04-19-24 Vinny Benedetto with Broncos Country Tonight

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Go right out to the Ka Coummensbirth hotline. No, I'll bring on
Vinie Benedetto from the Gazette Tuck LittleNuggets action. Is the Nuggets about to
take on the Lakers? And ViniMy first question right off the bat.
Obviously the Lakers hung the in seasontournament banner? Did they hang the play
in banner as well? That's agood question. I haven't been to U
Crypto dot com yet, I can. I can report back in a week

(00:20):
or two. I was more preparedfor a what should the Broncos do at
twelve question than I was the inthe tournament banner or the play in banner
question. So forgive me there.Oh, you're all good obviously. Uh,
you know, we want to draftingCooliokich to be the quarterback. We've
seen the full court passes. That'swhy we brought you, Knobskin. We
look at, first of all,the Nuggets heading into the playoffs here a

(00:44):
little bit different than than maybe anotherother team in Colorado heading into the playoffs.
Is they kind of the ass kindof struggled the ind the season.
I didn't, you know, Ilike what the Nuggets were doing. They
had they came out of the AllStar Game hot. They kind of had
a few things they needed to workon there for a little bit, and
it felt like they kind of solvedthose they head back into the playoffs.
I'm not sweating the Lakers at all. I don't think to go to sweep
them, even though they have sweptthem in the you know, the last

(01:04):
whiz the last time the Lakers beatthem twenty two December of twenty two.
I'm not scared off by this Lakersteam. I think it's a bad matchup
for the for them, for theNuggets. Yeah, I'm with you there.
And it's like the same issues thatthat plagued the Lakers last year appeared
to be unchanged again this year.Like you look at their regular starting five
in between game Angelo Russell and AustinReeves, I'm not sure who they're you

(01:27):
can ask to guard Jamal Murray straightup inside like it they I think we
all remember the Rui Hachimura adjustment fromGame one last year that completely fell apart
by like halftime of Game two.You know, Anthony Davis is a great
defender, but I just don't thinkhe's uh, you know, really well

(01:49):
suited to to guard Nicola one onone. So it feels like, you
know, the Nuggets are healthier,they have them and they know what it
takes to get to sixteen wins inthe postseason. So yeah, I'm with
you. I think Nuggets and fiveis the most likely outcome. I wouldn't
be shocked if it's Nuggets and six, but anything anything beyond that I think

(02:13):
would be flat with a learning bittyLast year when the Nuggets swept the Lakers,
it was a combination of the guardtrio of Bruce Brown, KCP and
Jamal Murray pretty much dominating. Nowwith Bruce Brown no longer in the lineup,
can we rely on Peyton Watson andChristian Brown to kind of step up
in that guard position. Yeah,I think Christian's gonna be the guy who

(02:38):
really kind of separate this off fromthe rest of the bench this year.
But another name to throw others ReggieJackson, Like he was a guy who
didn't play last year after they signedhim in the buyout market, and I
talked to him a couple of times, including today, where he reiterated just
the challenge of going from a Clippersteam that plays one style of ball and
struggling to integrate to the Nugget whoplay a vast league different draining the basketball,

(03:02):
and you know, he just hedidn't feel comfortable, really, I
don't think at any point last year. This year obviously started well, and
there have been some challenges as late, but he's just about the only guy
that Nuggets can turn to as asecondary ball handler when Jamal Murray is off
the court. Said he's he's anotherguy who's gonna play into that rotation.

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But between you know, Jamal andkasp obviously know what is going to be
asked of them individually. For Jamalis scoring and orchestra in the offense.
Tastyp obviously a guy who's gonna betasked with shutting down D'Angelo Russell and or
Austin Reeves, so they have prettyclearly defined roles. And then off the
bench, you know, Christian Brownis the guy who can who can kind

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of shadow Katyp's footsteps out there.And then you know Redy Jackson, as
tough as it's been for him,you know, the second half of the
regular season, he is one ofthe few guys in that second unit of
the true bench players at least thathe can kind of create his create his
own shot regularly. So I definitelythink Reggy's gonna play a bigger role this

(04:09):
year than he did last year.What about a Holiday? Do we need
him in the playoffs and his threepoint shooting, his his expertise beyond the
arc. Yeah, I think they'regonna come point where they need him.
Like you look at last year's postseasonrun, and like Christian Brown played a
lot and played really well in theNBA Finals, but he was hardly used

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in the Western Conference Finals against theLakers. So if say Peyton Watson has
you know, kind of ups anddowns during his first playoff run, like
Justin Holidays, an established veteran knowsknows what the team needs from him,
So it's one of it's an optionfor Michael Malone, Like if if Peyton
is struggling with production or confidence atany point, he can quickly turn to

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Justin Holiday and say, hey,wead five six minutes here of shot making
and you know, high, higheffort on the defense. So I definitely
think he's going to be used attimes throughout the postseason. I don't know
if that's going to be you know, immediately tomorrow night in Game one,
but he's gonna He's gonna be aguy that they rely on to stay ready
for whatever the bench. Maybe doyou feel that the comments made by Lebron

(05:16):
James suggesting that this game shouldn't bepersonal, even though the Lakers have laws
eight straight games to the Denver Nugetsand then Kolea Jokic, Yeah, I
mean, I don't I don't knowif I really buy that. So much
like Lebron is an incredible competitor hashas been established over the twenty one NBA

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seasons, he doesn't strike me asthe type to take getting swept lightly.
So I wouldn't be surprised if it's, you know, the Lakers are saying
all the right things. But weheard, you know, over over the
offseason and different times maybe throughout thisseason Lakers, the Lakers reper thing some

(06:00):
of the stuff that was said,like at the parade, So I wouldn't
be surprised if, you know,Walde, Lakers and Labron are generally saying
the right things. I think it'skind to be slightly personal for them.
Once again, talking with a bitof bittetto from the Gazette. We were
talking earlier about the MVP race,and I I posit that it should be

(06:23):
Nicola. I I do Nick isshaking his head over here. Uh.
He obviously hates Nicole Yokach, thinksthat he's a bum, should be locked
in a closet and never allowed totouch basketball again. I, on the
other hand, posit that he's Uh. I, on the other hand,
I am not Kevin Hart, andI posit that, uh, you know
that that those comments that that Heartmade about the league shouldn't. It's bad

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for the league. First of all, I think that that is stupid,
it's not logical. Second of all, I think that we need to determine
what we base the MVP on.But I think that it's a two or
three man race, probably maybe maybefour or five, depending on how you
look at uh for instance, honest, but I think Shye gills Is,
Alex and Nicole Yokis really are probablythe one two guys, maybe Luca in
there as well, and at theend of the day, Nicole bests them

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in every advanced analytic Yeah. Yeah, I think, Uh, that's got
to be a real tough stance forNick to take in Denver. But uh,
good luck with with you know,dealing with the blowback from that one.
But I think I think it's effectivelya one man race. I mean,
there's there's sites out there that trackall of the NBA Awards ballots that

(07:27):
have been you know, published onsocial media. And the last I saw,
Nicola had like seventeen of the twentyone first place votes, and I
think SGA and Oklahoma City was maybehad gotten three of the other ones and
maybe one first place vote for Lucas. I think it's gonna be one of
those deals where jokers, by farginyou get the most first place votes,

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maybe Luca and Shay you know,kind of split the vote for for the
second spot and that ends up hurtingtheir toll ombers. But uh, yeah,
at this point, I would beshocked if nicolea. Jokic was was
not the m VP for a thirdtime in four years. And but I
sent you need to do a betterjob of defining, uh should be the

(08:16):
MVP because you look at the Thundersrise from last year where they you know,
failed to make the playoffs as aplaying team to you know, being
the number one seed in the WesternConference. And I think that's significant.
And if someone wants to say SGAis the best player on the best team
in the Western Conference. I mean, that's that's an argument to be made
if you want to make it.I don't know if I personally subscribe to

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it, but yeah, I guessI'll get get down to it. And
I'm pretty confident saying Nicole joki isgonna be the m v P this year.
Well, Vindy, regardless of whatBenjamin H. Bright told you,
because he's been known to jack just, you know, kind of twist the
facts just a little bit. No, I didn't. I didn't say that

(08:58):
about NIKOLEA. Jokic, But Iwill ask this particular question. Since twenty
nineteen, there have been three internationalplayers to win the MVP. Does that
mean anything to you as far ashow the international players are now dominating the
NBA opposed to what we're used to. Yeah, I think I think the

(09:20):
NBA has just kind of adjusted toa more international brand of basketball in terms
of it's less star base. It'snot quite as heliocentric, even though you
know, Nicole, Jokis and Lucaare certainly guys where everything within their respective

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offenses revolves around them. It justfeels like the NBA and maybe the media
and the voters have become more appreciativeof the style of basketball that some of
the foreign players bring to the NBAless you know, ISO ball, just
you know, not as aesthetically pleasingbrands of basketball. So it feels like

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the shift and just style of playthat different teams have adopted in the last
four or five six years has favoredsome Just the development pattern of some of
the European players where they're it feelslike they're more versatile, they're not as
locked into a position at a certainage. Like I think a significant part

(10:26):
of Nicole Yoak's development that is talkedabout some but not a ton is that
like he was he was a pointguard growing up. He called himself a
chobby point guard as a kid,and like you can certainly see how those
skills have helped him become a oneof one center in the NBA. So
I just think the versatility and theselflessness that some of these foreign players play

(10:48):
with has has helped kind of expeditethe changes that we've seen in the NBA.
At the end of the day,who presents the biggest challenge for the
Nuggets to make the NBA Finals again? I lost you the first second to
make the NBA Finals, Yeah,team presents the biggest challenge for them to
make the NBA Finals. Yeah,I've been pretty consistent with this, and

(11:09):
I think it's Minnesota. Even whenthe Timberwolves have had their their roles this
regular season. They gave the Nuggetsa pretty solid fight last year in the
first year, and they were inAnthony Davis buzzer beating three away from potentially
forcing a Game six in Minnesota.They're healthier now, They've got nas Reed,
who gives them a third big toback up Rudy Gobert. Carl Anthony

(11:31):
Towns there without Jaden McDaniels last year, who's kind of like the prototypical long,
lanky defender that teams have liked tothrow at Jamal Bray to make it
tougher for him to get into getto his spots and get to his shots.
So I think, and obviously gotto mention Anthony Edwards here. He's
kind of threaded the needle in termsof Denver's through best defenders being contagious called

(11:56):
loll Pope and Aaron Gordon, AnthonyEdwards with him, it just feels like
he's a little too strong for CantagoHOLDWORLP Hope and a little too explosive for
Aaron Gordon, so there's no likereal natural matchup there. Not that any
team has a great defensive answer answerfor Anthony Edwards, but just all those
pieces together, I think uh makesmakes Minnesota the toughest in the route back

(12:18):
to the NBA Finals for Denver.You know, really quickly as we watch
these playing games, I always foundit really interesting this new format that the
NBA has, and I know it'salways encouraging when a team can actually capture
those top two seeds. Do youcurrently like this this format that they have

(12:41):
with the playing games, because Ifeel as though those those two teams that
are coming in, man, thoseteams are exhausted, They're tired, and
the odds are pretty much stacked againstthem. Do you like the current NBA
format as the stands. I likemost of it. I think it's good
for the league and in terms ofthere are more eyeballs on these games,

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and there probably aren't any of theyou know, late regular season games.
But the one thing that really doesn'tmake sense to me in terms of the
play in format is that the rewardfor being the number one seed is that
you find out your opponent like fourtyeight hours before game one, whereas the
Nuggets as the two seed, andthe Knicks found out their opponents on Tuesday

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and have had, you know,four or five days to prepare for.
And this is something the Nuggets dealtwith last year. Is the one seed
where it's just like, sure,you got it narrowed down to two teams.
Well, what happened is something significantin one of the games tonight,
you know, alters the game planningfor the number one seeds, Like it
just doesn't feel like it's the oneseed is properly rewarded with having to wait

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until a couple of days before gameone to figure out their their first round
opponent. But to your point thatthe wear and tear of two highly intense
games for whoever the eight seed isis a significant detriment. I just think
the one seed deserves a bit more, all right, Vinny, So Nuggets
in three, I've done, Nuggetsin time. I think that's what I

(14:13):
had. I think I said Nuggetsin five or six. But uh,
yeah, I'm just missing with it. Messing with Nick here though. Yeah,
I do I do expect that,and I think this team has a
good shot. You've got a coupleof you've got a couple of rough teams,
I think in the in the West, and obviously Boston over there in
the east, but I think gota good shot. Is anybody going back
to back? Appreciate you taking sometime out for us tonight. Awesome,
appreciate it. I appreciate you guyshaving me on. Take care any about
a dento from the Gazette