On the latest edition of Locked on Nuggets, Ryan Blackburn and Matt Moore broke down the NBA Cup, whether Jokic God-Mode could win the Nuggets a second title, and if AG should play full-time backup five.
Jokic’s Solo Impact: Can He Carry the Nuggets?
Matt Moore:
“What if Jokic is just so good that that’s the story of the season? That just like the Nuggets… beat all the expectations and went over their win total and they won the title just because Jokic is this insane.”
Ryan Blackburn:
“If he was able to take Denver to the finals and win the finals when nobody else is really playing that great anyway, that would be... the most tremendous singular effort that I think I’ve ever seen in the NBA.”
The Backup Five Dilemma
Ryan Blackburn:
“The solution is a trade… whatever pieces you need… to get the right player in the building that can spell Jokic, that can spell Aaron Gordon.”
Matt Moore:
“If AG gets hurt and he plays through it, then I’m going to have to deal with certain people… complaining about his lack of production and impact when it’s like, yeah, because he’s… had the snot beaten out of him.”
NBA Cup’s New Energy
Matt Moore:
“It’s a backstop on the effort. That’s my thing… I just think it’s such a fun thing for the fans. I like the courts. The courts are so much better this year.”
Ryan Blackburn:
“My personal opinion has always been that they should have shortened the regular season and made this a separate event… something that they care about.”
Can Denver Win the NBA Cup?
Ryan Blackburn:
“I think Denver can get out of that group. The question is, what will they have when they do?… I don’t think that Denver wins it, but twenty-nine teams don’t win it.”
“If I knew that Aaron Gordon was going to be back and if I knew that Nikola Jokic was going to be like, ‘we’re not losing one of these games,’ then I’d feel a certain kind of way about it.”
“I think that Joker knows that the playoffs are more important. I think that Aaron Gordon is not going to rush back for the NBA Cup games… so I don’t think that Denver wins it.”
What the Future Holds
Ryan Blackburn:
“When Aaron Gordon comes back, I do think that there is going to be a very interesting conversation to be had about what Denver’s best looks are and how they can get more of their best players on the floor.”
“Let me give you a name really quickly that I’ve been bandying about… Bobby Portis. Could he be a guy that Denver goes and gets?”
