Could there be a rift forming between the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic? | The Drive [denver sports]

Could there be a rift forming between the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic? | The Drive [denver sports]

here is uh Tim bombs from ESPN uh here in the last 24 uh 48 hours talking about the Denver Nuggets being one of the losers in free agency listen to this I think they’re the massive Losers of free agency like you can you could debate like people are going to pay more attention to Paul George he’s a bigger name right that the Clippers didn’t pay him it’s inexcusable that Denver didn’t all these young guys on the bench that they can play this is just about the Kies didn’t want to spend the money and they can hide behind the second AED stuff but they’ve never been a team that’s historically gone far into the tax and they didn’t want to go far into the tax to keep this guy wow I mean that is that is pointed yeah criticism mentioning the owners by name uh from a guy that it does a tremendous job at the national level Tim bombbts uh he’s the person that runs the straw poles and everything and you see him all over ESPN uh his profiles risen here in the last four or five years for sure um but man he he’s he he put his crosshairs right on the Nuggets organization putting it all on the finances do you do you do you agree how um plain and simple that that that he puts it or do you put more stock into no there’s there’s there’s more layers here what is Sean said that one time when he was like sometimes we make things harder than they have to be and and some things are just cut and dry and this is one of these things where it’s cut and dry because where are we getting this money from the owners crony he made makes a decision if KY walked down the stairs and said hey Calvin I’m okay with paying kcp I think they get that done because he is the owner he’s the one that makes the shots he’s the one that has the money but when the owner says hey look I’m not willing to do that you’re gonna have to kind of start to to get things together then you kind of have to listen to your boss and so it’s it’s fair that you you give some of the blame to the cronies because that’s where it starts where it has to start somewhere it has to start with the owners because they’re the ones with the money well I I I think I think there may uh be something to this for sure and I do not want to be dismissive of his criticism because we’re not we’re not privy to the conversations behind the scenes um but I think he Tim who I have a lot of respect for he’s making it he’s oversimplifying it I believe Calvin booth and the Denver Nuggets legitimately believe that Christian Brown is perfectly suited right now to fill uh kcp shoes or or maybe it’s 90% of it which honestly Phil and I said this to you yesterday you know you asked me going into a break like do you think Christian Brown is ready right now to fill those shoes and we went to break and I came back I said yes I do I do the problem is the ripple effect after that question yeah it’s now so who’s the new Christian Brown who who Who’s your Sixth Man where where is your depth that was already an issue and that issue becomes even more glaring so it’s not just one size fits all hey Christian Brown fills kcp shoes or 90% of it or what however you want to slice it up and that’s the end of the conversation it’s it’s about the already known weakness of the basketball team and uh it just simply be becomes more glaring now yeah and and there’s so many so many levels to this Zack but let’s start with this because you have to start with the five players on the Court first why why do you think Christian Brown can feel the role of kcp why well um because what I’ve seen for the last two years mixed with just a a really talented Defender who plays as hard as he can every single possession okay who’s a larger Defender uh than kcp yeah so better suited to guard guys like Anthony Edwards maybe even Devin Booker and and he’s already done good job at it I’ve seen it so he’s not a total projection but it’s mixed with some projection cuz we haven’t seen like this the amount that’s going to be put on his plate this year we haven’t seen that but that’s the thing though you’ve seen it in a limited role and it’s so easy when you know what what you’re gonna have to go out there and do okay Phil I don’t need you to score this time I need you to go out there and give put your heart on the court and just play straight defense that’s easy it’s because all you’re doing is specifically telling me yeah to do one one thing one task now you’re saying for Christian Brown as a starter hey and we talked about it yesterday Zack play great defense the whole entire game shoot well the whole entire game be smart with the basketball the whole entire game we’re counting on you every single play are you ready for that yeah that’s where it’s like he has not proven to me that you can sit there and guarantee that he should be a Bonafide starter now should he have the opportunity for sure he should have opportunity but nothing has shown me that Christian Brown is ready to take the range as the starting now well well I don’t know I don’t know what you would I don’t know what you would want to see more and he’s not a perfect player this is why I’m saying like maybe 90% of what kcp is and he’s got to get better at shooting he he needs to shoot the basketball better well that’s what I want to see more of just yeah yes yes but I’m you know this guy was playing he played every single game for the Nuggets this year every single regular season game every single postseason game yeah average 20 minutes a night and I think he has knocked it out of the park big picture he’s going to have nights where he struggles he’s going to he might have weeks where he struggles but excuse me on the whole I think that young man in the last two years like when you draft him out of Kansas in the first round a couple years ago you hope that it you’re getting to a certain point where you’re ready to say yeah this guy this guy can start for us and the NBA crap the NBA draft is is a crap shoot second half of that first round it’s it’s their Power Ball tickets and he actually played well but the depth for me the depth I’m I’m actually and and sort of like maybe beating around the bush a little bit more yesterday as we’re processing the news of kyp’s departure like I’m okay with the decision that Calvin boo made for the most part as long as he’s not done that that bench needs addressing and it needs to be addressed with veteran players and but until I have that information like an incomplete picture yeah um but yeah I mean so here’s here I’m going to play some more criticism that that that that’s coming um the Denver Nuggets way here’s a more of Tim bombs of ESPN he’s turning 30 like it’s not like he’s going to be great for eight years you got a window rightly not involved I wonder if it makes it easier because of that I mean like he just is gone like just with the say you’re not going to spend money right now when you have arguably the best team in the league like what’s the point’s the point any of this this is like all these rules are in place where you’re trying to you’re trying to pick your spots to go up to that kind of level Boston way into the second apron they’re spending a ton of money why because they think they can win a title they went out and won a title last year with a super expensive team right they pushed their chips in they spent all this money they went for it like yeah Denver won one but like now they just basically to me took a step back from being a championship level team and it’s only because of money like I I just I hate that as a basketball fan wow so again it’s kind of the same theme but but where I and I don’t know if it’s only because of money I don’t know that and I think that for me personally I’m not there I’m not and I’ll explain why here in a second but like f he is right when he says the Denver Nuggets roster has taken a step back yeah it just has they have so I don’t I that makes me uncomfortable but again we don’t have the complete picture but if you are of the mind that the Nugget got better here in the last 72 hours I don’t think you know what you’re talking about no we didn’t get better we we didn’t stay stagnant we got worse you know and and and that’s the issue and that’s kind of what I bring up okay even if you would have said okay Phil Christian Brown being a starter now we got we’re still good we still you we still got better in that that position as a starting five but we’re we’re lacking on the depth but in this case you move Christian Brown up and you can’t tell me we still got better with the starting five and now okay when it comes to the bench we got even worse and so now it’s like probably probably well until we find out right until we find out who else who else we’re going to add hope hopefully we do add some veterans to the bench um but right now you know speaking of right now yep you can’t tell tell me we got better in the starting five and we got and we’re better in the bench no nope both things took a step back therefore the team took a step back and this idea that ah it’s all good cuz joic is in his prime and it’s a it’s not all good it’s not all good you like more needs to be done here I’m expecting more to be done there’s two roster spots left Denver Nuggets need a backup center I don’t know why DeAndre Jordan’s still here I’m gonna you know it’s it’s it’s it’s I really like the man DeAndre Jordan he was a he was a great addition when he was uh added to this team he is a veteran presence he’s almost like a player coach he’s the closest thing to it right now in the NBA player coach you play like four minutes in the playoffs doesn’t play so why is he here because you need a back up Center he’s a center but he doesn’t play so anyway that aside uh and he’s now apparently a part of this recruitment for Russell Westbrook I guess that’s why that’s why he’s here well well well I’ll tell you what it almost feels like man this and I’m okay with it I really am but if you covered up the name of the team and covered up jokic’s name and you said DeAndre Jordan and the best player from an NBA team are recruiting Russell Westbrook I would think they play for the Lakers this does not seem like an organic nuggets move that’s why I’m saying I think we’re about to step into like a new era of Denver Nuggets basketball where a lot of pieces are the same but a lot of them are different and these these guys who are going to be on the court every single night it could be like not quite wholesale like we were just talking about with the Broncos yeah but like you it’s just going to be so different and it’s just it’s it’s um man there’s there’s just a lot of layers to this you know IND different can be good you know if you have the right people you know you you add the right depth the right vet veterans and you have a special thing that can happen but if you don’t okay then the window closes man and it’s all about this window we have that’s all we’re talking about Zack we finally got to feel what it tastes like to win a championship okay and we had the opportunity right after winning it to do it again and we didn’t do it and now it’s like when does it hit the panic button because if we don’t do it next year yeah then what yeah you know you’re sitting here you’re sitting here saying man we just wasted this opportunity that’s in front of us to win multiple championships because this is what it’s all about it’s all about winning and winning championships that’s all anybody ever remembers okay when you talk about the Denver Bros what do you talk about history and then winning championships that’s what you want to do with the Denver Nuggets and it’s about now not just about you as a general manager you got to you got to think about the now and in the future but for as fans we’re talking about right now and being able to have these experiences and say you know what we won another one we have at least two yeah well I although I disagree with the fundamental point or I shouldn’t even say I don’t I disagree I just don’t know if I do agree that this is all about money and it’s all about not cutting that big check getting into the second apron and we spent a lot of time talking about the second apron yesterday and it doesn’t play well for Sports Talk Radio it just doesn’t it’s like confusing man dude I have really spent time trying to figure this thing out and I think that I know more than maybe most if if you know everything you might you might as well turn turn your headset in and be a lawyer bro the teams are still trying to figure it out I swear to God I swear to God I’m reading all around from different Outlets that the teams themselves are going through game theories trying to figure out what this new era of NBA basketball like and that’s why I don’t I don’t uh um can’t coign what Tim bomb temps is saying from ESPN is because I think he used a verb in there or not a verb he used like a phrase in there he was like with this new apron you have to pick your spots that’s more of what I think this is for Calvin Booth it’s like we’re trying to avoid the second apron why because it’s not just about writing a huge check they make it impossible to do anything with your roster guys impossible you’re you’re in handcuffs like the Boston Celtics this is their team moving forward it’s going to be vet minimum signings and God forbid something happens injury-wise to to one of these guys you can’t do anything when that happens you are so restricted it’s it’s unbelievable I’ve never seen it in sports in general so if it’s close between kcp and Christian and Christian’s maybe 88% of what you think kcp is this might be a spot where you’re like I have to pick my spot this is not the battle going to war for to go into the second apron we’re going to move on and and now he’s got to address the holes with the depth but yeah I don’t think I don’t think in my gut and if I did I would just say it but I don’t think in my gut this is all about trying to save money I don’t think that’s what it is then what can it be though Z and I know you just went through it but that’s what it’s all about because if it wasn’t about money then everybody would get signed it’d be the Super teams like they were but now because of the second aprons and all this stuff you just talked about okay it it has to be about picking picking and choosing what you do because of the money and the money you don’t have and the money you’re not willing to spend when it comes to tax season things like that okay but what you’re seeing from Boston is a team that seems to be Allin a team that’s feels like you know what let’s just win it right now because that’s what it’s about and then when later on down the line when we start to really understand what this is talking about the aprons and things like that we’ll start to to to figure things out but right now because they don’t even know and you just said a lot of teams are still trying to figure things out yeah I’d still be in the now man trying to figure out how we win another championship Phil Phil I am not going to tell you not to feel like that first of all just in general I’m not going to tell another fan how to be a fan but there real validity to your side of the argument I’m more okay with it because my understanding of the second apron it’s just it makes it almost impossible yeah moving forward for Calvin to do his job you you are you are at the behest of other veterans signing for literally the vet minimum you can’t even get a guy on the buyout Market a guy who’s on the street on the street you can’t even get him you can’t sign him even if he wants to be there when you hit that second apron so I think if it while what you’re saying is true that the team is less without kcp yeah I think it’s legitimately choosing your big boy battles and and he’s like you want to know what he’s turning 32 and at kcp and this is not going to be where I use this bullet because once I’m out of that bullet that’s my last one you’re you are handcuffed and he’s like you want to know so what would the bullet be used for then signing Aon Gordon uh like like that’s kind of to me it’s what’s the bullet for the bullet for the bench because you you can only give so much money to the bench who’s that bullet going to be used for that’s a great question you know and and for a general manager why do you do this job you do this job to win championships that’s all I care about Z you know that’s all I care about and if you put it in front of me of course I’m going to say okay what does our future look like and what is right now look like and right now when we talk about a window because a window can be shut as fast as it open okay do we have a chance to win that’s all I ask if the answer is yes then what can we do right now to make this opportunity come true of winning another championship and that’s kind of where I’m at with it when it comes to what are you holding the bullet for because if you hold it too long yeah your time passes and yic is going to be knocking on your door mad at you see for not giving that opportunity opportunity to him so we have this in the notes and you’re getting their organ ically to think that you are guaranteed Harmony between yic and the organization as a Birthright because yic is just so chill and he he’s just so chill and he’s going to be in Denver forever and it’s all good it’s a lifetime contract basically why because he’s joic doesn’t work like this for any other NBA player but he’s yic so everything’s going to be fine yeah I want to know what he thinks about this I’d like to know what he thinks because for two years in a row I believe this roster has taken a step backward with the departure of Bruce Brown which was not Denver’s fault just so we’re on the same page because I’m hearing like even Nick Wright you know who has his own lane and does a great job he’s like you know they didn’t pay Bruce Brown well they couldn’t payu Bruce Brown because of the NBA rules they didn’t own his bird rights therefore it’s either he could come back here and make seven or he could go make 45 somewhere you were never going to get him back kcp was different but I don’t know what how yic views this kcp situation I really don’t and again um it’s not a Birthright and I’m just bringing it up because it needs to be quite frankly how does yic view this and could what we’re we what we’ve been talking about for two days straight could this be the first ever Rift between joic and the organization and how does that manifest Stu I have no idea maybe nothing maybe he’s just internally frustrated but maybe not and we’ve never seen joic frustrated and this idea that yic doesn’t care about his legacy in basketball secondary is a lie he loves this and he wants to stack as many titles as possible yeah and if he doesn’t think that you’re putting him in the best position to do that to think that that human instincts of frustration might not reveal itself in some way shape or form is naive yeah man this I I really wish I could be in yoki’s brain right now because I don’t think he is happy I don’t think he’s happy what’s going on and what he’s seeing and I think that’s why we heard talks of joic pounding the table to get somebody like Russell Westbrook become to to come in the building to help out because I feel like that yic feels good when there are veterans around that he understands okay most great players they don’t want to be surrounded by kids that’s just a natural fact like I want to be around somebody that I know has my back that understands that we need a win okay that understands that hey this is where I need you to be okay and do your side of the ball play good defense right kyp was that guy that didn’t talk a lot but he knew his place and he knew what joic wanted and that’s hard to find sometimes and that’s why veterans are very important and for if if you think that yic is not upset right now then you know you have something coming because I I do think he’s upset I think he’s upset I wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron Gordon’s upset and I think Michael alone is upset that one is very likely

Will the dismantling of the Denver Nuggets championship team form a rift between superstar Nikola Jokic and the team’s front office? Watch The Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay!