.e., someone really close to the rim who can score and/or get to the line consistently), Lawson could unveil a second half to a career that has been positive while far from prosperous.  Whether its Ty Lawson or a reliable backup like Jeremy Lin (who could really use a new home),  Jusuf Njurkic will be the Nugget center catching their passes and calmly creating something for his team.

Nurkic is a natural playmaker who understands the game on a very high level but continues to make the small mistakes that separates rookies from veteran players- mistakes like fouling instead of forcing hard shots then blocking out to eliminate second chances.  Nurkic and the Nuggets could all stand to improve in the realm of defending without fouls and last nights game was the first foray into that realm of improvement.  Since Denver has never successfully defended without fouling, last nights win also has to be considered an anomaly. Whether they were just the beneficiaries of blind whistles will be determined in the games to come.  Denver has long since been the best team in the NBA at getting second chance opportunities.  Unfortunately, the Nug's have also ranked pretty high in giving up second chances and/or giving teams free throws as a result of poor defensive discipline.

The winning potion versus Memphis was one part tired Grizzly and one part new and improved Nugget, a team that MUST keep this going if they hope to keep it going.

Or they could scrap the season like New York or Philly and push the youth movement into overdrive but risk further loss of favor towards coach Shaw who would likely become the sacrificial lamb of such an approach.  The Nuggets are playing for respectability and they are playing for an identity.  They are playing to ensure their fans that they have a plan for the future and that some pieces of it, especially the coach, are clearly in place.  The Nuggets are unlikely to win it all and even hardly capable of turning tide enough to make the playoffs this year, so the current goals have to be set within arms reach or they become a deadly mountain to climb.

Winning just enough to keep the heat off of a worthy and capable coach is an active goal that just took a 7 foot, Jusuf Nurkic leap forward.  As long as he can continue to defend without fouling, Mosgov will move back and the Nuggets will move forward....and that is a good thing.

Love To Denver Makes A Lot Of Sense. Unless You Lose Faried

I am formally joining the Kevin Love to the Denver Nuggets bandwagon. Unless it means we have to give up Kenneth Faried.

If you are not a Nuggets fan, or you are considering this trade as part of your fantasy draft, you might think I have a screw loose, but follow me here.

Kevin Love might very well be the soup du jour, but he is marginally better than Kenneth Faried, and would represent the equivalent of making the same mistake that the Nuggets made when they lost Aaron Aaflalo to Orlando in order to acquire a player that they were never going to be able to keep in Andre Iguodala.  Don't get me wrong, both trades seem to make sense, but Iguodala is similar to Love in that we have seen the top of their upside.  With Aaflalo at the time and Faried right now, the question of potential looms.

Aaflalo remains an excellent defender, but was a rapidly developing scorer at the time. In the days away from Denver, he improved in both areas, maybe even surpassing Iguodala.  With Love, he is an excellent rebounder and an above average scorer although most of his points come from the rebounding effort (including subsequent freethrows) that he puts forth, not the long range bombs that he has become famous for.  Faried is capable of the same type of rebounding performance that Love produces and continues to tantalize the senses regarding his upside potential in this area.  As it relates to scoring, Faried does it much like Love gets it done, on rebounds and put backs.  Occasionally Faried will even find the range on his developing jump shot and free throw, but this is where he noticeably lags behind Love.  Either way, a Faried for Love trade threatens to have the Nuggets repeating a mistake of a few years back.  Swapping similar parts just for the sake of change and hoping the formula reaps playoff rewards.

The Nuggets are not Kevin Love alone away from a championship bid just as they were not Andre Iguodala away from one a few years back.  But Kenneth and Kevin?  Now you have the formula for a dynamic that could change the prospects for sure. I often wonder if the all-time best all-around player, Dennis Rodman, ever gets a chance to watch NBA basketball anymore.  So few players did it with the passion of Rodman, that it is hard for me to imagine any modern player that he would waste his Hall of Fame energy to watch.  If there are any players one could image Rodman being a fan of, it would be Joakim Noah, Kevin Love and Kenneth Faried, because they are the closest you will find to guys who play the game like he did.

Part of the Mile High mystique is in overcoming the altitude, especially if the Nuggets get out and run on you. The biggest problem with implementing a consistent running game is having the big men who can secure the rebound...every time, and also run the floor to insure the trail or lead options are exploited thoroughly.  Defense in the NBA is a loose translation for, make the shot harder than it would have been and DO NOT give up a second chance opportunity.  In translation, rebounding is defense in the NBA. Consequently, the seeds of victory for any would be champion are sown on the second chance points you get and in the ones you avoid giving up. The Chicago Bulls proved that even a team with no offense could make an interesting run at it with an immense effort on the boards.

Denver, with Kevin Love, become the quiet contender that no one will acknowledge until they have no choice anymore.  Just as the Broncos were tagged "The Donkey's" until they upset the Packers in a Superbowl, the Nuggets will always be fools gold until they get a game changing player to believe in the possibility of a championship in Denver. Love might actually decide on Denver, but it could take time to convince him that any smaller market team has a chance in today's star laden, big market NBA.

Or will it?

No one knows where Love goes, but he has played in Minnesota, so he knows what small market hoops is all about.  Yes, he may long for the big city as Carmelo Anthony did after leaving Denver, but if he longs for a championship, here is what the landscape looks like.  Next years prospective champion comes from a list that includes several small market teams, including Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Indiana and maybe even Denver if Love decides on that Mile High life.  The list of big market teams that should vie for the title might equal the small market list, but it doesn't surpass it.  This thing is fairly wide open, and Love has to know it.

Is Faried on his way out or will he Love rebounding with Kevin?

He also has to know the value of any player who does what he does on the boards.
 Absent Kenneth Faried, the Nuggets become a transformed representation of the very team that Love might leave.  With Kenneth Faried, Love should be counting up the rebounds per game (Mosgov and Hickson are not too shabby in this area either) and realize how many extra kick out 3's he might get when he isn't the guy trying to get the rebound as well.

I accept that my premise could be tainted but its because of  the Love I have for Denver and not for the Love I have of Kevin.  Kevin Love has yet to sniff the playoffs, which means he has yet to even open the book on the only test champions take.  It could also be the thin, THC infused air we breath out here, but I think my rationale will pass the piss test.

But first we need more Love in Denver.