Let’s get straight to the point. Do you want Kyrie Irving on the Nuggets?
Daniel Lewis (@minutemandan): Yes please. He’s one of the best offensive players in the league, and I think he could adapt to the Nuggets system to elevate the team to another level. I don’t mind the defensive issues – it’s not like the defense is suddenly going to be bad because of Irving. 29th in the league last season y’all – things can’t get much worse.
Ashley Douglas (@AshleyNBAHoops): Honestly, no I don’t. Jamal Murray is still devloping, but I believe he is the future of the Nuggets. Denver won’t help their case by getting yet another player who doesn’t play defense. I also believe that Irving owes part of his success to LeBron James. Without James, I don’t think Irving is as appealing. Now that Millsap is here, the Nuggets need to grow their own stars and stay focused on the long term plan of developing who they have.
Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares): It all depends on the price tag but I am against most realistic trade scenarios. Kyrie is an amazing individual talent, young enough to fit the core, and would likely improve the team right away. But he is my least favorite type of player, the type that has the skill set to be a perfect offensive weapon but instead prefers doing things that make him merely a good one. If the Nuggs can somehow get him without giving up Gary Harris or Jamal Murray (or Jokic and Millsap, of course), then of course I am for it. Otherwise, I’ll pass.
Jeremy Poley (@jeremypoley): Let me answer for everyone's subconscious whether they'll admit it or not. The answer is “yes”. Let's turn to math: 30 teams in the NBA means there's roughly 30 starters. Let's go ahead and chuck in a combination of 30 quality back-ups and blue chips. We're now at 60. If the fundamental question is "do you want this player" then there's 60 yeses. They’re good basketball players. Chances are they’re a better player or prospect than at least a few of your guards. Are you telling me Kyrie wouldn't be in that group? If you’ll admit that he’s a top 60 point guard in the NBA then your answer to this question is “yes”. He's an incredibly gifted, young basketball player. All the naysayers are getting caught up in "his fit on our team" and "what we'd give up". Let's start with admitting "yes, we want him" and go from there. Remember, we’re talking about Cleveland here. They’d trade Kyrie for two summer days, some pavement for their potholes, and a single recipe that can make good food.
Evan Fiala (@eefiala): The more I’ve been contemplating this, the more I I think I want him. He’s just too good to pass over. Of course, it all comes down to the price. I certainly would not give up both Murray and Harris, but if one of the two had to go in order to grab a bona fide star like Irving so be it. I’d be okay with pretty much anyone else going outside of Jokic and Millsap.
What’s your ideal scenario for the rest of the offseason?
Lewis: I drink lots of lemonade, read a few books, and eat many hamburgers on the weekends. Oh wait, were you asking about the Nuggets? Uh, please, basketball gods, don’t let any starters suffer season-ending injuries doing something normal like getting out of the shower or lifting weights.
Douglas: Watching the Nuggets consolidate the roster. The Nuggets have so much going for them now that they’ve brought on Millsap to complement the young core, but I’m concerned that will be ruined by a disjointed and crowded bench. However, I’m growing more concerned as we get closer to September that this just isn’t going to happen.
Mares: Ideal? The Nuggets find a way to lure LeBron away from the Cavs. Not realistic? You said, ideal! Not realistic. Somewhat realistically, the only move I could see Denver pulling off is being the third team in a Phoenix-Cavaliers trade that somehow nets them T.J. Warren, Eric Bledsoe, and/or Jared Dudley. More realistically, moving Faried without giving up any assets would be a very good thing for roster clarity purposes.
Poley: At this point in the off-season I'm less afraid of missing any pieces and more afraid of having too many. I’m over big-name trade rumors. Let’s look at some of our valuable players that have been squeezed out of a role. Can we convert them into picks, expiring contracts, overseas players, or anything that retains some value? Next year we have the contracts of Jokic and Harris to worry about. Let’s prepare our financial situation for that.
Fiala: Consolidation is the obvious answer, but I’m also holding out on an upgrade at point guard. I love Murray but with the Millsap signing its clear Denver is still trying to win now (or win as much as they can given Golden State), and I’m just not sure if Murray is ready to take on that load quite yet. The market has certainly thinned, but if Denver could still somehow swing Irving or Bledsoe that would be awesome.
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What is Jamal Murray’s ceiling for next season?
Lewis: Like 75 percent of Kyrie Irving on his average day.
Douglas: That’s a great question, and I don’t really think he has one. We all know he played with a hernia last season, and did pretty darned well through it all. He showed an incredible ability to step up when needed, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how he performs with a summer of hard work under his belt.
Mares: I don’t think we know the answer to this just yet. My guess is that he will shoot the ball much better, probably around 38% from behind the arc. I think he’ll struggle at times to play the point guard position but will have games where he scores in bunches. Most of all, I think he will be better in March than he is in November.
Poley: 20 points, 40% 3’s, and 5 assists. He shot 40% from the three point line in college so I don’t think that’s too much of a stretch. One scouting report compared him to Chauncey Billups coming out of college. At Chauncey’s first two teams that he had two full seasons at, his assists average jumped by two in the second year. All signs point to Malone giving Murray full minutes at point guard. I don’t think averaging five assists is a stretch even in a Jokic-centered offense. Let’s also compare this ceiling to CJ McCollum’s first year starting and we’re looking at similar numbers.
Fiala: I think he’ll be good but not nearly as good as many fans are hoping he will be. Point guard is the hardest position to learn in the NBA and I expect Murray to struggle for a good portion of the season. He’s been labeled as “untouchable” but I don’t think we’ll really see the “untouchable-ness” of him for another year or two.
If the Nuggets were chosen for a Christmas Day game, who would you like to see them play?
Lewis: Oh, this is a fun idea – the Portland Trail Blazers. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is Nikola Jokic humiliating Jusuf Nurkic for 35 minutes in a Nuggets victory.
Douglas: The popular answer here is the Portland Trail Blazers, but I’m going to pick the Clippers. I’m still bitter about how the Gallinari transaction went down, but I would like to see Millsap and the young Nuggets go up against Gallo and his new team. Although I would also love to see the Nuggets beat up on Nurkic just because.
Mares: Minnesota would be cool because of the Karl-Anthony Towns factor and the Knicks would be fun because it’s always fun to watch Jokic dismantle Porzingis. But this one has to be Portland. Nurkic has not missed an opportunity to rag on the Nuggets. A Christmas day beatdown would be the best present a Nuggets fan could ask for. (Preferably in Portland…I’m not trying to cover an NBA game on Christmas day!)
Poley: Christmas is about getting personal. It’s when all the resentful poison that friends and family have been brooding inside boils over. And I’m still suffering from Connelly’s Nurkic trade. Those picks! Why include the picks!? It was a ball that started rolling, bucked us out of the playoffs, then put us into the middle of the weirdest draft ever. So let’s get into it with the Trail Blazers like we're Aunt Suzy on Christmas, passionately pick them apart, and help me and Connelly move on from the recently bitter past.
Fiala: Definitely Portland. I can’t stand Nurkic.
Does Kenneth Faried have the best fashion sense on the team?
Lewis: It certainly isn’t Jameer Nelson, the Nuggets best normcore fashion star. Faried has the advantage of a big contract and not a lot of playing time, so he has time to spend thinking about his outfits. I bet if Will Barton had Faried’s credit limit he’d take that title.
Douglas: I definitely like Faried’s style. He’s good at rocking a trend without going overboard and looking awkward like Cam Newton. I also love his hair. He has to keep it forever. I think seeing Faried with short hair would scar me for life. Aside from Faried, Barton and Harris also have great style. I’ll always remember Barton’s Thriller intro during his Slam Dunk Competition. The dunks were meh, but the outfit was on point.
Mares: Wilson Chandler is the coolest dude on the roster so I’m inclined to say him. Will Barton certainly has some flair. But I’m going with Nikola Jokic! Joker spent the first year and a half wearing K-Mart brand sweat pants and cotton t-shirts that came out of a 5-pack plastic case. I still remember the first day he “dressed up” and my god did he ham it up. Sometimes it’s not what you wear but how you wear it.
Poley: I don’t know, man! Faried’s looked pretty cool in some of these fashion week pictures? I meant that question mark – that’s a question. Today someone called me “a forest ranger in a formal in the mid 70’s”. I come from a time when whatever you wore, it better be Italian leather. Do you squeak when you move? Good. OJ Simpson – Bruno Magli’s? Good. Let’s go with Faried. His glasses this week were very Bob Deniro.
Fiala: Faried is pretty good, but I low key really like Gary Harris’s style. It’s simple – usually just dark pants or jeans and a t-shirt, but I think it definitely suits him well. He’s also pretty creative with his shirts. Just look at this dog. It’s great.
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