Championship confidence, a risky move, and Nuggets nuggets

Following the Nuggets’ victory over Golden State, Michael Malone expressed his pride in his team’s start to the season. Denver is tied for the most games played in the NBA, and they just ended a seven-game span in 11 days. Denver’s head coach talked about the “responsibility” of defending their championship before the season began. The players have spoken up. I was quite impressed by their professionalism.

While nothing Nikola Jokic does surprises me, I’m making it my aim this season to focus on loving everything he does. As sports fans, we are frequently required to study sports history. We aren’t often fortunate enough to recognize we are witnessing all-time sporting moments as they occur. The Age of Jokic will be remembered in NBA history, and I don’t want to waste a single moment of it.

Why Doesn’t Aaron Gordon simply understand it? He does everything it takes to win, no questions asked. Someday, I’d like to create a Mt. Rushmore of underappreciated Denver athletes. He’ll be there.

KCP appears to be serious when he claims he wants to be the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, doesn’t he?

Michael Porter, Jr. is working hard to develop into an all-around player. That’s fantastic. However, I continue to be amused by the lengths some people will go to in order to boost his game. “Look at those rebounds!” “Look at that finish in traffic!” “How about that defensive slide?!” MPJ is currently in the midst of a five-year, $180 million contract that pays him $36 million each year. For that type of money, I’d think he’d be doing all of those things and more.

Jamal Murray is in my thoughts. Even if he has established himself as one of the NBA’s “big game” guards, making the All-Star squad is a big thing for any player. Murray hasn’t added anything to his resume, and losing a month due to a hamstring injury will very certainly harm his chances.

But that pales in comparison to what he could be losing financially. Murray turned rejected a three-year, $145 million contract deal before the season. Jamal was betting on himself to make first- or second-team All-NBA. If this occurs, he will be eligible for a Super Max contract. According to NBA source Bobby Marks, such a deal would last five years and cost $304 million. Guaranteed. That hurts.

The story of the regular season has been how the Nuggets’ bench will look in the playoffs. I support giving young players like Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, Collin Gillespie, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, and Hunter Tyson every opportunity they can get. Until the trade deadline, that is. All bets are out at that moment. These young players have either cemented their spots in the playoff rotation, or the front office must be aggressive in bringing in established veterans. The Nuggets are in the midst of a championship run. This is not the time to be timid.