“People always want more in general, but they don't know what they have. I'm really happy to have won the title: many good players have never done it. » Nikola Jokic already seems very happy to have won the Grail a little over a year ago. Except that Michael Malone wants more and the Nuggets have taken a turn since the title which does not please the technician.
In September, disagreements between the coach and the leaders were mentioned. The bone of contention? Calvin Booth, the GM, wants to rely on young people while Michael Malone regrets the successive departures of veterans – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, Reggie Jackson – so valuable in winning the title in 2023.
“We wanted to be competitive, the players, the coaches and myself. We wanted to win, especially after winning the title. That's probably when the tension started.” comments the Nuggets GM for ESPN. “What are we trying to do: win or develop? Everyone agreed and had the best intentions at the beginning, but competition can distract from buy-in. »
“There are no enemies or bad guys in this matter”
Clearly, the coach wanted to rely on the young people but when he saw that he would not have the same results as with his veterans, he started to complain about it.
“It’s difficult. A coach wants to win the next game and wants players who have proven themselves,” admits Calvin Booth. “That's why, even though the concept seemed good and the coach agreed, when the serious stuff starts, then Michael Malone struggled with it all at times. There are no enemies or villains in this matter. We played well in the regular season, playing the young guys. We did what we planned and our team is in a good position because of it. »
According to ESPN, the Nuggets had opportunities to strengthen themselves with more referenced players, but they did not want to sacrifice young people: Christian Braun, Peyton Watson or Julian Strawther.
According to our colleagues, discussions with the Clippers for Paul George existed but Calvin Booth did not want to include one of the three players mentioned above.
Same logic for the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while the Mavericks offered Tim Hardaway Jr. or Josh Green in exchange for the guard, who would not have been lost for nothing since we know that the latter signed free at Orlando. Here again, the leaders judge that Christian Braun can replace him. “ If Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn't come back, with Braun in the major five, we can get by », had assumed Calvin Booth before the departure of “KCP”.
“There is this false idea that teams that win the title or go to the Finals don’t play young people. This is totally false”
“To win the title you need a combination of experience and juice. Often, it’s the young people who bring the juice”says the GM of the Nuggets, who also has to deal with the new financial rules. He therefore made this choice during the offseason, while looking for veterans like Dario Saric and Russell Westbrook.
But is it really viable to focus more on young people than on veterans when Nikola Jokic, three-time MVP, is experiencing his best years? Is there not a risk of spoiling this exceptional window?
“There is this false idea that teams that win the title or go to the Finals don’t play young people. This is totally false,” Calvin Booth defends. “Tony Parker, his first year, played an average of 34 minutes in the playoffs and the following season, the Spurs won the title. Parker, Speedy Claxton and Manu Ginobili were present. In 2008/09, the Lakers played Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum, and the latter was still a baby. »
