DENVER (AP) — Before looking ahead to the remainder of the season, the Denver Nuggets spent some time Wednesday reflecting on what the late coach Doug Moe meant to the city, the franchise and the league and how his offensive innovations changed the NBA.
Moe, an ABA original who will be remembered most for his motion offense and the equally entertaining shows he put on while prowling the sideline during his decade coaching the Nuggets in the 1980s, died Tuesday at age 87.
“Yeah, we talked about it as a team today," coach David Adelman said. “For the younger guys who maybe didn’t know the impact he had on the game, we made sure that was communicated. Obviously, a Denver sports legend. And for somebody like me who grew up around this league and saw the innovation of offense that he brought to the NBA, I think he doesn’t get enough credit for the wide-open freestyle that we play now.
“It’s sad to hear of his passing, very lucky to be in a fraternity of people who can say I got to do the same job as him,” Adelman added. "... It’s such an honor to do it because of people like him that really did change the game.”
That message hit home.
“You see his name up in the rafters and all that he's accomplished,” forward Cam Johnson said. “You talk about these people who are the pioneers of our game, who pushed the envelope and allowed us to have what we have and the type of league that we have now.”
Looking ahead, Adelman said the Nuggets need to get healthy and play better defense if they're going to make a run at unseating Oklahoma City as NBA champions.
“Our offense has been elite throughout the year; our defense has been up and down," Adelman said. "So, if we could find a happy medium there we'll be a very dangerous team.”
One that could contend for a second Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the Nikola Jokic era.
“There's already a winning DNA here,” Johnson said. “There's already that championship mentality. We have a roster where the other four starters have won (an NBA title). We have No. 15 (Jokic) and what he brings to the table. I just think we have a lot of talent and a lot of basketball I.Q. and as it continues to evolve there's so many levels for us to reach. We haven't maxed out our team. I think there's a lot of things on the table for us.”
The Nuggets bolstered their depth after losing to the Thunder in seven games last summer, and that depth has been tested with all five starters missing time and six of their top rotation players going out for significant stretches.
The Nuggets, who are third in the Western Conference at 35-20, are still missing two defensive stalwarts in Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, who are both recovering from strained hamstrings.
“It does put a lot of pressure” on the rest of the roster, Johnson said. "You look at a guy like Peyton and how he's able to make really high-level plays protecting the rim. A.G., too. You miss those guys. Everybody else has to be a little bit sharper in rotation, in game plan discipline.”
With such an injury epidemic hitting the Nuggets over the last two months, Johnson said the All-Star break was especially beneficial.
“Just a little bit of a reset,” he said. “A lot of guys have been banged up across the board. Some guys have been out, some guys have been playing through some things. So, just some time to rest, recover and then mentally refocus."
The West race is so tight, with just six games separating the third-seeded Nuggets and the eighth-place Golden State Warriors, “so it's going to be intense,” center Jonas Valanciunas said.
“We've been really successful offensively,” Valanciunas said. “Now, we've got to turn that and be more successful defensively. We're capable. That's our focus.”
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