Speaker 1: What is up, Fellawsikos. I am the prophetic dan Fa
Valley coming at you with the equally prophetic more gentsen
of the NBA podcast fame, of Jagua Sports Fame, of
Forbes Fame, and of only Man celebrity. Here to record
an emergency podcast where we're publishing it a day later,
because as certified profits, we don't need to care about
the timing of the news cycle, because whatever we say
will manifest into reality anyway. We're gonna talk about the
Denver Nuggets firing head coach Michael Malone and Calvin Booth
while allowing the details to trickle out like the protections
on a draft pick, where you did not know that
both of them were going to be fired at once
for at least a few minutes before we dive in
here more, since we last talked like five seconds ago,
and when we talked, we were discussing NBA coaches on
the hot seat, How are you feeling?
Speaker 2: So coincidentally not related to this bit of news, In
the very very short time span since we last spoke,
I have become sick as heck. That is just typical me.
I see the sun is out, I see it's shining,
and I'm like not looking at the temperature. So I'm
walking around in shorts and T shirts going, oh yeah, baby,
like I'm fat. Anyway, it'll absorb. I'll be warm regardless.
And then Nate mother nature is gonna bitch slap me
and go, what the fuck were you thinking about? Your idiot?
And that means probably for the next two weeks, I'm
gonna be a shadow of myself. But outside of that, sir,
I'm doing well. How about yourself?
Speaker 1: I'm doing well too. Both of us, unlike Michael Malone
and Cawvin Booth at this point, are employed. They might
either bank accounts might read different statements here, let's get
into it. This is they have three games left in
the season and a fired Michael Alone. That was the
first detail to come out by this way. Yeah, and
then the Calvin Booth news dropped and Calvin Booth was
on an aspiring contract, per reporting from the athlete. On
the heels of this, there was an extension on the
table and then the cron keys removed it. Like previously
over the offseason. That seems a little tell tale. We've
had noise on the record, off the record that the
locker room vibes have not been great, and it seems
like things reach their innadear after that loss to the
Minnesota Timberwolves, like a week and whatever ago, at this
point where the Nuggets win probability was pretty high, and
then Russell Westbrook happens essentially towards the end of that game.
This is just before we got to tackle this one
by one, and so we'll get into Michael Malone first,
but just your immediate reaction to the timing of both
of the like, this is a you're cleaning house here.
There's some other front office numbers that have been fired,
a lot of the assistant coaching staff. I believe the
Nuggets is on expiring contract. This feels like it's set
in the stage for just wholesale, like, let's gut at
least the management structure of this team.
Speaker 2: No, yeah, you said this is a cleaning house protocol, right, Like,
what was that coming? And then iron Man said in
the third movie, right, was that housekeeping or something along
those lines.
Speaker 1: Protocol or maybe a protocols that.
Speaker 2: Were blank slate, something along those lines. That's whatever he said.
That's what the Denver Nugets said today, three games before
the end of the regular season. So to answer your question,
I was absolutely blown away. Well, first and foremost, I
started laughing because you and I had literally just recorded
about this, and you, being the prophet that you are,
called this. I was. I was the hesitant guy, like
you're so kind to call me a fellow prophet. I
am certainly not. I was like, Dan, come on, that's ridiculous,
like you are the prophet here, sir, and and like
so obviously I DMed you immediately, and I think I
quote quoted like the link to the pod and said
this is timely so and after like the self promotion
because I'm shameless. Then I started getting into like the
analysis of it all, and it was just like what,
like how? And I have so many questions Dan. One,
did they get Nicola Jokic sign off? That's probably the
first question I have, Like, that's the one I need
to know. Did they go to Nicola Jokic and say, so,
we're thinking about blowing everything sky high three to game
three games before we get into the playoffs? You cool
with that?
Speaker 1: Man?
Speaker 2: I want to know if that happened.
Speaker 1: My guess would be maybe with Calvin Booth it happens.
But if you're gonna because the Michael Malone part of
this is more fascinating to me, just because it feels
like he's more public facing than Calvin Booth, just as
the head coach, like his shots through the media are
just like you have more access or impressions of his demeanor.
It's clear that the relationship between him and Calvin Booth
was not good. Maybe maybe ever at this point. But
if you're firing Michael Malone and you did not go
to Nicola Jokic, that's malpractice as ownership because you know
that unless something has changed, Malone Jokis have a really
good relationship. And just because Jokic is among the lowest
maintenance superstars, that doesn't mean that you get to keep
him in the dark for something like that is your
plan then to trade him? That might be something that
will have to get into later. But I found even
if you this is this is where I've diverged. I
was listening to some just reactions in the lead up
to US recording where it's this is the Nuggets admitting
that they needed to clean house, and they decided why wait,
like you're in the Nicola Jokic window, you need to
maximize it. Why wait, like, okay, well, then you make
this decision last offseason. Yeah, you don't make it now
with three Like what is so Adaman comes in and
you're putting him in Yokay, he's been with the team,
but like, what are you gonna You're not op the
first of all press releases post transaction trade firing. Press
releases in the NBA are even more useless than the
two minute reports. They tell us nothing and they're just
these cookie cutter like vacuous statements, and this one was
no different. We're just like, this is gonna put us
in the best position possibly when the twenty twenty five
NBA title.
Speaker 3: How so this is this is a decision. You should
the the Calvin Booth of it all I can get
because the draft process, the free agency process, that stuff
is already underway.
Speaker 1: But you changing the head coach three games before the playoffs?
Are you just sitting here saying, well, we weren't gonna
make it out of the first round anyway, and so
we're just gonna make this change now. In which case, again,
why what is Adaman going to do over the course
of the next what ten games? If you give him
a playoff series to say oh, like yeah, he's like
we needed this ample size to prove that he was
the guy. That's why I don't The only thing that
I can come back to is Michael Malone lost the
locker room, completely lost it. And maybe Yokic is included.
Now if Yo kich I would push back against that
and say, even if it is, yokch is included more.
This is not something that happens over the past week
and a half. This this sort of marinates all season,
and so why wasn't this clearly it was on the
table because you don't make it they I mean, they
said in that statement that they didn't take this lightly
the time. Though for Michael Malone specifically, I think it's indefensible.
This is either a call that should have been made
last offseason, at worst earlier this season, or at this
point like just wait, like that's just it makes it
because you're not going to learn this. I cannot stress
enough that I don't think that this increases the Nuggets
odds of winning a title, even in Iota.
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh, I agree? What what what was the word
they used that they were hoping this would create like
a jolt within the team, which sure, Okay, guys. That's
this to me just seems like a bunch of rich
people thinking, oh, we know best without having really the
necessary insight and understanding team construction, team cohesion personalities, like
how important it is to actually have like a rhythm
and and a routine with certain play with certain between
certain people. Yeah, like Mike might have lost the locker room,
but is that something that's only becoming apparent to you
now threegs before the end of the regular season.
Speaker 1: Game eighty right.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's just like there's no excuse where I'm
sitting there thinking, oh, yeah, like I buy that. There's
just none of it. Like I again, I don't know
if like I'm being a bit of a drama queen
on this one, but like when I saw you got fired,
my first thought was, oh, wow, front office is like
just crazy. Then when I saw Calvin Booth be getting fired,
I was like, there were there fisty cuffs involved? Did
someone throw hands? Like that was the first thought I had.
Speaker 1: Were they kind of in the Josh Cronky's office and
neither one of them would take blame for Russell Westbrook
or something? And there it's like it's kind of a
step brother situation where like they're they're bickering and Cronky's like, okay,
we've had enough. I don't maybe something like that comes out.
Don't you think we could try and understand what they're doing,
or we could even just destroy them for doing this.
Now there has to be like something else that not
even the most insidery insiders know this to be the
impetus now right, it has to be.
Speaker 2: I mean again, maybe not like you know.
Speaker 1: Well that let's destroy let's destroy them accordingly.
Speaker 2: Then if that's well, see, the thing is, it's I
think we just have to come to terms with the
fact that billionaire owners, they live in a different sphere
of life than we do, they think differently, and not
that's not meant us a compliment whatsoever, quite the opposite.
I think they tend to look at things like, oh,
we can make a change. It's fine. Is it a
little bit like untraditional, unorthodox of this day? Sure, but
we'll be fine. Let me have more whatever rich people eat.
I don't give a fuck, Like.
Speaker 1: It's it seems like it's so in case you were just.
Speaker 2: Right, but like it's just it's nuts to do this,
Like it's just nuts. It shows that ownership does not
understand the emotional strings of a basketball team, which is
wild to considering this team, you actually won a championship, No,
not even two years ago. So like for ownership to
just kind of make this decision because they felt like
it at this stage, Oh, I mean that that is
so dumb, and that is so ridiculous. Like unless there's
something that directly happened within the last what twenty four hours,
it's completely unjustifiable. Like even if he'd lost the locker room,
you would have known and you would have fired him earlier.
And even if you lost the rocker room recently, you
just kind of say, look, we have to follow through
for the rest of the season. Because think about this too.
What type of signal does this send to coaches around
the league or outside of the league who will like
for this job?
Speaker 1: Oh, I ever read the job?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I put that.
Speaker 1: Honestly, I don't know that it sends any different type
of signal than we've seen. I kind of laughed when CG.
McCollum talked about the dirty work of these coaches of
successful teams getting fired, and I was like, hey, buddy,
who helped negotiate the CBA, Like it's created, like it's
laid the groundwork I think for this impulsivity. I'm not
saying that CJ. McCollum is directly at fault for this.
Speaker 2: But this is of course you are, of course you
are you hating on CJ. You are going up against theociation.
Speaker 1: I disagree that the players made out well in this
at all, Like I just don't. I think I think
it obliterated or it really hurt the middle class and
lower of that player. I think so typical, like that's
just like that's just pretty a typical society. But I
do think it created this teams look at their franchises
as like, look at what Nico Harrison said after the
Daunche trade. We're thinking long term, like the next three years. Right,
that's sad that that like it's the death of long
foot where it's long form content. Now it's not this,
it's it's anything that's over sixty seconds. And that's what
this sort of feels like with the NBA is because
these teams, whether it's true or not, they don't want
to like continuity almost becomes prohibitive because if you're good,
your team gets so expensive and let's you're willing to
foot those expenses, the team building restrictions, and even I look,
I'm not I didn't understand the full consequences. I killed
the Nuggets for ducking the being afraid of the second
apron with KCP. But you in retrospect you kind of
look at it and the restrictions that even if you
think KCP would have been better here than in Orlando,
which by the way, is pretty much just the fact, right,
you have to look at they wouldn't have been able
to do anything. But then you go back to, well
the Nuggets they did what with that flexibility, Like they
brought in Dario Sharich. Awesome, How's that working out for them?
So but this is all to say that I don't know, Yeah,
this this is this isn't a sign of a of
a team. I guess now I can't have called a
front office since they just gutted it, but of a
team that has its stuff together. At the same time,
this does feel more normal than it ever should, like
the you know, I'm caught off guard by its similar
with the Jenkins higher but kind of look at the
past six championship head coaches and like it's really the
past five because Joe Mizzoola just won it. But Nick Nurse, Okay,
he lasts a few more season after twenty nineteen, he
ends up leaving I think a twenty twenty three. Then
you go to Frank Vogel's fired less than two years later.
Michael Malone didn't even make it a full three seasons
after that, Mike Buttenholzer didn't make it a full three
seasons after that. Steve Kerr still with the Warriors. But
like this is becoming sort of the turnover of head coaches.
It's always sort of existed, but it feels like the
bar for job security or time and space even just
to figure things out is higher than ever. And I
think that in part is a direct byproduct of teams
that are already good and already have had to reinvest
and trade in players, then traded their draft most of
their draft picks. This is the change that you would
always make, but now you're I don't even know if
your incentive incentivized might be the wrong word, where you
just compelled to act more brashly. I agree with what
you said about this feels like being out of touch
with team building, the coaching things specifically, but it's also
just is this just going to be a symptom of
how the CBA istr rctured in how these teams are
ultimately viewing the length of their windows.
Speaker 2: If that is going to be the new new I'll
tell you the teams that are going to have staying
power and like going to be perennial contenders. It's going
to be the teams that has that have a little
bit ice in their stomachs, just in terms of like, yeah,
we can we can go through a rough patch without
having to get divorced by the way, or it will.
Speaker 1: Just fire your head coach before the new year, like
a proper organization such as the Sacramento Kings. Kudos to
them for just being being the They didn't they didn't
do it face to face, but you know what the
timing of it banner banner stuff from them from there
to Memphis.
Speaker 2: There's uh an interesting tipbit from an article over at
The Athletic by Tony Jones, Sam Ammick, and Sack Powell.
Apparently Jalen Pickett is a good example of why this
whole thing went wrong. I'm just gonna read this excerpt.
Malone and Booth had been at odds over everything from
roster construction to the way players were used, creating tension
that started to bleed into the rest of the organization.
Booth wanted Malone to use younger players that he drafted,
and wanted Malone to stray away from using veterans for
so many minutes. Jalen Pickett is a good example of this.
According to league sources, Booth was dismayed that Malone went
with Russell Westbrook over Picket down the stretch of multiple
games last week. On a macro level, Booth and Malone
disagreed on several things. So there we have it, Dan
Jalen Pickett, Jalen Pickett, of all people, it's the reason
that both guys are out of the organization. I get
know who it.
Speaker 1: Was Picket Cronky's pick Is Josh Cronky out here just
masturbating the Jaalen Picket. I just I don't understand, Like,
how is that that there's as an example of some
of the disconnect that clearly existed where Malone was more
reluctant to give latitude to the young players. I don't
know why Jayalen Pickett is the example. I think Peyton
Watson would be a more especially you're dating back to
last season, that would be a more appropriate example. Maybe
even Julian Strawther. I know he's dealt with some injuries
since entering the league. It's like, I kind of reject
the idea that this is all on Michael Malone, like, oh,
we had to take Justin the Justin Holiday club out
of his bag so that he would play Peyton Watson
this season. That's part of the reason why KCP is gone,
so he would lean on the youngsters, Like that's your
coaches are Unless you're telling him he has job security.
His job is then to win. I know they're in
a slump, but like, winning fifty games isn't even gonna
change that. Apparently contending for a top whatever spot in
the West isn't gonna change that. I don't like, do
you think that this could at all be like because
both of them are gone, do you think that there's
a chance that maybe the timing is all off? But
ownership is right in saying that we do need this
blank slate, and it's to have a front office and
a head coach that are on the same page. And yes,
you can just let Calvin Booth make the next higher
but if you don't trust him because of how he's
set up your roster, which, by the way, I would
probably argue that came not with the blessing of but
at the mandate of ownership. As a like, I just
if you would have told me, yeah, you could pay
you could pay kcpal whatever. I feel like he would.
I don't think he was trying to be the smartest
person in the room, like, no, I'm gonna feel the
cheaper team and we're gonna be better somehow, because I
mean maybe, but that's a special kind of ignorance that
I feel like is reserved for the front office in
Dallas at this point or something. I don't The situation
is just so it's so bizarre and it's this is
just like I don't I don't know how you properly spin.
Speaker 2: It, right, you know what happened three games ago, by
the way, which I'm guessing would have led to a
lot of internal conversations. Jalen Pickett had a triple double
on nailed three triples. I'm guessing that that acted as
a catalyst for both to like, look, look, this is
the guy he needs to play. Look at what this
production level is. He's younger, he can do the same
as for Russ. I could just see that manifesting because
people are in this business are petty as fuck. They
want to keep their guy, They want to make sure
that everybody knows this is their guy anyway too. That's
just me trying to go back a couple of days
and seeing where all this came from. I think it
went to a head. I think this went ugly. I
agree with you on every level of this, Like I
do think to answer your question, yes, the Nuggets are
better off, basically saying, look, fresh slate both are gone.
There aren't anything that Like let's say Mark Malone lost
the locker room for whatever reason. Sure, okay, cool, Like
then you can't stick with him, like probably should have
done it at the end of the season or earlier
this season. But that is what it is. If you
don't trust the roster construction of Calvin Booth, if you
think that his nose for talent or whatever you want
to call it isn't high enough to the level of
the franchise. Sure, but the timing of adult just sends
such a bleak picture of how ownership operates to the
point where I'm like, do you understand what it takes
to run a franchise, like should you be fired too?
That's that's where I'm at. But I do think overall, yes,
it would behoove them to have a managerial team and
a coaching staff where everyone's on the same page. Obviously,
Like find me a situation where that isn't beneficial. So
what's the next step though, That's what I want to know, Like, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: Can I just asked, like how much? When you're kind
of trying to assess the blame game here, who do
you feel is more responsible for Denver's current predicament? Is
it Michael Malone or is it Calvin Booth?
Speaker 2: Booth Booth absolutely Booth from my perspective, because here's the thing,
you know, he and when when you well, let me
phrase it in the best possible way here, if you
cannot wreck agnice the relationship that's in place between Mike
Malone and NICOLEA. Jokicch as we've heard about so many
times before, if you cannot also realize that Malone is
a tremendous head coach and you are trying to like
force him into a corner with your specific vision in mind,
and you're not playing ball. And let's let's be real
about this. Communication between the two, as has been reported
numerous times over was broken, like there there was no
level of communication. Then I also questioned your abilities as
a leader, like a general manager is the one who
has to be the mister personality. He has to be
the one to get anyone on the same page. He
has to be the one to talk to ownership, convince ownership.
This is the path to convince your coach this is
the right path, or find a plan in you know,
in cohesion with the coach and with the with the
ownership level. Calm Booth clearly failed to do so. And
given that we know Mike Malone's trek record as a
coach is much better than Calvin Booth's track record as
a GM, I'm just inclined to say, look, I want
to stick with Mike Malone over Calvin Booth every day
of the week.
Speaker 1: I just and you know what I hate about this too,
is now it kind of puts us in this weird
position where we're already looking ahead for the Nuggets when
this is a season that's still going on. And yes,
we talked about head coaching hot seats the other day,
but that was in the context of with the teams
that were headed to the playoffs, it's well, unless they
go deep in the playoffs, like this will be a
topic of discussion. And now it's doesn't like it doesn't
matter what happens. They could win the title, they're still
gonna go out and need to hire a head coach.
Maybe it's David Adaman at that point if he leads
them to a title, or and then of course you're
always gonna need to like put together a new front
office structure. And we have kind of proof of con
by the way, it's funny the timing of this, with
Tim Connolly having the executive's option in Minnesota, we have
proof that the kron Keys have never they've paid the players.
I would say that they've you can give them credit
for that, but they've never really seemed willing to pay
their execs. And so I'm not saying they go after
Tim Connolly. It's just funny that he could technically be
a free agent when their front office is vacant. I
I just hate that. It's I don't know what to
make of the rest of this season then, and like,
of course, part of that is do you do you
think there's anything to the idea. And I don't even
know if this has been mentioned, but Michael Malone came
out and said, like, yeah, we're hoping that Jamal Murray
will be ready for the playoffs. And if you're now
finding out or you think that Jamal Murray's not gonna
be ready for the playoffs, IS's gonna be right for
the playoffs? Is that why you then decide to do
this well this season? Yeah, Jokic is great, but you're
not gonna be you know, Okay, see the Lakers, the Warriors.
You're not gonna be in a combination of these teams
if you don't have your second most important player.
Speaker 2: Oh, that would be a horrible perspective to have when
arguably the best center of all time is having a
career year.
Speaker 1: I agree with it. I'm just like, does that fact
and do it at all? Like not, No, Calvin Booth
and Michael Olwon are not responsible for Jamal Murray's health,
But like, are they looking at well this because I
feel like to make this change. You can't, honestly, but
maybe I'm underestimating the ignorance of ownership, But you can't
honestly think that just that the upheaval is gonna light
a fire. You've already first of all.
Speaker 2: Where's the you can if you're a billionaire, you absolutely can't.
Speaker 1: What is the thinking being? What that is? It just
it's just shocked. Look look, okay, look right now, all
these guys are already paid. It's like Christian Brown and
Peyton Watson are trying to get who who, like Gordon
Jokic Murray even like those guys have been paid, Who's
Who's asked? Are you lighting a fire?
Speaker 2: Under Look, I'm not saying it makes sense, but you
live in you live in the United States. Your country
right now is being run by billionaires. How well is
that going?
Speaker 1: Well?
Speaker 2: I mean no, no, I'm saying, are those logical could
like decisions being made for the most part by billionaires
or are billionaires living their own little fanc asy world
thinking oh yeah, if I only push this button, is
AP and C is gonna happen, It's gonna be great.
I don't think ownership are in any way smart enough
to comprehend the complex emotional systems that is required, like
throw my basketball team from top to bottom, being that
like general manager coaching staff, like front office coaching, staff, players,
player personnel, whatever like that is a very complicated web
of relationships, of routines, of status, of everything that has
to be managed. I don't think ownership. I don't think
billionaires think of those things like that at all. I
don't think they understand fully what that comprehends. Like with
the exception of Mark Cuban, perhaps because he was around
all the freaking time, like he might be the one
of the exceptions, or used to be one of the exceptions,
he's no longer around for you know, owners who have
other interests where their field of business lies elsewhere or.
Speaker 1: In the premier league, maybe that.
Speaker 2: That too, Like they have a lot of franchises, they
they can't dedicate themselves entirely to the Nuggets. So I
just I think this could easily be billionaire fuck up. Absolutely.
Speaker 1: I don't want to frame it like this, but I don't, like,
I don't know what it changes we're expecting to see
from the Nuggets for the rest of this season.
Speaker 2: Oh, the jolt, Dan the jolt apparently.
Speaker 1: So if they don't make it to the conference finals,
then do you have to trade Nicole Jokic because the
jolt then accept the jolt like I don't jolt.
Speaker 2: I love your segue. I love your segue on that one.
Because Mark Jones of ESPN said something. He said something interesting. Uh,
he said, I cut wind of this last night. I
believe it now Joker is extension eligible. I'll leave that
right there to marinate.
Speaker 1: I would like to interject on quo fronts here yea
the details of his contract. He has three years and
one hundred and every three point two million dollars remaining.
There's a player option on that final season. He can
decline the player option and sign a three year, two
hundred and twelve million dollars extension this summer. That's the background.
Now my second point, we're throwing a pack you. Yes,
I'm trying to read between the lines on what the
Mark joneskee is saying. I still don't know what it's saying.
It's no hard are you trying to, like from the
different angles would be? Are they not planning on extending him?
Was he not planning on something? By the way, he
might not sign the extension because it just let another
year trickle out. Sign a longer extension, you know in
the summer of twenty twenty six. Is I just what
is this, He'll leave it, He'll leave it there. I
look Mark Jones a trustworthy source. And no, by the way,
if this was any other team right, probably literally there's
you could count on one hand the number of superstars
where something like this would happen and the immediate reaction
wouldn't have been let's go through the Nicola Jokis trade
destinations is probably Jokic and Curry. And that's what it like.
I so, I like, what are what do you make
of this?
Speaker 2: So I look, regardless of what he means, just whether
he means, oh, the Nucis won't want to pay him
like the Supermax like the similar situation as in Dallas
with Luca, or if he means that Jokich you know,
will be who will be extendingion eligible this summer looks
at this whole thing and goes, you know what f this,
I'm out of here as soon as possible. That I'm
not gonna comment on either or, but both scenarios would
lead to him being out the door. Like and that's
what's interesting to this, Like, are we looking at a
situation now where Nikola jokicch might look at in the
future where he's not wearing eight Denver Nuggets uniform for
the rest of his career. And I'm just going to
add some fuel to this fire by saying both he
and Luka Doncic can be free agents at the same
time in twenty twenty seven, just putting that out there.
Speaker 1: Look, you're gonna have to make me believe that free
agency becomes cool again for that to ever be because
as of right now, the Lakers at like the could
they have cap space for Yokic? Sure, they're not going
to have the trade assets for Jokic. Like if and
I would ask, what do you think is more likely
that Jokic would ask for out leaving free agency, or
the front office would I'm sorry, the ownership the team
would take it upon themselves to hey, we're setting the
stage for a rebuild here. Actually, like, what of those
three scenarios, what do you think is most would be
most likely?
Speaker 2: So I don't think Jokic is a guy who like
complains like, don't don't mistake this as him not being interested,
like he will let people know his opinion. But I
don't see him as a trade meet type of guy.
I never have not.
Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant, like threatening to leave every other year.
Speaker 2: Right exactly, like and I don't think that changes now either. Like, look,
we can also ask some pretty big questions about Dallas.
Even though they got better and they just went to
the finals, there were some pretty big questions like down
the line, Kerry was getting older with Jason Kidd the
right head coach. But you've never heard anything from Luca.
I will say a lot of Europeans are just wired
differently that way, where it's not like get me out
of here, like some will go into that, like Evan
Fournier has requested trades beforehand, but you know Horkmas too
every single year. Yes, he really leaned into like his
American newfound life of living over there. Absolutely, But like
Jokic and Luca, I don't think are that type of
player or that type of person. I don't think they
look at it as oh, free agency is dead, so
let's use a different way to get together. No, I
think they'll just talk and like do the stars align?
The stars align? Cool, let's do it, like I think
it's that. So to answer your question, I think ownership
thinking hey we might be able to get sounds preposterous,
but like you can probably get like couple of good
junk players and like ten draft picks for for Jokics
at this point, like, oh my god, I'm just thinking here,
what's interesting under the thunder could make one hell of
a trade offer this summer.
Speaker 1: My whole thing is so, but I do think you're
right where this doesn't feel. I mean, if you wind
up pushing Jokics to a point where he wants to leave,
whether it's in free agency, he requests a trade, I
hope Nuggets fans storm the castle and give the cron
keys atomic wedgies, because this is just like that's this
is not someone who is people mistaken for him not
caring about basketball. That's not the case. It's just he's
low like him and Steph Curry or just I mean
even Shake Gildes Alexander is just like like this is
these are just not stars that you've ever questioned whether
they want to be where they are, And so I
like to do something like this. That's why I assume
they have to have at least let him know. But
it's also why I keep coming back to, like, are
they kind of gearing up to like do this themselves?
Like that? So my answer to my own question was
it feels more likely that this Denver ownership would take
it upon themselves to, hey, we want to start over
for some reason, and I like that seems unfathomable, but
so does the logic that firing your head coach and
general manager with three games remaining in the regular season
is going to give you a jolt that will help
you in the playoffs. And so it's sort of It's
not on the same level as the Lucas stuff, to
be clear, but it's it kind of reinforces the I
guess anything as possible mindset here, because it would actually
be insane to think that you need to rebuild. I know,
Jokic is in his thirties, it would be actually in
this is someone who's been ultra durable, plays a style
that should age just fine. Is the best basketball player
in the world right now. I just man. And they
could say this is done in service of that, and
I just I call it bullshit because if it was
done in service from Nicole Jokic, it would have been
done sooner, at like, at a more opportune time, or
at least in a more decisive fashion. And so your
solution was, well, let's let this broken dynamic fester for
seventy nine plus games and it's like, now we're gonna
step in and it's like, were you not aware? Were
they so not aware of what's happening? The Kronkey's only
just learned about this, like they just chopp her in
for March. It was like, oh, all right, Like the
stuff here isn't good. We're around the team a little
bit more. This isn't okay. That's also bad.
Speaker 2: Yep, it's all bad, Dan, this None of this is great,
none of if this is great.
Speaker 1: I do want to take like a final thing to
talk about for Knuckets fans that are still watching listening
as to what they can do roster wise, like moving
like okay, finding the right coach and the GM the
thing that I firmly believe who is the coach unless
you believe that there's a coach out there that would
have taken this roster with some of the injuries that
dealt with and brought it to higher highs this year, right,
you have to make changes to the roster then around
Yokich like I'm gonna operate. I wanna make it clear
I'm gonna operate under the assumption that we are trying
to optimize the Nakoli jokicch window. They clearly don't know
how to do it, but they're at least going to
attempt to continue to do it. And so this summer
they could trade up to one first round pick. They
are going to enter about seven point one million dollars
beneath the second apron eleven point eight million dollars over
the tax. I will say, if we get to a
point where they figure out a way to dump Dario
Sharch and Zeke Naji without taking anything back, that's when
the alarm bell should be sounding. Where's oh, they tried
to duct the tax This isn't going to end poorly.
Christian Brown and Peyton Watson are both extension eligible this summer.
Jamal Murray's max extension kicks in this summer, the four
year thirty percent max. Aaron Gordon's extension does that kick
in next year or the year after? I think it's
six Yeah, because he's only twenty two and a half
percent of the salary cap next year. What is the
path forward for this team when looking at its personnel
unlessen Look, you could say this and it's fine that
you just think it's you run it back and hope
that new voice is at the head coaching spot in particular.
Speaker 2: But that's not realistic. That's not realistic you're getting in.
Speaker 1: I do want to leave open up. You don't think
that it's possible that like a Peyton Watson or a
Julian Strawther or jail and Pickett could pop with a
different head coach, Like you're just not.
Speaker 2: Oh no, no, no, I believe that that's not. What I'm
saying is unreally like, what I'm saying is unrealistic is
getting a new GM in who doesn't want to shape
a team in its own image. When have we seen
a general manager come in and say, oh, gee, guys,
I'm so glad to be here, Let's stick with ninety
percent of the same roster, which means I didn't do
anything like That's not a way to stick out. That's
not a way to like impress your boss by not
doing anything like. That's just coming into the job and saying,
oh yeah, like I'm just gonna benefit off the job
of others. I'm not gonna do anything. So whoever is
brought in as the new general manager is going to
have a vision. And that vision I'm like, you're getting
way ahead of it. I think in terms of like, oh,
I should it be Aaron Gordon, should it be Jamal Murray?
Should they be open to training the kids? Like I
think the big question is Nikola Jokic first and foremost,
and that is the biggest chip there is, Like they
are gonna go out there and find a general manager.
That general mentor is gonna come in and it's gonna
have one of two opinions, one being Nikola Jokic is
the greatest player in the world right now, and yes,
we'd be absolutely moron start to utilize that. Or he
will say, Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player in
the world right now, look at what we can get
for him. That's gonna be one of the two things.
So until we know that, I just can't be bothered
sitting there talking about like what the ELL's gonna happen
with Darrio Sarich, Like fuck that.
Speaker 1: So I strongly disagree. I think that's a terrible way
to look at it, just because Oh, isn't the limitations
of what they can do part of what's going to
inform how they go about this next phase Because it's
I'm not asking who should you move I'm asking, can
this team reasonably make any sort of move where if
you can reorient things around? OK, I would even push
not pushed back, but say, like, I know some people
think that Jamal Murray deal is terrible. It's probably not
the best. It's not anywhere near the best contract in
the NBA. It's tradable, it's tradable the dude, and the
dude's been balling for more than half the season, or
at least half the season at this point. So I
just where I'm I'm wondering is that if I was
someone who was pitching myself for this job, right, I
am going to say, well, like, maybe we shouldn't be
as married because we're working within short windows anyway, Maybe
we shouldn't be as married to the Peyton Watson experience.
And if we start to attach him with Zeke Nagy
and Darius Sarch or Peyton Watson in an mpjes that
gout for Peyton Watson. Like it's just I think I'm
looking at pro just because I don't think you can
move Jamal Murray for positive value, Like someone will move him,
but you're not gonna get a haul. I'm looking at
every other player on this roster, including Christian Brown just
because he's extension eligible. He's super plug and play though,
and saying, right, here's what the moves that we could
do to make the team better. And there are different
player archetypes that I think would serve them well. But
you could also just get into the like you could
argue that is there a chance that if you keep
kind of their starting five together and if you're able
to use Peyton Watson as a sweetener to something like, well,
if we can use him and Nausey and Charge and
we turn that into like two players who are going
to round out the middle of our rotation at the
six and seven spots, that's what my focus would be
is the job. I just don't know, Like that seems
pretty modest, I would say, And I think it's fair
to push back if I'm you and argue like they
don't even have the ability.
Speaker 2: To do that. No, I mean, look, that's something they
could have asked Calvin Booth to do. Like that's kind
of my point here, Like what you're saying, there is
something that Calvin Booth could be in charge of, Like
that could be an ownership mandate, saying, look, you tried,
like Peyton, what's in this good? He's nice, He's not
all that like whatever you've built it up to be
in your head. That's not who he is. So now
is the time to pivot off of him or pivot
off of someone else. And then what would Calvin Booth do?
He would have to do it because that's what the
mandate his boss has given him. So I think what
is going to be the biggest indicator of what type
of team this this team is going to be in
about what six months? That is going to be the games? No,
but it's going to be the type of GM they
pull in off the street, Like we'll see what happens.
Like again, I just think, first and foremost that's the
big question, like do you want to remain competitive or
do you want to take a big fat sledgehammer to
the whole thing?
Speaker 1: And you know, I want to talk about something you
said before because I feel like I might have dismissed
it too easily. Do you think that this job is
less attractive now than maybe other perspective positions because of
how this unfolded? Do you think it's more.
Speaker 2: About like the job, like the GM or coach.
Speaker 1: That's a good point. I think the GM job just
because I'm looking at it and saying it would be
amazing to have the opportunity to try and build a
team around a cool Jokic.
Speaker 2: Yes, so would you say, yes, absolutely that I think
it's in that I can say both jobs are attractive.
Like if I'm a general manager and I can a
chance to build around Nikola Jokic, Oh my god, that's
the part of my legacy. If I'm a head coach
and I get to coach arguably the greatest center of
all time, that adds to my legacy too, Like that
these are good jobs. The only thing I hesitate about,
like the job were all is ownership. Like if they
made this type of decision this late in the year,
I'm sitting there thinking, oh, okay, so I can be
out at any time, Like we're seventy nine games into
the season, I could be in the hot seat. That's wild,
Like that's not something that would benefit me as a
coach or a GM, Like I would be sitting there
going with the fun.
Speaker 1: See I just because coaches, I do feel like if
you end up tearing it down trading stars, there is
a chance that some coaches do stick around, Like for that.
But when it comes to like the GM, if you're
tasked with coming in and building a winner around Yokic,
I wonder how attractive this position specifically is because you
don't have a lot of wiggle room with which to
work when it comes to assets or just salary cap flexibility.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I mean, look, that's the challenge. But I
would overlook that. I would basically say, look, I got
a chance to work with jokichin if I can't build
something around him, if I can't figure out to just
move a couple pieces around that makes this better, that's
on me. Like that. You have to have that level
of humility as well going into this, because if you
fail to build around Nicola Jokic, it's pretty much on you.
I'm sorry like that, it is.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And look there's also the element of and it's
the same way for head coaches. There's only thirty of
these jobs, right and as of right now, you know,
we can point that we pointed to coaching situations that
might open up and one, well he's one of those, correct,
But like, there's not as many front office gigs that
seem like they're gonna open up. And so if you're
just like you're gonna have to take it. So I
am man, and that is.
Speaker 2: Why I am throwing my name into the hat.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, you've been as the foremost Nuggets insider who predicted
this firing twenty four hours before it happened. I'm gonna
reject your candidacy. They listen to what I say, clearly
that was I have. I'm still just like at a
loss for words with this. This is I mean, and
the fact that it's now happened kind of twice, like
just two playoff teams and they've got and with you
could talk about the writing on the wall. There was
less writing on the wall, not less writing on the wall,
but like at least in Memphis there was kind of
the breadcrumb level. They gutted his assistant coaching staff before
the season. But the timing is still inexplicable for both.
Speaker 2: So who's gonna get fire tonight? Can? Can I just
put money down on Rick Carlisle just for the hell
of it, because apparently that's how we do things now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, who's been the best coach over the past like
two months that they're gone? Well, you know what, I
was trolling you because you mentioned JB. Bickerstaff's name in
that podcast. I know it's not an infinate candidate, but look,
the Pistons are They're not gonna win fifty games this year.
More like, what is is he even safe? I think
we did get a lot of pushback for mentioning Tibbs.
They said he just signed. A lot of it was
he just signed an extension, his job is safe. I
don't know how you watch what happened with Taylor Jenkins
and Denver most recently, how these championship coaches have been
dismissed and think that Tibbs just getting consecutive fifty win
seasons if they if they don't have a convincing second
round playoff Berth, I like, anything's on the tip you wait.
Speaker 2: Wait, wait, hang on, hang on, hang on. So the
argument was because he signed an extension, he's safe.
Speaker 1: There was other like, this is the prevailing just the
I'll give you the bullet points off. So there's that
there was this is kind of the first year that
this roster it was remade, that they were together, and
I would agree it's like all the points are fair
in an NBA that is taking into account windows that
are longer than two years and I'm just not so
sure that nless you're rebuilding, Like rebuilding teams just have
more of a runway now than these contenders. It's just, yeah, there,
there's going to be anomalies everywhere. Oklahoma City being one
golden state, they've undergone some turnover, but like the Crux
having Steph there, having Draymond there. But I just I'm
not even predicting that Tims we get fired, but you
could just you can between the Luka Dancics trade, Taylor
Jenkins and Michael Malone's is the timing of those dismissals.
I think you could convince me on just about any
type of transaction happening in the NBA.
Speaker 2: The reason I'm asking is because I don't think I
don't take that into consideration, like coach signing a big
deal like his start off, a new extension, whatever, like
Monti Williams side signed for what seventy eight million, like
the coach for one year. I swallowed his deal.
Speaker 1: I do agree, but I am one, And maybe it's
like you're in that case, you knew that he probably
wasn't going to find another job that would offset it.
But like Eric's Baulstra at eight years one hundred and
twenty million might be the line right where it's a hey,
we're not gonna get rid of this guy yet, but
maybe maybe not.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because I don't I don't think NBA teams look
at that as being like, oh, that's that's a lot
of money. I mean again, we're talking about billionaires, a
half of them. When it comes to like administrative stuff,
unless you're the bulls, you just don't really care about
what you're paying guys not on the roster. So like,
I just don't think that factors in a whole lot.
The other points I agree with those are fair, Like
the contractual stuff, I just don't think teams put as
much value into it.
Speaker 1: And as in Tims's case, I actually think the most
salient argument would be it really does feel like the
front office and the coaching staff are on the same
page unless we find out that Leon Rose has been
pleading with him to like cut minutes or play more
members of the rotation and he just has it. But yeah, so.
Speaker 2: Remember when you could trade coaches, I think you still can.
Needs to see someone do that a little bit more.
I need I need a coach trade. I really needs
to see that.
Speaker 1: Do you think there'd be any coach that would right
now just leave his job for the chance to coach
Nicola jokicch in Denver.
Speaker 2: I mean there should be. There should be several like
Jamal Mostly. I know he's got a good thing going
in Orlando. Yeah, like that might be the guy who, like,
if Jamal Mostly has enough like insight into his own
like strengths and weaknesses, he might look at Denver and go, oh,
there's the guy who could save my ass. Because I'm
really bad at drawing up offense. But here, here I
go to this genius of basketball savant who might save
my ass that I can focus on defense, Like I
could just be a defensive coordinator and Jokic will take
care of the rest offensively. That's fine, dream job.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be fascinated to see who winds up on
their list over the offseason of coaches that there could
perspectively higher. That's like, I'm sure Taylor Taylor Jenkins will
get an interview, but I'm just wondering, imagine if he
got hired. That's what this was. Taylor Jenkins becomes available
that to the Cronky's wanted, and they just hire Taylor
Jenkins right before the playoffs. That'd be funny.
Speaker 2: Imagine if it's someone like Mark Jackson or something, I would.
Speaker 1: Just yo, gets better demand to trade.
Speaker 2: Like immediately if they make one of those deals, like
or if if Doc Rivers shakes Loots in Milwaukee and
he signs there, like it's.
Speaker 1: Just I would allow an interview for Jeff Van Gundy
after his body of work with the Clippers. I would allow.
Speaker 2: That's fair. Yeah, no, no, no, that's fair. I think
that's fair.
Speaker 1: Do you have anything else or are you able to
inform I Hour subscribers so they could find you in
all the fantastic work that you do.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, I would implore you
not to get too inspired by what happened and not
fire Grant right before the playoffs.
Speaker 1: I don't know. We're gonna have to take his jolt
pulse and where that lands on the spectrum, because I
want to make sure that he's headed into the playoffs
with that with that.
Speaker 2: J yeah, yeah, exactly. So you really need to just
make sure he's he's for it, because if not, he
could be a first round exit. That's that's also tough,
Like do you fire him mid first round, I fire myself.
Speaker 1: If I don't have the jolts, I think mission critical. Yeah,
I don't think I'll have no choice but to step down.
Speaker 2: You know what? He could also just be something out
of thor was like maybe you're not wearing a cap.
That would be a jolt, that would be weird, Like
that's something that would that would throw me off, Like
that's that's.
Speaker 1: A that's funny because I feel like whenever I've been
podcast with Grant, I have not had a hat on
the past years. Get you, I put a hat on.
Speaker 2: I don't think I podcast little without Uh. Well, so
so where you can find my work, you can find
on work at Yahoo Sports. I have just come out
with two major pieces. One on the Blazers, well it
seemed that I'm very high on and I think they
might have found their star potentially if we buy into
Dannieofoos second half of the season. And I also came
out with an enormous NBA You're a piece where I
was allowed to write in the first person, So thank you,
boss man for allowing me to do that.
Speaker 1: Such a narcissist that you said, I really.
Speaker 2: I know, I know, I mean, I'm usually not a
first person type of guy. But given the fact that
I'm European and NBA is kind of my job, I was.
It was like, yep, this makes sense on this one.
I actually, you know, how big of a narcissist I
wasn't that piece. I actually gave the NBA advice on
how to create a league in Europe that might actually
be sustainable.
Speaker 1: Like you provided it within the piece, or you informed
NBA officials of it before you published.
Speaker 2: After I published. I actually did send it to the league.
Yes I did. I mean, I'm not even kidding. I
actually did. Look, I have a good relationship with the league.
I'll send this send them stuff when it's about like being.
Speaker 1: If you don't have the jolt heading into the postseason,
that relationship might mean nothing.
Speaker 2: I'm thinking about that right now. I don't have the
g I haven't heard the reaction they Like I might
wake up tomorrow to like a WhatsApp message just going more.
You missed the jolt on that one, like you, Well,
we can't work with you anymore. Done?
Speaker 1: Sure? Adam Silver listens to every single one of our
episodes twice, so I'm sure you'll hear from him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, for sure, Like he actually subscribes to my
only fans. Is great.
Speaker 1: He's actually your most generous donor too.
Speaker 2: All right, well, I just catapulted every single chance I
had to getting at the interview with him one on
one one day. Uh No, but you can try my
work over at Blue Sky, where I share my links
for Yahoo and and for Forbes, and I do the
Danish podcast, I do the NBA podcast. So yeah, that
is what I'm doing these days.
Speaker 1: Shout out to more, Shout out to you. I hope everybody,
as we head into the final couple games of the season,
into the playoffs, just has that jolt yes inside, just
come up from within them and travel through their veins
and through their brain and they're just so amped up
and ready to like watch.
Speaker 2: What if everyone has the jolt? Though? Is that too
much jolt?
Speaker 1: I don't think there is such a thing as too
much jolt, but I'll ask. I'll email the Kronkeys after
this and see.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because I could just see fans be like really
pissed that everyone is starting to have jolts, because it's
it's like kind of like the three point thing. Oh
everyone is shooting threes, not oh everyone else jolts now?
Speaker 1: It's not the you know, fans, spectators. They step on
the court mid game and now they're draining logo jumpers like,
but they just feel the jolt. They can't stop. They're
gonna have to stop running those those like those events
at the middle of halftime where those half court shots
for whatever money they're gonna ensure, Like companies aren't gonna
want to sponsor those anymore because all these people that
have the jolts on those, I.
Speaker 2: Know, I know, it's it's crazy. Well, I hope you
have a good rest of the day with a lot
of jolts, sir you as well.
Speaker 1: Until next time, and as always, with the shout out
to the one, the only, the dab the job