Josh Kroenke said all the right things. And his message was completely wrong.
He hears the clock ticking on Nikola Jokic’s prime. But his plan to maximize his brilliance came across as tone deaf.
Kroenke is prepared to run it back. He did not say those words exactly. But make no mistake, next year’s Nuggets could look a lot like last year’s.
They will never win another championship doing this. Keeping this current roster together is the equivalent of working out on a stationary bike. It feels good. But you go nowhere.
The Nuggets received one of the greatest seasons ever from their three-time MVP — Jokic averaged a triple-double and became a 3-point ace — and they failed to unseat the annoying Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jokic wasn’t buying that his team was close, dismissing hollow praise for reaching a Game 7, while admitting the Nuggets need more depth to compete with OKC and the Timberwolves.
Kroenke understands this, calling the finish “unacceptable.” But his answers Thursday painted the picture of an organization willing to trust internal answers over trading Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon or Michael Porter Jr.
That is either delusional, naive, or both.
As it happened with former coach Michael Malone, the hope of another title rests on a now aging starting five and the ability of new coach David Adelman — the interim tag is officially gone — to form a reliable bench with Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and DaRon Holmes II and a random veteran or two. That’s if, fingers crossed, Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric decline their player options.
It’s repetitive, boring and the truth. Or more specifically, the Booth. As in Calvin.
We heard this same nonsense from the former GM about winning multiple titles in five-year windows. And how the kids were so important to roster construction and cementing the culture.
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Gordon missed half the season with a calf problem. Murray treats his offseason conditioning as a hobby, leading to several forgettable performances or nights off in the first two months. Porter, while durable, has well-documented back and shoulder issues.
And are we sure the Nuggets’ young players are any good? Because there does not seem to be a Naz Reid, Alex Caruso or Aaron Wiggins in the bunch.
Anyone who watched the Nuggets this season knows Jokic has never been more frustrated, and yet Kroenke was talking about striking a balance between sacrificing games in October and November for the team to reach its potential in April, May and June.
It makes perfect sense if the Nuggets are aiming for another second-round exit. But isn’t any season without a title with Jokic a waste?
“Whether it is fair or not, it doesn’t matter to me because if that guy is on your roster, you have a chance to win it and you should be going for it. We have been saying it for a long time, even before he won his first MVP,” Kroenke said. “I think now, it’s unavoidable how good he is. Do I feel the weight of that? I feel more weight than anybody. “
And wringing out the best from the young guys and challenging veterans to have great offseasons is the answer?
Malone failed to create clarity on the draft picks by barely playing them and never trusting them. Adelman will be better in this regard. But that’s the secret sauce? A coach in sync with Kroenke and the future GM? That’s not an offseason. That’s Ambien.
It would have been better had Kroenke admitted the Nuggets are handcuffed by the second apron and paying Malone $20 million-plus not to work for them, leaving them counting on kids and internal promotions to improve (the next one will be the GM because any veteran front office executive is not taking the job without being able to pick the coach).
The Nuggets are only two years removed from a championship and should be proud of their resilient playoff run after a seismic shakeup.
Before last season, it was fair to argue that the 2024 Nuggets could win a title even without Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. That does not apply anymore. The Nuggets don’t have enough talent to beat the Thunder or the Timberwolves, and will have their hands full with the Lakers if they acquire a big man.
They require a move. Or two.
Inevitably, my inbox will scream that they have no flexibility to make a legitimate roster upgrade and what is the big deal anyway? The NBA will crown its seventh different champion in seven years next month. No one repeats.
Yeah, well, none of those teams has Jokic. He is on track to go down as one of the top 15 players of all time. How many greats of that ilk have only one ring?
Kroenke loves basketball. His passion is obvious. But he is too close to this group, to these players, to be objective.
If the Nuggets are going to get back to the mountaintop, they will have to get there without Murray, Gordon or Porter.
They face a number of questions, and it starts with Jokic. Do you really want to get him another title? If the answer is yes, then get him some help. Because if you don’t, the Nuggets won’t finish any better next summer.
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