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Thank you for joining me on this special New Year's Eve. Podcast on the broadcast. I say special. It's just me riffing on a specific topic. Special is relative when it comes to this particular podcast. But we're going to be talking about New Year's resolutions for the Nuggets and the NBA. And I hope you stick around. It should be fun. But first, I want to talk to you about Pet Online. Pet Online continues to be the world's most trusted betting platform and your number one source for online betting. From the earliest odds to in-game live betting, Pet Online provides you with all the action and the ability to watch games as they happen. You can bet on UFC, NFL, NBA, college basketball, NHL, just need-- there's a bunch of bowl games. You can still bet on those. There's the Poly College football playoffs. It's just like anything you think and think of. They've got it right there. Plus, it's a one-stop shop. You don't need to go anywhere else. It's basically what you need. You just go in, you look up all the information you've got right there, and plays a wager. Plus, they've got slots games. So head to Pet Online today. And don't forget to use promo code BLEAV for your welcome bonus on your first deposit. That is, promo code BLEAV for your welcome bonus on your first deposit. Pet Online, that game starts here. That's the end of the year. I'm recording this on the 31st of December. So if you're listening to this, Happy New Year, your most of you will probably be listening to this in the new year. Nuggets beat the jazz last night, and now they've got back the two losses they had from one against Phoenix and one against the Cavs. I'm not going to yuck anyone's yum. It was a good win. And this is not about that. This is about looking forward into 2025. And resolutions for the Denver Nuggets, and in the second half, I'm going to be talking about the NBA. But first resolution for the Nuggets is to find a point of attack and screen navigator defender. Whether it's on the team or it's in the trade market, I don't happen to believe that person is on the team right now. I heard Matt Moore saying that Peyton Watson is a good screen navigator. And I'm not seeing it, Matt. I'm sorry. The Nuggets need one. Russell Westbrook can do it at times. But honestly, that is the Nuggets' biggest efficiency in their orbit. And it doesn't necessarily have to be someone who is-- it doesn't have to be someone who could be a starter. It could just be anyone. They can plug in. They need an omni tool. Essentially is what they need. Essentially, they just need Bruce Brown again. Because obviously, Contavius Caldwell Pope was a 3ND guy who was specialized in screen navigation. That's why the Nuggets were so good against the Warriors while Contavius Caldwell Pope was here. He was able to navigate screens, which is Steph Curry's bread and butter, so to speak, off-ball god is what Steph Curry is. So having that sort of thing, you're not going to be able to replace that. They need a Bruce Brown. Now, some of that has been taken over by Russell Westbrook and the attitude department specifically. But he's a different player, does different things. Having Russell Westbrook available to take care of some of the dog stuff that Bruce Brown did is great. But we're talking very specifically the omni tool thing. Because Bruce Brown was also good at getting over screens. You need a guy like that, so they either need to emerge on the want-- could be Peyton Watson. They either need to emerge on the roster or they need to be able to seek them either on the trade or buyout market. I don't anticipate that happening this season, but it is probably destined to be happening this next offseason. But that is the New Year's resolution number one for the Denver Nuggets. They need to see better screen navigation, and that is priority number one, quite frankly. It really is. Number two, another shooter to emerge. And that's, once again, a-- this is a three-point shooter specifically. That is either a roster thing or it is a trade market buyout market thing. The Nuggets really lack shooting. And what they're doing right now when they're offense is a high-- it's a very potent offense right now, but it's primarily 2s. And really, high dependency on Jamal, Microport Junior, obviously, and a little bit of Julian Strathor and Yokich. Ideally, you don't want Yokich having to take that many 3s. Ideally, you probably don't want Jamal, whose specialty is not three-point shooting, to be taking that many 3s. You really want it to be Mike and Julian and one other guy. And that was-- that guy was in the past, was a contagious call, well, Pope, who would take up, I don't know, four or five 3s made a night, you know, up to on nine shots. He would take up that portion, which balanced the Nuggets offense. The Nuggets-- their offense right now is, quite frankly, way out of balance. So what you need is that. And it's easier-- once again, easier said than done. And probably, we will be solved in the off season of 2025. The Snuggies team really-- that is one of the harder things to do. And hopefully, you're able to get a guy who can do both. But I don't necessarily believe-- KCPs don't grow on trees. Oh, I just rhymed. KCPs don't grow on trees. Good job, Jeff. Anyway, they don't come around all the very often. And it's sort of-- you got to be really, really sometimes, kind of, you have to project. And that's what the Mavericks did when they made their trade last year. They really got a good deal with the guys that they traded and brought in. And it really helped out a lot of their different needs on this team. Now, obviously, as I'm going to talk in the second half, apron issues are going to be a factor. But there is a-- the two biggest needs are the two resolutions. Find your guys who are going to be able to do that. Either these guys suddenly on the roster-- I'm pointing specifically 100 Tyson here. I think Julian Stradler is too much of a gunner to be a guy who's going to be that reliable. You really need a guy like Hunter Tyson to be quite honest with you, to take up some of the slack on threes. And if he's not able to do it, you've got to go outside to do it. Because the Nuggets are just getting lagged behind there. There are 18 and 13 right now. As of this recording, going into the New Year, the Nuggets are 18 and 13. Not a terrible record. Obviously, they would like to be four losses. They take away those four losses and turn them into wins. That's really where the Nuggets are right now. Resolution number three. Michael Malone needs to find his new voice. And I've talked about this before. I don't necessarily think that he is getting through that the way he used to. And I think a lot of it has to do with familiarity. The same stick you use doesn't work the way it used to. It happens to every coach. Michael Malone needs to find a new voice. He needs to find something that he can-- a button he could push. That is one of the hardest things to do. And really, this happens with every single coach that it's in one place for a long time. You need to find a different way to approach things if your roster remains consistent. And fortunately, and maybe a little unfortunately, the Denver Nuggets have a very consistent roster. You're talking to the same people all the time. You've got professionals who make many times more money than you do as a coach. You need to find a different voice. You need to find a way to do it. Either that or you need to bring in a new assistant, something like that. But Michael Malone needs a refresher. And that is something that is going to be the need number one for him in the new year. Another resolution, as far as I'm concerned, is the Nuggets need to find a better communicator. Obviously, everything is up in the air as far as the future of Calvin Booth right now. If the Nuggets go continue to win games, his future will be more solidified. If they remain on this sort of above 500 trajectory, I don't see him surviving. But this is not about that. If Calvin Booth stays, you can't have him communicating to the media anymore. It's just foot and mouth syndrome with him. And he's a player version of Sam Hinky is what he is. Someone who just doesn't get communicating with the public. The Nuggets need to find their own voice through someone else. My nomination would be Tommy Paulsettis. He's very good with the media. And he's very good at communicating to the public. Maybe designate that to him if Calvin Booth stays. Even in the future, we never know. You never know what's going to happen. But the Nuggets need to find a new voice. Another resolution is Christian Brown. Christian Brown, I hope, will continue to do what he's been doing. But sprinkle in more threes. He is the leak-out god at this point. And I believe all of his buckets last night against Utah were in transition. That is incredible, right? But in a real-world such scenario where things slow down, particularly in the playoffs or when you're playing a good team, you need a guy who's going to be able to stretch the floor. And I do hope that Christian Brown finds it in him to continue to work on his outside shot. And that was going to be a thing that helps that out the Nuggets more than anything else as a team right now. The last and probably the biggest resolution for the Denver Nuggets is I hope that they start projecting some sort of movement on a practice facility. It cannot continue that the Nuggets are lagging so far behind everyone else. In 2025, I hope to god-- and this is a faint hope, by the way, because it's been my hope for the last 10 years. And I don't see it improving. The Nuggets certainly need to project that they are making movement on a practice facility to keep up with the rest of the modern NBA. The Nuggets right now are stuck in 1999 with their practice facility. And it's not something that can be allowed to continue. This Nuggets team needs to have a direction going forward on that. And KSC really seriously needs to let people know that there's hope for this. Both for people around Denver and primarily for free agents and people who come in to see the Nuggets. I'll be honest with you. Everyone who goes into the current arena and sees the Nuggets practice facility comes away less than impressed. So the Nuggets need to get with the times. And my hopeful and my resolution is that they start pointing a direction and publicly announce that there will be something coming and put a date on it, because this has gone long enough. Or in the second half of the podcast, I'm going to be talking to you about the NBA and my two resolutions for the NBA that I hope it does through the very particular-- very specifically in the off season of this next year. And we'll be getting to that after the break. But first, I'm going to talk to you about Blanchard Family Wines, OK, between 18th and 19th, and Blake & Wuzzy in beautiful Lower downtown Denver, Colorado, just a couple of bucks away from Coorsfield, right in the middle of the dairy block. They're always online at bfwcolorado.com. They're on Facebook and Instagram under Blanchard Family Wines. Look, if you're going downtown for New Year's Eve, which is tonight, you're going downtown there, stop at Blanchard. They got bubbles. They got all forms of, you know, that you can consume. So if you're in downtown Denver and you want to like, you're going out to dinner, you want to experience the nightlife of what it is New Year's Eve, stop at Blanchard. They got you hooked up. And you'll have every sort of varietal of wine that you can think of, partnerships with Westerners, a little slope wineries. Check out their Pinot, check out their Cabernet's. Both are excellent. But anything they have is you're going to be satisfied with the best local wine bar. They got a location for the future. They got the location in Golden for appointment. And of course, their original location in Sonoma County, California. Once again, they're located between 18th and 19th. And Blake and Wuzzy in beautiful Lower downtown Denver, Colorado, just a couple of blocks away from Coorsfield. Right in the middle of the area of luck, they're always online at bfwcolorado.com. They're on Facebook and Instagram under Blanchard and Ryan's. When you go in or you talk to them, tell them Jeff Morton from CSG podcast sent you. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home in auto policies. The process only takes minutes. And it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Potential savings will vary, not available in all states. My resolutions for the National Basketball Association in general. And I'm going to set this up a little because this is something that I've talked about a lot, but I really do. The more people I talk to in the league, the more deep frustration that I has been expressed to me about the current state of the collective bargaining agreement. And very specifically the aprons. To set this up a little, the NBA always over-thinks itself. And this is an example of Adam Silver's leading the way on over-complicating things, trying to backdoor a hard cap. And what it has done is just paralyzed the league. Now, a lot of people have talked to me and they have said that the league isn't as afraid of the second apron as they were before, but it's still an impediment. But it's more the first apron that has been the problem. And what I would suggest is the resolution for this NBA next 2020-2025, hopefully, is they open the CBA and they lessen the penalties of the restrictions of the first apron. Because it really is the first apron that is the problem right now. The first apron is the one that has kind of paralyzed the league. And if they can leave the restrictions in the second apron as they are, lessening the restrictions of the first apron will actually help more player movement. And this league thrives and survives on player movement. I know people are a bitch and complain about that all the time, but it drives interest in the league to see players move or be traded. And unfortunately, the reluctance to do any sort of substantial trade comes from the restrictions in the first apron. Primarily, because most teams are in that area, over the tax first apron, that sort of thing. And the penalties for going under the salary floor are immense. So everyone exists in this narrow band of finances. And yes, whatever the NBA says, they tried to backdoor a hard cap into this. And what it has done is paralyzed the league. And in 2025, very specifically the off season, my resolution for the NBA is that you finally see the light and see what's happening in the league and you adjust that first apron. You go from the restriction, which is the worst one is the dollar for dollar thing in the first apron, which is asinine. This is the thing that has absolutely paralyzed the league. It is being having to be a trade come back dollar for dollar in this league, or you have to be sending out more than you're taking in, it has really prevented a lot of deals that have been rumored out there from happening. No one wants to make a deal, particularly if you have to do dollar for dollar, or if you're a team on one end that has to bring back more money to make a trade happen. And then a lot of teams end up having to trade draft picks that they don't want to trade. And all of this stuff, it's asinine. And then there's no reason the NBA intended the league to be paralyzed. There's no way they thought, yeah, we're going to have this thing paralyzed. Plus, I think if you're not in the second apron, they need to lessen the repeater tax. I think that is another thing, because the repeater tax is no one wants to get it. But the problem is a lot of teams can't get out of the first apron because of the restrictions. And what happens is you end up making catastrophic decisions, which hasn't happened yet. But it may be catastrophic decisions for teams that just get out of the first apron, where most of the league is. It's not conducive to movement, and something needs to change. And my advice would be to change that. Second resolution for the NBA. Announce that you're going to expand to Seattle and Vegas. Everyone knows it's going to happen, just announce it now. Adam Silver has been-- what I would say is a two reserved with this. The NBA's financial conditions are set for the next 10 years. They need to do something right now. And they need to do it for the reasons that I've stated in the past. And the number one with a flaming bullet is dispersing the talent with 30 more jobs in the league will help teams big time. Because there's 30 teams, and you're going to have attractive players put on the market to lessen from an expansion draft. All of this is going to help the league. Because right now, believe it or not, the league is suffering from a talent congestion. Essentially is what it is. And some of that has to do with the asinine rules of the CBA. Things need to move in a positive direction. And getting a two expansion teams will help that out. Plus, the NBA would get massive expansion fees. Financially speaking, there's no downside to it. It's just owners not wanting to split their pie anymore. And that's just greed. You need to announce it now. Because everyone in the league knows that expansion is what this league needs right now. And the sooner you do it, the sooner things will start to unwind from the tightly coiled mess that it is right now. Resolution number three is the NBA needs to find a way to lessen the effects of ESPN. Now, I understand that they went all in with ESPN again. But there are ways the NBA can mitigate the influence. And unfortunately, the NBA and its association with ESPN has damaged the overall product. Because the ESPN is into its own financial status. And it did this with Major League Baseball years and years and years ago. Because there was a long time ago-- and I think the old timers will remember this-- all you saw in ESPN was Yankees Red Sox, Yankees Red Sox, Yankees Red Sox. And it was over and over and over again. And the calculus at the time was, well, we'll just concentrate on the big markets, the Northeast. That's all well and good. But what happens is that it depresses, believe it or not, it depresses interest in the sport in the rest of the country. So essentially-- and this is something that baseball has always had an issue with-- but it becomes regionalized. And the NBA, because of the influence of ESPN, is in danger of becoming regionalized. And that would suck for the league big time. Even though the NBA is by far the biggest of the American exports, as far as sports go, this scenario that sets up because ESPN just focuses on the same teams all the time is part of the problem. If someone tunes into ESPN or ABC, they see the Lakers. They see the Warriors. Now, Christmas Day was great. Christmas Day was-- that was the highlight of the day, the Lakers and the Warriors. But the rest of the league kind of gets tamped down. And the league struggles so much because of ESPN in promoting its teed lifeblood, which is teams that aren't on the coasts. So the league has to find a way to mitigate the effects of the self-interest in ESPN. Plus, you add in all the hot take stuff and the terrible coverage, I'll be honest with you. You add in all of that. And it just becomes this feedback loop of cutting off your nose just by your face. Adam Silver, if he's a man of ideas, he wants us all to know he's got a lot of ideas. If he is any sort of big idea guy, he finds a way to mitigate the effects of ESPN. And I'm curious to see next year how NBC cuts into the influence in a way that TNT wasn't able to do. Yes, the most popular show in all of the NBA is inside the NBA. It is flat out the most popular show. But what you need is a reach big enough to mitigate the effects of ESPN. And TNT was literally never able to do that ever because TNT reach isn't huge. The popularity of inside an NBA is one thing. But the effect and coverage of TNT didn't reach that far. I do hope and I do suspect that the ultimate goal of NBC is to cut into an ESPN's dominance in terms of quote unquote NBA coverage. And if Adam Silver is smart, he will allow this to happen. And one more thing about Adam Silver, one last resolution, please stop having ideas. I don't know what you're doing with the NBA All-Star game. This is absolutely asinine. It's an extension of trying to monetize absolutely everything that comes out of the NBA. And I'll be honest with you. It's an exhibition game. Everyone knows it's an exhibition game. No one cares. Make it east versus west. Leave it at that. Even if the guys aren't being competitive, very specifically Nicole Yokich and Luca Donchich, then, oh, fine, whatever. But the guys will treat exhibitions as exhibitions. Stop this. Stop having ideas. The ideas are starting to get ridiculous. We don't need a 14 tournament in the All-Star game. It's an exhibition game. No one matters. None of this matters. Stop having ideas, Adam Silver, please. All right, thank you all for joining me on the last broadcast of 2024. I hope you all enjoyed it this year. And I'll probably be back the second day of January for another broadcast. So I'll be seeing you guys then. Goodbye. 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Happy New Year from the Mortcast. On this last show of 2024 Jeff talks about resolutions for the Nuggets and the NBA. Resolutions about defense, shooting a practice facility for the Nuggets. For the NBA how about opening up the CBA and doing something about the first apron restrictions? How about stop having ideas about the All Star Game? How about Expansion?
