I would give the Nuggets career of Michael Porter Jr. a grade of B++. He was great against the Los Angeles Lakers, mid against all other playoff teams. I wish him more shots and success in Brooklyn.

– Councilman, repping the 303

Kiz: MPJ is one of the more curious cases in my 40 years of covering Nuggets basketball. Rolling the dice on his creaky back to draft him at No. 14 overall in the 2018 draft? That was an A+ move. Giving his one-dimensional game a five-year, $172 million contract extension in 2021? That was a D- move, and by the time Denver was forced to sweeten the trade for Cam Johnson with a future first-round pick to the Nets, it looked effing crazy. Nuggets management always looked at Porter through (very expensive) rose-tinted glasses, rather than making a clear-eyed evaluation of his fit as no better the fourth piece on a championship team.

MPJ rarely made shots of consequence, whether to stop a run by a foe or to dramatically extend a Denver lead. Porter lost the basketball a lot and looked somewhat uncoordinated on the court. I will, however, be grateful forever for his part in bringing us the NBA championship.

– Shane, 5280 proud

Kiz: Everybody from Nuggets execs to die-hard fans and hoops journalists often thought I was too tough on MPJ. I was not particularly fond of the player, but had a soft spot in my heart for the person. His physical ailments would’ve ended the career of a less-determined athlete long before Porter got fitted for a championship ring. The silkiness of his jumper allowed him to contribute despite some of the worst basketball instincts imaginable at the NBA level. Basic principles of offensive spacing and defensive positioning often seemed completely foreign to him. And most of all? Based on first-hand knowledge, here’s my theory of a shooting touch that could disappear under duress. MPJ was raised by a father who loved his son so hard it became meddlesome. When taking blame for a Nuggets’ loss, Porter often sounded like a son telling his father: Sorry. So every small step MPJ took to becoming a man capable of standing on his own was the real victory of his Denver career.

The Nuggets needed to make a change to their Core Four. With disappointing playoff results the last two years, maintaining the status quo was out of the question.

– Robert, Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Kiz: From half a world away, you could see the need for a major shake-up better than former general manager Calvin Booth did. So I would be remiss if I didn’t give kudos to the new front-office team of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace for taking bold, decisive action. The Nuggets are now positioned alongside Houston as the top challenger to Oklahoma City, not only in the West, but the entire league. But the learning curve for inexperienced execs is steep and fraught with peril. By shipping out yet another valuable first-round draft pick, Denver is going to get locked in the NBA basement for a long time when Nikola Jokic retires.

And today’s parting shot is a word of encouragement to a real no-hoper.

Stop being so hard on yourself, Kiz! You are not a knucklehead. You are a great wordsmith.

– Mike, sports poet laureate