Did Nuggets Beat Dallas Because Murray Got Tossed?

 

Whether it was the chaos in D.C. inspired by "what's his name", or this virus that has driven the daytime drinking levels to exponential proportions, giving a damn about sporting events has been terribly difficult. Thankfully, our orange mistake and the fecal odor from that Capitol Hill raid are getting dealt with in a similar manner, so let's talk hoops and see if we can avoid one of those virus mutations

If you saw the Nuggets play yesterday (hit the link above if you missed it) and you agree like me that it's finally time to care about the Nuggets enough to talk about them, then I have a question for you. 

Did the Denver Nuggets win the game last night in Dallas in large part because of the third quarter ejection of Jamal Murray and in small part PJ Dozier, who went down earlier in the game with a hamstring injury, or was it a victory despite the loss of two key players, especially their all-star guard Murray?

Before I clarify my question so you don't think I am hating on Murray or Dozier, my answer is both. They won despite the challenge of losing two very important players, but they also won because one player in particular got out of the way and allowed a few fresher legged, hungry pups to eat.

While I have always appreciated the toughness and grit of Murray, it has always felt like coach Mike Malone gives him injured PT (playing time) just to help him get used to learning how to play injured like Kobe used to do, not because it's the best thing to do for him or the team, especially given the depth the Nuggets have at the guard spot and the difficulty of healing and injury while playing with it. 

As for Dozier, he has quickly become the kind of guy Malone relies on because of his length and ability to play team defense and because he fills in at four positions on the floor. Dozier is not yet a star player, but losing him last night makes it a win despite the loss of a secret weapon of sorts. With Murray it's a differet story. His current injuries and erratic performances thus far turned his ejection (which was legitimate thanks to his ball busting behavior) into a moment for someone else to shine, and Michael Porter Jr. came through.

By allowing Murray to play through injuries that everyone knows about, which makes the injury a ready made excuse if he needs it, Malone is forcing his team to hope for the best mental focus and performance out of their injured star who himself forces these moments on his coach to develop mental toughness while slowing the development of key backups interested in his job and simultaneously nullifying the reason for upgrading the backups in the first place. But it's all of that and one other thing.

Without Murray on the floor, a player who demands and gets his number called by the Nuggets quite a bit in every game, the Mavericks didn't really know where to focus their defensive efforts which had to be game-planned for Murray and Jokic especially late in the game. Because they aren't saddled with expectations yet, the Nuggets backups come at you like mosquitos in the summer time, and there really is no way to defend against mosquitos in the summer time. Without Murray on the floor, the capable stable, or maybe I should say swarm of Nuggets guards- Campazzo, Morris, and especially Porter Jr.- got to perform without the expectations you get after putting up 50 points more than once in the playoffs, and that is a good thing.

This is not to say the Nuggets are a better team without Murray. This is to say they aren't bound by his performances or his presence on the floor like they were last season, and that's, once again, a good thing. #whatdoyouthink

Bonus Note: R.J. Hampton actually got significant PT in something other than garbage minutes because of the loss of two guards...and he looked impressive, especially on defense. Keep an eye on him!!

 

Nuggets Need Next Level Coach. (Aka., Not Malone)

James Johnson?

The Clippers traded to get the
coach they wanted.
Should the Nuggets do it too?

Ain't that JJ from Good Times? His last name was Evans you say? The other J was for Junior?

Well who is this JJ that ripped the Denver Nuggets to shreds in the double overtime loss in Miami last night?

I could be considerate of the Nuggets fight on the road against an actual playoff team, including enough effort to get a couple of extra periods out of the game, but they were on game two of a seven game road trip designed to make or break a team that was in the hunt before last night. Extra periods was the last thing the Nuggets' road trip needed.

Actually, the previous loss to the struggling Memphis Grizzlies was likely the death nail to our season, but we were still stuck on the road and stuck in the midst of a western conference log jam before we started pulling ourselves from the fray with back to back losses of winnable games.

If it wasn't clear what the problem is, last night made it fairly clear. Mike Malone is not a playoff coach. He probably isn't even a head coach really, however, teams in transition need disposable coaches to get them through the process.

Or, they need an established one like the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra who somehow rebuilt the Heat and now has JJ a bunch of other guys I can't recall (Dwayne Wade was injured) looking like a team on the upswing of transition should look. In fact, they look quite un-Nugget like if you are asking me.

Malone seems too content with the progress to fulfill this process. He is slow to sit his youthful starting group but quick to pat them on the back for the kind of effort that professionals get paid for. The players who give the effort (please come back soon Gary Harris) are rarely the guys who get post game love while the coach either oozes over guys who get hot here and there, or complains about players he rarely sits.

Malone seems focused on building the next Golden State Warriors and not the Detroit Pistons or some other team famous for grit.

What many fans of the Warriors and of the run-and-gun style Nuggets forget is that our best teams defended and controlled the boards in moments that matter. Golden State is also fabulous on the boards in moments that matter.

Aside from a couple of backups who don't play enough, I'm hurting my head trying to recall the last second chance point the Nuggets starters have scored. No trouble at all recalling the ones we gave up.

Perhaps Malone doesn't trust his transition defense enough to crash the glass for second looks. And perhaps he is so focused on playing fast that guys leak out before the defensive rebound is secured.

Whatever the truth is, end game execution is stifled when fast break buckets are your main diet. The book on the Nuggets is to force their scorers to beat the double or triple team late in games and watch them actually try.

Jamaal Murray, Nikola Jokic and maybe even Gary Harris have bright futures as players who can carry a team and close out games as needed. Key word? Future.

That future is not now, and every attempt by coach Malone to force it into being is pushing this team further and further back in the standings while Malone falls further and further out of favor with the more experienced players who are forced to watch Murray and Will Barton piss away wins trying to score on a double team.

I am only reading body language, and the message from our only all-star, Paul Milsap, is not good. Either he will need to be like Andre Iguodala and find a team that is best able to use the last years of his career or the Nuggets will need a new coach so they can use Milsap themselves.

Under the current path, the Nuggets will be under major reconstruction again soon, or they will fire the coach and make it look like he was the problem so that terminations don't extend beyond coaching.