Denver Nuggets' Big Win and Strategic Moves Explained

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00:00in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, and the Memphis Grizzlies.

00:03We will soon get to the East, where we did actually see everything solidified yesterday

00:07with another excellent performance out of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

00:11Giannis right now, a walking triple-double.

00:14That has been the case for Nikola Jokic all season.

00:16It was the case yesterday in a huge Nuggets win, 26-16-13 for the Joker.

00:25They trailed by as many as 15 in this game.

00:28They did have the lead down to single digits heading into the break.

00:32It was just three heading into the final quarter.

00:35Denver, defensively, the area that I think led to Michael Malone being fired,

00:41stepped up in the fourth quarter and held the Grizzlies to just 14 points,

00:47which is absolutely massive.

00:49The thing I posit to you, gentlemen, is do the Denver Nuggets feel more dangerous

00:55or more vulnerable after their decision, Tom, to fire Michael Malone?

01:01I would say more dangerous based on, and I don't want to say it's like the honeymoon period,

01:05right, where you have, like, you fired the coach, oh, we got some good vibes going in our direction,

01:10and we're at least happy to an extent.

01:12I would say they're more dangerous because they have the pedigree,

01:15and I also think that we're going to see, regardless of the rumors of the Westbrook treatment,

01:20whatever it might be, we're going to see the rotation really tightened up,

01:23and I think that's where they're going to excel.

01:24Now, what we were talking about pre-show is the non-Jokic minutes.

01:29Non-Jokic minutes.

01:30What will we be getting from them?

01:32Because I think that is the key point.

01:33When we see the rotation tightened up, and we see, as we talked about, MPJ and Aaron Gordon play,

01:39I would say good tertiary roles after Jokic and Murray,

01:42that's going to be the determining factor.

01:43If they step up and they are excelling at this point,

01:46that's where they are the most dangerous.

01:47So I would say danger more than ready for an upset.

01:51Yeah, I mean, when you look at this, yes, they have the pedigree,

01:53but, you know, you're also leaning on Nicole Jokic last night to play 41 minutes.

01:58That's a lot of minutes, which obviously means you've got to get something out of DeAndre Jordan.

02:04Something.

02:05Whether it's six, seven minutes, you know, as a coach,

02:07you may want to structure how you get him as minutes in regards to,

02:11and we've talked about this a lot, Kevin, like end of the first quarter, early second quarter,

02:15so it's longer break time for someone like Nicole Jokic.

02:20But to me, it was their ability to rebound the basketball.

02:23Out-rebounding Memphis 52-41, dominating the glass.

02:27Now, obviously, you see the performance last night out of Aaron Gordon with 33-5.

02:31Michael Porter Jr., who, to me, I think needs to be a better rebounder.

02:36I've kind of said this a lot about a guy that's freakishly athletic

02:40and could be able to go get a rebound.

02:42For him to have 12 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, to me, is key.

02:47Now, when it gets to them in the playoffs, and we're going to get into this more and more,

02:53it's all about matchups.

02:55Like, I'm a big believer in styles make fights.

02:58Throw the analytics out the window, throw everything out the window,

03:02and line me up team versus team, who looks better?

03:06Now, obviously, if Denver goes on and makes a run,

03:09it's going to be the greatest move of all time, getting rid of Michael Malone,

03:12who I've watched at times teams struggle defensively and getting stopped.

03:16I remember the Knicks scored, I don't know, 140 points against him, I think, both times this year.

03:21So it should be interesting, tighten up the defense.

03:23Joker's been Joker, but I think, Tom, that has a point.

03:26You've got to get the secondary guys who step up, particularly on the minutes

03:30when Joker is not on the front.

03:31So the thing is, is I'm not going to sit here and scream that David Adelman is now coach of the year

03:36because they won at Sacramento and then beat Memphis,

03:39who is falling all over themselves in their own building,

03:41with Jamal Murray showing back up.

03:44I think, though, Denver was taking a look at their team.

03:49They had a three-game stretch in April where Jokic was 0-3,

03:52despite averaging 45-12-12, and they went,

03:56oh my gosh, we're going to be lucky to get out of round number one.

03:58At the time of the firing, the numbers will move once all these matchups are set.

04:02Memphis was a plus price.

04:04They had these markets available to make round number two.

04:08There are people who believe Nikoli Jokic at the end of the season

04:10should be handed a fifth consecutive MVP award.

04:13That won't happen.

04:14We'll talk awards.

04:15But people believe that he has been of that level for five straight years.

04:19In this window of him winning MVPs, they've made one conference finals.

04:25And I think upper management went,

04:26we're going to get eliminated in round two at best again,

04:30because nobody here cares.

04:32Nobody here cares about anything.

04:34And that is not just Jalen Pickett doesn't care or Westbrook doesn't care.

04:39That's big number 15.

04:41Maybe not caring enough.

04:43So they sent a message that everybody here is expendable outside of Nikoli Jokic.

04:49And all of a sudden, what do you know?

04:50Jamal Murray can walk again.

04:51It's a miracle.

04:51Whoa, I mean, that's incredible to see.

04:54Because here's the thing.

04:55Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.,

04:57you're getting traded this offseason if this ends up a shortcoming.

05:00And it still may end up a shortcoming.

05:02Because if they're opening round matchups against the Clippers,

05:04the Clippers feel dangerous to people.

05:05And if it's against the Minnesota Timberwolves,

05:07that team is on a two-year window of owning the Denver Nuggets.

05:10They swept them this year.

05:11We all seemingly forgot that Jokic got bounced on his own floor last year

05:15in a game number seven against Minnesota.

05:17But we don't have to get into that right now.

05:19At some point, I will force it upon people.

05:21And that's okay.

05:21We'll get to it when we do.

05:23So I think the Nuggets took a ginormous risk.

05:26But it was because the safe move was them falling short again.

05:31Maybe they also were emboldened to do it.

05:32Because Memphis, two weeks ago, fired Taylor Jenkins.

05:35And everybody was like, huh?

05:37Here's the thing with Memphis.

05:38Jenkins are not.

05:39They are falling all over themselves.

05:41J.Y., you asked me something before we headed into this segment.

05:43So I will put it back to you.

05:45When Memphis is inevitably eliminated in round number one,

05:48because that's where this is headed,

05:49do you think we see one of their, call it stars,

05:53J.J. Aaron Jackson or Desmond Bain, move this offseason?

05:56You have to.

05:57You have to.

05:58Because you can't run it back.

05:59And when you look at this game, how big of a game it was last night,

06:02you get outscored by 11 points in the fourth quarter.

06:05To have Jaren Jackson, Jr., one of the best defenders in the world,

06:10give you one rebound?

06:12He's not a rebounder.

06:13I mean, you know, that's like, you know,

06:15Malawats last weekend against Houston.

06:17Oh, it's your boy.

06:18He's doing a rebound.

06:19That's a story for another day.

06:20You and I were here for now.

06:22But to me, that's the thing.

06:24Someone's getting moved.

06:26I mean, and then you got to worry about Jai.

06:29Guns?

06:30Grenades?

06:30Like, I don't know.

06:31What do you mean?

06:31He's throwing his words back at him.

06:33You didn't see his explanation?

06:34Yeah, yeah, okay.

06:35It's just words.

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