How champs carved rare 'blueprint' to title ... and taught NBA ...

Back in the summer of 2019, the Lakers, Nets and Clippers all made major moves that threatened to signal the arrival of three new championship contenders in the NBA.

Three new superteams.

Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all ended up in Los Angeles while Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined forces in Brooklyn.

“This summer has been interesting,” Chris Paul, who was also traded to Oklahoma City that summer, told ESPN at the time.

“It’s been a lot of movement, a lot of player movement, and I think it’s great for our league, me included. There’s a ton of us that aren’t with the team we were with last year. It’s crazy.”

In the background, Denver was taking a very different approach.

Although it would have been very easy for the Nuggets to have also considered heading in another direction in the summer of 2019.

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic during the 2019 playoffs. Steve Dykes/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

After finishing with the second seed in the West to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in six years, the Nuggets came up just one game short of the Conference Finals.

But it was the way they went out — blowing a 17-point lead in Game 7 against the Portland Trail Blazers — that really stung.

Nikola Jokic led the way with 29 points but missed 15 shots while Jamal Murray was just 4-for-18 from the floor.

It would have been all too easy to overreact, to let the disappointment of that game linger and overshadow what had largely been a step in the right direction for the Nuggets.

Jokic, for example, made his first All-Star appearance and only took his game to another level in the playoffs, recording four triple-doubles and scoring a career-high 43 points in a loss to San Antonio.

This was a young roster that had promise, particularly if Michael Porter Jr. — the last pick of the NBA draft lottery — was finally healthy.

But they weren’t the complete product yet, not that anyone expected this Nuggets team to be even close to contending anyway. They just needed time.

In the NBA though, time is a luxury and not one that is afforded to many teams. The Denver Nuggets, however, were an exception — and now they are NBA champions.

The Nuggets are NBA champions. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

As for those teams that took a big swing back in the summer of 2019, they did so with mixed results.

Davis and LeBron James took the Lakers to a championship in the bubble, eliminating the Nuggets in the process, but later handicapped themselves by trading for Russell Westbrook.

Some shrewd moves before the trade deadline salvaged their season but the Lakers once again find themselves at a critical juncture this summer, at risk of repeating past mistakes.

Elsewhere, the Clippers have been crippled by injuries to Leonard and George while Durant and Irving are no longer on the Nets after their experiment with superteam status ended in disaster.

The lesson to be learned out of all of this? Sometimes a little bit of patience is really all that is needed.

It sounds simple and obviously is not always going to be the solution, but for a small-market team like Denver it was the best route to take. Now they have their first title because of it.

That was not a point lost on Nuggets coach Michael Malone and it starts with ownership under the Kroenke family, who never lost sight of the long-term vision.

“I was now just hugging Josh and Stan Kroenke because we all know in this business patience is not a word that comes easily,” Malone said after the Nuggets’ Game 4 win over the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

“For them to have patience after that third year, 46-win effort that came up just short of the playoffs, they saw something in Nikola, in Jamal, in myself, and allowed it to come to fruition. That’s a rarity in this business.”

Head coach Michael Malone benefited from patient owners. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

That was far from the only time their patience would be tested though, with injuries to Murray and Porter Jr. leaving the Nuggets in a state of basketball purgatory.

They knew what they had and knew they were good enough to contend, but only when they were healthy. Staying healthy though was something that was proving particularly challenging.

And when Murray went down with a torn ACL after his bubble breakout, even he was seemingly convinced it was the end of the road.

“I remember being in the bus with him going to the airport after he did the injury in Golden State the next day and he had tears in his eyes,” Malone told reporters last month.

“In that moment, it’s really hard to believe that. His first thought was, ‘Man are you guys going to trade me? ... I’m damaged goods now, are you going to trade me now?’.”

But when Murray was at his most vulnerable, Malone delivered two simple yet powerful words that put his fears to rest and spoke to the patience that has come to define this organisaiton — “You’re ours”.

“I hugged him and said, ‘Hell no. You’re ours. We love you and we’re going to help you get back’.”

The emotion was too much for Murray. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

And Murray did come back, forming a lethal two-man game with Jokic that proved unstoppable in Denver’s run to the title while also becoming the first player in history to record 10 or more assists in their first four Finals games.

But speaking to The Athletic last month, Malone revealed there was a time that the subject of trading Murray did come up, floated by then-Nuggets president Tim Connelly.

Again, Malone’s response once more reflected the level of confidence he and Denver’s ownership had in this core group of players.

“I remember Tim calling me up, (and saying), ‘Hey, we can trade Jamal for this guy.’ (This was) probably three or four years ago — (and it was) a marquee player,” Malone said.

“I said ‘No.’ Like, ‘What? Let’s not rush this. We have a patient ownership group. Let’s f***ing take our time and build this the right way. A bigger name is not always better.’

“There are countless, different examples (like that)... Just the ability of ownership to be patient and not overreact (was key). Patience is not something you talk about in the NBA, or pro sports.

“And I think I, and we, are a perfect example of the results of being patient and saying, ‘You know what? Let’s continue to let this grow and marinate and mature and then we can see what we really have.’ And I think we’re seeing it.”

It wasn’t just sticking by Murray though that has taken the Nuggets to the top of the mountain.

They also deserve credit for drafting and then building around Jokic, whose agent pulled him out of the 2014 NBA draft before Denver convinced him to have a change of heart.

The rest of the league didn’t see anything special but Denver did, and later traded Jusuf Nurkic and first-round pick Emmanuel Mudiay to put pieces around Jokic.

Although ask Malone and even he will admit that he didn’t foresee the Jokic that was first running around for the Nuggets in 2015 in front of empty stands becoming a two-time MVP.

“I always think about this and laugh because that first Summer League in Vegas, 300 pounds, out of shape -- he’s a nice player,” Malone said after the Lakers’ series.

“No one, and if anybody tells you different, they’re full of s***. No one ever could have seen that he’d be a two-time MVP, passing Wilt Chamberlain it seems like every other night.

“That speaks to his dedication to his craft, getting in great shape and understanding that for him to fulfil his potential, he had to work harder, and he’s done that.”

Nikola Jokic is the selfless superstar Denver needs. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

But forget what Jokic does on the court and the way he has redefined the center position with the elite passing at his size, as that is not the only thing that makes an impression on Malone.

“What I love most about Nikola, aside from his great play and the consistency, is that he’s never changed,” Malone said.

“Success, money, fame has never changed that guy. That’s a rarity in this business, as we all know.”

Jokic’s personality has quickly become an extension of the entire squad, one that has been built around a culture of selflessness and without the egos that have so easily brought talented teams undone in the past.

Take Aaron Gordon, the perfect glue guy who was miscast as a primary option in Orlando and has instead thrived in Denver as the dependable two-way player the Nuggets desperately needed.

Gordon has also proven himself capable of being more selfish when it is in the team’s best interests, exploding for a career-high 27 points in Denver’s Game 4 win over Miami.

“He’s playing a different role, and that’s why he sacrificed himself and that’s why he’s a great teammate, and that’s why he won us the game today,” Jokic said of Gordon after Game 4.

Aaron Gordon was an unsung hero for Denver all season long. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

Then there is Porter Jr., another guy the Nuggets could have so easily traded out of frustration as injuries hindered the former Missouri forward’s development on the court.

Off it there were question marks over his personality too and willingness to play off the ball, having grown used to having it in his hands with the offence running through him.

It is why Porter Jr. was considered one of, if not the, most polarising prospect in his draft class. It is also why he was such a risk but one worth taking for the enormous upside.

In the Finals though, it wasn’t necessarily that upside that made Porter Jr. valuable.

Usually judged on his 3-point shooting, Porter Jr. went 4-for-28 from downtown in five games against the Heat but found other ways to impact winning.

That led to Porter Jr. stepping up when Denver needed him most in Game 5, attacking the paint with intent and throwing himself at the boards in a committed 16-point showing.

Even in the Phoenix series, coach Malone later revealed that Porter Jr. came up to him at one point and offered to come out of the game if he preferred to close with Bruce Brown.

“He cares. He wants to win a championship,” Malone said.

Michael Porter Jr. overcame a lot to win a title. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

“It’s really rare. It’s a blessing. It’s awesome to play with these guys,” added Gordon.

“These guys are so unselfish. They’re so passionate about basketball, and they understand that you’ve got to keep energy in the ball, and if you play the right way, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

And unlike so many other teams that have taken big swings and struck out, Denver instead made under-the-radar moves this offseason that later proved the final piece of the puzzle.

The addition of Gordon, of course, preceded this summer and has helped the Nuggets navigate the non-Jokic minutes — something which had previously proven Denver’s downfall.

But then there were other roster reshuffles, headlined by the arrivals of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown.

Caldwell-Pope went a career-high 42.3 per cent from deep during the regular season while his disruptive hands on defence meant he was making an impact even if the shots weren’t falling.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s defence was key. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

Brown, meanwhile, came up clutch in the final quarter of Game 4 and has been a valuable sixth man for Denver all season as an all-effort defensive stopper and offensive weapon.

The Nuggets will have a tough time retaining Brown though, who could enter unrestricted free agency this summer if he opts out of the final year of his current deal.

Brown’s player option for next season is worth $6.8 million and should he decline it, the most Denver could offer him is $7.7 million. But again, not everything is about money.

“I want to stay,” Brown told The Denver Post on Tuesday.

“Look at us. Celebrating the Finals, winning the Finals. This is what you come to the NBA for, to win at the highest level.

“It’s a perfect fit. And money is not everything. The money will come. So I’m not worried about that right now.”

Then there is the veteran presence in the locker room and on the court, with Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan and Ish Smith all rewarded for their persistence with rings.

And how about the new blood?

Rookie Christian Braun was the unlikely hero in Game 3 of the Finals as he scored 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting in 19 minutes.

Winning is all Braun knows, becoming just the fifth player in basketball history to win NBA, NCAA titles in back-to-back seasons.

Braun certainly played like a winner every time he took to the court in his rookie season, fighting for every possession and providing much-needed energy and intensity off the bench.

Peyton Watson also flashed his defensive potential in the brief glimpses Nuggets fan got of the rookie, who had 19 blocks in his last season at UCLA.

The young duo are just part of the reason why Malone’s warning during Tuesday’s trophy presentation holds merit, with the Nuggets coach declaring the team is “not satisfied” yet.

“We want more. We want more,” he said.

Denver wants to capitalise on its title window right now and into the future, even striking a trade during the Finals as it acquired a 2024 first and second-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick from Oklahoma City.

But as much as this is about celebrating the now and looking towards the future, the Nuggets players also aren’t forgetting where they came from or who came before them.

Gordon, for example, wouldn’t even be in Denver if it was not for Gary Harris, who was sent to Orlando along with RJ Hampton and a protected 2025 first-round draft pick.

Harris, Paul Millsap and Monte Morris are just a few players who helped build the foundations of the selfless culture that took the Nuggets to an NBA title.

And while they may no longer be on the roster, it doesn’t mean that they won’t get their flowers.

Monte Morris hugs Nikola Jokic after Game 3. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“What we’ve been building, since Gary, since Paul, Monte, all the guys that had the culture embodied, and to have this team and see everybody come together, especially with eight new guys that came in at the beginning of the season,” Murray said after the Nuggets swept the Lakers.

“[It] took us a little bit to find our rhythm, but once we knew what everybody was going to do and the way we played, we just clicked.

“It’s been a journey. It’s been nice to finally reach this point and to just be the first team in Nuggets history to do it.”

And of course, it goes without saying that none of this would be possible without the leadership of Malone, whose success presents an important lesson for the rest of the league.

“It’s a crazy profession,” Malone said last month.

A crazy profession where nothing is taken for granted. Just in the past year alone, six teams fired their head coaches. That list included three of the past four coaches to win NBA titles.

“I think Monty Williams, I think Mike Budenholzer, I think Doc Rivers are not good coaches; I think they’re great coaches and they will all wind up with another team very, very quickly,” added Malone.

“But sometimes the expectations are unrealistic, sometimes ownership is just impatient ... so huge credit to Stan and Josh Kroenke for having the ability to step back and think big picture and let this thing grow internally and see what it can become.”

What it became was a perfect example of how to build a championship-winning roster. It may not be the right way for every team, but for Denver it was exactly what was needed to deliver the city its first NBA title.

Malone was backed in all the way. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

“Everybody does it differently,” Malone said ahead of Game 5.

“Some teams want to mortgage their future and go get the surefire player, the All-Star. For us, there’s never been a rushed mentality.

“That starts with the ownership. The Kroenke family has been phenomenal since day one allowing this thing to play itself out and not overreacting to other bumps in the road.

“I think there are other teams in this league that are looking at how we have done it, smaller-market teams, how we’ve done it. I think more teams will try to kind of make this a blueprint.

“You know, it’s not for everybody. This was the best course for us, and it’s allowed us to get here. But once again, we still have a lot of things that we need to accomplish in order for us to become world champions.

“We know tomorrow night is going to be a hell of a challenge.”

A challenge the Nuggets were ready for because of all the challenges they had overcome to get there in the first place.

Now, after 47 long years of waiting, they are NBA champions — and this could be just the beginning.