Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has been known to be one of the larger players in the NBA. While his size hasn't negatively impacted his play, there is no denying that he could have stood to lose a few pounds. Well, it seems like that is exactly what he did during the NBA's quarantine hiatus.
In a brand new video that was making the rounds on Twitter yesterday, Jokic can be seen looking a lot slimmer than we are used to. Fans immediately took notice of this new look and praised him for what must have been a pretty intense training regiment. Clearly, Jokic was hard at work and was ultra-focused on his body. Many players have used the time to get in shape but none of done it quite like Jokic.
The Denver Nuggets are one of the best teams in the Western Conference so with Jokic in shape, we can only imagine how fresh they will be once the season returns next month. Jokic is considered to be one of the best big men in the league and there is no denying that he will be quicker and stronger come July.
If you're a Nuggets fan, you can't help but be excited.
Michael Porter Jr. Of Denver Nuggets Blasted Over Tweet About George Floyd Cops
Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets called for people to pray for the cops involved in George Floyd's death and social media wasn't having it.
The murder of George Floyd has incited reasonable ire in many. Social media platforms worldwide have been lit with people vocalizing their anger about police brutality, but Denver Nuggets small forward Michael Port Jr. has called for people to not only pray for Floyd and his family, but for the four officers involved in his death, as well. The tweet earned tens of thousands of responses, and most weren't in support of Porter's stance.
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"As much as you pray for George family, gotta also pray for the police officer(s) who were involved in this evil. As hard as it is, pray for them instead of hate them...Pray that God changes their hearts," the 21-year-old professional basketball player tweeted. After one person replied that they weren't going to pray for any of the officers involved because they get to return home to their families, Porter said he didn't want to feed into hatred.
"You're right, hatred is why George is dead, and so many others before him," Porter wrote. "The hatred is why our hearts are breaking. That hatred is why I pray to a God of love." Still, people were unrelenting and accused the young NBA player of taking a passive approach. Check out Michael Porter Jr.'s tweets along with a few mixed responses below.
Stephen A. Smith Delivers Carmelo Anthony Pistons Hot Take
Stephen A. Smith theorized about what would have happened had Carmelo Anthony been drafted by the Detroit Pistons.
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most polarizing players in the entire NBA. For years, he has been known as a gifted scorer who hasn't had very much success when it comes to the postseason. After leaving the New York Knicks, Melo played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and eventually, the Houston Rockets. His career seemed all but over at the start of the season until the Portland Trail Blazers through him a lifeline. Now, Melo is in the midst of a resurgence and fans are loving it.
The star recently claimed that he would have won two NBA championships had he been drafted by the Detroit Pistons instead of the Denver Nuggets. On ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith gave his own analysis of the situation. As he explains in the clip below, Melo would have won at least one title although he thinks a second would have certainly been possible.
Smith makes an interesting point as the Eastern Conference was a tad bit weaker at the time. Melo had to get through Kobe Bryant and the Lakers as well as the San Antonio Spurs in order to make the Finals which during the mid to late 2000s, was an impossible task.
It's not good to dwell on what-ifs but it's certainly fun to think about what could have been, especially in relation to careers and the narratives that follow them.
Jamal Murray’s Dunk Of The Year Ruined By Ridiculous Foul
This official needs to be fined for waving off Jamal Murray's explosive posterizing dunk last night.
Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray was robbed of one of the best dunks of the year on Monday night when an official inexplicably whistled for an offensive foul as he soared over Milwaukee's D.J. Wilson. It was a picture perfect poster dunk - and although it will be remembered as such by the fans - it unfortunately did not count towards Murray's 21-point performance.
Although the dunk was waved off, the explosive moment energized the Nuggets as well as the crowd at the Pepsi Center, as Denver pulled away in the fourth quarter. Following the 109-95 victory over the short-handed Bucks, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone described the controversial play as the most impactful moment of the night.
"It was an impressive dunk. I didn't see the foul [on the play]," Malone said. "It got the building lit; everyone was up...I would agree, Jamal's non-basket, was the most impactful play of the night."
As a result of Monday's win, the Nuggets improved to 43-21 on the season, which has them sitting just a half game back of the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Up next for Murray and co. is a quick road trip to Texas for matchups against the Dallas Mavericks (Wednesday) and San Antonio Spurs (Friday).
Monté Morris Divulges On LeBron James Trash-Talking Incident
LeBron James and Monte Morris got into it on Wednesday night.
LeBron James and Monté Morris got into a bit of a situation on Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets. As we reported yesterday, Morris said something to LeBron which led to a quick response from the Lakers superstar who began walking back in Morris' direction. Nothing came of their trash talk battle although the whole scene quickly made its way to social media where Lakers fan were in hysterics. Many began to speculate what was said although we'll never know for sure.
Yesterday, Morris took to Twitter where he commented on the altercation. As Morris explains, it's not as major as everyone thought it was and that he has a ton of respect for the NBA legend. Clearly, the two are on okay terms.
“It’s always a dream come true to compete against a future HOF you’ve always idolized coming up," Morris explained. "Much respect to Bron and what he’s done for the game of basketball. Last night wasn’t as major as everyone is making it seem, it was just two individuals from the mud competing for a W.”
The Lakers and Nuggets are two of the best teams in the NBA and could potentially meet up in the NBA playoffs. If this happens, it will be interesting to see how Morris and James interact.
LeBron James Appears To Take Issue With Monté Morris’ Trash Talk
LeBron wasn't appreciative of the antics.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have been the best team in the Western Conference this season and last night, they had one of their toughest tests of the season. The Lakers were tasked with playing against the second-best team in their conference, the Denver Nuggets. In the end, the Lakers won the game 120-116 in overtime. LeBron James had 32 points and even added 14 assists and 12 rebounds. He had arguably one of his best games of the season as the Lakers proved themselves to be one of the league's best.
At one point during the match, Monté Morris of the Denver Nuggets found himself in LeBron's face, knocking down a slick three-pointer. Of course, this led to some quick trash talk as Morris gave LeBron a piece of his mind. In the clip below, James is seen walking away and then all of a sudden, he walks back over to Morris and is clearly upset over what was said.
No one knows for sure what was said but it's certainly interesting to see a player like Morris go after one of the greatest players of all-time. Morris was certainly punching above his weight here and LeBron seemed to be confused. Either way, the Lakers squeaked out the win and if you're LeBron, that's all that really matters.
Clint Capela & Robert Covington Headline Massive 4-Team Trade
This is one of the biggest trades in NBA history.
With the trade deadline just a day away, various teams throughout the NBA are trying their best to get deals done in order to improve their teams. Late last night, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, and Denver Nuggets came together for a 12-player trade that was one of the biggest in the NBA's history, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Below, you can see how the trade breaks down.
Houston Rockets get: Robert Covington, Jordan Bell
Atlanta Hawks get: Clint Capela, Nene
Minnesota Timberwolves get: Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Evan Turner, Jarred Vanderbilt, first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets Hawks.
Denver Nuggets get: Gerald Green, Noah Vonleh, Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier, first-round pick from Rockets.
Covington's name was being brought up a lot in trade rumors over the past few weeks and the Rockets were a team in the mix. Not to mention, the Atlanta Hawks have been looking for help to give Trae Young and Clint Capela certainly fits that bill. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves and the Nuggets get the large bulk of the players.
This trade was brewing all day yesterday so it wasn't surprising to see it come to fruition. This year's trade deadline is bound to get interesting and it's just getting started. With this in mind, stay tuned for trade updates as we will be sure to bring them to you.
