The Nuggets might be a No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the new-look Western Conference. The Clippers, Lakers and Jazz are definitely better than Denver. Portland and the Warriors will compete with the Nuggets for the middle seeds.
Patrick, Denver
Kiz: Home-court advantage for the playoffs now seems like the reach for Denver in 2020. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George kicked sand in the face of LeBron James and left the Nuggets in the dust, along with Houston. As of today, I would say itap Denver vs. the Rockets for the No. 6 seed.
The free-agency news is tough for the Nuggets. It is better that Leonard went to the Clippers than to the Lakers, but the new-look Clips can play serious lock-down defense with Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverly and Montrezl Harrell. Itap possible to imagine them doubling hard on Nikola Jokic and rotating quickly to the shooter. Can enough guys knock down shots?
Jared, San Francisco
Kiz: Thatap precisely why it was an absolute must for the Nuggets to acquire a shooter in free agency. Oh, wait. What? Never mind. But maybe Paul Millsap can take us all to lunch.
The Nuggets are closer to a championship now than when the playoffs ended. They were never getting past last year’s Warriors, so long as Kevin Durant and Thompson were healthy. Now? Who knows? The entire West feels up for grabs.
Taylor
Kiz: With the West up for grabs, the Nuggets stood back and let it all be. I double-checked a list of the top 15 free-agent targets for Denver compiled by the esteemed basketball experts at The Post, The Athletic and BSN. Know how many of those 15 players have signed? All of ’em. And guess how many of those 15 targets the Nuggets hit? Zero. (Heck, that’s worse than Will Barton’s shooting percentage in the playoffs.)
Does Michael Porter Jr. ever suit up for the Nuggets?
Bill, Denver
Kiz: Porter has played 53 minutes of competitive basketball since joining Missouri as a freshman nearly two years ago. And now he’s hurt again. The Nuggets pinned their hopes of upgrading the roster to Porter and Bol Bol. I don’t know if thatap a plan, so much as a roll of the dice.
I was sorry to see the comments against soccer star Megan Rapinoe for her opposition to visiting the White House. I was a member of one of the United States’ biggest losing teams ever, as part of the military mission in Vietnam, where I also became a disabled vet. Yet I feel I have a right to speak out, as does every American. And itap for sure the bone-spur guy in Washington, D.C., doesn’t have any compunction about shooting his mouth off.
Roger, Nathrop
Kiz: Rapinoe will proudly wear the red, white and blue Sunday in service of her country at the World Cup final. Trump found a way out of joining the military after graduating from college in the spring of 1968.
And today’s parting shot is an advance request for my RSVP.
Kiz, so I assume you will not be going to the White House, if invited?
Barry, social chairman
