Tim Connelly has had both hits and misses since taking over the Nuggets
May 17, 2019, 3:23 PM | Updated: May 21, 2019, 7:31 am
With reports surfacing last week that the Wizards were set to offer Tim Connelly its president of basketball operations position (which he subsequently turned down, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski), Nuggets fans were concerned. And for good reason, as Connelly, who currently holds the same position with Denver, has guided the franchise through the transition from the end of the George Karl era to the recent run in the NBA Playoffs.
He took over a team coming apart at the seams and rebuilt it into a legitimate power in the Western Conference. So Connelly’s departure would have made some people worry that the franchise will once again spiral into chaos.
That’s probably a bit dramatic. After all, general manager Arturas Karnisovas would have still been in the building, as would Josh Kroenke, so plenty of people with knowledge of how the team was put together would remain.
But it still would have been a bummer. Losing good people, while part of the business, is never a good thing.
Connelly was hired as the Nuggets EVP of basketball operations, as well as the team’s general manager, in June of 2013. Masai Ujiri had just left for Toronto, Karl had been canned, Andre Iguodala was about to defect to Golden State and the fan base was getting restless after another first-round exit in the playoffs.
Fast forward six years and the Nuggets are coming off of a season that saw them win 54 games, earn the No. 2 seed in the West and take a trip to the Western Conference semifinals. So clearly, he’s done a fantastic job. But it hasn’t all been good; in fact, there were some stumbles too.
Here’s a recap of the top five good and bad moves during the Tim Connelly era thus far:
GOOD
5. Signed Paul Millsap – Two summers ago, the Nuggets were finally able to attract a big-name free agent, getting the power forward to sign a three-year, $90 million deal with Denver
4. Hired Michael Malone – After back-to-back bad seasons, the Nuggets put the Brian Shaw / Melvin Hunt era behind them by hiring a head coach who would be the perfect fit for a young, up-and-coming team
3. Traded for Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic – A few minutes after taking Doug McDermott with the 11th pick of the 2014 draft, the Nuggets traded him to the Bulls for two bona fide NBA starters
2. Drafted Jamal Murray – In 2016, the Nuggets struck gold with the No. 7 overall pick, selecting a guard who will be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come; 12 picks later, they also grabbed a solid reserve in Malik Beasley
1. Drafted Nikola Jokic – With the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Nuggets grabbed a player who would develop into the face of the franchise
BAD
5. Traded Jusuf Nurkic for Mason Plumlee – While Plumlee has been a nice big man off the bench for the Nuggets, he’s nowhere near the player Nurkic has developed into; in Connelly’s defense, Nurkic wanted out once Denver started to build around Jokic
4. Drafted Emmanuel Mudiay – There was a lot of excitement when the point guard was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft, but he never blossomed and was traded during the 2017-18 season
3. Paid Kenneth Faried – Prior to the start of the 2014-15 season, the Nuggets signed Faried to a four-year, $50 million contract extension; his next deal was for one year and less than a million with the Rockets
2. Hired Brian Shaw – Filling the shoes of Karl wasn’t going to be easy, but Shaw was overwhelmed by the situation; in less than two seasons, he went 56-88 and was shown the door
1. Traded Donovan Mitchell – With the 13th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Nuggets grabbed the guard from Louisville; unfortunately, they trade the future star to the Jazz a few minutes later for Tyler Lydon and Trey Lyles
