Grading The Week: Russell Westbrook or Bruce Brown? Even for Nuggets team with interim GM, it’s an easy choice
TPMLE? LOL!Know what, Russell Westbrook? Its been real.
Well always have the Clippers series.Beastbrook, the Nuggets inevitably viral and maddeningly mercurial veteran backup point guard, is expected to decline his player option ahead of free agency this summer, according to The Posts Bennett Durando.Now, the Grading The Week (GTW) gang has never claimed to be the sharpest knives in the drawer when it comes to the calculus of NBA contracts.
But we also understand that there are a ton of creative ways the Nuggets, under the current collective bargaining agreement, can get Westbrook back in Denver blue.One of these is the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, or TPLME.
HoopsRumors.com estimated that TPLME figures to land at $5.685 million for 25-26.
But as its an NBA wrinkle, theres a catch.
The team that uses a TPLME is hard-capped at the leagues second tax apron the rest of the year.Given the pay bumps afforded Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, thats a big yikes.
Dont know about you, but given how tight the Nuggets salary cap wiggle room is, we could think of better ways to spend that $5.685 million this summer.Starting with Brucey B.Russell Westbrook becoming a free agent BIf its a choice between Bruce Brown and Russ to be the Nuggets sixth man in 25-26, weve got to confess thats not much of a debate.Team GTWs been on Team Brucey B since he donned his first cowboy hat in the Mile High City and helped steer the Nuggets to their first NBA title.We also cant get full-time coach David Adelmans new mission statement for the Nuggets out of our collective skulls.
Among Adelmans stated goals during his (re) introductory news conference:1.
More consistency within the half-court offense.2.
An attack that consistently relies on more than transition buckets.3.
More consistent outside shooting.
More consistent clutch shooting.At 36, Westbrooks still got plenty of tread on his tires, so to speak.
But were not sure his strengths line up with any of those elements on Adelmans checklist.
At all.Related ArticlesNuggets Russell Westbrook to decline player option, enter free agency, source saysLike Tyrese Haliburtons Pacers, Nuggets were clutch kings this season.
Does that mean they shouldve lost more games?Nuggets general manager search: What we know, what we dont and what it meansKeeler: Nuggets-Thunder series was fools gold.
Nikola Jokic needs new GM to shake things upNuggets Journal: Does Denver have any path into Kevin Durant trade talks?And consistency? Yeah, not so much.Nobody runs hot and cold the way Russ does.
In 13 playoff appearances for the Nuggets this past spring, Westbrook scored 14 or more points in seven of them and eight or fewer in the other six.
(The Nuggets were 2-4 in those six games.) Westbrook connected on a rate of 42% or better from the floor in six games, and under 30% in another five.
(The Nuggets were 1-4 in those five games.)Now, when it comes to building a bench, we sure dont envy the Nuggets GMTBNL (General Manager To Be Named Later).
Veterans available on the cheap are usually cheap for a reason.Westbrook is fun when hes right.
Hes not for everybody.
The kind of player Adelman described feels closer to Brown, Tyus Jones, Malcolm Brogdon, Spencer Dinwiddie, or even Monte Morris, if you want to get nostalgic.
If the Nuggets run it back with Russ, and they could, its hard to imagine next years playoff run ending much differently than the last two.
And how is that fair to Nikola Jokic?Mya Lesnar, CSU legend AWhen Lesnar saw a chance to become CSUs second outdoor national track and field national champion, she didnt miss.
A belated hat-tip to Mya, and to the Rams Brian Bedard, whos now produced four national champions, indoors and outdoors, as the head track coach in FoCo since 2006.Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis..
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