This cannot be it. Otherwise, the Nuggets’ offseason becomes the finale of the Sopranos. Remember, Tony sitting in Holsten’s diner, waiting with his family when daughter Meadow walked through the door as a silent black screen popped up before the credits?
Please tell me the Nuggets’ plans are not this cryptic, not this vacant.
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Following a heart-in-a-blender Game 7 loss to the Timberwolves in the second round, the Nuggets have responded by trading six-second round picks to draft DaRon Holmes and ship out Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets for $5 million in cap space.
Nuggets Nation is starting to nibble its fingernails.
There has to be more. One super-sized move. Two medium-sized transactions. If not? Then pessimism screams that general manager Calvin Booth saved ownership on the tax bill by trading an aging point guard to free up minutes for Jalen Pickett while committing further to young players Christian Braun, Perry Watson and Holmes.
Those are the types of money laundering moves we expect from the Rockies. Not a title franchise.
When free agency begins at 4 p.m. Sunday, roster construction will resume befitting a team in a championship window, right? Right?
If not, the Nuggets are telling their fans that life will never be better than 2023. Talk about a crowbar to the shins.
A confluence of factors has backed the Nuggets into a corner: a financially top-heavy roster, lacking draft collateral and minimal cap space. And let’s not forget the silly decision to give backup Zeke Nnaji a four-year, $32 million contract. The idea was that he would become a rotational player or perform well enough to offer trade value. He has done neither. He deserves blame for producing underwhelming statistics. And Michael Malone did not help by refusing to use him.
The disconnect between the front office and the coach’s vision for Nnaji is haunting at a time when the team desperately needs flexibility.
Booth has talked about winning multiple championships, referencing the San Antonio Spurs’ three titles in five years. It is why I believe last week teed the Nuggets up to make some noise. The alternative is too depressing.
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Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
