Yesterday, the NBA’s rumor mill was in full swing. And the Denver Nuggets were at the center of the conversation.
Here’s what the alleged trade talks consisted of: The Clippers’ Blake Griffin and Lance Stephenson for Denver’s Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Nikola Jokic and Will Barton.
Please.
And yes, that was a sarcastic please. As in, “paaah-leeeze,” or perhaps “please, child.” The Nuggets may not be on the verge of an NBA title run, but they’re not suckers of this magnitude either. Chris Broussard of ESPN says the Clippers called Denver with this proposal and the Nuggets shot it down. The Clippers say it was the other way around. Broussard also says Doc Rivers told him that “there’s no way Blake’s getting traded.”
Unless it was a deal like this. You’d better believe the Clippers would make that deal – in a heartbeat. And you’d better believe it was Rivers – not Tim Connelly – who threw that out there. Here’s why.
First, it’s my firm belief that the Nuggets aren’t necessarily in love with Griffin. Remember back when the Clippers beat the Nuggets? On Nov. 24, Denver took one on the chin, falling to L.A. 111 to 94 in front of the home crowd at Pepsi Center. But as the game wore on and despite the gap in the score, Nuggets coach Michael Malone refused to give up. Like many teams do, he employed the “Hack-a-Jordan” strategy, fouling DeAndre Jordan on every possession in hopes of the big fella missing enough free throws to narrow the lead. It didn’t work, but Griffin took exception to the strategy. Following a timeout, he walked by Malone and exchanged words. If you’re good at reading lips, this is what he told Denver’s coach: “F*** you, you f***in’ b**ch.”
Classy.
In the heat of battle, things get said. Afterwards, cooler heads prevail. I’m not saying they did or didn’t, but if you think Malone wants to coach a guy who doesn’t understand why his opponent shouldn’t just lay down and die, you’d be wrong. The fact that Griffin had the audacity to question the strategy or attempt to get back in the game says everything you need to know about a player who hasn’t won anything of significance in the NBA.
Furthermore, Connelly and Josh Kroenke spent an entire offseason trying to clean up the locker room. The Nuggets, perhaps to a fault, love “good guys” – and Griffin ain’t a good guy. Smart money says that he’d be instant poison to a locker room that was just detoxified. That wouldn’t make a lick of sense.
Next, Griffin isn’t a winner. Yes, his numbers are gaudy – he averaged 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5 assists per game last season – and all those monster dunks can be fun to watch. But would he put up those numbers (or catch those kind of lobs) on a team without the game’s top point guard, and without one of the best big men in the league? Take away some other nice pieces – shooters J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, or solid role players like Paul Pierce and Austin Rivers – and what’s Griffin really going to do if he’s The Guy? If he were to land in Denver via the proposed trade, he’d have a depleted supporting cast. Rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is the future, but he’s not the present-day Chris Paul just yet. Go back in time; whom did the Clippers go get to help get Griffin over the hump? That’s right, Paul. And how’s that worked? Billy Crystal still hasn’t watched his favorite, uber-talented team in the NBA Finals; heck, he wasn’t watched them in the Western Conference Finals – largely because players like Griffin disappear when the chips are down. Griffin is akin to Carmelo Anthony – he puts up pretty numbers but hasn’t figured out how to win in the postseason. But unlike Anthony, Griffin’s offensive game requires a stronger supporting cast.
Lastly Griffin, as was widely reported yesterday once the rumor hit, could be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. The Nuggets aren’t in a position to contend for a title; thus, they’re certainly in no need of a “rent-a-player.” That’s likely all Griffin would be. The Nuggets do not currently have an All-Star, but the proposed list of players they’d be sending to L.A. makes up not only a solid core, but also an affordable one – there’s value in that, value that could be used for bigger and better things down the road. Denver absolutely needs to add a superstar to the mix, but giving away everything for one that comes with a lot of asterisks, isn’t a good idea.
Doc Rivers said he wouldn’t have made the trade. I’m not buying it. That’s easy to say once it’s been (appropriately) shot down. The Clippers would be better off without Griffin. With Paul and Jordan, a player like Gallinari, who would spread the floor and free up space, would benefit them more. Faried would make a great sixth man for any contending team, and he’d supply plenty of oooohs and ahhhhs for the Clipper faithful by catching those famous Lob City passes from Paul. But that won’t happen; it would be too good to be true – for Rivers, that is.
The Nuggets need plenty, but Griffin isn’t on the list.
Nor should he be.
