Rumors

Michael Porter Jr.: If I would have been on the Nuggets, I think we wouldn’t have lost to the Wolves. We would have had too many matchup problems. They were able to put Jaden McDaniels on Jamal Murray, but then who were you going to put on me? When we played them last year, they put Nickeil Alexander-Walker on Jamal. They put Jaden on me. Two really good defenders. If I was out there, I think it would have been a little bit different. But I think it’s weird. I was talking to her earlier. I kind of feel like a hater a little bit, because I’m watching the series and those are my guys on the team. I want them to do well, but I couldn’t fully cheer for them because they traded me. It’s a weird feeling, kind of, because I felt kind of like a hater, low-key.

YouTube

“It’s just unacceptable. Especially with the talent we have on this roster,” Braun said. “I think when we come here every single year, we talk about championships. That’s our mindset and our goal. And obviously, we fell short. A first-round exit’s not acceptable. We’ve gotta bounce back. We’ve gotta get to work. … You can kind of put it on my shoulders. I think this team wasn’t resilient enough in the playoffs.” When asked to elaborate, he said the lack of resilience was a reflection of him. “I just think I’m the leader of this team,” Braun said. “I’m the vocal leader of this team. And when we don’t play well as a whole, you can blame whatever you want … You can blame anything. But I didn’t play well enough as an individual, and I didn’t have this team ready enough to play in a tough series. So we’ll be better. I’ll be better. I’m looking forward to next year, when we can respond.”

Denver Post

Braun missed 38 games during the regular season after suffering a severe left ankle sprain on Nov. 12. He initially tried to return on Jan. 4, but after struggling for three games, it was clear he wasn’t ready. He was able to run. He wasn’t able to jump. He went back on the shelf for another three weeks, then spent the rest of the season growing accustomed to a routine of postgame treatment on the ankle. He had torn the ligaments on the inside and outside of it. It was the first serious injury of his basketball career. It continued to swell up during the playoffs. Meanwhile, he also sustained an injury and developed swelling in his left calf in Game 1 against the Timberwolves, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. It exacerbated Braun’s inability to explode off the ground — his left leg is the one he usually pushes off of when he jumps.

Denver Post

NBA Courtside: Rich Paul on why the media doesn’t criticize Nikola Jokic like they do LeBron: “The reason you don’t hear a lot of conversation about Jokic, is because I don’t believe people are happy to see Jokic lose. When LeBron loses, people are happy to see him lose. Especially his peers. Guys that played in the league who have platforms today, for different reasons, it’s extra. They are happy to see him lose.” (Via Game Over)

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The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to hire Masai Ujiri as their team president and alternate governor, landing a lead basketball executive with proven champion experience after a six-month search process, sources told ESPN. Ujiri was the architect of the Toronto Raptors' 2018-19 championship team, the highlight of his 15-year tenure as a lead basketball executive in the NBA. He also won the Executive of the Year award in 2012-13 with the Denver Nuggets. A news conference with Mavs governor Patrick Dumont and Ujiri is planned for Tuesday in Dallas, sources said.

ESPN

Bennett Durando: Shams Charania just went on Inside the NBA and confirmed some tidbits from our @denverpost reporting on the end of the Nuggets’ season: David Adelman’s job is considered safe, but changes to the roster are coming this summer as Denver navigates first-round exit amid payroll dilemmas.

Twitter

Edwards has been doing everything he can in an effort to hasten his return to the court. He did sit on the bench for the clinching Game 6 win over the Nuggets, because he was getting treatment for his injury, league sources told The Athletic.

New York Times

Despite chatter that Adelman may already be on the hot seat one year into his tenure, the immediate sense within the organization is that he’ll be back for a second season. Before wiping out in the playoffs, he led the Nuggets to 54 wins in a regular season that forced him to use 28 different starting lineups due to various injuries. Jokic and Murray both defended him after the Game 6 loss.

Denver Post

Uncomfortable discussions loom about Denver’s core around Jokic, including whether the 30-year-old Gordon can stay healthy for eight consecutive weeks of playoff basketball at this stage of his career. The Nuggets know from experience how many roster flaws he covers up. But those flaws bubble to the surface every time he’s hurt. At the very least, he will no longer be considered off the table as a trade candidate when team brass meets to discuss next steps, league sources have told The Post.

Denver Post

One of the Nuggets’ top priorities will be retaining restricted free agent Peyton Watson, and if they do, at least one current starter is almost guaranteed to be sacrificed in a corresponding cost-cutting move. Johnson has been considered the most likely candidate to be traded for months, according to sources, but Gordon and Braun are in the same salary range as him. Denver’s first-round flame-out was disastrous enough that anyone other than Jokic could feasibly be shipped off.

Denver Post

NBACentral: MPJ says the Nuggets would have won if they hadn’t traded him “Shouldn’t have traded me.”

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NBA Courtside: Shams on Nikola Jokic future in Denver: “They believe Nikola Jokic at his word. He wants to be there. This is not a situation where he’s talking about potentially leaving or looking elsewhere, saying I need you guys to do this and that. He’s very internally and externally ‘I’m here, no matter what. I’m resigning.’ But there are going to be changes in Denver” (Via @ShamsCharania)

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Jonah: Jaden McDaniels on the Denver rivalry "Yeah, you could say it's a rivalry. — I don't know if we can anymore after we beat them, like, 2, 3 times, but it's cool." "You're saying that they can't be in your class anymore bc you guys have gotten the last 2 series?" "Basically."

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Bones Hyland: 3 years ago they traded me. 3 years fast forward we eliminated them. I love you Minny! Wolves in 6

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