WEBVTT - #thisleague UNCUT: Nuggets GM Calvin Booth

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty

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<v Speaker 1>four hour NBA News.

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<v Speaker 2>This you lo.

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<v Speaker 1>Chris Hans. It's time, works time, it's some time. This

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<v Speaker 1>League Uncut is underway in on fire.

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<v Speaker 3>This should be a good one.

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<v Speaker 4>Welcome friends back again with another edition of This League Uncut.

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<v Speaker 4>We are recording on the eve of the twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 4>two to twenty three NBA Finals and honored to have

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<v Speaker 4>a Finals participant with us, not exactly an on the

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<v Speaker 4>court participant, but a key figure in helping the Denver

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<v Speaker 4>Nuggets reach the NBA Finals for the first time in

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<v Speaker 4>their NBA history. It is their GM general manager, Calvin Booth,

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<v Speaker 4>who I once covered as a player many many years ago. Calvin,

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<v Speaker 4>Welcome to the show, Chris, and excited to have you

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<v Speaker 4>here in Congrats on an NBA Finals appearance. You've had

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<v Speaker 4>several days to think about it, but I'm guessing it

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<v Speaker 4>still has to be surreal here on some level.

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<v Speaker 2>First of all, thanks for having me on. I'm excited

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<v Speaker 2>to be on as well. And yes, of course it's

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<v Speaker 2>still settling in and I think it'll be surreal for

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<v Speaker 2>a while.

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<v Speaker 4>So I'm sure you've seen the stat This is Pat

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<v Speaker 4>Riley's nineteenth NBA Finals as a player, coach or executive.

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<v Speaker 4>How are you going to neutralize Pat Riley in the

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<v Speaker 4>GM matchup in this in this series?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think that one's uh. I think pat one

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<v Speaker 2>was that one going away. I'm really try to fight

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<v Speaker 2>that bat well hopefully because before it can get it done.

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<v Speaker 5>Ce b and Stein introducing you talking about used to

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<v Speaker 5>cover you, it was it was a lot of minis.

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<v Speaker 5>There was a lot of minis you threw out there

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<v Speaker 5>talking about many many, many many years ago.

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<v Speaker 6>Man, when you when.

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<v Speaker 5>You look back at your career, does it seem like

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<v Speaker 5>it was that long ago? Man?

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<v Speaker 2>I think he exaggerated a little bit.

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<v Speaker 1>Man.

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<v Speaker 2>He tried to act like and I was like back

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<v Speaker 2>in like when you know, world be free in those guys.

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<v Speaker 3>It's because I feel that old.

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<v Speaker 4>I wasn't really referring to you now.

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<v Speaker 2>See.

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<v Speaker 5>I want to look first of all, I think congratulations,

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<v Speaker 5>Like Stein said, Man, what you've done in the first

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<v Speaker 5>year being the lead executive for the Denver Nuggets. You

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<v Speaker 5>did a lot, and I want to break down some

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<v Speaker 5>of the moves you made. But when Tim Conley left

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<v Speaker 5>to take the Timberwolves job, what was the objective. What

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<v Speaker 5>was the directive from ownership? What did they tell you

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<v Speaker 5>that they wanted you to do. I'm talking about not overall,

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<v Speaker 5>but in this first year coming up, Like, what was

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<v Speaker 5>the objective?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, Chris Man, I don't, honestly, I don't think there

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<v Speaker 2>was time for that. Like, you know, everything was kind

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<v Speaker 2>of abrupt, and the transition was very quick, and I

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<v Speaker 2>kind of took the bull by the proverbial horns. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>Josh is busy managing the Arsenal and you know, dealing

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<v Speaker 2>with the Rams and you know the many many sports

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<v Speaker 2>franchise they have, and obviously it drew his attention a

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<v Speaker 2>big time when you know, Tim's transition was happening. But

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<v Speaker 2>like you know, those first first week or so, I

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<v Speaker 2>just started reaching out to players and started to like,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, prepare for the draft and uh prepared as

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<v Speaker 2>if you know, like the job was going to be mine.

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<v Speaker 2>But there was no I don't think there was any

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<v Speaker 2>determination at that point. I think there was eventually a

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<v Speaker 2>press conference where Josh gave me a vote of confidence

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<v Speaker 2>or whatever, but it was just basically to work. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, from our experience of playing in the playoffs

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<v Speaker 2>that previous year, is just a bunch of conclusions that

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<v Speaker 2>I had drawn by watching that series that what we

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<v Speaker 2>need to do going forward, and that's how I acted.

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<v Speaker 5>So when you when you talk about you went just

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<v Speaker 5>straight to work, was there anxiety from your standpoint as

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<v Speaker 5>far as just not knowing, like, Okay, what is going

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<v Speaker 5>to be my role in the short term? How were

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<v Speaker 5>you able to process that and still do your job?

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<v Speaker 2>No, I mean I wasn't thinking about that. It was

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<v Speaker 2>too much more on to think about that. I was

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<v Speaker 2>just worried about doing a job to best my ability

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<v Speaker 2>and showing that I could handle the responsibility as the job.

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<v Speaker 2>So no real anxiety on my end. I mean, I've

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<v Speaker 2>been playing. It's not like I have to hit a

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<v Speaker 2>corner three late in the game, but the shot clock

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<v Speaker 2>run down or whatever. It's just it's just like you know, organizing,

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<v Speaker 2>getting prepping for the draft, and pitching your ideas of ownership.

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<v Speaker 3>Alvin.

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<v Speaker 4>You know Chris knows this because whenever your name comes up,

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<v Speaker 4>I love to bring up the story that I was

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<v Speaker 4>there on press row for what I think is the

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<v Speaker 4>highlight of your playing career when you made the layup

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<v Speaker 4>to send the Dallas Mavericks. You clinched a game five

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<v Speaker 4>win in Utah two thousand and one. The MAVs at

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<v Speaker 4>that point had not won a playoff series for more

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<v Speaker 4>than a decade, and in those days, five game first

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<v Speaker 4>round series teams didn't win a deciding game. In Utah,

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<v Speaker 4>Mas were down huge going into the fourth quarter. I

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<v Speaker 4>always call that shot the thirty four million dollars layup

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<v Speaker 4>because you signed that big deal with Seattle in the

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<v Speaker 4>following off season. Compare that feeling of what it felt

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<v Speaker 4>like to make such a big basket and such a

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<v Speaker 4>memorable basket in maps history too, being in the stands

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<v Speaker 4>and watching your team clinch a spot in the NBA Finals.

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<v Speaker 3>As the guy who runs the front office.

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<v Speaker 2>I think you're a comparable one that you know. It

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<v Speaker 2>was on the forefront of a new air or so

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<v Speaker 2>to speak. I know Mark had just taken over Dallas

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<v Speaker 2>and the previous previous year or two, and it made

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of innovations and tried to make it really

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<v Speaker 2>exciting around there and to actually see something that payoff

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<v Speaker 2>and get a first playoff series win eventually lead to

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<v Speaker 2>them getting in the finals a few years later and

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<v Speaker 2>then eventually win a championship like that. That was very

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<v Speaker 2>exciting and also I feel like the same here. I

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<v Speaker 2>felt like, you know, playing an integral role and trying

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<v Speaker 2>to be a steward of this team and putting the

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<v Speaker 2>team together that can make the finals, potentially win the finals,

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<v Speaker 2>and then what's on the horizon, you know, once the

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<v Speaker 2>season is over is an exciting thought.

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<v Speaker 6>I want to bring up the offseason.

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<v Speaker 5>Last off season, as you said, you were really busy

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<v Speaker 5>off season their draft. Then it's the summer. First priority

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<v Speaker 5>is signing getting a Joker to that extension, and after

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<v Speaker 5>that there are some pieces that you brought to a

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<v Speaker 5>table that are very very effective pieces this season.

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<v Speaker 6>But take me through the Joker process. What was that

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<v Speaker 6>process like?

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<v Speaker 5>Did you have to convince him at all? You know,

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<v Speaker 5>because there was a new direction going on here with

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<v Speaker 5>the of the Nuggets and you guys feel short prior.

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<v Speaker 5>Were there any convincing or was it just an easy process.

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<v Speaker 5>You went out there, you got them, Like you just

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<v Speaker 5>walked me through the Joker process real quick.

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<v Speaker 2>I think Joker is a very patient person. I think,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, from my end, I did feel that there

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<v Speaker 2>need to be some reassurances that we're going to be

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<v Speaker 2>heading in the right direction. You know, with Joker in

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<v Speaker 2>a circle, I felt like, you know, meeting with his

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<v Speaker 2>brothers out here, talking to Excel, talking to him. I

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<v Speaker 2>think what's important, and I, you know, obviously getting the

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<v Speaker 2>deal completed, because anytime you can get a god of

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<v Speaker 2>that magnitude to sign on the dotted line, it's a big.

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<v Speaker 5>Deal, especially you being you know again you're a few

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<v Speaker 5>months in or as the head exec at that point.

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<v Speaker 5>And then from there, how do you build around Joker

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<v Speaker 5>now because you're trying to change the trajectory of the team.

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<v Speaker 5>You're trying to get them to the point where you

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<v Speaker 5>guys are now. And then you made some moves. You

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<v Speaker 5>acquire Cantavi, it is Kywell Pope from Washington, trade away

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<v Speaker 5>Will Barton who's.

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<v Speaker 6>Been there for years. You brought on Bruce Brown, and

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<v Speaker 6>really he.

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<v Speaker 5>Took it to another level we didn't see, especially on

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<v Speaker 5>the offensive, and we didn't see this in years prior.

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<v Speaker 5>Just tell me, like, once you got Joker, what was

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<v Speaker 5>in your mind as far as okay, what we need

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<v Speaker 5>to do to bring the right talent on the cast

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<v Speaker 5>to make sure we get to a level that we

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<v Speaker 5>haven't been before.

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<v Speaker 6>How did you do that?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah? I mean I'm just big into studying past patterns

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<v Speaker 2>of champions and the air I grew up in and

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<v Speaker 2>played in another I've watched the Bulls teams and the

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<v Speaker 2>Lakers teams and played against them plenty of times. So

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<v Speaker 2>the prevalain thought always, like, did joke and say that

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<v Speaker 2>jokers just a walking triangle offense. So just trying to

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<v Speaker 2>get that kind of person out around them, Guys that

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<v Speaker 2>have positional size or smart hopefully at least average defensively,

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<v Speaker 2>best case a little bit above the line defensively. And

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<v Speaker 2>you know, I mean you have a basically a seven

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<v Speaker 2>foot point guard that complain anywhere in the court, and

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<v Speaker 2>so just getting versatile guys to go around a guy

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<v Speaker 2>that can make shots and guard. I thought what was important.

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<v Speaker 4>You obviously played with Dirk, so there have been you know,

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<v Speaker 4>sometimes Dirk gets mentioned in, but I think it's more

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<v Speaker 4>like Jokic more often. You hear that he's, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>a seven foot, two hundred and fifty plus pound Larry Bird.

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<v Speaker 4>From your seat, Who is he most like when we

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<v Speaker 4>try to compare him to something we've seen in the past.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think it's some kind of matching up a Bird,

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<v Speaker 2>Dirk and Duncan. I mean, obviously doesn't have the the

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<v Speaker 2>rim protection and stuff that Duncan have, but like I

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<v Speaker 2>see a lot of Duncan like qualities in him. C B.

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<v Speaker 5>When you look at overall with the different Nuggets have

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<v Speaker 5>you know, people, the narrative is being that everybody's been

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<v Speaker 5>sleeping on the Nuggets and you guys have just been

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<v Speaker 5>winning all throughout the year. Mike Blow has some really

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<v Speaker 5>you know, interesting confidence through the course of the playoffs

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<v Speaker 5>about respecting this team, and so you're not in the trenches.

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<v Speaker 5>But I want to know, just from your seat, did

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<v Speaker 5>you feel like that as well? Did you feel like

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<v Speaker 5>the Nuggets were after thought to everybody else where we

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<v Speaker 5>dismissing or disrespecting or is it a combination of other factors?

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<v Speaker 6>Like what are your thoughts behind the narrative of the

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<v Speaker 6>Nuggets being slept on?

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<v Speaker 2>Now? I think it's a two sided coin, man. I

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<v Speaker 2>think like on one side of it, it's like you

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<v Speaker 2>have to earn respect and you have to win that

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<v Speaker 2>first title. You have to make it to the point

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<v Speaker 2>we're at right now. And I feel like, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>Goolden State did that at one point in time, right

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<v Speaker 2>you know, people probably wondered that a twenty eight game

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<v Speaker 2>winning streak in the regular season, then people still weren't

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<v Speaker 2>sure whether a bit or not. And then next thing,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, they want to tie it on like, oh man,

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<v Speaker 2>win the title, and then obviously everybody knows what happened

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<v Speaker 2>after that. So I think getting here and earning the

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<v Speaker 2>respect by our actions and by getting some results as

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<v Speaker 2>part of the process. But I do think, like, you know, honestly,

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<v Speaker 2>like I think coaches are very colorful, and he likes to,

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<v Speaker 2>like you know, say Mark say say things that are

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<v Speaker 2>catch grab attention, you know. So I do think there's

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit of that. But but the one thing

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<v Speaker 2>I will support him on is is that like when

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<v Speaker 2>you look at what our team did throughout the year

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<v Speaker 2>and you compare it to the lack of you know,

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<v Speaker 2>accolade so to speak, that our team got, it does

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<v Speaker 2>seem disproportionately out of whack, you know, Like all right,

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<v Speaker 2>as Joker, if he's not the m v P, right,

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<v Speaker 2>if he's a second team All NBA guy and he's

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<v Speaker 2>not the MVP, then shouldn't Aaron Gordon or Jamal or

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<v Speaker 2>somebody made an All Star game? Like should Casey p r?

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<v Speaker 2>Aaron got more push for All Defense, should our coach

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<v Speaker 2>got a Coach of the Year, Like, it is a

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<v Speaker 2>little interesting that we actually got no recognition through the

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<v Speaker 2>awards process for the kind of season we had, which

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<v Speaker 2>is I mean, obviously Joker made second Team All NBA

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<v Speaker 2>and was up there in the MVP voting, but like,

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<v Speaker 2>outside of that, pretty much nothing.

0:12:20.840 --> 0:12:24.800
<v Speaker 5>And you think about it, usually the protocol not protocol,

0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.959
<v Speaker 5>but it's like it's an established protocol over the years

0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:31.760
<v Speaker 5>that if a team has the number one seed going

0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.960
<v Speaker 5>to the break, typically they get multiple All Star players

0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:37.760
<v Speaker 5>from the same team in that game.

0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:39.600
<v Speaker 6>And it was just Joker.

0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:42.800
<v Speaker 5>You know, there was a case made, was is it

0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:44.600
<v Speaker 5>Aaron Gordon Jamaal Murray?

0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:46.800
<v Speaker 6>So I guess you felt that way as well at

0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:47.320
<v Speaker 6>that time.

0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:51.640
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, definitely, I felt like both of those guys deserved

0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:53.600
<v Speaker 2>and obviously we weren't going to get three All Stars,

0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:56.000
<v Speaker 2>but I would have been thrilled if either one of

0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:57.880
<v Speaker 2>those guys would have gotten into the game. And I

0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:00.760
<v Speaker 2>know Aaron was playing out of his mind thought up

0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:03.640
<v Speaker 2>until that point it was comparable or maybe even better

0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:05.760
<v Speaker 2>than what Andrew Wiggins had done the year before, and

0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:09.520
<v Speaker 2>he made the All Star Game, So you know, yeah,

0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:13.160
<v Speaker 2>obviously have Nuggets colored glasses on in that one. It's

0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:15.160
<v Speaker 2>always there's so many good players in the league. It

0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:18.280
<v Speaker 2>was such a great year of performances that the these

0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:21.760
<v Speaker 2>award things are hard, but like but the kind I

0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:26.280
<v Speaker 2>always thought with great teams success, you know, the individual

0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:29.120
<v Speaker 2>accolades came after that and didn't necessarily happen this year

0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:42.640
<v Speaker 2>for our team, which is fine.

0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:44.200
<v Speaker 3>So I'll be honest.

0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:47.959
<v Speaker 4>I was a pretty staunch Nuggets advocate for the bulk

0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:49.800
<v Speaker 4>of the year. I thought the fact that you guys

0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:52.840
<v Speaker 4>had continuity so many teams in the West did not.

0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:56.240
<v Speaker 4>I thought that was a real advantage for you. But

0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:58.880
<v Speaker 4>then there was the seven and ten finish, and it

0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.200
<v Speaker 4>just it wasn't. You guys were leading the West forever.

0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:03.760
<v Speaker 4>It was clear you were going to be the number

0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:06.960
<v Speaker 4>one seed. But I guess in the regular season the

0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:10.599
<v Speaker 4>Nuggets didn't run through the proverbial tape, maybe.

0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:13.000
<v Speaker 3>As convincingly as it could have been.

0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:17.160
<v Speaker 4>How concerned were you during that seven and ten finish

0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:20.720
<v Speaker 4>to the regular season that something had gone off track?

0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.440
<v Speaker 2>Honestly, I probably would have been more concerned if we

0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.360
<v Speaker 2>looked like the two thousand and six Spurs or something

0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:30.200
<v Speaker 2>like that. And we were eighteen OL because that hadn't

0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:32.320
<v Speaker 2>been who we had been. We had been a team

0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:35.200
<v Speaker 2>that would eb and flow, and sometimes we play well

0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:38.360
<v Speaker 2>and sometimes we didn't play well. And we obviously got

0:14:38.400 --> 0:14:40.520
<v Speaker 2>bored at the end of the season and weren't playing

0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:43.800
<v Speaker 2>our highest level basketball in it. But I didn't I've

0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:46.000
<v Speaker 2>never really doubted that when it came time to step

0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:48.440
<v Speaker 2>up in the playoffs, so we would do that. So,

0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:51.880
<v Speaker 2>I mean, Contavious had a rough end of the season,

0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.200
<v Speaker 2>but I think historically if you look at his numbers,

0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:57.840
<v Speaker 2>he always does that and then bounce back and start

0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:01.120
<v Speaker 2>making shots, and then in the playoffs, I think I

0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:04.760
<v Speaker 2>wasn't as concerned as uh as everybody else was in

0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:06.920
<v Speaker 2>the outside of our locker room and organization.

0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:09.520
<v Speaker 4>I mean, there was so much talk in the second

0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:11.960
<v Speaker 4>half of the season that these playoffs are going to

0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.800
<v Speaker 4>be a referendum on the Joker his two MVPs, even

0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.160
<v Speaker 4>though the MVP is a regular season awards, Like why

0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:21.400
<v Speaker 4>are we even going there? But he seems completely unbothered

0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:25.840
<v Speaker 4>by this supposed pressure that these playoffs carried. What do

0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:28.920
<v Speaker 4>you see, I mean, how much is he even listening

0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:30.680
<v Speaker 4>to us?

0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:34.200
<v Speaker 2>Well? I think he typically tries to block all of

0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:37.280
<v Speaker 2>it out, but this year was just kind of like unavoidable,

0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:40.640
<v Speaker 2>especially after a regular season game in Pelly and you know,

0:15:41.360 --> 0:15:44.920
<v Speaker 2>and then the racing came into it, and I think

0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:46.800
<v Speaker 2>it was just I think it was a little bit

0:15:46.840 --> 0:15:50.800
<v Speaker 2>of a distraction for our team and probably a little bit,

0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:53.040
<v Speaker 2>you know, I took a little bit of a positive

0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:55.400
<v Speaker 2>energy and mojo away from our team just having to

0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:57.160
<v Speaker 2>deal with that whole narrative.

0:15:58.400 --> 0:15:58.880
<v Speaker 3>Hmm.

0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:01.320
<v Speaker 6>Okay, that's a interesting ce B.

0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:05.600
<v Speaker 5>When you look at the landscape of the league, how

0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:08.800
<v Speaker 5>teams are built. If you look at the Nuggets, it's

0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:11.920
<v Speaker 5>a pretty well rounded team from from top to bottom.

0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:14.840
<v Speaker 5>You know, you guys are pretty sturdy there. You know,

0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:17.040
<v Speaker 5>it used to be well, I would say for a

0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:21.560
<v Speaker 5>period there, teams would try to go after two superstars,

0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:25.760
<v Speaker 5>sometimes three, and on occasion we had one where where

0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:29.160
<v Speaker 5>you have four. But what what do you what do

0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:31.280
<v Speaker 5>you think the league is headed towards? You know that

0:16:31.400 --> 0:16:33.200
<v Speaker 5>with the new CVA that is coming in, it's like

0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:35.920
<v Speaker 5>it's going to make it harder to have that many

0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:37.600
<v Speaker 5>type of players on the team.

0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:41.200
<v Speaker 6>But what what is the ideal when you.

0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:43.440
<v Speaker 5>Talk to other executives out there or even just from

0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:47.280
<v Speaker 5>your perspective, what's the ideal way to build a team?

0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:50.800
<v Speaker 6>Is it even efficient? Is it even worth.

0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:54.600
<v Speaker 5>It to go after multiple superstars at one time? What's

0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:55.360
<v Speaker 5>your what's your take?

0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.320
<v Speaker 2>I just think this is kind of a pop out,

0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:01.760
<v Speaker 2>But I don't think there's one singular answer. It depends

0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:04.720
<v Speaker 2>on where the team is at the development art, depends

0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.719
<v Speaker 2>on who your superstar is. I mean our case, we

0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:12.480
<v Speaker 2>have we have stars. We have Michael Porter Jr. This is, like,

0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:15.520
<v Speaker 2>you know, the best player in this class for the

0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:17.440
<v Speaker 2>longest time. He's had a lot of injuries and stuff,

0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:19.960
<v Speaker 2>and we paid them with max contract and I felt

0:17:19.960 --> 0:17:22.360
<v Speaker 2>like he's played up to that this year. I mean,

0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:25.280
<v Speaker 2>obviously I have Jamal and Joker. I think the thing

0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:29.240
<v Speaker 2>is it's just that our best players are easy to

0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:32.720
<v Speaker 2>play with and they have well rounded games, so it's

0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:35.359
<v Speaker 2>it's easy to like identify guys that will fit with them,

0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:36.879
<v Speaker 2>and there's a lot of kind of guys that can

0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:39.760
<v Speaker 2>fit with them. So I think that's why our team

0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:44.560
<v Speaker 2>seems like it's so seamless in that way. The credit

0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:48.159
<v Speaker 2>to Joker, Jamal, I mean the job Malone does everybody

0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:49.639
<v Speaker 2>in at S thirty five, which I think is the

0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:51.159
<v Speaker 2>best starty five in basketball.

0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:55.959
<v Speaker 4>I can't resist asking this because I'm just curious, like,

0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:59.840
<v Speaker 4>how often in a staff meeting will you guys all

0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:04.959
<v Speaker 4>just look at each other and say you believe that

0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.679
<v Speaker 4>Yokid slipped all the way to number forty one in

0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:11.719
<v Speaker 4>the draft, Like, obviously that's not new news. Obviously his

0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:14.280
<v Speaker 4>career arc has been well chronicled at this point. But

0:18:14.359 --> 0:18:17.440
<v Speaker 4>I just whenever I hear that number, I still can't

0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:20.800
<v Speaker 4>get over it. Forty first pick in the draft to

0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:22.840
<v Speaker 4>two time MVP and.

0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:26.520
<v Speaker 5>Style hold up before CB answer that I saw on

0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:29.919
<v Speaker 5>social media a few days ago that when Joker was

0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:33.760
<v Speaker 5>actually selected, it was it was during commercial break, so.

0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:37.000
<v Speaker 6>You didn't really get to see Joker. There's day call,

0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:38.280
<v Speaker 6>but go ahead and see me. Go ahead.

0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:41.200
<v Speaker 2>No, I mean, I think for me, it's all going

0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:43.720
<v Speaker 2>back to the Hoops summit and I was there a

0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.399
<v Speaker 2>much a lot of executives, and he was doing all

0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.359
<v Speaker 2>the same stuff he's doing now, and I felt like

0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:50.600
<v Speaker 2>it was kind of like a funny. It was kind

0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:52.920
<v Speaker 2>of like a joke. Oh man, like, look he's kind

0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:55.720
<v Speaker 2>of doing it or whatever. And I'm always remember like

0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:59.000
<v Speaker 2>I felt like I think Capella was in that Hoops Summit,

0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:00.919
<v Speaker 2>and I know coming into he was supposed to be

0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:04.879
<v Speaker 2>like a lottery picking. Uh. You know, his stock dropped

0:19:04.920 --> 0:19:08.080
<v Speaker 2>a little bit because of you know what happened to

0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:11.160
<v Speaker 2>Hoops Summit. But like looking back on it's like, really

0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:14.040
<v Speaker 2>no shame in being outplayed by Nicola yelpis right, like,

0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.320
<v Speaker 2>but nobody you know, well, obviously the guys in Denver

0:19:18.440 --> 0:19:20.119
<v Speaker 2>valued him and they got him to stay in the drivet.

0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:23.400
<v Speaker 2>But like to your point, Mark, nobody like said, oh man,

0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.320
<v Speaker 2>I believe in this coast to coast layup or you know,

0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:29.320
<v Speaker 2>him throwing this crazy past there's three point shot so

0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:31.800
<v Speaker 2>much so that I think he's a first rounder, right,

0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:35.920
<v Speaker 2>you know, very few people had that kind of foresight.

0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:39.600
<v Speaker 5>Give me your initial thoughts now that he's in the

0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:42.159
<v Speaker 5>league and now that you're deal with the Nuggets, your

0:19:42.160 --> 0:19:45.800
<v Speaker 5>initial thought on his ceiling at this time, because we

0:19:45.880 --> 0:19:48.640
<v Speaker 5>knew he was solid, but to see him become.

0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:51.240
<v Speaker 6>This player, I don't. I could definitely couldn't say I

0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:51.600
<v Speaker 6>saw it.

0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:54.640
<v Speaker 2>It's kind of interesting, man, because I you know, came

0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:58.240
<v Speaker 2>from Minnesota and thought the world of Andrew Wiggins and

0:19:58.280 --> 0:20:01.479
<v Speaker 2>Carltown's upside. I thought those guys were really talented, We're

0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:03.080
<v Speaker 2>going to do great things in the league. But like

0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:06.359
<v Speaker 2>having said that, watching one open gym with Joker, I

0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:10.080
<v Speaker 2>was like, man, he's he's better than those guys. That

0:20:10.200 --> 0:20:13.080
<v Speaker 2>was Yeah, that was that was pretty impactful to I

0:20:13.119 --> 0:20:16.159
<v Speaker 2>think that because I didn't before watching him in person

0:20:16.160 --> 0:20:18.600
<v Speaker 2>those couple of days, I wouldn't have thought that, like right,

0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:21.639
<v Speaker 2>you know, because definitely come from the Wolves and having

0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:25.000
<v Speaker 2>a you know, the Timberwolves like glasses on, you know,

0:20:25.160 --> 0:20:27.720
<v Speaker 2>think of those guys are going to be the eventual

0:20:28.359 --> 0:20:31.040
<v Speaker 2>you know, duo that would do great things in the

0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:34.119
<v Speaker 2>Western Conference. And seeing this guy that was in Denver,

0:20:34.240 --> 0:20:36.439
<v Speaker 2>I was like, man, this guy's better than both those guys.

0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.000
<v Speaker 2>And I think that was just starting to at the

0:20:39.040 --> 0:20:42.080
<v Speaker 2>beginning of people recognizing how good Joker was.

0:20:43.560 --> 0:20:44.760
<v Speaker 3>You've been at this for a while.

0:20:44.840 --> 0:20:47.359
<v Speaker 4>Now, what point in your playing career did you think,

0:20:47.440 --> 0:20:49.480
<v Speaker 4>you know what, when I'm done, I want to go

0:20:49.520 --> 0:20:51.040
<v Speaker 4>to the front office route this is.

0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:54.480
<v Speaker 3>This is being part of building teams is what I

0:20:54.520 --> 0:20:54.959
<v Speaker 3>want to do.

0:20:55.840 --> 0:20:59.240
<v Speaker 2>I mean I became interested. I think, you know, as

0:20:59.280 --> 0:21:02.360
<v Speaker 2>a player, when when you the processes, when you come

0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.600
<v Speaker 2>out of college, you start watching college a lot. The

0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:07.800
<v Speaker 2>first year, maybe even to the second year, because you

0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:09.840
<v Speaker 2>still know a lot of guys. But then you get

0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:12.000
<v Speaker 2>to that point in career where you watch NBA basketball

0:21:12.080 --> 0:21:14.439
<v Speaker 2>you're playing it or you're price, and you kind of

0:21:14.440 --> 0:21:16.800
<v Speaker 2>get away from it. And so I han't said that

0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:19.439
<v Speaker 2>around the two thousand and eight draft. You know, I

0:21:19.480 --> 0:21:22.920
<v Speaker 2>think I was playing in two thousand and seven eight.

0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:28.320
<v Speaker 2>I was actually in Washington, I believe, so no or

0:21:28.520 --> 0:21:30.159
<v Speaker 2>I could have been enough Philly. I was in Philly.

0:21:30.480 --> 0:21:34.640
<v Speaker 2>So I remember watching that draft and spent a lot

0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:37.320
<v Speaker 2>of time scouting and her parent it was a it

0:21:37.440 --> 0:21:39.040
<v Speaker 2>was a great draft to start off with. Man, there's

0:21:39.080 --> 0:21:41.879
<v Speaker 2>so many great players in that draft. I wonder if

0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:44.600
<v Speaker 2>I would have been as interest in scouting if I'd

0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:48.159
<v Speaker 2>come in a barren draft, right, But like you know,

0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:52.440
<v Speaker 2>you're watching Derrick Rose and Beasley and Rustbrook and Mayo

0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:54.480
<v Speaker 2>and Kevin Love and all these guys, and you know,

0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:57.920
<v Speaker 2>I just I thought it was a very fascinating thing

0:21:57.960 --> 0:22:00.160
<v Speaker 2>to try to figure out who would translate and who would.

0:22:01.600 --> 0:22:05.840
<v Speaker 5>When you think about this matchup now with the Miami

0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:10.080
<v Speaker 5>Heat and everybody, I can say everybody, but for the

0:22:10.119 --> 0:22:14.560
<v Speaker 5>most part, you guys are considered the favorites, but also

0:22:14.680 --> 0:22:17.880
<v Speaker 5>you've been you had a lot of downtime, and you're

0:22:17.880 --> 0:22:20.000
<v Speaker 5>going into this series against the Heat.

0:22:20.320 --> 0:22:21.440
<v Speaker 6>What is the concern?

0:22:22.840 --> 0:22:25.480
<v Speaker 2>Well, I mean the Miami Heat and the culture and

0:22:25.520 --> 0:22:28.359
<v Speaker 2>what they built, what they're created, and the players they

0:22:28.359 --> 0:22:30.159
<v Speaker 2>have over there, the coach they have over there, and

0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:33.840
<v Speaker 2>the belief they have in themselves. You have to respect that, right.

0:22:33.840 --> 0:22:37.200
<v Speaker 2>If you don't have the proper amount of respect for that,

0:22:37.359 --> 0:22:38.920
<v Speaker 2>then they're probably in a bad way.

0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:44.639
<v Speaker 4>I think we're contractually obligated to bring up rest versus rust,

0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:47.679
<v Speaker 4>or else they're going to take away our credentials because obviously,

0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:51.000
<v Speaker 4>you guys, it's been it will have been nine full

0:22:51.119 --> 0:22:54.360
<v Speaker 4>days without a playoff game by the time Game one

0:22:54.400 --> 0:22:59.200
<v Speaker 4>tips off Thursday night. What's been the approach in house

0:22:59.240 --> 0:23:02.720
<v Speaker 4>for you guys dealing with such a such an extended break.

0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:06.560
<v Speaker 2>And I think the coaches and players done a fantastic

0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:09.520
<v Speaker 2>job of like picking the spots when to work and

0:23:09.560 --> 0:23:12.480
<v Speaker 2>when to take breaks, and trying to do the best

0:23:12.520 --> 0:23:17.359
<v Speaker 2>you can to stay ready and and rested headed into

0:23:17.520 --> 0:23:18.240
<v Speaker 2>tomorrow's game.

0:23:19.359 --> 0:23:21.960
<v Speaker 4>What's your game watching routine? How hard is it for

0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:24.439
<v Speaker 4>you to just having played? How hard is it for

0:23:24.520 --> 0:23:26.840
<v Speaker 4>you to just sit there and watch.

0:23:28.280 --> 0:23:30.080
<v Speaker 2>It's not hard at all. I think, like, you know,

0:23:30.119 --> 0:23:32.439
<v Speaker 2>when the game, when the series get tight and stuff

0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:33.960
<v Speaker 2>like that, it becomes a lot harder. I like, I

0:23:34.040 --> 0:23:37.040
<v Speaker 2>remember being in the bubble and uh, you know, the

0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:39.760
<v Speaker 2>playoffs started. We're playing Utah in the first couple of

0:23:40.920 --> 0:23:42.639
<v Speaker 2>you know, the first couple of games, and so I'm like,

0:23:42.720 --> 0:23:44.320
<v Speaker 2>oh man, this is about to be in the playoffs.

0:23:44.320 --> 0:23:48.600
<v Speaker 2>It's like no, no, no energy or tension or anything

0:23:48.600 --> 0:23:50.320
<v Speaker 2>in here. And then by the time it was game seven,

0:23:50.400 --> 0:23:52.000
<v Speaker 2>it might as well have been like one hundred thousand

0:23:52.040 --> 0:23:57.240
<v Speaker 2>people on that and that empty, empty arena in Orlando.

0:23:57.440 --> 0:24:01.040
<v Speaker 2>So I think, you know, when when this theory gets tighter,

0:24:01.119 --> 0:24:03.240
<v Speaker 2>and you know, the end of games and fourth quarters,

0:24:03.320 --> 0:24:08.239
<v Speaker 2>especially if the closer you come to approaching the end

0:24:08.240 --> 0:24:10.760
<v Speaker 2>of the season series or conclusion of it, and that's

0:24:10.800 --> 0:24:13.720
<v Speaker 2>when the most tension of pressure comes. But other than that,

0:24:13.800 --> 0:24:16.240
<v Speaker 2>I think it's pretty It's just I try to enjoy

0:24:16.400 --> 0:24:17.600
<v Speaker 2>throughout the game and watch it.

0:24:19.240 --> 0:24:21.280
<v Speaker 5>And my last thing, see, I want to ask you

0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:23.520
<v Speaker 5>about your own personal goals.

0:24:23.560 --> 0:24:26.640
<v Speaker 6>We talked about your team and how.

0:24:26.480 --> 0:24:30.120
<v Speaker 5>They some of them may feel slided by the lack

0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:33.880
<v Speaker 5>of awards recognition, but I brought up what you did

0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:37.399
<v Speaker 5>in that short timeframe this past year for a reason.

0:24:37.920 --> 0:24:39.720
<v Speaker 5>I think you definitely should be up there when you're

0:24:39.720 --> 0:24:42.960
<v Speaker 5>talking about Executive of the Year awards. I know you don't,

0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:44.800
<v Speaker 5>you know, probably don't want to get too much into it,

0:24:44.880 --> 0:24:47.640
<v Speaker 5>but man, just looking at everything you've done, you made

0:24:47.680 --> 0:24:48.200
<v Speaker 5>a trade.

0:24:48.240 --> 0:24:49.400
<v Speaker 6>You made a trade as well too.

0:24:49.440 --> 0:24:49.919
<v Speaker 2>You know, the.

0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:53.359
<v Speaker 5>Nuggets had some adversity as well. But everything you've done,

0:24:53.400 --> 0:24:56.800
<v Speaker 5>you righted the ship and you put pieces together and

0:24:56.840 --> 0:25:00.639
<v Speaker 5>they fit and I don't think the Nuggets have gotten

0:25:00.920 --> 0:25:03.800
<v Speaker 5>a lot of recognition from that standpoint. So is that

0:25:04.000 --> 0:25:06.760
<v Speaker 5>something like when you're talking about your peers in the game,

0:25:06.920 --> 0:25:10.160
<v Speaker 5>it's called the general manager, the president of basketball operations

0:25:10.480 --> 0:25:13.280
<v Speaker 5>in this lead the personnel. Do you look at that

0:25:13.359 --> 0:25:16.800
<v Speaker 5>and say, like, man, I want to be mentioned amongst

0:25:16.800 --> 0:25:18.359
<v Speaker 5>the top, especially this year.

0:25:18.640 --> 0:25:20.600
<v Speaker 6>Is that something that you gravitate towards.

0:25:21.520 --> 0:25:23.000
<v Speaker 2>I mean, you've seen some of the guys that have been

0:25:23.040 --> 0:25:25.720
<v Speaker 2>around for a long time, you know, and had a

0:25:25.720 --> 0:25:29.080
<v Speaker 2>lot of success, and I think you know, following your

0:25:29.119 --> 0:25:33.399
<v Speaker 2>path and having having a career and having sustability and

0:25:33.800 --> 0:25:37.560
<v Speaker 2>having your the organization proven you're under your watch, it's

0:25:37.640 --> 0:25:41.479
<v Speaker 2>much more important than mean than an award, if I'm correct,

0:25:41.520 --> 0:25:43.879
<v Speaker 2>I don't think Sam Presty's ever won that award, Like

0:25:44.440 --> 0:25:47.000
<v Speaker 2>you know, He's definitely been an Executive of the Year before, right,

0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:48.560
<v Speaker 2>and so I don't I don't put a lot of

0:25:48.560 --> 0:25:53.880
<v Speaker 2>stock in that in that particular award. You know, I'll

0:25:53.920 --> 0:25:55.840
<v Speaker 2>give a lot to have Sam's career at this point.

0:25:55.920 --> 0:25:57.600
<v Speaker 2>You know, I think he's had a great career in

0:25:57.640 --> 0:26:00.840
<v Speaker 2>the business, and so if he hasn't had awards, who

0:26:00.880 --> 0:26:03.480
<v Speaker 2>am out to win the award? Right? You know That's

0:26:03.520 --> 0:26:04.520
<v Speaker 2>why I kind of look at it.

0:26:05.359 --> 0:26:07.560
<v Speaker 5>Well, I'm not gonna say that's a cop out, but

0:26:07.840 --> 0:26:10.720
<v Speaker 5>I get your point. You definitely deserve you definitely deserve

0:26:10.760 --> 0:26:12.640
<v Speaker 5>to get your recognition, brother, And I wanted to make

0:26:12.680 --> 0:26:15.399
<v Speaker 5>sure we you know, glad you came on, agreed to

0:26:15.400 --> 0:26:17.840
<v Speaker 5>come on because I wanted to definitely highlight what you've

0:26:17.840 --> 0:26:20.800
<v Speaker 5>done behind the scenes and putting together a roster that

0:26:21.359 --> 0:26:23.919
<v Speaker 5>you know, this is championship building right here. And I

0:26:23.960 --> 0:26:26.679
<v Speaker 5>know it's not somebody's out on the door, but I

0:26:26.720 --> 0:26:28.880
<v Speaker 5>know I know that the road is not done.

0:26:28.920 --> 0:26:32.199
<v Speaker 6>You still got you get the Miami Heat coming up.

0:26:32.320 --> 0:26:34.399
<v Speaker 6>So but h c B.

0:26:34.760 --> 0:26:37.359
<v Speaker 5>I appreciate you taking the time, brother, best of luck

0:26:37.800 --> 0:26:40.040
<v Speaker 5>unto you and the rest of the way, and I'll

0:26:40.040 --> 0:26:42.720
<v Speaker 5>see you down there at some point during the final.

0:26:42.760 --> 0:26:46.240
<v Speaker 5>I'll definitely see you in Miami on South Beacht.

0:26:49.240 --> 0:26:52.679
<v Speaker 4>Yes, sir our, thanks to Calvin Booth for joining us

0:26:53.160 --> 0:26:56.840
<v Speaker 4>on the eve of the NBA Finals. That will do

0:26:56.920 --> 0:27:00.439
<v Speaker 4>it for this edition of this League, Uncut, Chris and

0:27:00.480 --> 0:27:04.760
<v Speaker 4>I back soon with more on the finals, more on

0:27:04.920 --> 0:27:09.359
<v Speaker 4>the coaching carousel, more on everything else happening around this league.

0:27:09.600 --> 0:27:15.399
<v Speaker 4>As always, please until next time, rate review and subscribe

0:27:15.440 --> 0:27:18.920
<v Speaker 4>to the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get

0:27:18.960 --> 0:27:19.560
<v Speaker 4>your pods.

0:27:20.200 --> 0:27:25.880
<v Speaker 1>Talk soon, everybody, and that'll do it for us. See

0:27:25.920 --> 0:27:30.280
<v Speaker 1>you next time. This League on Cutage and iHeartRadio Production

0:27:35.240 --> 0:27:36.959
<v Speaker 1>Christines and Mark Stein