Following the team’s first-round exit at the hands of Golden State, Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly discussed a number of topics on Friday at his season-ending press conference, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Connelly said signing Nikola Jokic to a super-max extension this summer is a top priority.
“It’s a pretty big (priority),” Connelly said. “… There’s nothing more important, organizationally, than to make sure Nikola stays here as long as he wants to play the game.”
Connelly also reflected on giving Michael Porter Jr. a five-year, maximum-salary extension prior to the 2021/22 season. Porter appeared in just nine games this season and clearly wasn’t himself prior to being shutdown and undergoing lumbar spine surgery in December, his third back surgery since 2017.
“You analyze everything. Oftentimes the best indicator of future health is current health,” Connelly said. “Unfortunately, he had the injuries he dealt with this year. The previous couple years going into that contractual negotiation (last summer) we felt pretty good about it. Certainly his numbers were reflective of a guy that you’re going to have to give a lot of money.
“Hindsight is 20/20. I think we looked as much as we can. We’ve tended to be a team that rewards guys earlier instead of getting to the marketplace. We’re really looking forward to him being fully healthy, and I know he’s working his butt off to achieve that goal.”
The president said the reason the team never officially ruled out Porter or Jamal Murray for the season was because only the players knew how they felt: “It’s their body. … Whenever there’s an injury, the player has to have the loudest voice.”
Denver never applied pressure for either player to make a return if they felt they weren’t ready, Connelly added. Both players confirmed to the media that they were aligned with management’s thinking, Singer notes. Murray, who missed the entire season after suffering a torn left ACL last April, said he’s “not even sure if he’s 85% right now,” according to Singer (Twitter link).
Here are some more quotes from Connelly, courtesy of Singer:
- Connelly said the small forward position and wing defense are areas that need to be addressed in the offseason. “Whenever you lose you have to be extremely self-critical and analyze areas where we’re not where we need to be. Losing Mike (Porter) was really big, but losing PJ Dozier, that was really two guys, all our depth at the small forward position, so we had to play some pretty wonky lineups. … I think it’s pretty evident where we need to get better.”
- Connelly on DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins, who’s an unrestricted free agent: “Boogie was fantastic. He brought a ton. … He helped stabilize that second unit.” The team plans to talk to Cousins about his future soon, Singer tweets.
- Denver wants to retain two-way player Davon Reed and only decided against converting him to a standard deal (to become playoff-eligible) because it would’ve meant cutting someone else (Twitter link via Singer). “He’s a guy that we’re very high on for the future,” Connelly said.
- Connelly on the possibility of paying the luxury tax next season and/or in the future: “If the team is good enough, (ownership will) pay accordingly.“
Ya, losing Dozier was a really big deal, but I think them acknowledging that, and their long time issues on the wing the last couple of years means they’ll finally try to address that moving forward
They should have cut Austin Rivers for Davon Reed. I still dont get why they signed him last year, and then still brought him back after that.
Knowing you have a weakness is one thing, being able to.fix that weakness is an entirely different story.
Denver has pretty much had the same weakness for a few years now, yet they really haven’t done very much about it.
Given, when they’re completely healthy, they’re a completely different team, but that’s why depth is so vital, especially when you play such a long NBA season.
The teams that are winning right now, for the most part don’t just have a star, they have predominantly complete rotations of quality first and second units.
Denver might now have that, after having to identify other quality players like Bones Hyland, but they still need to add a more impactful presence on the wing..
Very true. It’s also the reason I thought they might finish 9th before the season. Of all issues to have, that is arguably the most important position in the league
Yes, hindsight is 20/20. But the MPJ early extension made zero sense at the time. A lazy decision by a modern FO, and, despite what the TP says, it means ownership will have no choice but to pay the luxury tax starting next year and for years to come (unless they blow the team up).
The “SF position and wing defense” need to be “fixed” because he’s ignored the SF position until now (as if it doesn’t exist, preferring to accumulate various sized guards and PFs). The type of players the team needs (badly) carry the highest position premium in the league. Good luck addressing it now, with the team’s resources largely exhausted.