Tim Connelly receives well-deserved contract extension; Executive of the Year should be next

Continuity and chemistry. That’s what Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly attributes his team’s success to this season.

“Continuity of the best coaching staff in the NBA and the continuity and chemistry with an ownership group that saw our vision,” he told BSN Denver earlier this week. “And it was kind of a far-fetched vision that we’re going to build around this 41st pick (Nikola Jokic), and he’s going to average eight assists a game. So having an ownership group that was patient enough to allow for continuity, and I think the continuity has created our chemistry.”

That precious continuity, a rare commodity in today’s NBA, could have ended last offseason or the summer before that. But Connelly and the Nuggets stuck by coach Michael Malone despite a fifth-straight season (third under Malone) without the playoffs. Denver then doubled down on its current roster, players Connelly had drafted and the Nuggets’ coaching staff had developed over the last few seasons.

The patience paid off. Denver got the internal growth it needed from Nikola Jokic, who Connelly and his front office plucked from the Adriatic League in 2014, Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley, Monte Morris, and Torrey Craig, all players Connelly either drafted or signed to their first NBA contracts. Juancho Hernangomez, who Connelly selected 15th overall in 2016, has given the Nuggets important minutes this season, and don’t forget about Gary Harris, a Connelly late-first round draft steal from early in his tenure. Denver also kept the core of its team together, inking Jokic to a max contract but more notably re-upping Will Barton, the pulse of the Nuggets’ locker room and unofficial team spokesman.

In an Executive of the Year-worthy set of moves and decision-making, Connely bet on himself and on his guys. As a result, the Nuggets have the second-best record in the Western Conference at the All-Star break, and for his efforts in building a well-rounded, young and deep homegrown roster that has staying power, Connelly and his front office staff including general manager Arturas Karnisovas were awarded with contract extensions announced Friday.

“It gives me immense pride to announce contract extensions for our entire front office, as our journey to this point has been one of hard work, patience and trust in one another,” Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said. “When Tim joined us in 2013, he understood the vision that we had for the future of the Nuggets, and through his dedication our program is incredibly well positioned to compete at the highest level for years to come.

“Building a true championship contender in the NBA is a unique process for each franchise, and our path in Denver hasn’t always been clear. But Tim, Arturas and the rest of our staff continued to work through every challenge we faced along the way, and I hope Nuggets fans are as excited as we are about our future. We firmly believe we can bring an NBA championship to Denver, and are thrilled to continue our pursuit together.”

Around Jokic, Denver has built one of the more unique rosters in the league through the draft and in free agency. Connelly targeted high-character and self-motivated players to fill out his lineup. Paul Millsap, the marquee free agent signing of Connelly’s tenure, and Isaiah Thomas, who the Nuggets inked this past summer, have both been instrumental behind the scenes in shaping Denver’s locker room culture.

Now the Nuggets are winning and winning big.

It wasn’t an easy choice for Connelly to stick with his vision. There was plenty of losing and external pressure to chart a different course. But it takes a certain amount of guts to succeed in the NBA. And Connelly’s got guts.

The guts required to bet on a rock-solid locker room chemistry turning into more victories. The guts to have the confidence in Morris, a second-year point guard who only played 25 minutes during his rookie season, and Beasley, a third-year shooting guard who had struggled to find consistency in his game. The guts that Jokic would embrace being the face of the Nuggets’ franchise even though he’s been playing organized basketball for less than a decade.

In every signing, trade or roster move, Connelly kept to his core values of team building — continuity and chemistry — while also keeping Denver’s long-term flexibility in mind. It’s resulted in a roster, which Connelly says reminds him of a tight-knit college team, and a group whose best days and best basketball is still ahead.