Denver Nuggets Blog – Page 18 – NBA Blog

Nikola Jokic will spend summer getting into better shape

Here’s the Denver Post reporting on the Nuggets’ key building block and his plans for the summer:

Nikola Jokic has come a long way from the player who used to chug glass after glass of Coca-Cola after practices in Serbia.

Still, as Jokic prepares to enter the offseason on the heels of a breakout sophomore season, the 6-foot-10 center knows he needs to continue to sculpt and build his body.

“At the end of the season I’m going to talk to (director of strength and training Steve) Hess and Felipe (Eichenberger, associate strength and conditioning coach) and the front office about how I can improve my body and figure out what I’m going to do,” Jokic said.

Nikola Jokic an offensive talent for Nuggets

Here’s the Denver Post reporting on a very talented, important part of the Nuggets:

Nikola Jokic makes little secret about what side of the basketball he prefers.

“Offense will always beat defense,” Jokic said back in January, a couple weeks before he arrived in New Orleans during all-star weekend to showcase a skill set with more varied components than a bowl of gumbo.

Jokic will never be known for his defensive prowess the way he is for his passing and playmaking ability, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone pointed to several ways the 22-year-old big man can make improvements as a defender.

“Getting stronger is one,” Malone said before Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans. “Obviously he’s never going to be Karl Malone. We don’t want him to be that. But he can work on his body and get it as strong as possible.”

Danilo Gallinari may become free agent this summer

Here’s the Palm Beach Post reporting on a talented Nuggets forward who may be an option for the Heat this offseason:

Did Heat fans get a glimpse of the future on Sunday?

Denver’s 6-foot-10 wing man, Danilo Gallinari, who dropped 29 on Miami in the Nuggets’ win, is expected to decline his $16.1 million player option this summer and become a free agent. He likely will be second best player at his position behind Utah’s Gordon Hayward.

But is he a viable option if the Heat cannot sign Hayward?

Gallinari, 28, is having his second best scoring season, averaging 17.7 points, a bit under the 19.5 points he averaged in 2015-16. Both years he averaged a little more than five rebounds and two assists per game.

Nuggets assign Malik Beasley to D-League

The Denver Nuggets have assigned rookie guard Malik Beasley to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

This will be Beasley’s sixth assignment to Sioux Falls, where he has appeared in 12 games (eight starts) and averaged 17.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.30 steals in 30.8 minutes per game. He scored a D-League career-high 23 points to go with 10 rebounds and three steals in a win over the Oklahoma City Blue on Feb. 22.

Beasley has appeared in 19 games for the Nuggets, averaging 2.6 points in 4.7 minutes.

Bucks trade Roy Hibbert to Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have acquired center Roy Hibbert from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a protected 2019 second round draft pick, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Hibbert, 7-2, 270, was acquired by Milwaukee from Charlotte in a trade on Feb. 2, 2017, and had yet to appear in a game for the Bucks. He played in 42 games (13 starts) for the Hornets this season, averaging 5.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.10 blocks in 16.0 minutes per game. Overall, the big man has appeared in 656 career games (586 starts) over nine seasons with Indiana, L.A. Lakers and Charlotte, averaging 10.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.75 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.

Hibbert, 30, is a two-time former Eastern Conference All-Star, having been named as a reserve for the Pacers in both 2012 and 2014. He was also named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 2014. The Georgetown University product was originally selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors before being traded to Indiana on July 9, 2008.

He will wear #34 and the Nuggets roster currently stands at 15 players.

Jamal Murray wins MVP of 2017 Rising Stars Challenge game

Denver Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray was named MVP of the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge after posting a game-high 36 points (9-14 3FG) and a game-high 11 assists in a 150-139 Team World victory.

Murray, 19, is the first Nugget to win MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge since teammate Kenneth Faried was named MVP in 2013. He is the third Nugget in team history to be named MVP of the game (Carmelo Anthony, 2005).

The Kitchener, Canada native connected on 9-of-14 (.642) threes in the game, the second most made three-pointers in the history of the Rising Stars Challenge (Daniel Gibson of the Cavaliers made a record 11 three-pointers for the Sophomore Team in 2008). Murray’s 11 assists were the most by any player in the Rising Stars Challenge since John Wall handed out 22 assists in 2011.

The University of Kentucky product has appeared in 56 games (three starts) for Denver this season, averaging 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.9 minutes per game. He has made the second-most threes of any rookie this season (72) and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November after averaging 10.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the month.

Murray’s teammate Nikola Jokić added a near triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Team World.

Nuggets sign Johnny O`Bryant to second 10-day contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Johnny O’Bryant to a second 10-day contract, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

O’Bryant, 6-9, 257, has appeared in two games with the Nuggets averaging 3.5 ppg and 1.5 rpg in 8.1 mpg since signing a 10-day contract on January 26.

Nuggets waive Alonzo Gee

The Denver Nuggets have waived forward Alonzo Gee, it was announced today by General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly.

Gee, 6-6, 225, signed with Denver on Nov. 16, 2016, appearing in 13 games and averaging 1.1 rebounds in 6.9 minutes. The seven-year NBA veteran has appeared in 417 career games (213 starts) for Washington, San Antonio, Cleveland, Portland, New Orleans and Denver posting averages of 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.8 minutes.

Will Barton hopes to stay with Nuggets

Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton doesn’t have to seek it out to know what’s going on. The information comes to him.

In the past calendar year he’s been one of the most coveted players on the Nuggets roster. The Nuggets were offered a first-round pick for him last year, but they declined.

Barton hopes he stays with Denver.

“It’s tough but you hear a lot of stuff going around,” Barton told The Denver Post. “I don’t pay any attention to it, I try not to let it enter my mind and enter things that I’ve got going on. I’m here, I like it here. I just try to work hard every day, perform, and just get wins for my teammates. That’s all I care about, just focusing on the Denver Nuggets.”

— Denver Post

Quick Take: Averaging 14.3 ppg, Barton is the third leading scorer on the 12-17 Nuggets this season, behind Wilson Chandler (16.8 ppg) and Danilo Gallinari (16.4 ppg). He’s having a solid season.

George Karl takes shots at Carmelo Anthony in new book

It has been more than five years since Carmelo Anthony played for George Karl, but that hasn’t stopped his old coach from taking shots at him.

Karl has a new book coming out in January, Furious George, which might make his former Nuggets players angrier than anyone. Karl’s book features a number of blindsided attacks on Anthony, who he coached in Denver from Anthony’s second season until he was traded in 2011.

““Carmelo was a true conundrum for me in the six years I had him,” Karl wrote. “He was the best offensive player I ever coached. He was also a user of people, addicted to the spotlight, and very unhappy when he had to share it.

“He really lit my fuse with his low demand for himself on defense. He had no commitment to the hard, dirty work of stopping the other guy. My ideal – probably every coach’s ideal – is when your best player also is your leader. But since Carmelo only played hard on one side of the ball, he made it plain and simple he couldn’t lead the Nuggets, even though he said he wanted to. Coaching him meant working around his defense and compensating for his attitude.”

Anthony knew the questions were coming and he took the high road after the Knicks beat the Magic, 106-95, mostly laughing off the comments.

“Nothing disappoints me anymore,” Anthony said. “I’m past being disappointed. I just hope that he finds happiness in what he’s doing. His book, hopefully will bring him happiness.

— Bergen Record

Quick Take: This is great publicity for the book. We’ll be reading it.