BREAKING: Nuggets' front office departure could foreshadow what fans have been dreaming of
Denver may be set to re-vitalize their roster around Nikola Jokic.
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets | Matthew Stockman/GettyImages
Monday evening brought the announcement that the Denver Nuggets would be parting ways with assistant General Manager Tommy Balcetis. On its own, this news may not come across as noteworthy to a lot of fans. But when we consider it within the context of the fact that the Nuggets have been without a permanent General Manager since the firing of Calvin Booth in April, it could signal that Denver is finally preparing to make the kind of bold roster overhauls the fanbase has been waiting for.
For two seasons, the Nuggets have been holding on to their championship core (minus Bruce Brown and Jeff Green) plus a few new, younger contributors. They've been trusting that guys will develop internally while being hesitant to make anything other than minor moves in the margins to improve this roster. Essentially, what they've been doing is hoping Nikola Jokic will carry them to another NBA championship.
Nuggets fans know the talent of Jokic, and they know he's more than capable of pulling such a feat off. With an undermanned supporting cast, he just got done taking the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games a month ago. But you have to give even an all-time great like number 15 something to work with.
The Nuggets parted ways with assistant GM Tommy Balcetis
After back-to-back losses in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals and with Jokic's supporting cast looking just a bit thinner and more expensive, the writing is kind of on the wall for this current group. I wouldn't say the title window is closed, but it's definitely shifting. If Denver wants to re-establish itself as a superpower in the West, this summer is the time to re-shape the roster.
The firing of Booth was evidence that something is bound to change within the Nuggets organization soon. His strategy of not taking too many risks and banking on the development of draft picks was clearly evident in the last few seasons, and a new strategy could be on the way — and one very pleasing to the fanbase.
Even Jokic's all-time great offensive skill couldn't get a Denver roster that was clearly too top-heavy back to the West Finals in each of the last two seasons. Whoever the Nuggets hire as their new General Manager will likely seek to follow a new direction in order to fully take advantage of the fact that they still have one of the greatest players ever in his prime.
What this could mean is much more aggressive moves than fans are used to this summer. Flipping their usable assets and going all-in on pieces they believe would be significant upgrades may be on the horizon, and it's certainly something hardcore supporters of the Denver Nuggets would appreciate.