Marc J. Spears : “MPJ may not play Saturday, Jamal’s hurting, Russ is hurting, Aaron told me he can barely jump right now.”
this will be a reaaaal interesting off season for the nugs
lakers reading this: oh now yall wanna have the team fall apart on the year we’re not matched up 😭😭
Lakers fans reading this: we’re getting Jokic
“Fire up the photoshop”
(Who am I kidding, there’s probably a dozen different shops of him in Purple and Gold already)
I think laker fans are the scourge of basketball…. But man after that Luka trade I can never roast them for trade ideas/outrageous photoshops
Especially when they fantasize and say “the team will give us their superstar for our scraps” because now it actually happened
The fact it wasn’t even the whole garbage plate, like a half eaten one. And the rest they used to trade for mark Williams, this timeline is hilarious
We live in the darkest timeline
I have a theory that we are in the timeline that everything goes wrong
“Fran Ferdinand shot”
“Austrian painter denied, and a British sniper saves his life”
“Bobby Kennedy shot”
“Kd joins a 73 team”
I could go on.
This is the bad place
There’s also the possibility there were even worse events prevented by these shit sandwiches
I have that shit saved. He does look nice in a yellow jersey i must say
https://images.app.goo.gl/9vaiyoo3n6nzJJwP6
He has better undertones for wearing that shade of yellow. Luka looks horrendous in it.
Ugh that shade of yellow is atrocious. Cant they use a color with less neon?
Laker fans hate it too. Our team color is GOLD. Lakers management continues to give them these ugly highlighter-pen jerseys.
It’s the first fucking thing I saw on Reddit this morning
My friend who’s a Lakers fan has been saying this, unironically, since the coach firing. I already knew it, but this was confirmation he’s kind of an idiot.
!remindme 9 months
Obviously after Luka anything is possible, but…there is no universe where the Lakers actually have the best offer, right?
Oh for sure not, I have no idea what package they could even put together there, but the Lakers dont have to deal with pesky things like being realistic
Well the lakers can offer Luka…
Why would they negotiate with anyone other than the Lakers?
lmao you joke but i live in LA and one of my coworkers yesterday said there are rumors jokic is gonna come to the lakers because he’s friends with doncic (and tbh i don’t even know if jokic and doncic are friends lol)
They are lol. It’s why there were people saying Luka might go to Denver if he’s pissed off at the lakers for being involved in the trade. But that was before it was clear the nuggets were imploding, and that Luka seems pretty happy in LA with JJ etc.
Only if Nuggets aquire Nico Harrison as GM.
Its too bad he has a no trade clause, the Lebron for Jokic trade would have been hilarious.
If Jokić goes to the Lakers in never watching another NBA game. Any other franchise but them.
For 2026 1st round swap, and Dalton knecht.
Based on Luka value
Twist: he goes to the Kings just to battle LeBron more
That’s exactly what I was thinking actually. Are you a psychic?
You just know Lakers wanted their get back for all that daddy talk
Poor Lakers, this year has been so hard for them. Really caught every bad break
Jamal Murray would still shoot 257383% from the field against the Lakers this year even on one leg
We fell apart last season and still beat the Lakers.
That’s an extremely dramatic reaction to being a pack contender rather than a runaway favorite
This same team would have sucked it up, played their all time best, and swept us with 4 buzzer beaters.
Yeah, that. Lol.
We both might be out in the first round anyways lol
Nico Harrison is preparing to trade for Jokic
in b4 Jokic gets sent to the Lakers.
Bulls about to offer Vooch/Pat/Jevon 😂
Jokic for Gabe Vincent
The first round has been saddening. Such good basketball being played too.
Yeah was shaping up to be a great series. Now 4-1 unfortunately. Getting a bit of Milwaukee vibes from them.
Team maxed out in cap room with no trade assets. Had a perfect season of health. Had guys that are often injured stay healthy the entire playoff run. A god-like performance from their star player. Won a title. But now are just gonna keep running into issues and will make one last gasp to try and change it up but it will ultimately fail and they’ll need to do a full rebuild around Jokic again.
I think the clippers always had a clear edge tbh. Nuggets have been a bottom defense the entire year
They were already good without the klaw and then the klaw came back full strength
It’s just so nice to see. I’ve been cautiously sceptical the whole season, assuming he’d get injured at some point.
He looks fantastic. The defense is there. The efficient difficult shot making is there. Knock on wood this man stays healthy. He’s been my favourite player since 2017 and I’d love for him to return to form through this playoffs.
Atrocious defense and non-existent bench scoring, I mean what could go wrong?
I think it’s the horse masks tbh tho
They’ve been great games but it did feel like the nuggets were just perpetually behind and getting more and more reliant on physicality, ref calls, and some insane Jamal Murray shots to keep it down to the wire.
Nope nuggets can definitely still win this series!! jinx cancelled
Just like any contender recently. Just fortunate that they won a title before they started being chipped away from all sides, just like Milwaukee when they won.
Yeah, they’ve pretty much followed our timeline to a T, just two years behind. We both got absolutely kneecapped by the timing and severity of the new CBA.
What do you think the Nugs version of the desperate Lillard trade will be?
Trae to the Nuggets
I did this in 2k and it did not work out well.
KD probably
Yeaaaah unfortunately lad you just described the Bucks experience. An insanely frustrating place to be. I understand the new rules were made to stop KD Warriors from happening again but good God it’s really boned competing small market teams
This is the opposite of the last few years with the Clippers
Nuggets might’ve been able to scrape by and salvage a win on the road in the past but the Clippers have legit home court advantage at Intuit, that place was rocking last night and the role players especially feed off it
Clippers fans came out in force. Wish the Laker fans had that same energy on the home front 😅
Plenty of cleavage out.
That’s an advantage for Ant tbh
Good thing they play in Minnesota tonight then 💀
Aint no cleavage you wanna see in there 😂
Send da video
That would probably happen if the prices to a game weren’t outrageous
all 27 of us screamed our lungs out
I would gladly go to all the games if I didn’t have to drop $300 each time for nose bleeds 🙃
Kawhi being healthy is probably one of the top wildcards of the last decade of NBA playoffs. When he’s in synch and has a decent squad around him his team can knock you out of the playoffs, full stop. The Nuggets margin for error is dramatically lower against a team with a healthy Kawhi. The injuries only serve to exacerbate this effect.
In hindsight, Luka and KP’s Mavs taking the clippers to 7 against a healthy Kawhi was a massive achievement.
Not when they were up 2-0
The 2nd round being at Intuit and Paycom is going to be lit
Lol we still have to beat Denver first
A 2-1 lead doesn’t mean much against Jokic
Yeah, some serious jinxing going on here…
This reverse sweep has been written!!
Nah its near impossible that you squander this
even a 3-1 lead doesn’t mean much against Jokic as you guys know
Its jokic and a bunch of bums. Jokic can only do so much esp when he has to sit.
Stop it!! Nuggets can still win
Gonna be the real WCF.
Denver gonna be regretting going so young post title. They needed to trade 29 1st for a win now player but they traded it mid finals for the picks that became strawther and Pickett.
Your telling me Booths strategy of filling out the team with 2nd rounders wasn’t a good idea?
He traded firsts for strawther and Watson too
I think what they’re gonna regret the most are the albatross Jamal Murray and Porter contracts (and Zeke Nnaji). Killed whatever flexibility they had to build around Jokic
They still had a chance at title last year and this year. But they needed some good bench vets and they didn’t really try to target them.
Justin holiday featured heavily last year then this year it’s really rough.
Trading up in 24 23 and 22 drafts is crazy.
What chance? Did you forget how bad Murray was in the playoffs and the Olympics?
Ya if they had proper depth maybe they could’ve properly rested him last reg season
I mean MPJ’s contract was pre-CBA so I can understand maxing him out back then but the Jamal contract was unacceptable after that stinker he put up in the olympics. Genuinely baffling moves and miscommunication between FO and the Coach
TBF the GM was shopping Jamal around when the owner came and ordered him to give the extension.
ok, both players walk, what do we do?
and don’t say they wouldnt of gotten big money elsewhere. theres terrible deals across the league
Orlando can give yo back KCP
Russ for KCP. Disneyland and Beastbrook, who says no?
If Denver really wants off of MPJ that’s going to be the type of deal it’ll be. Patrick Williams in chi or kcp contract.
I would say that the bigger problem is that we tied up 370 mil on two unproven young players that have only gotten worse over time.
If that money would have been spent on proven players we would be in a very different situation.
They won a title with them. They needed to go after Kris dunn and DJJ or grimes types on margins.
I feel they didn’t really swing in 23 or 24 summers
We also won a title with KCP and Bruce Brown. Why are they not on 170 mil Nuggets contracts?
Because we were not allowed to pay Bruce more than $8M a year.
Because we were paying MPJ and Murray 30 mil per year each, on top of Jokic’ enormous salary.
It’s why Malone was pissed
We are 1 week in tonthe war of attrition
Usually it’s the clips with all the injuries tbh
Shh I want to see Kawhi in the finals. Don’t need your bad juju
They learned voodoo magic
I hope not but it really feels like the end for that era (not meaning trading Jokic but Gordon/MPJ/Murray shouldn’t be safe).
Also sadly feels like we’ll get a “Russ plays hurt, is reckless and awful and ends his career in a pathetic way” (which would make a lot of people weirdly happy in here)
Who would even want MPJ’s and Murray’s contract?
MPJ’s contract should be untradable, but I have a weird feeling that they will actually manage to move him
We have the only untradeable contract in the NBA, unfortunately. Teams will always find a way, but its just a matter if doing so makes the Nuggets better on any sort of timeline that helps Jokic.
(wouldn’t actually totally shock me if Beal ends up on the Nuggets for MPJ + another salary lol)
The rare making both teams worse, Jokic might literally murder Beal on the court lol.
Just hot swap KD & Beal for Murray & MPJ
Call it good and see what happens for everyone 🤣 🤣
For all the hoopla, they are both just 25% maxes, which is a part of the reason they weren’t as worried about it, especially for MPJ.
Bradley Beal is making \(50m this season. MPJ is getting \)35M. KCP just signed for $22m a year and he was nowhere close to the offensive player MPJ has been.
It’s really not as extreme as people are making it out to be.
Suns?
Problem is none of those players are young or on good deals. It’s gonna be incredibly hard to rebuild around Jokic
Given the new CBA, I have a feeling a lot of teams will just end up “trading their problems” to each other, so guys like Lavine, Beal, MPJ, Murray, McCollum, PG, etc. (not saying they will ALL get traded of course)
Gordon has actually been really good this year and taken a real leap in his shooting, just been a little too injured.
He has been awesome shooting the ball but the rest of his game is declining pretty fast
I hope Gordon is safe, but I’m begging the Nuggs to ship MPJ and Murray out of here.
Damn all the fun they started having after Malone getting fired must be gone.
Vibes were good until they realized they were the problem lmao
They’re all injured and have no depth. What does Malone have to do w anything?
Exactly
They’re still waiting on their one player that understands his power now.
It really feels like the end of an era. If you’re Jokic how much more can you carry if your teammates have a history of being hurt.
Do you think he’s having a worse time in this playoffs or the one where they had facu in the starting lineup
The Facu Campazzo backcourt is the kind of thing Vietnam War veterans come home and share stories about, leaving you cringing.
Of the 38 games he played that year:
Diabolical.
Well when you put it like that I think we give it one more shot next year
I’d definitely say this one, no one really expected anything from them in that season seeing how the team had been hurt all season that time. This time, seeing all your best teammates fall one by one in a series that could go either way and having ground out a tough OT in game 1, I just feel horrible for the guy
Just gonna say that there was plenty of talk about the Nuggets falling apart when they were down 1-3 in the second round in 2020. And a lot of that revolved around MPJ and whether he was still worth playing…
Nuggets fans have every right to be dooming (I would if the Clips were in the same position), but the series isn’t over because of one lopsided game.
While it’s true that the Clips could be 3-0 right now, they could just as easily be 1-2 if Aaron Gordon hadn’t blown the wide open dunk in Game 2.
You guys should win this series but my one sliver of hope is that we could have won game 2 if a couple things went our way. At this point we really need harden or kawhi to go ice cold and I don’t see it happening
same could be said for game 1. game of inches unfortunately
A big problem is that MPJ is worse today than he was in 2020.
Dude relax the Clippers will the series. They just need to play on autopilot. Nuggets are legit fucked and completely injured now.
Yeah, Nuggets win Game 4 and the winds shift back to it being a 3-game series.
I think the new CBA is gonna have the effect of making multiple rings for single-team stars rather impossible. “Dynasties” are gonna become a thing of the past.
There’s just not a feasible way to surround your guy with enough talent to win it all, and also keep that level of talent for more than a year or two.
We’re seeing just how fast these teams come and go, even around generational talent like Jokic or Giannis.
Soon every star will be faced with the choice of only ever getting a couple years of contention with their drafted team, or leaving their teams once their (now very short) windows are up.
The CBA fucked so much up. Of all the things that could be identified as problems in the modern NBA, having homegrown teams with stars who play their entire careers with one team was not it. Last generation we had a rare confluence of unselfish guys who took discounts to stay with their teams like Dirk and Duncan + generational icons like Kobe all stay with their respective teams while being competitive in playoff matchups for a good chunk of their careers.
I was hoping at least some of that to organically emerge during the 2020s seeing two small markets win and the homegrown warriors able to retool but alas it wasn’t meant to be. It’s crazy that a few years ago it might have been a foregone conclusion that Jokic, Giannis, Tatum, Doncic, Embiid and Wemby had a good shot at all staying with their respective franchises for 12-15 years if not their whole careers but now im not so sure. We haven’t even really had a chance at any premier classic playoff matchups with these superstars with their respective franchises. None of Giannis-Embiid-Jokic-Doncic-Tatum had ever met in the playoffs until last year (and the Celtics Mavs matchup was so lopsided) and that’s a real shame considering how often Dirk, KG, Duncan, Shaq, Kobe, Nash all met for incredible series multiple times with great teams.
If Murray and MPJ were even close to as good as their salary, the Nuggets would have been a modern dynasty.
But that simply isnt the case.
Windy and Simmons agreed in a recent podcast that they think the days of every superstar receiving the max is over.
They still think the top 5 players will get theirs obviously, but they also mentioned how the players’ union is in uncharted territory for how teams will build rosters moving forward.
It’s in a team’s best interest for guys like JJJ to not get super max qualifying awards because of the 2nd apron which is crazy. You’re essentially getting punished for your guys having a great season if they’re not a top x player.
I’m sure JJJ wants to get paid but the Grizzlies cannot afford to waste $350 M or whatever the amount is on him and still attempt to build a competitive roster.
Yeah I think you need a prime LeBron/Steph type player to make it possible now and there isn’t a player of that caliber currently.
jokic is in that tier genuinely, give jokic prime kyrie or even klove or injured dwade and he’d have won another ring by now. not even talking about prime kd, klay, draymond…
As good as he is I disagree that he is on that level primarily because of defensive reasons. Steph’s defense is bad but easier to cover up at a PG than a center.
Jokic is pretty good on defense when he gives effort- for example this series vs Clips- and he also consistently gets a lot of steals. I think if you want Jokic to defend like Zubac you need to have other players step up on defense AND offense.
Dogging him on not being a consistently elite rim protector is a silly kneejerk response because most centers are just not good at anything else. As it is he’s also averaging a triple double and his advanced stats are crazy. For example Nugs TNR is in 60+ win team territory this year with him playing, but it’s equivalent to a bad lottery team when he’s off the floor.
Jokic on his way to 70/5/30 statline
in a loss by 30+ points
Jokic and Giannis really have the broadest shoulders in the NBA. My god do they have to lift their franchises.
Series is a wrap. Nuggets have 0 scoring outside their core 4
Absolute disaster scenario in Denver right now
It’s been a fun dynasty boys 🤷♂️🤕
I’m going to game 4 tomorrow. Hopefully the Nuggets can make it sonewhat entertaining?
It’s Jover.
What 1 game in Intuit Dome does to a team
Absolutely run into the ground. This is what happens when you have no ducking bench
Clippers fans: first time?
So it’s only Joker? Get him some help or free him.
I love how the nba’s official vacation partner is Cancun Mexico. 33rd NBA team otw
Anyone feel like Jokic is really angry this season? Seems like he is tired that he has to carry this team and be the leader in assists, rebounding and scoring.
Prayers up 🙌
FREE JOKIC
Free Jokic.
Marc Spears is such a hack. “Oh we will see if they prefer Cancun or competing.” Like wtf?
The worst and has been for a very long time
Take the L, its chip or bust anyways. They aint winning with that. Rest up, do the trades and come back stronger next season.
Every future draft pick we own for Jokic.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
Has Mike D’Antoni retired?
I called it, Nuggs were tired and worn out going into this
If Gordon says they can barely jump right night, then maybe they should stop trying to create off the dribble and instead they pass out of a fast break straight away. Dude thinks he is way more than he is. Just cut and defend, do not dribble.
Well, turns eyes to Lakers and Wolves
I can’t watch this panel anymore with the bird on the left. I was kind of baited here.
I like Ramona though.. she knows basketball.
Because of all this I’ve got a ton of money on Clips by 6.
Which mean the Nugs are gonna win ofc.
Genuinely not surprising. The past couple years have pointed to this team not being able to hold up against playoff level physicality.
Kawhi transferred his glass body onto the Nuggets via voodoo magic
Repeated deep playoff runs can really stack up against the team, players have talked about it here and there. They’ve probably played an extra seasons worth of games
Blow it up!
We should add more games to the season
Awwwwwwwww
Everyone is looking fit and hurting. Except fat boy - fay & healthy and last man standing.
How much do you wa t this championship?
How far would you go?
Jokic about to recruit his horses as teammates
From Air Gordon to Air Gordo
Threw Russ in there as if his health matters lmao
I am a furry and i love gobert
Is it possible to just concede the series and save Jokic’s back?
Damn it’s the Kawhi virus
spears starting to be a little annoying
What a wonderful league
Fuck that. This is some trap game shit. If the Clips play down or think it’s going to be an easy night, they’ll get sliced up. They gotta play this game like MPJ, Jamal, Russ, Gordon etc are all healthy.
oooh the nuggets are crumbling
Jamal is always “hurting”. Smh
Jokic to the Lakers for peanuts.
The Lakers have been gift wrapped so many very good to great players since the 60s.
Wilt gets sent to the Lake show in 68-69 for pennies on the dollar. Aging Baylor and a loveable loser name West need help against Russell and the Celtics. Send them the Biggest gun in the league at the time.
Wilt, Baylor, west all retire within 6 years. The Lakers have zero stars and are becoming irrelevant? Send them the best center maybe ever for Brian Winters, junior Bridgeman , Elmore Smith. Not exactly a whose who for the Name they got.
Kareem can’t get it done and needs help. Trade a 33 year old washed up Gail Goodrich to the New Orleans Jazz for their draft pick knowing the Jazz are A. Terrible, B Goodrich is at the end of his career. Some how bag’s the Lake Show the greatest point guard maybe ever aka Magic 🎩 Johnson.
Mid 90s, 98 and 2/3rds of showtime Lakers is gone and the new Lakers are floundering. Who do they get? The most unstoppable force in the paint ever. Shaquille O’Neal because the Mqgic some how butcher his free agency and basically let him walk for nothing in return.
Side bar Note** Kings and Blazers fans* Shaq and Kobe are beatable till it becomes 5 on 10. Lakers starting 5, 3 nba refs, David stern and at least 1 other person did not want those smaller market teams beating the Shaqobe.**
Shaq is ran out of town by Kobe, Kobe thinks he can do it all but is failing and quitting on the team in the playoffs. Have no fear here comes Pau Gasol a very good all star big man and nothing but some scraps and a young raw Marc Gasol were given.
2016 Kobe retires the team fails into irrelevance again. Have no fear we are bringing Magic back as the GM for the world class quality sideshow of the Lonzo Ball * Magic says this guy is the new face of showtime* draft and who does Magic get credit for bagging? LeBron James. Easily according to 99% of nba ppl top 3 greatest player of all time for next to nothing. LeBron was never gonna stay in Cleveland even if he owned the damned team and no other team ever had a remote shot of getting him. He knew he was gonna head to LA years in advance because of outside basketball dreams.
Turns out LeBron is still only human not a God like him and his fans believe he is and he needs help. Whose he get?? A disgruntled big man named Anthony Davis. Probably the best modern day big man at that point who can do it all. They gave up 3 or 4 guys LeBron had Zero use for. Lonzo ( hurt, bum, overhyped) Ingram ( got LeBron don’t need this guy) a young raw Josh Hart.
The Lakers again with LeGM are treading water and might miss the playoffs or play in. Who do they get ??
Luka the heart and soul of the Dallas Mavs who just happened to make the finals last year and is the 2nd best player in this Current league atm behind only Jokic.
What did they give up for him? A oft injured, use up for what LeBron needs at 40 Anthony Davis and some other bozos.
That is 60+ years of the NBA propping up the Lakers. They are never out of title contention for more than 3 or 4 years MAX.
Don’t believe me? Do your research folks and for the most part off the top of my head this is at least 80% all facts.
They are going to lose Jokic.