While he talked of the old days, of the unforgettable moments, Fat Lever smiled the smile of pride that only comes when someone is truly happy.
Fat is truly happy he was a Nugget. Now, he needs running mates.
The greatest trick anyone ever pulled was convincing the world the Nuggets have no tradition. And because of that, last week was a big week in turning the tide. A huge week, in fact.
Dikembe Mutombo — nicknamed Mount Mutombo by the city that knows peaks — was named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Two days later, the Nuggets organization pulled off one of its savviest moves of the season when it brought back Lever to be honored in the way that tradition-rich franchises always honor their great athletes.
Those events opened the door to a larger discussion to be had about just how big a basketball town Denver really has been. Forty-eight years of NBA (39) and ABA (nine) basketball says its roots run deep.
Tradition is as nebulous a concept as the never-ending debate on whether title rings equal greatness.
Are multiple title banners the only indicator of true tradition?
Of course not.
Tradition is a fabric woven with everything that makes up the whole — from great teams and great moments to struggles to characters to players to, yes, winning. The Nuggets have been as unusual as the city they play in. They have a style of play directly connected to them, a style that concerns most any team arriving in the Mile High City that has to deal with it. And never more than this season has there been such an outcry to link back to their fast-breaking past.
Traditionally, the Nuggets have been a running team.
And yet the belief that permeates is the opposite. Chests should be puffed out, Lever style, knowing there is great worth to the Nuggets, and always has been. Instead, so many view their support in a defensive manner, assuming a heads-down, slumped-shoulders posture about embracing what the franchise really is.
And that impacts everything from holding the organization accountable to continuing to push to win big instead of just settling for being entertaining. Why would a free agent want to come play for the little ol’ Nuggets?
Here’s why: David Thompson, Dan Issel, Alex English, Doug Moe, Larry Brown, Fat Lever. There are Hall of Famers, three executives of the year, two NBA coaches of the year, one NBA scoring champion, a streak of 10 straight years in the playoffs.
And five retired jerseys. It is inevitable Mutombo’s will be the sixth.
Sunday, a 1,000-win coach comes to town. George Karl got 423 of those wins in nine seasons with the Nuggets.
Interim coach Melvin Hunt believes Mutombo’s and Lever’s moments in the sun helped illuminate the team’s tradition as well.
“Anytime you get some positive publicity, there are good things happening within your organization,” he said. “The great Alex English, David Thompson … I think it goes a long way. We’ve done some nice things here.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey @denverpost.com or dempseypost
