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What Do The Nuggets Need From Jamal Murray, Plus Trade Deadline Expectations



What Do The Nuggets Need From Jamal Murray, Plus Trade Deadline Expectations

Talk about practice practice the Nuggets actually got to practice for once in the regular season we’ll get Adam thoughts from practice we’ll talk about trade deadline expectations for Denver and why you should keep them low plus interesting question what does Denver actually need not not want not prefer

Need from Jamal Murray we’ll talk about that today on locked on nuggets you are locked on nuggets your daily Denver Nuggets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome to locked on nuggets your daily de nuggets podcast part of the locked on network your team every day

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Use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase my name is Matt Moore I’m the senior NBA writer for the Action Network joined by Adam mahrez he’s from dmvr uh Adam you’re at practice today I couldn’t make it because I’m swamped with trade deadline stuff uh but for you

You said before the show that the most important thing to come out of it was the vibe what’s the vibe it’s nice being around the team I mean this one of the things that there are these streaks in the middle of the Season where you don’t see them very

Much and and seeing and being around and talking to the guys really does give you a different perspective it was easy first of all they got four days off right between Sunday’s game and Thursday’s game so they looked rested but also everybody seems very relaxed I asked Christian Brown about what it’s

Like you know going through the ups and downs of a season and he’s like what ups and downs everything’s been up which is funny because to us we’re like there’s been highs and lows to the season but from their perspective I think they just feel really in control and Michael

Malone said said similar things just seems very very content with the team that he has where they’re at and there was a confidence coming from the Nuggets today that I just I don’t want to say it was surprising but it was very noteworthy yeah I mean I think a lot of

This is um also the ual lightning up in terms of they got through that that they knew that that stretch that we talked about was going to be really tough for them we knew that was going to be a tough stretch of games and they came out

Of it fine and they’re sitting tied for first in the Western Conference at 35 and 16 um everybody’s healthy knock on wood um they’re in position like they’re right where they need to be and there may be things that they can tighten up there are questions that we have but you

Know I think even you and I are kind of like you and I are not like they need like there’s they got to make sure at least I’m not are you in any sort of position of like hey well I’m glad you’re relaxed but like there’s a lot of

Stuff that needs to get cleaned up I feel like they’re in I feel like if the playoffs started tomorrow in a week in two weeks in a month the same would be true as as long as they are in the same spot with health and where their game is

At I feel like they’re ready to defend the title I definitely think that I think the team thinks that but there is one interesting Dynamic Matt and it was brought up today that is that around this time last year and especially right after the All-Star break they had gained

Like a six point or six game Advantage right over over Memphis and Malone unprovoked kind of brought this up and said I think last year the team saw that and got really bored everybody just started like there was a boredom to the remaining portion of the season and

That’s why they went to that dip he said this year I just expect guys are going to be a lot more locked in because there is a doubt about who’s going to be the top seed and what matchups will be what so I think that’s something to keep an

Eye on here over these next couple weeks is does Denver we I think we all expect them to have some kind of late season lull but that might have been more a function of the standings than it was about their own sort of internal Rhythm there’s also like a lull that involves

Still not losing to the Spurs right like yeah like last year you’re saying yeah like last year wasn’t necessarily A Lull it was like it was it was very much that week before vacation where yeah you’re in the office but you’re you’re on your phone a lot um

That’s how it felt the Nuggets were on their phone for much of March I don’t think that they’ll necessarily be there they can kind of be a little bit maybe more selective with how they approach it right like okay here’s a game that we probably don’t that isn’t going to be

That tough or that important maybe we can rest some guys be a little bit more selective um the question though I think is interesting because of the the race in the Western Conference where um The Gap I I will say this the Nuggets can win the title with a four seed but only

10 teams have made the finals in the last 20 years uh with a seed lower than third and that counts both conferences and no team has won the title with a seed lower than third and that’s not to say that they get fourth rather than third they

Can’t win the title I’m not saying that but what I am saying is I do think that going on the road starting second round makes it a lot harder it’s all about a degree of difficulty because last year was set up extremely well for them they

Were they got the wolv series done in five had a rest got through the sun Series in six had a rest got through the Lakers series had a long rest before the finals so these little things it’s not about can or cannot it’s about degree of

Difficulty for me in terms of where the standings are going to end up no question and the other thing for me is really that second round matchup I mean if Denver is a one4 a 4-1 a 23 or a 3-2 that match up to me is like I would rather Denver be

Probably a three seed if it was the matchups that I thought were best for them than a than a one seed where maybe I thought the matchups were worse for them in large part just because I’m not buying both the Thunder and the Timberwolves making it to the you know

All the way like I I think one of them gets upset you know so there’s this this level to me of like I’m not wholly concerned with those teams I do think the Clippers are tough um and I think the first round matchup there are teams

That are just easier than the others so that that’s kind of how I look at it but more than anything and this was my my broader point about being at practice today the team doesn’t seem to think that way the team seems to think we’re in a really good place and the numbers

Bear this out and the record Bears it out but the games where they’ve looked bad that have really annoyed people like me and I’m sure a lot of people like you know fans watching and listening to the show I just think the Nuggets feel more

In control of those so oh you get blown out by the Knicks oh you lose to the 76ers in Philadelphia those ones feel you know frustrating but I think they’re like oh yeah we know what we did wrong and that we’ll beat them when it matters

And that’s just the vibe I get from the team yeah it hasn’t felt the losses have not felt discouraging this year at any point um and that’s in part because they haven’t had like a long losing streak I’m trying to think three in a row maybe

May have had a three um at some point but they do feel very confident I do want to ask you this so let’s say that the choice that you know the you’re not not Choice the battle is between three and four what’s the team of those top three Clippers Thunder wolves that would

Prefer not to be in the bracket of Clippers no there’s no question I mean again I just I think that the Thunder I still believe in a playoffs Denver is going to match up very nicely with them and I think that Minnesota while they’re a tough matchup they’re still

Inexperienced and I I just think that Denver is going to find baskets more than they’re going to find baskets or find stops so but the Clippers are the team to me that you just don’t want to allow them ahead in a series I know that’s funny thing to say since de came

Back literally came back 3-1 against them but I just feel like that’s a team that has more outs and more experience and that’s why I think they’re tougher do you remember my preseason prediction is it the Clippers are you are you going to double down on the prediction on the

Other side we’ll talk about the trade deadline and what that’s gonna mean for Denver if they’re going to do anything why uh you should probably keep your expectations low plus we talk about the buyout Market as well because I want to talk about that with Adam uh as well

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Make sure to check out the locked on podcast Network live show for the trade deadline they do an NBA trade deadline show with host Josh Lloyd subscribe to locked on fantasy basketball on YouTube today so you don’t miss Josh Lloyd breaking down every trade with analysis

And insight you can only get from locked on fantasy basketball part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day uh all right so speaking of the trade deadline the day to go we had a small one today uh two two small ones today as the Boston Celtics reinforced to their

Front court with a very nice pick up two second rounders for Xavier Tilman out of Memphis that’s a solid pickup for them he can play next to Horford he can play next to porzingis it means Horford doesn’t have to play if kp’s out uh it’s

Just like a a very nice kind of boost for them but with the Nuggets Adam um I do think there’s been talk like the Delon Wright stuff was kind of brought up they’ll canvas they’ll look at stuff and I’m not saying it can’t happen um but my expectations are very low I get

From around the league I do not hear Denver as a as a Target or an interested team on most of them I think it’s going to be a pitifully slow trade deadline in general I just think everything’s kind of Frozen right now for a number of

Reasons and on top of it if you’re Denver you’re not under any pressure financially you’re not under any pressure talent-wise you’re there’s not a fit there may be things that fans feel that they could be better at but you have to manage some of that with how

Much that costs overall with the a into how that limits them so um my view is that I’m not expecting any moves from Denver in advance of the trade deadline yeah I think that um that’s how I feel as well and Michael Malone almost I mean I don’t remember previous trade

Deadlines maybe you can refresh my memory but he really seems to be going out of his way to make it sound like he doesn’t want one you know he mentions we’ll take phone calls you know we’ll do this or that but this year it just feels like he’s been extra vocal about how

Much he likes his team going into the deadline and oh are job to answer the call but we’re not making any um so I don’t know I don’t expect it either but part of that is just because Malone um he protesting quite a bit yeah I think it’s an interesting

Question I think he I’ll say this I think he feels more comfortable I think Malone feels the most comfortable with Reggie and DJ in the rotation of anybody right I think I think most well okay so hold on on that note though because there is something interesting that

Happened today at practice where he was asked about the rot the play the bench and he mentioned you know we have guys that we feel like we can trust in a playoffs when you look at pton Watson and Reggie and Christian what they’ve done and then he and then he had a pause

And he goes and then we’ve got other guys that help us contribute like Zeke and DeAndre or something and it was very clear to to differentiate between those first three and the rest of the guys so I so I while I agree that maybe he’s more comfortable I think that’s more of

A regular season thing he’s almost already H guys are I mean they’ll they’ll start I think every series like planning on AG staggering five or maybe the the not in the first round but second round on I think the expectation is that that’s

Going to have to be the way to go and if they have to buy minutes they’ll try and buy minutes but you would look for for an upgrade over Reggie Jackson you would look for an upgrade over DeAndre Jordan I think if there was a sense of urgency

That like we cannot go like they cannot play Spot minutes yeah because that sounds crazy but there are definitely guys in the league that coaches do not feel can play any spot minutes like there are guys that vanish entirely from the rotation right and I do think that

If there was a situation where due to foul trouble or injury that Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan need to Anchor the second unit for four minutes a half I think that the Malone probably feels better about that than most now he may come out of that and still be like

Nope can’t do it we got to figure something else out um but I don’t think necessarily that there’s like a um that there’s an urgency from from that standpoint I don’t think the players are feel like are missing anything I don’t feel like they need something different like there’s a real sense

Of they feel like the team’s complete and that’s what you want to feel at this time of year this is that’s what you want your your team to feel like you don’t want guys being like man we could really use another shooter or the coach to be like you know some sometimes

Malone’s done this before in previous trade deadlines where he’s like you know we could really use another like whatever it is um and it’s good I think that they don’t feel that way the front office will keep looking for options but I just think that if you’re a fan you

Should have pretty low expectations of anything happening because this is a tough Market to get into and the Nuggets being the one to kind of add those I think is a a tough one give them what their asset package looks like I think that last part of it is the biggest

Piece of this is they don’t have a lot of moves to make ju you know just when you look at you don’t really want to give away future assets I don’t think for a deadline deal unless you’re talking about a deadline deal that brings you years you know this and next

Year so when you start to say okay you need a player that fits a trade just salary-wise makes it in imp and then has something more than just like an expiring contract or this or that that pool is just so small so to me I don’t

Some of this is this that Denver I think Denver is going to go through this every single year they have a very expensive and very talented top five they seem to have a very good next two three guys and I think they’re always going to have questionable 9 through 15 and it’s just

Going to be how it always is and they’re not going to have a ton of assets and we’re always going to be at the trade deadline looking around going you know you can move you know some of your or end of bench guys for another team’s end of bench

Guys now the buyout Market I think is an interesting one because if you can add a guy without you have to get rid of somebody because the roster’s full but if you could add a guy without necessarily changing up the makeup of the team I think that’s something that

They probably be interested in PJ Tucker I think is the the obvious one um they are the Clippers really do not want him to wind up on Denver from what I understand there’s a number of teams they don’t want him to end up on and that’s one of them um I wonder why

Probably maybe just insight institutional knowledge I just think it makes him tougher right it does yeah but he’s not gonna play in that series would he it’s just like another tough guy um I think if you and if you’re the Clippers and you’re going for it I don’t think

That they they I think that they are pretty comfortable now I like I have heard that the Clippers are actually looking at an upgrade I’ll say that that I heard some noise last night about them um looking around a wing player that would be a pretty substantial upgrade

For them actually they have a they have a surprisingly flexible roster given that they have the four guys that they do PJ Washington yeah it’s PJ Washington yeah I’ve been seing that one floating around too it’s like it is a little weird to think that they could add a guy like a PJ

Washington since they have so many players already and at the same time he’s a really good player but there is something too like too many guys I don’t know you do it PJ Tucker look I do think there I don’t PJ Tucker wanting like a

Larger role and to be part of a team is the thing that scares me because I wouldn’t mind him like look PJ tuck Tucker can come in and save Aaron Gordon in the regular season in that role I I mean he in the playoffs you go to Aaron

Gordon would PJ Tucker be happy with that I don’t know and then I do think there is look I believe in institutional knowledge I believe in like you get a guy and then you go into a series where he played against the other team and he

Just has a little note like hey man you know what kawhai always used to complain about this he hates it do that to him you know there’s those little ticks and tricks that that you know and so I get why they would be afraid of it

Um Gordon Hayward might be the other one I think it’s unlikely given that I think Indiana is going to offer him more than the men um they’ve got the ability to do so and if Gordon Hayward gets bought out which he may not charlott’s making a lot

Of noise about not wanting to do buyouts with Kyle Lowry and Gordon Hayward and the rest of them um but if Hayward were to come available like that’d be like that’s a player that that’s like a different deal because like I I’ll ask you this like who would you rather give

Minutes to in the playoffs Gordon Hayward or Christian Brown I mean to me it’s way more of a a tossup than it would be for you in large part just because I think Denver doesn’t need scoring in the playoffs they’re going to end up having Aaron Gordon and Murray on

The court in those minutes and that’s your scoring and you’ll probably have Reggie too and that’s your third wheel of scoring off bench units every other lineup is gonna have joic and kcp and all these other guys in it so I to me I almost like when a team has more clarity

Of exactly who does what on a team and and so there’s more of that with Christian that’s interesting I would definitely I was I’m a little shocked because I’m like oh yeah no no question Gordon haward like Gordon haward’s really good and versatile and does a lot

And is a complete NBA player um but that’s interesting and and Christian Brown is an NBA champion and NCAA Champion uh Mahalo says we cannot th Hayward because of the new CBA I don’t know why that would be a case oh because I guess if they’re in the apron I guess

The question would be like if they may have move to get under the apron they know if they can bring him in I it would be an interesting guy though I do think because I think he’s on the last year of his deal right he could be an interesting

Like Denver’s only signed you know like justtin holiday and guys that were like one year not really come to play but he would be an interesting one where he’s somewhere in between maybe he’s more of a Jeff Green and I could see Denver adding him next year in that caliber of

A role where it’s like a limited role but might actually be a consistent role so Mahal actually brings up a good point um I don’t think they will again I don’t think they will but should Denver look to try and move somebody to get under the apron so that

They can add guys in the buyout is it important enough I thought they were already available too this is the you obviously know this is my weak suit here I thought they were already a team that could add somebody should they open up a roster spot

So we’ll see we’ll see um I just don’t I think Denver’s playoff Road top eight is set and everything else is just like to survive we we’ll revisit the rotation the next time they don’t win the title I think you like the uh the way that

They’re that we may be looking at this uh up next I wanted to ask I was thinking about stuff to ask Adam and I I do want to have this conversation I want to know what Adam thinks of this question what do the Nuggets need from Jamal Murray we’ll talk about that on

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Time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed we’ll be right back un lock on nuggets back around lock on nuggets thanks for joining us and making this part of your day all right Adam Mars so I want to ask you this question because I think it’s a great one Jamal Murray is

Not going to be an All-Star he’s totally okay with that decision talked about it the other day that there’s lots of great players that aren’t allst Stars this year um I am curious about this though the Nuggets won a title with Jamaal Murray as their second best player he

Was phenomenal had a 30-point triple double in the finals alongside n Cola averaged 50490 on 30 points a game in the Western Conference Finals had some huge moments round by round of the NBA Playoffs my question for you do the Nuggets need more than just that from

Jamal Murray do they need more from him in the regular season or do they need to be a able to know that they can count on that what do they need from Jamal Murray in your mind I mean the the answer like if you were just looking for the bare minimalist

Answer what is what do they need from him they need him to be great in the playoffs they need him to beat the defensive players that they’re going to throw at him in a way where he looks like a All-Star that he doesn’t look like in the regular season so that begs

The question of okay well we’re in the regular season so what do they need now and I think the honest answer is to get a one seed it would be made easier year by him probably being just a little bit more consistent and more dominant uh at

At his role and in the two-man game in the regular season who probably would make things a little bit easier but the truth is that they can get to the playoffs as we know uh as a top seed with him being a 21 Point per game score

And in the playoffs they’re going to need him uh you know to kind of Ratchet that up I will say that there is something to Murray like last year I am concerned I’ve brought this up a few times now but they need it from game number one and

They need it from round number one every single game and I do think Jamal has typically started even in the playoffs a little bit slow and gotten better as they’ve gone on and so I’m curious to see this year does he have the conditioning does he have all that stuff

To kind of hit the ground right away because the first- round matchup this year might may might not but may be significantly harder than it was last year so you’re okay if he continues to be this type of player in the regular season as long as he is the guy that

He’s been in the playoffs from game one I I think that’s the key is from game one the G from game one part is the big thing here because last year you get a Timberwolves team that was missing two of their top six guys and I’m not and

Look they wenton in five but I just saying this year you might get a team that’s a little bit more a little bit tougher uh by the way you the news yeah I was gonna hit it uh so some breaking news while we’re on the show here live

Uh Adrian rasv ESPN reports the Minnesota Timberwolves are closing in on a deal for Monte Morris they were looking at tus Jones uh couldn’t get that deal done but they have Tim connley gets back his guy Monte saves Monte from the pit of despair that is the the

Detroit Pistons that Shores up the second unit for the Wolves they were looking for a backup point guard this gives them some options short and long term with Mike Conley um get the rest him a little bit more Jordan mclin I think has done a fine job but Mont is

Obviously an addition um that’s a really good ad for the Minnesota Timberwolves who just get a little bit better and add a little bit more institutional knowledge in the form of Monte they needed a backup point guard I thought it was going to be bones which somehow would have been like tougher for

Me in a weird way um they get Monte ity look man I Monte obviously not playing a whole lot this year and even just looking at him he looks a little heavier so I wonder how much the injury and stuff has like yeah he’s not the guy

We’re thinking of you know that he’s been in years past but at the same time I love Monte and I hate that Tim Conley did it he’s Mr nugget man you can’t have a Mr nugget in in Minnesota but here we are it seems like a good move it’s totally

Unsurprising this is such a Tim Conley move yeah um we’ll probably talk more about this on tomorrow show I’ll have more reaction of this uh later I’ll be with you guys again tonight by the way for a live show um all right so let’s go back to the Jamal Murray conversation so

I I think it’s it’s interesting just from the perspective of like whether or not you need more from Jamal in the regular season and like that’s not to say that he’s having like a Bad season right I think it’s too far to say he’s having a bad season I think he’s having

A good season it’s just a matter of he still has never really like he’s never been that guy in the regular season and for whatever reason like he is a dude that turns it on and the question I I do think an interesting question is right

Now I don’t think that they do an interesting question is whether eventually they will need more from Jamal in the regular season from I do think eventually they will yeah the standpoint of how much joic has weathered over since basically the bubble um he’s played a ton of

Basketball like just a ton of B ton of high usage basketball and being able to take some of that burden off I think is important in the long term yeah um I also think it’s kind of interesting from the perspective of like this gets into

The idea of can you count on guys in the playoffs right because I’ve seen a lot of really good players have bad Series yeah you know like I’ve seen Kawhi Leonard have bad series as much as he’s talked about as like one of the most clutch guys even in early rounds I’ve

Seen him struggle um I he’s fairly considered a clutch playoff player performer though just because bad ones doesn’t mean yeah yeah he’s had a lot of really big moments I do I do think his game seven stuff is a little overstated he’s got some bad moments in game sevens but that’s fine

Uh I think there are other guys I think that that have that reputation um and so it is kind of one of those things where it’s fine until it’s not that’s kind of the thing I think with Jamal it’s like it’s totally okay for him to be the

Player that he has been um as long as it never it doesn’t interfere with anything but if they were to lose in the playoffs and he were to struggle now all of a sudden that like this is what’s tough though is like think about how amazing

He was in the bubble and how amazing he was last year but think a lot of scrutiny think about this if the Nuggets were to lose say just say they were to lose in a first round Series so you win a title and then you lose in a first

Round with Mar playing exactly as he’s playing right now that would make a tough offse analysis because you’d be like right now it’s like he’s always there when it counts and blah blah blah blah blah but if you get into that SP moment you’re like well I don’t how do

We contextualize this you get burned one time and all of a sudden you’re trust goes so I do think that is one weird part about it but here’s my real question I want to ask you I think we have in our heads this idea that you become great in the offseason right you

Work out you you take a step up and then the season happens and you kind of just are the player of the year then an offseason comes and you get better and then and you go I think that you get better during the season the season is

Longer than the offseason and I wonder if there’s this level of when he is sort of in the the level of play that he he typically performs at in the first half of regular seasons are you almost punting on the opportunity to get better I don’t know I don’t know the answer to

That but I do wonder if there was something too where the Nuggets were just in a Zone all the way from the start and you’re like oh this is opening up opportunities for new new wrinkles I don’t know that’d be an interesting question to to you know to ask a coach

Or something off record in an offseason yeah um so that’s that’s where do you have an opinion on that like if Murray was playoff form in October and they just were like grinding would the team be like M learning something from that like elevating or would it just be kind of those games

Don’t mean anything and what do you they’re already at the top of what they can get get to I think it’s one of those things where it raises your margin for error right so your win percentage goes up just from the standard of like your floor you can play at your not even

Floor but just like a normal Pace but then Jamal’s performance tips you over and gives you an extra 5% winning perform winning chance every game and then that adds up over the course of the 15 games that you play in so you go from hey we went you know nine and seven or

We went 10 we went we went from 10 and five to 12 and three right and like those little edges that get you through there because you see this a lot actually where teams will actually have dips but it’s like this guy was just Bonkers for a month just insane and

That’s pretty normal um I think actually to be quite honest with you I think the Bucks were like this for much of December where it was like they weren’t playing well but Giannis was just insane in December and January and that was enough to carry them um see this from

Tri collector there’s no chance it would outweigh the exhaustion effect look Michael Jordan’s team he played all the time he played 82 games almost every year Kobe Bryant um you know Kareem like I just look at this and I think that it’s it’s amazing to me how um much that

Thought process and I’m not even trying to say it’s right or wrong I do find it annoying though that we’ve accepted it because it’s like we’ve accepted this lesser version of a product we consume so that part bothers me but this idea of like we just say oh yeah you need to not

Try or or limit how hard you try when that never was the case guys used to try all the time I think it limits your end of your career I actually think there might be something too Kobe maybe could have done what LeBron did and extended his career

A handful of years but I don’t know that for young especially 27y old super athletes I don’t know that it like meaningfully lowers your ability to perform in the playoffs those guys played 82 and they were pretty good and if I recall they were pretty good in the

Playoffs I don’t know what to make of all the the exhaustion numbers because there’s like indications the game is so much more harder now and basketball specialization like it’s all too layered I’m just kind of like I have no idea like I I don’t know like I think we we

Kind of take like what we see in front of us and we got to live with the with how it is and that’s all I can really kind of get to K KOB Kobe played 80 games at 38 minutes per game in 2002 like first of all 38 minutes is an

Enormous amount and then to play an all 82 and then guess what went to the playoffs and put took his game up a whole other level and played the best basketball of his career to that point I also like I do want to be very clear

With Jamal because it’s like the way we talk about him is because of the nights where it’s like 15 yeah six four but like his season averages he’s averaging 21 and seven yeah 6.6 like I actually think he’s been pretty he’s been really good more more often than not lately yeah like he’s

Averaging 21 and 6.6 on 47 41 85 splits that’s a great with a 20 PR like that’s a great player it’s more a matter of um I am interested in whether I I basically am interested in do the nuggets at any point need him in the regular season to play like an Allstar

Yeah and what and I guess like an interesting one is what if there what if there’s a situation where he plays more like an All-Star in the regular season but less of like a god in the playoffs what does that mean for yeah you know we don’t we don’t have an experience with

Non with with human Jamal in the playoffs I’m just looking it up I know it’s a different era man I know everything’s different Michael Jordan 1998 his last season with the bulls 8 games 39 minutes a game did not miss a game and played 39 minutes and then of

Course went to the playoffs and did what he did so I just again I just think some of this stuff contextually to me is a little funny but that’s where we are these days then in the playoffs by the way every year of his life every series

Of his life he played over 40 minutes in the playoffs so it’s crazy yeah some of the minutes that Jordan logged especially in from 89 to 92 like it was it was wild how much he was playing it’s one of the reasons why everyone’s like you can’t play yish this

Much and I’m just like can you can’t you you can um all right it’s gonna do it for lock on nuggets thanks for joining us appreciate you guys being with us I’ll be back with you on Wednesday night for Thursday morning doing a live show on a number of topics

Getting set for the trade deadline in the last couple of hours appreciate you guys being with us we’ll talk to you guys again next time on lock on nuggets

The Nuggets hold practice and they’re in a great place. The vibes are calm and confident, and Denver is where they need to be headed for the stretch run. The trade deadline looks to be extremely quiet for Denver, Adam and Matt discuss why and how the buyout market could take shape for them if they choose to pursue it. Then, what exactly do the Nuggets need from Jamal Murray, now and in the future, plus the guys react to the news Tim Connelly got back his old guy Monte Morris.

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13 Comments

  1. Denver going into the post season with only 2 big men in their rotation is a mistake… we can survive with 2 points guards but if Gordon or Jokic tweek an ankle or get in foul trouble the Nuggets have nothing. Boston just upgraded and the Nuggets are sitting back.

  2. Any one the Nuggets lost to I never thought they could beat the Nuggets in 7. Hard to believe that the scouting team can't find a Bach up center overseas. All the best center in the league are from overseas. Have to believe there's some good back ups around. Murry will be ok.

  3. In the last 20 years no team has won a title being a #4 or lower seed. But don’t forget about the 1995 rockets they did it as the #6 seed.

  4. Twolves, they are easily our worst matchup. They didn’t even have their best perimeter defender last season. Clippers we will throttle. Harden is a chump in the playoffs.

  5. The Nuggets are over the first apron and would be ineligible to sign Hayward if he gets bought out. Along with basically any buy out player that could actually help.

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