In the days leading up to this year’s NBA draft, the Nuggets’ internal mock drafts almost always left team president Josh Kroenke with a difficult decision.
Should the Nuggets add young players to an already young roster, knowing how much young players struggle in the NBA?
Kroenke gave the go-ahead if the players the Nuggets had identified they wanted were still available. That’s exactly what happened with the selection of guard Jamal Murray at No. 7 overall and forward Juancho Hernangomez at No. 15.
“I said, ‘Hey, if they are there, it will be a successful draft,’ ” Kroenke said Monday at the Nuggets’ annual media day.
Kroenke told The Denver Post this is the most pleased he has been with the state of the franchise since the 57-win team of 2012-13. The Nuggets have not been back to the playoffs since.
“I feel very confident with the guys we have leading us on a daily basis,” Kroenke said. “I feel confident in the players in the locker room. I feel confident in the front office.
“I like the direction of the train. I like the speed and direction of the train. We needed to reinvent who we were last year, culturally, in our locker room as well as establish a new identity on the court. I think that historically we’ve always played fast here, and I think that thatap something we want to continue to do, but you can’t do it at the expense of your defense.”
Kroenke praised the work coach Michael Malone did in his first season last season leading one of the youngest teams in the NBA, even though the Nuggets won only 33 games.
“(General manager) Tim (Connelly) and I, we have a bigger picture that we’re looking at, and I thought (Malone) did an outstanding job last year, with our young players, especially,” he said. “I thought Tim and the guys, over the last few years they’ve knocked it out of the park at the draft. I think if you’re drafting well, you’re always giving yourself a chance to compete, whether thatap improvement through trades or simply internal improvement.”
Veteran forward Mike Miller said he returned to the Nuggets this season because he saw an organization that has the look of those that won championships in Miami and Cleveland. Kroenke agrees.
“Itap one of those things that takes several years to do,” he said. “We put out clichés like culture and all of those terms, but they are very real things. We’ve never won a championship here. We’ve never had a true championship culture where itap, ‘Guys, what are we doing to make ourselves better tomorrow, the next day and the day after? What are we doing to make ourselves better a year from now? What are we really planning for? What are we working toward?’
“Thatap a collective thing. Everyone has to be on the same page and know that as we continue to challenge each other, we’re only trying to make each other better. I think thatap the definition of a true championship culture.”
Kroenke extended Connelly’s contract last season despite the team’s on-court struggles since the GM took over after the 57-win season.
“I knew when I hired Tim in the summer of 2013 that we were going to have a good shot at nailing a few drafts. That ultimately takes years to come to fruition,” Kroenke said. “Being able to weigh the present while weighing the future is, I think, the toughest job general managers face based on the roster. And I think Tim and our staff has made very smart trades.”
As for this season, Kroenke sees improvement, but stopped short of guaranteeing a playoff berth.
“I think this year is going to be a growth year,” Kroenke said. “Depending on where that growth heads at the end of the year, where we ultimately define success, I guess, is open to interpretation almost. But I’m glad to see that our players are focused on playoffs. I want those guys focused on building toward April. We want to be playing our best basketball on April 1, those last two weeks of the season leading into the playoffs.
“Then we’ll see where our record shakes out. I like our chances to hopefully leapfrog a team or two this year simply through our continuity and our internal improvement.”
