Wind Chimes: The latest chatter around Michael Porter Jr.'s injury

Welcome to Wind Chimes, a notebook of reporting, observations and analysis from me about what I’ve seen, heard and talked to people around the team about over the last week.

The latest on MPJ’s injury

Michael Malone gave an update on Michael Porter Jr.’s status Sunday before the Nuggets tipped-off vs. the Trail Blazers that was more or less the same update he gave five days ago, the morning after he announced that Porter would be out for the “foreseeable future.”

“It’s an ongoing thing, trying to figure out what’s going on,” Malone said. “…I’d still say that Michael’s out for the foreseeable future. We’re trying to take it one day at a time with him and see what the best way to approach getting him back healthy is.”

From what I’ve gathered, the MRI Porter took following his removal from the game in the first quarter on Nov. 6 vs. the Rockets didn’t show anything catastrophic. Porter is still sore and has been at the facility daily getting treatment. He was at Ball Arena again Sunday on the bench with his teammates during the Nuggets’ fifth-straight win.

If this goes on for another couple of weeks and Porter still doesn’t return to the lineup, my guess is that you’ll see the Nuggets release something official that says the team is sitting him down for a given amount of time. Until then, the Nuggets are hoping he responds to treatment and is able to get back on the court.

More Chimes

In G League news, the Grand Rapids Gold are 1-1 after splitting their two-game set last week in Sioux Falls. Nuggets two-way player Petr Cornelie is off to an encouraging start and averaging 19.5 points and 14 rebounds through two games. Nik Stauskas posted 26 points in the Gold’s opener and 23 two nights ago. Davon Reed is off to a solid start too, averaging 14.5 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists through two games. Lance Stephenson was held out the Gold’s second game for precautionary reasons after spraining his ankle in the opener but is expected to return tonight against the Iowa Wolves.

Here’s another Gold name to keep an eye on: Manny Camper, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Sienna who averaged 14.1 points and 9.7 rebounds last season in college, went undrafted and signed with the Gold after the team’s open tryout in September. Camper’s a defensive-minded player who tallied 19 rebounds through the Gold’s first two games. One trusted NBA scout told DNVR that Camper reminds them of a young Torrey Craig.

Can Aaron Gordon make an All-Defensive team? Through 12 games, Gordon isn’t trending towards just making First Team All-Defense. He would be considered for Defensive Player of the Year if the season ended today. Gordon’s the best and most valuable defensive player on the No. 2 ranked defense in the NBA and has fared well against a slew of All-NBA offensive assignments already ranging from Devin Booker and Chris Paul to Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Jimmy Butler and Trae Young.

He’s also bringing a new level of physicality to Denver’s defense this season. This is how you send a message in the opening couple minutes of a game vs. a rival.

About Jusuf Nurkic: I still remember the days when Nuggets-Blazers games would be circled on the schedule just because you knew Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic would go at one another. Nurkic’s time in Denver didn’t end on the best terms, and you always felt like he brought a little something extra when he matched up with the player who took his starting spot from him back in 2016-17.

But Nurkic straight no-showed last night’s game. He had no interest in battling with Jokic. He was invisible Sunday night and Jokic had his way with him. Nurkic finished with 4 points on 2-5 shooting and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes. He looked like he didn’t want to be out there.

This sequence in the late-second quarter was all I needed to see to come to that conclusion. The Nuggets cleared the entire left side of the floor for Jokic vs. Nurkic on the block. Nurkic then barely reacted to Jokic’s spin move. Jokic even looked a little surprised by the lack of resistance. That play about summed up Portland’s night.