Question for your next podcast…

Jokic-ball is dead…. who’s fault is it? Why has it died? Can we get it back and if so, how?

Re MPJ still not getting major minutes, isn’t part of it due to missing two years where he had two back surgeries? He has to rebuild his strength and get his body hardened to the extreme NBA grind. I mean it would be spectacularly stupid to invest so much time in him then blow up his back again in the first season. He seemed to hit the limit last week when he sat out a game with a tight back.

Also, re MPJ and the way Malone’s coaching him, i think you all have valid points however it’s important i think to understand that the dynamics of MPJ are extremely different. Adam pointed out that malone coached Murray hard and Murray is appreciative of that but Murray had his pops training him the Kobe way all his life. He’s used to that so of course it works for him. I don’t for one second think that style works on Jokic. There’s something to Eric’s point that malone sees the potential in MPJ and he wants to bring it out so he’s extra hard on him. Thats cool and all but this is the NBA… stars feel disgruntled, act on slights be they real or imagined and will up and leave to go where they really want to be all because of “i didn’t like coach so and so”. Yes MPJ is (as far as we can tell) taking this well, saying all the right things and also showing progress. But again, MPJ was groomed to be a star; damn near destined to be one in this league. He’s not Jokic the reluctant, he’s not Murray the scrap, scrape and claw to be a star. His stardom was basically derailed not so much because of injury but because he came to Denver. Yes his injury contributed but we all saw the hype this past summer. If he was on a team that would have put him in the starting lineup (like Zion) right away, where his minutes were never in question he’d be getting all type of accolades.

Now it’s probably better for him, health wise, fundamental wise and general life lesson wise to be here. And I don’t want to assume he’s a self centered prick, he certainly seems like a good guy. It absolutely helps to have the locker room culture we do. It helps even more to have the type of superstar we do. But it’s proably important not to kid ourselves that MPJ is a different beast. There is absolutely a world where with MPJ being as marketable and surely on route to being a superstar in this league that he says fuck an extension with the nuggets, I can make that money back easily in new york, or la or just anywhere else. He could say to himself that they basically wasted my 2nd year (who knows what happens next season) I want to go play with my homie tre.

I’m not saying malone is wrong BUT he damn well better be right.