BSN Exclusive: Tim Connelly on his tenure in Denver, mistakes he's made along the way and building the Nuggets' core

Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly was hired five years ago after former Denver executive Masai Ujiri took the top basketball decision-making post in Toronto in 2013. Connelly inherited a 57-win team but found himself facing a daunting rebuild. Since then, Connelly, who came up in the scouting world, has built the Nuggets into his image: a high-flying offensive juggernaut that plays a European style of basketball around its franchise center Nikola Jokic.

Prior to his sixth season as the top basketball decision-maker in Denver, one that comes with most pressure and highest expectations that he’s faced throughout his tenure, Connelly spoke to BSN Denver about his what he’s learned in his time as an executive, mistakes he’s made along the way, building the Nuggets through the draft, and who he includes in Denver’s “core.”

BSN Denver: Its been five years since you were hired after the previous regime moved on. Does it feel like you’ve been here that long?

Tim Connelly: “You know what’s funny is it seems so quick because these years tend to be kind of whirlwinds. But even knowing (the media), whether we’re catching up in Vegas or what not, having the familiarity with everyone, and then from a personal side, I’ve got two kids here. This is our home. I’m proud when I go elsewhere to say that I live in Denver. So it seems like it’s been very quick but it’s wild I’m going into my sixth season.”

BSN: What have you learned about being a high-ranking executive and decision-maker over those years?

Connelly: “The more emotionless your decision making is, the better. I think you don’t look for short-time fixes. You don’t allow outside voices to impact what you think. And you have to stick to a plan even when that plan at times can easily be deviated from for short-term success. I think you win with good guys. What I’m really proud of, and we’re not where we want to be with wins and losses, but I can say with complete confidence that we have really, really good guys. We have really hard-working guys, and I think the character of our guys will start to be more evident in wins and losses.”

BSN: When you got the job, did you think that after things initially went south, that you had to rebuild through the draft, and then free agency would come later?

Connelly: “It was such a unique job. I was so lucky to take over a team that had gotten used to winning at the highest level coming off that 57-win team. It was also a unique job because of a coaching change had previously occurred. The front office had been recognized for the great job that they had done. A lot of those guys had moved on to really good positions elsewhere. It was a whirlwind trying to get a lay of the land. I think it was difficult. You want to have first-hand knowledge. I think the expectations were high for good reason, and we kind of tried to keep one foot in. And that first year when I was here I thought we were showing flashes early in the season and then we were hit by a rash of injuries. And the next year and a half, two years, was really about us trying to reestablish a positive base to build off.”

BSN: As someone who came up in the scouting world, is it a notch on your belt that you’ve built the core of this team (Gary Harris, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray) through the draft?

Connelly: “There’s no notch on the belt, I’ve got a negative notch on the belt. Five years without the playoffs. That’s unfair for this Denver market that was there 10 years in a row. We’ve got lucky in the draft, we’ve missed a ton too. I’m very proud of our staff, though. I like to say we make well-informed mistakes. I don’t think it’s for a lack of effort or often times the success of players is almost solely environmental. I mean we have some really good players on their team right now but will they get a chance to show that? Look at Gary Harris. He was able to develop into an elite two guard because he was able to play through mistakes. So as you get better and better, natural cannibalization occurs. Does it mean you picked the wrong guy? Or does it mean you can’t have 13 rotation guys. I think our staff is fantastic. I’m proud of all the work we put in. I think we’re extremely aware of the marketplace. I think there’s not much that gets by us going into that decision night. That decision is really hard, as you know, we’ve messed up as many decisions as we’ve gotten right.”

BSN: How good can Jamal Murray be this year?

Connelly: “I think he can be special. I’m especially hard on Jamal because I know he can be special. He’s got great size for the position. He’s unbelievably competitive. He’s a natural shot maker. He’s very strong-willed. He comes from a great family that only furthers his confidence and he’s tough. He cares. He’s competitive. Now I think the game should slow down. He doesn’t have to show the fastball every time. Embrace the easier shots because, you’ve seen every minute he’s played, he’s such a tough, hard-nosed competitive guy, he kind of wants to make it a street fight all the time. I know he can be special and we’ve got to help him get there.”

BSN: Locker room culture in this league is typically a reflection of your team’s best player. How impactful has it been to have Nikola Jokic, someone who’s the ultimate teammates and so selfless, setting your culture?

Connelly: “It’s the best ever, ever, ever. To walk into an NBA locker room with high expectations, and those expectations are fair, we should be pretty good, and to not have one headache, not have one issue, not have anything percolating under the surface that can negatively impact how we play. Selfishly, it’s amazing. You go to bed at night proud of who those guys are and it’s neat, those guys pull for each other. Nikola could have waited obviously. Will Barton turned down more lucrative offers and Torrey Craig had more lucrative offers. Even Nikola, there’s language in there that’s only specific to team success and often times at that level of a contract the language is specific to individual success. He’s the best. We have the most functional, likable, good guy locker room I’ve ever seen.”

BSN: You’ve been around star players before. How rare is that?

Connelly: “We’re so lucky, and it’s not lost on the coaching staff or the front office or ownership. And he’s also got a great sense of humor, so the jokes come fast and furious now that he’s getting the paycheck. I think he enjoys that. He wants to just be one of the guys but we know once he steps between the lines he’s not just one of the guys.”

BSN: When everyone talks about this core, it’s always in reference to Nikola, Gary and Jamal. Is Will also in the core?

Connelly: “Sure. We paid him as such. He better be! I thought Will was always part of that core. He’s such a self-confident guy. But his confidence was a bit shaken going to Portland, being a second-round pick and slowly climbing up the NBA ladder. And essentially, to use a hockey term, he had a bridge contract and even in a bridge contract, he’s probably one of the more unfairly criticized guys on our roster. He takes chances and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. If you look at his whole body of work, it’s hard not to be impressed with his versatility. It’s also hard-pressed to find guys who can play the one, two or three as a starter or off the bench. He’s certainly part of the core and I think his versatility and comfort level will translate to an excellent year.”