Russell Westbrook was Christian Braun’s kind of player.

“Downhill,” he says now. “Athletic. Tough. Mean. In-your-face.”

Westbrook was a young star in Oklahoma City, leading the Thunder to the NBA Finals. Braun was an aspiring hooper in the Kansas City suburbs, less than five hours away. How aspiring, exactly?

“Uh, I would’ve been young,” he said in July, as if calculating his exact age would cause him to blush.

Eleven. Braun was 11 years old.

But he was already becoming the basketball junkie is he today. And Russ was becoming a basketball A-lister whom all the kids in Braun’s generation adored. His intensity was infectious, his up-tempo expertise exhilarating. His fan base was as rabid as his on-court persona.

“Those are the type of guys I loved,” Braun said, “and I learned from.”

Braun is more than twice as old now as he was then, and in a bonkers twist of fate, Westbrook is referring to him as “our young star” in social media posts. About nine hours from Overland Park, Kansas, and 10 hours from Oklahoma City, they are NBA teammates in Denver.

By the time Westbrook officially signed with the Nuggets in late July, there had been ample time for his new teammates to soak in the pending news, which required a prolonged order of operations. Acquiring the former MVP winner at this stage of his career was an outside-the-box maneuver, and with it will come questions about Westbrook’s role, expectations and age.

But there’s another component to all of this as well, a human element: Having Russell Westbrook as a teammate is just plain awesome for the many young players on Denver’s roster who grew up watching him.

“He was just a huge inspiration for me from the passion he plays with,” Peyton Watson told The Denver Post, “being himself unapologetically, and just being somebody who I feel like always leaves it out there on the floor.”

Watson and Westbrook share the same hometown: Long Beach, California. They share the same college: UCLA. Russ played there for two years and Watson one. Westbrook has been a mentor to Watson for years, texting regularly and offering advice.

“As far back as I can remember watching basketball, really, I’ve been watching the energy and the passion that he played with, knowing that he came from damn near down the street from where I’m from,” Watson said in July. “I played against Leuzinger High in high school, and that’s exactly where he went.”

Watson was 9 years old when Westbrook and the Thunder reached the NBA Finals in 2012. When Westbrook averaged 27 points and 6.6 assists, including a 43-point game. When OKC fell short in the end against a loaded Miami team. Westbrook hasn’t made it back. He’s still searching for his first career championship, for the icing on his Hall of Fame career.

Denver was an obvious draw, especially with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic giving the relationship his blessing behind the scenes. He wasn’t the only player eager to pursue this, though. Veteran backup center DeAndre Jordan was recently Westbrook’s teammate with the Lakers, making him a helpful familiar face. And as for Watson: “I’m very close with Russ,” he told The Post. “I’ve had some discussions with him prior to seeing if this move was going to be made or not.”

Westbrook, who has worn No. 0 on his jersey for most of his career, will switch to No. 4 in Denver. He took to Instagram recently to clarify that he’s content with Braun keeping No. 0, imploring fans to “leave our young star alone.” Braun is poised to move into the Nuggets’ starting lineup this season after the loss of shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency.

“I love his game. I loved his game when I was young. I love his game now,” Braun said of Westbrook. “I think his energy, his tenacity, those are all things that every team needs. He loves the game. He plays it with the right intensity. … The way he plays, downhill, so aggressive, so tough.”

It’s no wonder Braun feels that way. Westbrook is almost like a stylistic blueprint for him. Braun has established himself in the NBA by attacking the rim with reckless abandon, thriving on transition opportunities, dunking with authority and diving after loose balls.

Energy players are drawn to each other.

“I know (Westbrook) will bring positive things to our team,” Braun said. “I think he’s somebody who’ll bring a hunger and excitement for the game.”

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It’s far too early in the process to have clarity on the value of a media rights deal for the rebuilt Pac-12.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State were approved for membership hours ago; the structure of the conference is not complete; and the media ecosystem is highly fluid.

But we know one of the measuring sticks for a new deal: $11 million per school per year.

That’s the approximate amount Cal and Stanford are set to earn from the ACC’s media rights contract for the next seven years, based on their partial-share membership.

The Bears and Cardinal would not reverse course if the Pac-12 matched or exceeded that amount. There are other factors at play, starting with their contractual commitment to the ACC until 2036.

But any media rights deal in the same range as the Bay Area schools would qualify as a major psychological victory for Washington State and Oregon State one year after they were cast adrift following the departure of 10 schools from the Pac-12.

Could the rebuilt conference, which will have six members starting in 2026 — but needs two more to comply with NCAA rules — generate $11 million per school per year in media value?

The Hotline reached out to several industry analysts in the aftermath of the Pac-12 luring away the Mountain West quartet.

Before we address the situation directly, two points of context:

• The Mountain West’s current media rights contract with Fox and CBS expires in the summer of 2026, which coincides with the start of the media cycle for the rebuilt Pac-12.

• The Mountain West’s deal has distributed roughly $5 million per school, on average, over the contract term.

That arrangement, signed in 2020, included a handful of schools that carried below-average valuations. But the rebuilt Pac-12 will feature four Mountain West schools with above-average valuations, plus Washington State and Oregon State, which carry far more media value than the Mountain West average.

In fact, the conference as structured starting in the summer of 2026 will feature five of the top 30 media markets in the country if Seattle is considered a home market for Washington State and Sacramento is considered the same for Fresno State.

Ultimately, the media valuation depends on demand for the content. How many networks will submit bids? Of the interested companies, how many want Pac-12 content for linear distribution, which carries a higher price tag than streaming?

Bob Thompson, the retired former president of Fox Sports, suggested on social media Thursday morning that there will be interest:

“Pac 12 jumps to first in line on the collegiate TV deal front. For a number of reasons their games will be of value to outlets.”

The list of interested suitors could include ESPN, which might need content for its streaming service and West Coast schools for its 7:30 p.m. kickoff window.

The list could include Fox, which seemingly would view the rebuilt Pac-12 as an upgrade from its current association with the Mountain West and want to maintain a comparable inventory level.

The CW could have interest, as well. The network signed a one-year deal to broadcast WSU and OSU games this season, has a partnership with the ACC and covets the return-on-investment offered by live sports.

And let’s not forget about Turner, which is moving into the football space — it’s sub-licensing College Football Playoff games from ESPN — and will need content to replace its NBA inventory.

The sports streamers, Amazon and Apple, could have interest, as well.

“College football has never been a more attractive property for various forms of media,” an industry source said.

“In the days of the Power Five, there was enough interest, generally, in four of the five. Now that many of the attractive teams have been absorbed by the remaining Power Four, the major networks have what they need  … It’s unclear that anyone will feel a burning need to spend new money.”

But the source added: “Streaming does change the situation, opening up new potential bidders and additional avenues for distribution.”

The source declined to provide an estimated media valuation for the rebuilt Pac-12, but the Hotline has no such hesitation and, in fact, revels in back-of-the-envelope math.

Let’s use the former Pac-12 to determine the average annual valuation (AAV) for the reconfigured conference.

The Pac-12 media rights deal with ESPN and Fox that began in 2012 carried an AAV of $21 million per school per year. When the conference went to market in the summer of 2022, ESPN offered a deal that averaged $30 million per school per year — a 43 percent increase in AAV.

(The presidents summarily rejected the offer, a tactical mistake that fueled the collapse.)

Granted, the value of live sports soared over the lengthy 12-year contract with ESPN and Fox. But that increase was offset, in part, by the departure of the Los Angeles schools prior to the Pac-12 going to market.

We could use that 43 percent rise in AAV as a proxy for the increase in value from the Mountain West’s deal in 2020 to the Pac-12’s deal in 2026, except that the configuration has changed: The Mountain West schools with below-average value are not part of the new deal.

So is a 50 percent increase in AAV from the Mountain West’s current deal (approximately $5 million per school per year) a reasonable estimate?

Or could the jump be closer to 75 percent?

Either way, an average of $10 million per school per year seemingly approaches the ceiling for the rebuilt Pac-12 unless 1) the demand side of the marketplace changes substantially or 2) the conference adds two schools that further enhance value.

There is much to play out over the next six-to-nine months if the Pac-12 hopes to secure a media deal well in advance of the start of its next chapter.

Or as Thompson noted on his Twitter/X account: “Let the dance begin.”

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

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WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert responded to criticism for her comments on fans' racist and sexist treatment of players like stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert responds to criticism for her comments on fans' racist and sexist treatment of players like stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert responded to criticism for her comments on fans' racist and sexist treatment of players like stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

Josh Kroenke, president of the Denver Nuggets basketball and Avalanche hockey teams, spent $15.75 million last month to buy the 12,000-square-foot mansion on Cherry Hills Park Drive.

Kroenke is the son of billionaire Stan Kroenke, who owns both Denver teams as well as Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the Los Angeles Rams football team, the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team, and the Colorado Mammoth, a professional box lacrosse team.

The younger Kroenke used 5780 Residence LLC to purchase the five-bedroom, seven-bath home. It has a 24-hour staffed guard gate.

In a document filed with the Colorado Secretary of State, 5780 Residence LLC, which was formed on May 21, listed The Kroenke Group’s in-house counsel, Jason Meyerpeter, as its registered agent. The document also listed the LLC’s address as 1000 Chopper Circle, the address of Ball Arena, the home of the Nuggets and Avalanche.

A records search shows eight addresses associated with Josh Kroenke, including 4040 E.  Bayaud Ave. in Denver, purchased in 2012 for $1.2 million using the similarly named 5780 Investments LLC.

That LLC lists its address as 213 N. Stadium Blvd., Suite 203, in Columbia, Mo., which also is the address of The Kroenke Group, the family’s real estate arm.

The Cherry Hills Village mansion listed for nearly $17 million on July 30 and went under contract five days later.

The transaction is the most expensive on-market sale in Cherry Hills Village, according to REcolorado records.

However, the sale is dwarfed by former Denver quarterback Russell Wilson’s metro record-setting 2022 off-market purchase of nearby 10 Cherry Hills Park Drive for $25 million. Wilson and singer wife Ciara lost money when they sold the house for $21.5 million in March. Wilson now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Haley Custom Houses built the house and BOSS Architecture designed it.

The mansion features a chef’s kitchen with two Caesarstone islands, two ice makers, four beverage refrigerators and four dishwashers. The butler’s pantry has warming drawers.

The dining room and stairway feature custom-designed chandeliers.

Other amenities include a state-of-the-art gym and one of the largest golf simulators in a private home in the United States.

Compass’ Helm Weaver Helm represented seller Christine Hamilton. Libby Weaver declined to comment, saying the agency signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Josh Behr with Liv Sotheby’s International Realty represented Kroenke. Behr didn’t return a call requesting comment.

Kroenke didn’t return requests for comment sent to the Nuggets and Avalanche representatives.

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FORT COLLINS — This week’s personal. Not because of Travis Hunter. Or Boulder. Or CU. Because Henry Blackburn’s had it, frankly, with the blasted trophy case at Canvas Stadium.

The one he’s walked by a million times now. The one that won’t stop staring back with emptiness. The one that mocks him, silently, reminding him what should’ve been. And wasn’t.

“I’ve only won one trophy here, so that definitely (hacks) me off,” Blackburn, the CSU Rams’ senior safety, told me earlier this year. “And it’s something that we all are aware of and definitely working to make sure that doesn’t happen in my last season. We’re all aware of our rivalry games and we’ve got two at home … so yeah, those are definitely huge games for us that we need to win.”

Once the bruises and pride start talking, they never stop. Rocky Mountain Showdown Week opens up all kinds of old wounds. Shedeur Sanders turning into Tom Brady. The Rams letting one slip away late, a recurring theme for 2023 that nobody wanted.

“Henry wants to see us win. He wants to see us do the things we need to do to win,” added third-year CSU coach Jay Norvell, who’s seeking his first rivalry win on Saturday night when the two 1-1 rivals lock horns at Canvas Stadium for the first time.

“And I think that’s probably been the biggest difference in our leaders is that they’ve been super-focused on making everybody else accountable … going to class, making sure you’re on time for workouts, finishing workouts, all the things that we ask our kids to do in our program. Our leaders have been super detailed in making them accountable. And so I just think Henry’s been dialed in with that.

“He’s one of those guys that just loves to play, whether it’s practice or a game. And he reminds me a lot of myself, to be honest, when I was in college.”

Despite some dings this past spring, Blackburn’s playing faster than ever. Counters in the chess game on the field come quicker. So does the first step.

The Boulder native says he power-cleaned 300 pounds earlier this year. He maxed out at 275-ish in spring 2023. The 225-pound bench press reps, another NFL combine test, went up to 17 earlier this year after hovering in the 12 range the season before.

“Just everything, my whole game and every facet, (is) improved physically,” Blackburn said. “And then obviously, the mental side has been something I’ve been really working to improve as well.”

•••

This week’s special. Just not in the ways you’d think. Blackburn’s turned enough pages from last year’s Rocky Mountain Showdown to make George R.R. Martin blush.

“I mean, he’s a good dude and I wish him the best in his career,” Blackburn said of Hunter, the Buffs two-way star who left last September’s Showdown at Folsom Field after taking a blow from the CSU safety near the home sideline. “I don’t have any (ill will). We’re good.

“And obviously, we’re going to have to play again, strap it up again, and that’ll be a fun game. But yeah, I’ve got good feelings toward him and everything and wish him the best in his career.”

Beyond that, Blackburn declined to dive into specifics.

Everyone wants to move on. The social media benefits of the Coach Prime Effect have been a tide that lifts all boats for CU athletics. But when the narrative gets ugly, that wave can turn into a tsunami. Lines get crossed. Five individuals were reportedly charged last year with making threats against Blackburn and his family.

“Yeah, it was kind of frustrating because, being on the (CU) side, they didn’t really have to do that,” CU defensive back Isaiah Hardge told me. “But at the end of the day … it’s football, anything can happen.”

What got lost in the hit that rocked Folsom Field was the good souls in both the Buffs and Rams locker rooms that worked behind the scenes to mend fences.

Hardge was one of them. The Florida native’s older brother, Ron Hardge III, played for the Rams last year. Last September, the younger Hardge was playing NBA 2K with Hunter when Ron called him up and said he was sitting next to Blackburn.

“I was talking on the mic with (Hunter) and that’s when I had my brother, who was next to Henry,” Isaiah Hardge recalled. “We were just kind of talking, and he heard him, so I was kind of the middle man.”

Ron rang up Isaiah and he merged the call with Hunter.

“So I had called Henry and then put him on the phone with (Travis) on a merge,” Isaiah said. “And that’s when they were talking … that’s when we kind of set it up with the bowling thing. That’s how it all happened.”

You know the rest. Blackburn and Hunter agreed to bowl in Westminster for charity. Both players wound up contributing $1,000 each to the cause of Blackburn’s choice: Fort Collins-based Realities For Children. The nonprofit, whose motto is, “because no child should be forgotten,” works to improve the lives of children who have been abused, neglected, or are at risk.

Former CSU and Broncos star Shaq Barrett and his wife, Jordana, have backed the organization in the past, and it’s got some cool things afoot. RFC is constructing a Healing Sanctuary Campus on a 4-acre lot adjacent to the organization’s headquarters.

“I met Henry when I went up to Fort Collins with my brother,” Hardge said. “I keep in contact with him. He’s good. Yeah, he’s a good guy, he’s a cool guy. I mean, it just blew up.

“Everybody was saying that was a foul hit. But at the end of the day, they came and squashed the beef. I mean, (there) was no beef. It was good sportsmanship, everybody getting along. And then just coming together and just solving the problem.”

•••

Hundreds of problems, actually. Thanks in part to Hunter and Blackburn, RFC recently filled and distributed 1,005 backpacks full of supplies this summer for local schoolchildren.

Last year, RFC provided emergency funding services for 5,116 children and distributed items to more than 15,000 youths and their families while providing youth activities and facilities space for nearly 6,500 kids and guardians.

No child should be forgotten.

No good deed, either.

“I wish I could play for CSU forever,” Blackburn continued. “But I’m lucky to get a fifth year, honestly. I’m really happy that I was able to get five years here. It’s flown by.

“But it’s a blessing. I’ve loved every moment of it. And so it’s good that I’ll be able to kind of leave a legacy and pass on the torch to some of the younger guys when I leave.”

If he could pass them a trophy, all the sweeter. The best legacies are encased for eternity, the best last words engraved.

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Jamal Murray has agreed to a four-year, $208.5 million max contract extension with the Nuggets, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post.

Murray, 27, has one season remaining on his current deal before the extension takes effect. The two sides paused contract talks earlier this offseason, with the expectation that Denver would offer a max after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics. Murray suited up for the Canadian national team, which won its group but was eliminated in the quarterfinals without a medal.

Murray’s efficiency struggles from the 2024 NBA playoffs carried over to the Olympics. Averaging 21 minutes off the bench in Canada’s four games, he converted just 14% of his 3-point attempts and 29% of all shots from the field for 6.0 PPG.

He was 40% from the floor and 31.5% beyond the arc in Denver’s playoff run, which was cut short by Minnesota in the second round. Murray was attempting to play through a left calf strain after a season’s worth of minor leg injuries that had caused him to miss 23 games, eliminating him from All-NBA and thus supermax contract eligibility.

Other than those durability concerns, his 2023-24 regular season was spectacular. He matched or outdid previous career-highs in scoring (21.2 points), assists (6.5), rebounding percentage (6.6%), field goal percentage (48.1%), 3-point percentage (42.5%) and usage rate (27.3%) to help the Nuggets tie a franchise record with 57 wins. They were 16-2 when he scored 25 or more points and 8-9 when he played but scored 17 or fewer. In the games he missed, Denver went 13-10.

The new extension means Murray is under contract with the Nuggets until the 2029 offseason. He has spent all eight years of his career in Denver, including a season-long recovery period in 2021-22 after he tore his left ACL. He has been a vital part of two Western Conference Finals runs and one NBA championship team, the first in Nuggets history.

After opening the 2024-25 season at home, Denver will play its first road game in Toronto, where Murray is traditionally greeted with applause and admiration by Raptors fans.

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Denver Post beat writer Bennett Durando opens up the Nuggets Mailbag periodically during the season (and now, the offseason). You can submit a Nuggets- or NBA-related question here.

Bennett, which games do you have circled on the Nuggets schedule this year?

— Daniel, Sloans Lake

I’ll give you five since you asked so nicely (and because I was on vacation when the schedule was released). Let’s start with the obvious: Jan. 21, 2025. That’s the day the 76ers come to town. This game guarantees intrigue and entertainment regardless of what happens with the elephant in the room. If Joel Embiid plays, it’ll be his first time facing Denver on Nikola Jokic’s home turf since Nov. 8, 2019. If he doesn’t play, the peanut gallery will relish every second of it. Ball Arena will be uproarious. Either way, great theater. (My favorite scheduling tidbit: Inauguration Day is Jan. 20, meaning the NBA has guaranteed that an entire American presidency begins and ends without Embiid playing in Denver.)

2. The Grizzlies are the wildest wild card in the league after the high peaks and low valleys of the last two years. And the Nuggets get to visit them on Beale Street for an NBA Cup (in-season tournament) clash early in the season. I couldn’t make this list without highlighting at least one game that’ll be played on a goofy court, and this one is the most fascinating to me. Ja Morant back from the dead, just in time for the Group of Death.

3. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes his return to Denver on Feb. 6. It’s a tasty matchup even before factoring in what’s sure to be a tear-jerking tribute video. The Magic swept the Nuggets last season, and the last two meetings between these teams in Denver have both been memorable. Paolo Banchero scored 32 points in his first career triple-double to lead an 18-point comeback last January, ending with Jamal Murray’s last-second miss. The year before, Jokic sank a game-winning 3 with 1.2 ticks left. Orlando is intent on leveling up in the East now with KCP’s guidance.

4. Denver plays a back-to-back series in Oklahoma City, March 9 and 10. Major litmus test a couple of weeks after the All-Star break. The way I see it, the Thunder deserve to be clear preseason favorites to win the West, unlike last year when it felt like they were still in the early stages of their rise, punching above their weight class to hang with Denver in the standings. The Nuggets are back to being underdogs this season, in this matchup at minimum. The back-to-back also takes place during a grueling, make-or-break stretch of the schedule, surrounded by the Celtics, Kings, Suns, Timberwolves and Lakers.

5. Another back-to-back, Jan. 3 and 4 against the Spurs. After the first game in Denver, both teams fly to San Antonio. I for one have my fingers crossed the Nuggets bring Jokic along for Round 2 because it would be devastating to deprive basketball fans of a single Joker vs. Wemby battle from now on.

While the Nuggets got one championship out of the current ownership-GM-coach setup, there seems to always be a 5-10% simmer of conflict between the three dealing with salaries, roster-building and playing time. … Another season of not reaching the expected potential will bring about what: Malone or Booth gone? Trading assets (anyone not including Jokic)? Or more patience and retooling for next season?

— John Steichen, Fort Collins

Ah, the paradoxical question that obsesses every sports fan about his or her team. You pose it while hoping it will never be answered.

Seeing as this is awfully hypothetical and premature for a team that views itself as a top-tier championship contender, I can only give you educated guesswork, not reporting. My sense is that sweeping change would be more likely than complete static if the 2024-25 season went awry. What changes, exactly? Nothing you suggested is impossible, once you wrap your head around the notion that Jokic is the most essential person to any team in the league right now. By that logic, he’s also the only truly immovable object in the Nuggets’ organization.

This is a cutthroat league. Think about Milwaukee, another small market franchise that was lifted to the pinnacle by a transcendent European star. Two summers later, the coach was fired and a player from the championship core was traded. Even in the underdog cities, patience runs thin. It started with a second-round Game 7 loss the year after the Bucks won the title.

All that being said, I have a hard time envisioning the Nuggets finishing lower than fourth in the West this season, barring major injuries. Hot seats are usually a topic associated with playoff failure, so I don’t see this as an imminent issue. Michael Malone is tenured and beloved in Denver, and Josh Kroenke hasn’t hesitated to speak highly of general manager Calvin Booth in the recent past.

From the outside looking in, it seems Booth and Malone are not aligned. Case in point is Zeke Nnaji. I read that Booth said Nnaji was drafted as a 4 and we (Malone?) tried to make him a small 5, and it hasn’t worked. It seems like Booth still talks as if Nnaji has value, but then he drafts Holmes who he says is a 4 all day. Two questions … Where do you think Booth stands on Nnaji? Are Booth and Malone not in sync on the direction to play youth?

— Michael, Denver

I don’t think it’s any secret that Malone is often reluctant to give extended runway to young players. He has addressed this in his own words. “As a coach, I’m thinking, ‘How do we win the next game?’ That’s my job,” he said after the season. “Calvin, as a GM, is thinking about, ‘How do we win the next couple of years?’ That’s his job.”

Translation: A little tension is inherent and healthy in the working relationship between a coach and GM. Fair enough. It’s just a matter of whether the Nuggets can locate the proper balance. Nnaji might be an example that they haven’t fully accomplished that yet. Doesn’t mean they can’t.

From a game-to-game standpoint during the season, that balance rests on Malone’s shoulders. With DaRon Holmes II injured, there will be no rookie playing time for him to manage this season unlike the last two, perhaps a silver lining for a lousy situation. Instead, this year it’s more about Malone’s approach to expanding players’ roles: Christian Braun to the starting lineup (potentially), Julian Strawther to the rotation, Peyton Watson to the playoff rotation.

As for Nnaji, Booth has been clear that he still believes in him. But the contract obviously looks terrible right now. I think the best Denver can hope for is an enhancement of Nnaji’s trade value early this season — which, of course, requires playing time.

Thank you, Bennett, for your excellent insight to our beloved Nuggets. I know there is much debate about whether or not MPJ is worth his max contract and if he should be traded. I’m wondering what his next contract looks like if he continues to play like he has the past few years (solid offensive option and on the defensive glass while providing little defensively.) If he stays on this trajectory, do you think the Nuggets would offer him another max contract, or something more in line with the kind of contract Aaron Gordon has now? And would MPJ take that? What are your thoughts? Thanks!

— Eric, Parker

Depends on the market for him, right? If Porter makes it to the end of his current contract without getting traded, and suitors aren’t lining up to offer him a second max in free agency, then he might not have a choice other than to accept something less.

Based on that logic alone, I think MPJ is a case where it wouldn’t hurt the Nuggets to wait, rather than sign him as soon as he’s extension-eligible. It’s also relevant context that Denver’s current general manager is not the GM who signed Porter to a max deal the first time.

There are still three years left on the current contract, so a lot can happen before 2027. Everything I hear is that Porter is a relentlessly hard worker; maybe his injury history is behind him, and he’s one of the best shooters in the league without an asterisk by then. Or maybe not. Maybe he’ll be traded before 2027. Hard to project his future right now.

Are any local press traveling to Abu Dhabi with the team?

— Grace, Oakland

Let’s just say I’ve been researching neck pillows in my free time lately.

Looking ahead, who do you see having the better season at Ball Arena? The Nuggets and Avs are stacked and ready to make postseason runs again, but my money is on the Avs with Gabe Landeskog making his return. Seems like too many unknowns with the Nuggets rotation.

— Rip, Aurora

Someone always asks me a Nuggets-Avalanche comparison question. This one’s a coin flip, honestly. I’d push back on your point about the Nuggets’ unknowns by saying those are mostly deeper in the rotation, whereas Landeskog and Val Nichushkin are still the two biggest, most expensive unknowns in Denver sports right now (unless you count the buyout money Deion Sanders will owe CU once Florida State has an opening in December).

The West is so good in the NBA that I’d lean toward the Avs having a better regular season. But I’ll always maintain the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be especially cruel or fluky. The Nuggets have a better chance to reach their Finals.

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