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Now imagine if that were you. Well, if you get in a crash, it could be. Hitting the windshield at just 30 miles per hour feels like the equivalent of falling three stories. Seafelt save lives. That's why you should always wear one. You reduce your risk of serious harm by 50%. Nobody is above the laws of physics. Click it or tick it. Shifting to save. A message from the Colorado Department of Transportation. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) What is up everybody? Thank you all for joining me. I'm the latest more cast part of the CSG network. I am, of course, your host, Jeff Morton. Today's gonna be an interesting. I somewhat describe this as esoteric, but it's probably not that. It's just me actually, I was thinking about today. I took a little break, a couple of day break from podcasting, so I wanted to get my thoughts organized on how the nuggets should proceed through this off season. 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Plus, you can do other things like this if you've got slots games and stuff like that. You know, everything you need in your favorite online betting. And a bet online is one of those things that, you know, like I said, I don't gamble myself. But if I did, this is something that I would definitely encourage it to do because informed betting is the best kind of betting. Head to the website today and get in on the action. Don't forget to use promo code BLEAV and all caps for your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. That is promo code BLEAV believe in all caps for your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. Bet online that game starts here. You know, it's been interesting to watch the conversation about the Denver Nuggets unfold this last two weeks, basically, since the Nuggets season ended. And people have gone through, gone from being upset at certain things to being not concerned enough. And I found that to be quite fascinating. I do believe that we have sort of, we can, you can talk yourself into being complacent. Complacency is the easiest thing to do. And it is also extremely easy for organizations to do. And everyone has talked about the Dallas Mavericks and what they did, the trade deadline, really basically mortgaging themselves because they really don't have draft picks and they don't have a ton of flexibility now after that of those two trade deadline deals they did for role players. That, you know, people mock them at the time and it's actually, you know, that still remains true. The Mavericks don't have a lot of places to go, but they went in all in on this year. And basically it's an idea of like this year counts, the future to be damned. That you can get too far into immediacy, you can get too far into the future. And there's a healthy balance that organizations kind of keep. The Denver Nuggets very much want to copy the San Antonio Spurs. As I've discussed before, the Spurs are, you cannot replicate the Spurs. The Spurs are unique to history and it starts with winning the lottery twice in the span of eight years and getting generational players in both times. And that that sort of thing is not, you can't repeat, you can't repeat that. That set the course for the San Antonio Spurs for 30 years. And, or 25 years. And really it was something that you can't really reproduce. So the Nuggets have tried to fancy themselves as Spurs. Moving all that aside, what I have noticed and I'm gonna go through each individual then there's actually two people that I'm gonna be focusing on on this. And I'm just kind of leaping forth from the wrap up of the post-season press conference podcast. The Nuggets need to understand fundamentally, and this is the top line observation of this whole podcast. And if you're gonna be clipping this podcast, this is what I want you to clip. Every single person in this organization other than in the cronkeys needs to understand that they will not outlast Nicole Yochich. And thinking beyond him is stupid. It's extremely stupid. And thinking that Nicole Yochich is going to be guaranteed a Tim Duncanesque 20 years is also dumb. You need to be thinking Nicole Yochich for the duration of this contract. And one of the things that, then one of the problems was CBA implications be damned here. One of my biggest issues with the way the Nuggets approached the last offseason was an almost arrogant, we can plug in anything we want to with Nicole Yochich. And it won't matter. And I'm gonna tell you all the story. And it's something that a long time listeners of CSG will tell you. This is going all the way back. I think it was either 2016 or 2017. I'm gonna have to go way, way, way back in the archives to pull this up. But we don't skip steps thing from Tim Connolly was originated on CSG. That's the first time he ever said that. And we were talking about, I believe at the time we were talking about Wancho Hernan Gomez. So this was probably 2016. Like I said, it could be one of those two years, 2016, 2017. And I remember it clear as day. Timmons and I were sitting in Tim Connolly's house at his dining room table. His son was just born. And there was, his son was sitting near us for a little bit of it. And he made the comment, because I believe this was the podcast where we tried to do like a movie music trivia thing that didn't go over well with me specifically because I didn't know the references that Nate was making. But the exact circumstances of that was talking about taking the rebuilding team and making it better. We don't skip steps. It does not apply to a championship team. We don't skip steps. It's just not, once you win a championship, you don't do this because it's not about skipping steps anymore because you've arrived. You know, there's nothing you can glean from. And very specifically the reference was to, as I recall, it was to Wancho Hernan Gomez. And we were talking about it. This is just me pulling for my memory. The Nuggets were all about accumulating draft picks and role players, but by 2017, and this is something that people need to fully, fully understand, by 2017, it was known organization-wide within the Nuggets that Nicole Yokich needed to be built around and every decision that the Nuggets made needed to be catered around Nicole Yokich. And this is something that Tim Connolly said when we did a post-trade deadline podcast with him, which was, I think love was a really short one. I think it was like maybe 30 minutes long, we did it in the Bowles of Pepy Center, Timmons and I. And this was 2017. And we talked about the trade, them, him trading use of Nergage for Mason Plumlee. And I specifically, I think it was either me or Timmons, as I think it was me, asked him about having everything centered around Yokich. And Connolly admitted right then and there that every decision the Nuggets made was about Nicole Yokich. And that was their, really their tacit admission. Then this is pre-Calvin Booth. That was the Nuggets tacit admission that they knew at that fully cognizant by 2017, which is, what 2015, 2016. And I'd say if this was ever Yokich's second year and this was the tacit admission that everything needed to be centered around Yokich. So that really was early in Yokich's career that the Nuggets knew this. And the reason I bring that up and the reason I bring up Connolly talking about that was everything moved the Nuggets made after that was tailored around making Yokich, the Yokich team better because of Nicole Yokich. So everything was centered around Nicole Yokich. And we forget about that move was in, yes, the use of Nergage had forced their hand. There was a lot of different circumstances involved with that. But what had happened was they identified Mason Plumlee as someone they could, at the very least, he's a Kmart version of Nicole Yokich. And maybe not even Kmart, maybe a duller star version. And, but they needed that sort of thing to keep continuity. And by far the best backup center that's ever been on the Nuggets roster other than the failed and should have been there, Isaiah Hartenstein experiment, which everyone in the organization should be kicking themselves about. Very specifically, Head Coach Michael Malone. He was really a, they were talking about everything working through a Nicolle Yokich lens. And the interesting thing is the Nuggets, even when Plumlee left in 2020, he was offered a lot of money from the Detroit Pistons so he had to go and he kind of wanted to be starting. And that's what was going on. But since Plumlee left, there has been a series of attempts, including Hartenstein, including Gevale McGee, including, just these guys who have just, DeAndre Jordan, I don't really even count 'cause the Nuggets didn't really count on DeAndre. But these, these attempts to get a backup center have increasingly moved away from the concept of amplifying everything a Yokich team needs. And one of my problems with the way the Nuggets approached this all season, specifically from the Calvin Booth/Tommy Balcetis angle, was I don't necessarily believe the draft picks. They got very specifically Jalen Pickett and to a lesser extent, Peyton Watson. I don't necessarily think they were done with Yokich in mind. I think they were done with Upside and in mind. I don't think they were chosen necessarily to amplify Nicole Yokich. And I think that is where the Booth Balcetis regime has sort of, I wouldn't say lost the plot because they won a championship last year with getting Bruce Brown, who was the perfect Yokich complimentary piece. But I do believe that this last off season was where things started getting a little sketchy with in terms of long-term vision and going around Nicole Yokich and developing around Nicole Yokich. And I do believe that that is where things started going sideways. And I think this extended into the coaching staff and the way they approached these. Remember, the Nuggets lost Jeff Green and Bruce Brown and replaced them with three rookies and Justin Holiday. And that is where things started going sideways. And there was another, an element of the thinking to long-term, you know. There's one thing about, you know, being, caving to the reality of what the CBAs is right now and the various implications of getting into the second apron and all that stuff. But there's also what Calvin Booth really was really frustrating. What Calvin Booth said this in the press conference where he didn't want rent to players that would leave after a year for more money elsewhere. Well, I mean, it won you a championship. Bruce Brown came in on a dirt cheap contract and played bald out of his mind and you got a championship out of it. I tend to think that's okay. I tend to think that is an okay thing to be happening. So the Nuggets are caught in this kicking the can down the road scenario. And this is something, if anyone's listened to this podcast, that I was really kind of like, let's not do this, folks. We can't be, you cannot be thinking beyond Nicole Yokich or getting to the end of his contract. You need to be thinking about how do we maximize Nicole Yokich now, not how do we develop our pet project, which is that they're very specifically Jalen Pickett. Jalen Pickett is not necessarily what you would call a prototypical Yokich player. He is a very much in the mode of Andre Miller. And I don't necessarily see how you can maximize Yokich with a picket combination. A guy who is a back to the basket guard. I don't, because Yokich thrives with one guy he can have in a two man game and spacers. And of course there's Gordon, but Gordon wouldn't apply in this situation. And I just don't think that Calvin Booth was thinking about that. And even to a lesser extent with Peyton Watson, if Peyton Watson was able to contribute on a high level offensively, that would be completely different. Peyton Watson was drafted, knowing that he had incredible deficiencies offensively. Even more so than Christian Brown, who is basically a sea basket go kind of guy. At least you know what you're getting with Christian Brown. With Peyton Watson, he never had an offensive game. And I do believe that the shortsightedness, not shortsightedness, but the longsightedness and the bet on being a genius, really hurt this team. And I think they lost sight of building around Yokich. I don't, and I think that this is why this was such a lost season. The draft picks weren't done with Yokich in mind. This draft picks were done with Calvin Booth in mind. And I do believe that that is something that the Nuggets need to adjust to. If they're gonna stick to this draft model, you got to have a Nicole Yokich very specifically in mind. Everything that takes to maximize Nicole Yokich needs to be done for this draft. In the second half of the podcast, I'm gonna talk about Michael Malone. And I'm gonna talk about how a little bit of humility needs to happen with Malone. And I do think that him refocusing on Nicole Yokich will make him a better coach next year. We'll get to that in the second half of the podcast. - Ready to pop the question? The jewelers at bluenile.com have got sparkle down to a science with beautiful lab-grown diamonds worthy of your most brilliant moments. Their lab-grown diamonds are independently graded and guaranteed identical to natural diamonds. And they're ready to ship to your door. Go to bluenile.com and use promo code POD to get $50 off your purchase of $500 or more. That's code POD at bluenile.com for $50 off. Bluenile.com code POD. - This is the story of the one. As head of maintenance at a concert hall, he knows the show must always go on. That's why he works behind the scenes, ensuring every light is working, the HVAC is humming, and his facility shines. With Granger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces, plus 24/7 customer support, his venue never misses a beat. Call quickgranger.com or just.buy. Granger, for the ones who get it done. - Michael Malone, I really do believe has good intentions most of the time. I've had my differences with Michael Malone. I think this year I had a little more sympathy for him than I usually do. I generally think that Michael Malone tends to make his own bed with certain decisions. He is emotional, he's a hot head, and I do believe those things will come back to haunt you. And that several times this year, his narrow-mindedness and short-sightedness did get the best of him. And I do think this year is a good chance from Malone to refocus and understand that the straw, the stirs, the drink is not ham, it's Nicole Yogich. And I know Nuggets fans love Michael Malone 'cause they like the one-liners. And I get it, I get it. I mean, look, Doug Mo was also a variation of hot head. He would curse players out. He had a better sense of humor than Malone, but he was a variation of this. And we fans, including myself, tended to overlook Mo's thoughts. We tended to look over that because we liked him personally. I think the same thing is happening with Michael Malone. And I do think this year Malone lost sight that he is not the straw that stirs the drink. And I do think that last year, in the year before he was doing a better job of understanding that Nicole Yogich is the reason. And the reason I point this out is that not necessarily with the overplaying of Nicole Yogich. Nicole Yogich ultimately decides how much he's going to play. It was more about how there was this approach to the year that was, we're going to do this anyway because I am this good coach. And as you could tell towards down the stretch, I think the Nuggets, I do think the Nuggets, really the players specifically, were really enthusiastic about this winning streak they went on after the Ulster brick. I think Matt Morris pointed it out on lockdown Nuggets, but it's true, I think this is indisputable. The Nuggets were, it was a player driven. We don't want to go down like that. It was an ego thing, I think, with the players. Don't go into these playoffs as a third, fourth seat or anything like that. And I think I think that part drove it, but I think also Michael Malone needed to have the humility to know that the person that needed the rest and the person that needed to come into these playoffs, absolutely fresh with Nicole Yogich. Not necessarily Jamal Murray. Jamal Murray had injury issues all throughout the year. He only played 59 games. And towards the end of the year, he has a calf injury and these things, these things tend to not heal quickly. You could see Chris Stapp's Porzingis sitting out two rounds of the playoffs, essentially. Now, it helps that the Celtics are in the East and they can cruise through. But the calf injuries just tend to not heal really well. And Jamal has his own issues and I'll address Jamal in the next podcast. But the Malone's kind of overall approach to the season was very reading his own press clippings. And I think that he needs to refocus himself around Nicole Yogich. And I think, look, people are gonna listen to this podcast and say, well, what's your bright idea for fixing this whole thing? I mean, like, look, I'm not a GM and I'd make a terrible one. But my only advice would be to look at Nicole Yogich and see what he needs. The fact that there has not been an adequate backup center on this roster since Mason Plumlee was here four years ago is concerning. And the fact that Michael Malone has cycled through this many and sort of doesn't, like the Isaiah Hartenstein thing is really glaring at this point considering what he did for the Knicks. And you gotta wonder if he has the ability to uncouple his brain from his approach and understand that for the best, the best you can get from Nicole Yogich is if he is not having to play 38, 30s forward to 38 minutes a night and getting into a situation in the playoffs where you are burning Aaron Gordon out, having to play backup center. And there's all this going on. It worked for one playoff run, but this year that showed some glaring holes, specifically when it comes to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Coming back to the to the wolves, the Nuggets would be, would do well to admit that they were formulated to beat the Denver Nuggets. Now there's going to be extra extraneous factors that hinder the Minnesota Timberwolves. They're in a 3-1 series now in the Western Conference Finals. 1-3 and they could probably be eliminated tonight or the next game. This, this team, the wolves were designed to beat the Denver Nuggets. And if the wolves are going to stay together, there's going to have to be a reckoning and an acknowledgement that the Nuggets should just, quote, "play better." The Nuggets were exhausted for two reasons. One, they played probably too far too much during the regular season, specifically down the stretch. And two, the Nuggets, they were exhausted by the last game because they were having, they were in these tough, beat-you-up games, specifically Nicole Okuchu. By the time you get to game seven, the second half of game seven had nothing. And that was alarming to watch. It was the formula. It was the formula. I don't think Dallas had the formula to beat the Nuggets. I don't think that the Boston Celtics have the formula to beat the Nuggets. This is very specifically the Minnesota Timberwolves who are in the same division as you. So then there needs to be an acknowledgement that there is a team out there very specifically designed. And by the way, other teams will copy that is designed to beat you. And everything in the Nuggets power should be gone to amplifying Nicole Okuchu in a scenario against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And I think there needs to be an understanding and humility within the organization to understand that they didn't help Nicole Okuchu this year. Draft picks were done not necessarily for benefiting Nicole Okuchu. Some coaching moves were made not necessarily for the benefit of Nicole Okuchu. Maybe done to win games when you shouldn't have been winning games. Maybe done to be in a hyper competitive way rather than in a we got to make it to the playoffs kind of way. And I do believe that all these factors came together. And the problem we're having right now, folks, is that it seems very simple. Obviously, once again, the CBA is a factor. We'll get to that when they come to the draft because the inevitably, folks, the Nuggets have two draft picks. And inevitably, the Nuggets are going to use these draft picks. I don't see any magical trade coming down the pike. I advocated for exploring a microboarder junior trade. I don't think anything's going to happen. I really do think this is going to be a run it back here with more draft picks. And we will see the proof is in the pudding this year. You know, I said before the year, this is the Calvin Booth year. Last year, I don't necessarily think was. It really was a Tim Connolly team with Bruce Brown. And a Contamis call with Pope. This team is formulating more and more away from that approach as you get more and more into the Calvin Booth era. And how a GM formulates a team is with draft picks. This team has been so heavy with draft picks the last three off seasons that you don't want to end up necessarily like some other teams that are accidentally getting younger. But it's a tricky approach because of the CBA. I have sympathy for Calvin Booth and Tommy Bell said is. I really do. I did. It's the CBA sucks for people who want to content and win multiple championships. It just really sucks. But like I said, you are not going to. If you're if you're a Calvin Booth, if you're Tommy Bell said us, if you are Michael Malone, you cannot look at a season or in any sort of approach and think that you will out last Nicole Oakage. Nicole Oakage is the straw that stirs your drink. Every decision you make, every motivation that you have, absolutely everything goes to Nicole Oakage. And if you're not amplifying Nicole Oakage, you need to change your point of view. He is a superstar. It is rare that superstar ends up in Denver. He is a superstar of enormous magnitude that is a game changer. And if you're every thought of your being isn't about necessarily maximizing him, but maybe prolonging your own tenure, then you're doing it wrong. And I don't want to see any of these guys get into a situation where they're thinking about themselves and the long-term future when the future's now, folks, we don't skip steps was five years ago, six years, seven years ago. It's no longer here, you have arrived. There's no nothing about skipping steps that need to enter your mind because you've got here. Now it's about staying there and maybe the key to staying there, well, definitely the key to staying there, is focusing on Nicole Oakage and not anything else. All right, thank you all for joining me on the latest more cast. I'm gonna be back next week with another episode. Goodbye. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) This is the story of the one. As a maintenance engineer, he hears things differently. To the untrained ear, everything on his shop floor might sound fine, but he can hear gears grinding or a belt slipping. So he steps in to fix the problem at hand before it gets out of hand. And he knows Granger's got the right product he needs to get the job done, which is music to his ears. Call clickgranger.com or just stop by. Granger, for the ones who get it done.
On the latest Mortcast, Jeff talks about the need for humility to make the Nuggets better this offseason and the tacit understanding that Nikola Jokic and maximizing his game with player additions needs to be had.
