"He's full steam ahead": Why the Nuggets have faith in Calvin Booth

There’s a common sentiment coming from those within and close to the Nuggets organization in the wake of Tim Connelly’s sudden departure to Minnesota: We’re going to be just fine.

Internally, there’s confidence in Calvin Booth, the Nuggets’ general manager and now their new top basketball executive who arrived in Denver in 2017 and has been Connelly’s No. 2 for the last five years. There’s even a tempered level of excitement for the approach Booth plans on taking now that he’s at the Nuggets’ helm. Nuggets governer Josh Kroenke has a press conference currently scheduled for Thursday where he’s expected to throw his full support behind Booth.

Many expect Booth to be more aggressive in the trade market, free agency, and when building the Nuggets’ roster than his predecessor. If Connelly took a somewhat safer route in constructing the Nuggets’ roster, many close to the Nuggets’ organization believe Booth will take a more risky one. Booth has been in Denver since 2017 and before the Nuggets even made the playoffs for the first time in the Nikola Jokic era. There’s a belief that he understands the gravity of the Nuggets’ situation this summer and that it’s imperative to do everything possible to put Jokic and Denver in a situation to win a championship next season.

“I think he’s full steam ahead in making all the necessary moves to go for it,” one source close to the team told DNVR.

Booth is not Connelly. He’s very different in fact. One played in the NBA for 10 seasons and for seven different franchises. The other never played competitive basketball past high school. Their leadership styles differ as well. Connelly was able to foster a truly unique family environment inside Ball Arena that was felt from the executive level all the way down to the Nuggets’ locker room. The Nuggets’ culture under Connelly was rare in today’s NBA. Booth’s persona and management style feels like it’s going to be more business-like.

Prior to Connelly leaving Denver, Booth was already leading weekly Zoom calls with the Nuggets front office where staffers discussed and debated players, prospect rankings, and held general discussions. As the June 23 draft draws closer, those calls will likely increase in frequency as the Nuggets zero in on the group of prospects they plan to target with the 21st overall pick. Those who are around Booth and have interacted with him over the last several years rave about how structured and organized his approach is. One source close to the team described Booth as a “trendsetter” and “a mix of Connelly and Arturas Karisovas,” the Nuggets’ former GM who’s now running the Chicago Bulls.

The Nuggets’ current front office could also stay somewhat intact following Connelly’s departure. There’s been talk of a handshake agreement between Connelly and Kroenke that Connelly won’t poach or hire anyone from Denver’s current front office for at least one year. I would also expect that Booth’s title remains general manager for now.

Over the course of this summer, Booth will have a chance to put his imprint on this team. One high-ranking NBA scout told DNVR that Booth has a particular eye for identifying role players and back-end rotation pieces that could be on the cusp of a breakout. Booth was a back-end rotation player himself throughout his NBA career.

He’ll need to call on that skill-set this summer. The Nuggets’ core 4 of Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon feels set right now. But there’s a lot of improvement Denver can do around the edges of its roster.

Connelly’s departure definitely stunned many throughout the Nuggets’ organization, but Denver has moved forward. Under Booth, the Nuggets are giving off the sense that entering a pivotal offseason, there’s trust that their new top basketball decision-maker knows what’s at stake.

It’s Booth’s turn to put his stamp on this roster and franchise.