Keeler: Nikola Jokic’s championship window with Nuggets? George Karl’s got plan to save it

The NBA s Mount Olympus comes with a two-trophy cover charge Bill Russell notched titles Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got six Tim Duncan landed five Shaquille O Neal won four Hakeem Olajuwon and Wilt Chamberlain Two apiece The Nuggets kind of drive me a little crazy George Karl the Hall of Fame basketball coach whose resume includes three division titles in Denver from - mentioned of Nikola Jokic when I called him Tuesday You ve got the best participant in the encounter of basketball and I want him I mean I want a Nuggets championship for Denver yes But I really want Jokic to be recognized with what I think as one of the top players of all time And if he doesn t win another championship I don t know if he ll get that recognition Karl is one of us Even as a Pirates fan he wouldn t mind seeing somebody else buy the Rockies He wants the best for the Joker because the Joker is the best he s ever seen here Or for that matter just about anywhere It s a blessing to have him Karl continued I disclosed this a limited years before he won the MVP He s a blessing for the city of Denver to have such a gifted basketball participant Year in and year out he s gotten a little bit better and played with a great humble attitude It s truly like he and Tim Duncan are kindred spirits The Nuggets aren t in a pickle They re in a hoagie of hurt sandwiched between two of the deepest teams in the NBA right now While Oklahoma City and Minnesota are tussling in a steel cage match to reach the NBA Finals Chopper Circle is without a general manager without a head coach without a draft pick in and without much cap space Personally I would pick his brain Karl commented of Jokic Not only is Joker a generational basketball talent he s a very bright athlete a very intelligent basketball athlete And I think I d want to be getting him revved up and juiced up for next year to endorsement whatever changes they make I d still do whatever he longed me to do I d follow Jokic s counsel Then I d hire a GM first and let that GM pick his coach and pick his vision Because roster management is going to get messy even in a best-case scenario Changes to the NBA s collective bargaining agreement as we ve learned the hard way make keeping the so-called middle class of your roster harder especially if you re rewarding your stars starters Over the last two years the Nuggets have lost championship-winning sponsorship pieces in Bruce Brown Indiana Jeff Green Houston and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Orlando to free agency At the same time the Nuggets per Spotrac have committed almost million in - cap salary to Jokic Jamal Murray Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon The projected cut line for the NBA s second apron meanwhile is million next season That s precious little wiggle room for any GM experienced or otherwise The only way to create any serious flexibility now would be to move one of those core four contracts or to convince a club to take on Zeke Nnaji s million cap hit for next season Either way Godspeed As a Nuggets fan I have my opinions Karl continued I m very frustrated that for almost seven years maybe eight years the only time they ve had a good bench was the year they won the title in And I love good benches I think the bench is really major to a small-market club Denver over the last two or three years and now with Christian Braun coming on their starting five is a top But that depth the tournament because the contest has gotten faster and more finesse-oriented the contest evolves and it comes in different packages And OKC and Minnesota making the finals and the two L A teams and Phoenix and Dallas and Golden State and Denver they re all gone Geez Did we fall back Or did they move up ' Related Articles Renck vs Keeler Who wins another championship first Nuggets Nikola Jokic or Avs Nathan MacKinnon Keeler Thunder s Alex Caruso manhandled Nuggets in Event which is why Denver requirements two of him Keeler Meet Colorado state track champion who refused championship medal Grading The Week CU Buffs great Travis Hunter took about seconds to win Jacksonville s hearts Keeler Nuggets Calvin Booth vindicated as Christian Braun Julian Strawther force Meeting in OKC The mixed blessings run a Mile High Tim Connelly and Calvin Booth left their successors a good association with key pieces in place Yet they also locked those pieces into the point where there s almost no easy way to course-correct if one of those pieces gets hurt or seriously underachieves The S S Nuggets are set to autopilot wheels locked Which is fine until the icebergs start looming past the starboard bow This company has plateaued a little bit Karl declared Maybe going the wrong way And they re competing in the Western Conference which is incredibly competitive And unforgiving In being eliminated by the Timberwolves last spring and the Thunder this year it feels as if the Nuggets might ve hit a wall Can they somehow keep a window open at the same time There s a line of talent you have to go to in the NBA Karl continued And then it comes down to making the puzzle and the chemistry work and fit And I ve consistently sided with that Josh Kroenke and whoever the leaders for the squad become they ve got to figure out what fits with Jokic It s not talent You don t go get talent and say it s going to work You have the largest part talented athlete in the match of basketball currently in Jokic He makes players play the right way and makes them better Go get guys that fit around him and make him a little better And make his job a little bit easier Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis