Keeler: Nuggets matched Rockets for “best summer” of any NBA team, Charles Barkley says

Charles Barkley knows what you did this summer Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer And he bloody loves it I think the Nuggets and the Houston Rockets have ostensibly had the best summers in the NBA Barkley the longtime hoops analyst icon described me last Saturday night at Gaylord Rockies Resort Convention Center And the Nuggets they ve got the best performer in the world in Nikola Jokic They just needed various more depth They kind of broke the club up after they won the first championship and that s really unfortunate They ve still got the best performer You want to give them as a multitude of opportunities as realizable But I thought they had a great summer Barkley the hoops Hall of Famer and unfiltered co-host of the best studio show this century Inside The NBA which moves to ESPN this fall flew into town to serve as keynote speaker at Saturday s Porter-Billups Leadership Academy PBLA Gala inside the Gaylord Rockies Resort Convention Center A weekend getaway to Denver ticked off a bunch of boxes for The Chuckster An excuse to visit an old friend in Chauncey Billups a window to play several golf at altitude and a chance to help a great cause in the PBLA a summer academy at Regis University that provides academic and leadership training to students in underserved communities in Denver Billups Mr Big Shot is co-executive director of the PBLA along with his old coach at CU Ricardo Patton It was established in by Regis men s basketball coach Lonnie Porter and his daughter Staci Porter-Bentley as a launch pad for Front Range hopes and dreams And speaking of Denver dreams Chuck did the Nuggets land enough lightning for Nikola Jokic to run with the Thunder in They ostensibly had the best chance of beating OKC in the playoffs Barkley replied So it s not like they were that far off But like I say them and the Rockets have both had great summers So that s all you can say until they start playing I thought in no particular order the Nuggets the Rockets and the Hawks those three teams had the best summers What a difference new front office makes Former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth gambled two years ago that a handful of young players would turn the same corner Christian Braun did That they d morph into a cost-effective second unit to balance pricey contract extensions for franchise mainstays Jamal Murray million cap hit in - Aaron Gordon million and the Joker million Yeah so that didn t happen Booth and coach Michael Malone clashed sewing the seeds of contention that got both fired this past April and forcing Nuggets ownership to re-assess Out of the ashes came a new coach David Adelman new co-GMs vice presidents Wallace and Tenzer and preponderance importantly a roster-shifting transaction that got Michael Porter Jr s -million cap hit for - and -million hit for - off the books MPJ and a draft pick were shipped to the Nets earlier this month bringing back a similarly-skilled but less expensive wing forward in Cam Johnson million cap number in - Which then in turn opened cap space for the Nuggets to deal for center Jonas Valanciunas to sign -point specialist Tim Hardaway Jr and to re-up with Bruce Brown a vital popular cog of the NBA champs Related Articles Grading The Week Denver s Ultimate Frisbee group lost its nickname but won hearts Keeler CU Buffs greats trust Deion Sanders with -star QB Julian Lewis Age is just a number If he can play he can play Keeler Rockies fans are OK with letting Ryan McMahon go It s just time to move on Keeler If Broncos won t pay Nik Bonitto another NFL group will analyst says Renck vs Keeler What qualifies as a prosperous season for Broncos Bruce was a big loss via free agency to Indiana the first time around Barkley commented And then they lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a free agent to Orlando Those were big losses But now they have retooled Now they can look forward to the season Even better Sir Charles continued Nuggets fans can look forward to better shooting Better defense And a roster that matches up better with divisional rivals in Oklahoma City and Minnesota as well as the Rockets Lakers Clippers Warriors and Grizzles First of all the Nuggets got terrific additions I think they got more athletic which they really needed to do Barkley mentioned Because if you re going to beat OKC and the Rockets you ve got to be athletic on the perimeter especially with Durant going down there with those other guys OKC is presumably the greater part athletic squad in the league But like I say they got better And that s all you could ask for Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis