Thread: The Official Denver Nuggets Thread!

Originally Posted by Von Kinger

So you guys blew a first round pick on a guy who is just a guy?

Yep. And a guy on an expiring.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Yep. And a guy on an expiring.

I'm sorry.

Unless this is a really harsh way to open up cap room....for a Melo return?

Originally Posted by Von Kinger

I'm sorry.

Unless this is a really harsh way to open up cap room....for a Melo return?

It looks like a cap move. Denver still has its own No. 1 and maybe another. Plumlee will be an ok pickup for three months unless he takes minutes from Jokic, which the Nuggets are good at doing. See: Jameer Nelson.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

It looks like a cap move. Denver still has its own No. 1 and maybe another. Plumlee will be an ok pickup for three months unless he takes minutes from Jokic, which the Nuggets are good at doing. See: Jameer Nelson.

Are you going to defend the loss of draft picks?

Originally Posted by slim

Are you going to defend the loss of draft picks?

Defend it? No. That's the reasoning though, per several reports.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Defend it? No. That's the reasoning though, per several reports.

The Nugs may as well be run by the Monforts.

Originally Posted by slim

The Nugs may as well be run by the Monforts.

Whoa. Let's not go overboard.

It's kind of like they're run like the Los Angeles Rams.

Plumlee isn't going anywhere. He's restricted and the Nuggets have tons of cap space. The first round pick wasn't going to do anything for the Nuggets. They already have young players at every position that aren't getting enough playing time.

I don't agree with the trade, but I can see the thought process behind it if the Nuggets are willing to pay what it takes to keep Plumlee. They get more athletic in the front court, and keep a solid passer at center when Jokic is on the bench. Plumlee is the #5 passing center in the NBA. Jokic is #1. Plumlee can also play PF.

And now for the fluff:

TUALATIN -- When Meyers Leonard sat down for breakfast Sunday morning at the Portland Trail Blazers practice facility, he overheard CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard having a serious conversation.

"I asked what they were talking about," Leonard said.

The answer was a stunner: Mason Plumlee had been traded.

If you were caught off guard by news the Blazers had traded their starting center to the Denver Nuggets for Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round draft pick, you were not alone. Plumlee's teammates were just as shocked to see such an integral part of the team shipped away in the midst of a playoff chase.

"It's a tough one, man," Lillard said. "Mase was one of our guys; like a brother to me. I have a great bond with Mase, on and off the floor. It's sucked to see him go ... and we're definitely going to miss him. I was very surprised. I figured if it was going to happen with anybody, it wouldn't be Mase, just because he meant that much to our team and did so many things for our team on the floor."

The trade will not become official until Monday because the NBA league offices are closed on weekends. But a little red tape didn't stop reality from hitting the Blazers, and as they practiced Sunday in Tualatin, the mood was heavy and the emotion fresh. McCollum described the vibe as "different." Coach Terry Stotts said things were "more solemn" than normal.










When Lillard showed up for work Sunday, he darted straight toward the locker room, hoping he might catch Plumlee before he left. Sure enough, Plumlee was cleaning out his locker.

Lillard and Plumlee had developed a tight bond the last two seasons, sharing a common passion for winning, working hard and playing the game the right way. Lillard is the Blazers' captain and undisputed leader, but he said Plumlee -- like him -- was never shy about speaking up in the locker room or during a game when he felt like the team needed a reality check. Lillard said he always respected how hard Plumlee worked and how unselfish he was as a player.

"I just told him how much I appreciate him as a teammate and he was one of my favorite teammates that I ever played with," Lillard said. "Not just in the NBA, but in my life period. I'll miss him for sure."

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/in..._trade_of.html

Plumlee, who arrived in Portland as part of a draft-night trade in June 2015, had blossomed from a niche player in Brooklyn into a versatile starter in Portland. His game expanded and flourished under Stotts, who allowed Plumlee to showcase his playmaking and ball-handling in ways he was never allowed in Brooklyn. Plumlee is in the middle of a career season, averaging career-highs in scoring (11.0 points per game), rebounds (8.1), assists (4.0), blocks (1.2) and steals (0.9). Athletic and versatile, Plumlee is a player capable of recording double digits in assists one night and double digits in rebounds the next.

All the while, teammates say, he is uniquely unselfish.

"You don't find people that committed to being a better player and as committed to our team as he was," Lillard said. Plumlee is "always trying to figure out what he can do better to help us. Always in the game, he would come to me with a play call where he could literally help me get an easier look, a play where he's handling the ball and he can look for me. He would bring his iPad to me and say, 'Dame, look at this play. Right here, we should look at this more often in the game. You could (go) backdoor right here or be on the weak side.' It was just a lot of communication where he was trying to make the game easier for me."

Added McCollum: "He's just a glue guy that you want on your team. He's a guy who does things the right way, never complains and he was getting better. He put together a nice string of 20-25 games where he was getting double-doubles, making his free throws, finishing in the lane. He's a good guy. That's what matters the most. He's a good guy."

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/in..._trade_of.html

great, detailed breakdown of the trade

Tim Connolly says that the Nuggets have pursued Plumlee for a long time, that they plan on playing him and Jokic together, and that he will be here long term. Intersting......

Chris Dempsey ‏@chrisadempsey 22h

The #Nuggets have the right to match any offer, and would. But expect them to re-sign him straight away.

Chris Dempsey ‏@chrisadempsey 22h

A big draw in the deal for the #Nuggets was being able to retain Plumlee's restricted FA rights. His in the last year of his rookie contract

Chris Dempsey ‏@chrisadempsey 23h

Plumlee, incidentally, is a player the #Nuggets have long coveted to add to their frontcourt. And at 26, he can grow w/the young core

good grief, the entire nuggets team is now hurt. . . i'd swear rich tuten HAS to be working for them in some capacity-- there's just no other explanation for such an epidemic of soft tissue injuries. . . meanwhile, their bench is still pummelling the bitch warriors. . . which won't last, but it's fun to watch right now. . .


edit: lolz. . . lazy-ass dubs barely bothered to show up for the first half. . . they gave up freakin' 79 to a nuggets team missing three starters, and two of their backups. . . that doesn't happen if oakland doesn't lay down for them-- but it's still kind of a nice look at some of the nugs depth guys. . . juancho hernangomez led the team with 14 points. . . that kid looks like he has a nice future ahead of him, and we haven't even seen malik beasley yet. . . giving up the first for plumlee doesn't sting that much when you realize that we simply don't have the roster space to absorb multiple developmental rookies in the upcoming draft-- we don't have minutes for the ones we already have unless half the roster is hurt. . .

Great win Nuggets