Currently, Jokic is averaging 29.8 PPG, 12.8 RPG and 10.2 APG. If he plays both remaining games, he needs to score 74 points and get 7 assists to reach 30-10-10 season averages. If he plays only 1 game, he needs to score 44 Points to reach 30-10-10. This will be remembered as a truly historic season by Jokic.

Team sources say David Adelman, whose steadiness and calm demeanor is in stark contrast to Malone’s manner, has a tremendous amount of support from the most important players. And if the Nuggets wanted to get a good look at what Adelman might be able to do before deciding how to proceed on the coaching front, the time was now.

The Kroenkes, league sources say, were also influenced by the Memphis Grizzlies’ recent choice to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins. There was a shared belief in the logic there, this notion that resetting with less problematic leaders right before the playoffs might spark something special in the weeks, and perhaps months, to come.

League sources expect there to be discussions about a possible reunion with Tim Connelly, the former Nuggets general manager who drafted Jokić and whose departure to the Minnesota Timberwolves in May 2022 led to Booth’s promotion from his assistant general manager role.

While Connelly has an opt-out in his contract for this summer, it’s widely believed that Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore will do what it takes to retain him. League sources say Connelly’s right-hand man in Minnesota, general manager Matt Lloyd, is expected to receive consideration for the Nuggets job as well.

League sources say Booth had extensive talks with the Kroenkes about an extension, and was convinced that completing the deal was a matter of when, not if. The Nuggets are widely known to pay front-office executives below market value, and Booth — buoyed by the belief that the championship meant he deserved more — made a final push to increase the salary that still would have paled in comparison to Malone’s.

On opening night, a one-sided home loss to the Thunder — who have since become the class of the West — was followed by a Jokić news conference that raised the eyebrows of many reporters in the room.

“We are not a good shooting team,” he said plainly.

Six weeks later, as the Nuggets hovered around .500 (11-10) and the doubts about the team’s direction grew internally, the extension that Booth had believed was a mere formality was nowhere to be found. The Kroenkes, league sources say, had pulled it.

When it came to Malone and his level of support in the locker room, team and league sources say the bottom started to fall out in mid-March. The home loss against Washington was a new low, with the tanking Wizards scoring at will in a 126-123 win that left Jokić fuming afterward. The defense, which was eighth in the league last season and top 16 in each of the previous six seasons, had fallen to 22nd at that time (it’s currently 21st). At the time, league sources say, rival teams began to hear that Jokić’s patience was wearing thin with the sad state of affairs.

The chance to accomplish something significant is at hand, especially with Murray — according to team sources — likely to return from his six-game absence (hamstring injury) on Friday at Memphis.

Hardest quote from the Joker?

I believe his overall record now is 3-0 as HC

ESPN: recap - boxscore - gamecast | NBA.com: boxscore - shotchart

DNP: Trey Alexander, Vlatko Cancar, PJ Hall, Zeke Nnaji, Dario Saric, Hunter Tyson

Inactive: DaRon Holmes II, Spencer Jones, Jamal Murray

DNP: Jae Crowder, Terence Davis, Markelle Fultz

Inactive: Isaiah Crawford, Mason Jones, Jake LaRavia, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray

Lead Changes: 2 | Times Tied: 2 | Gametime: 2:22 | Attendance: 16161

Officials: Kevin Cutler, Tyler Ford, Mousa Dagher

Nikola Jokic Was Reportedly Told of Michael Malone Firing and 'Understood' Decision

I looked up the 24 MVPs dating back to 1984 and found that Jokić is the only MVP winner (and he’s won three) to have never played with an All-Star, All-NBA or All-Defense member in their first 10 seasons in the league.

A reasonable expectation for Denver at this point is to have surrounded Jokić with a supporting cast that has achieved 16 total All-League honors, or about 1.6 per season. That’s the average for the 23 other MVPs in the study. Instead, the front office has failed to deliver him even one. Magic had 35 by now. Larry enjoyed 32. Steph 27. Tim Duncan, James Harden and Steve Nash all had 16 All-League awards by teammates at this point in their careers. That’s par for the course.

None of them — Murray, Gordon or Porter Jr. — have even received a single vote for All-NBA first, second or third teams in Jokić’s tenure. Not named on a single ballot! That’s how far away from star status they are. Even getting a player worth an honorable mention would be a dream for Jokić.

Because of Jokić’s introverted nature, it’s hard to know how much direct influence he’s had on the roster or how he truly feels about his supporting cast. What we do know is the Nuggets’ roster is heavily connected to his representation. His agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, has six other clients on the roster, including Murray, Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, Vlatko Cancar, Dario Saric and Peyton Watson. By my research, it’s the strongest team-agency alliance in the NBA in terms of player count, even outnumbering the CAA-aligned New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers’ association with Klutch. (Maybe Schwartz could take over a la Leon Rose, who used to run CAA’s NBA operation before taking over the Knicks’ front office.)

as it was written.

My now wife and I decided to spend our honeymoon money on courtside seats at the Nuggets vs Kings, and it was worth every penny. Jamal, AG, Deandre, Hunter, and the broadcasting staff all acknowledged our sign/us at some point. The way they interacted with each other and the few Nuggets fans in attendance was fantastic. Even when they were down for a while vs the Kings, their intensity stayed great. I think the firings did raise morale a bit because it seemed horrible for a few games there. Whether it stays like that, who knows, but these guys definitely have it in them still to put it together when everyone is healthy!