This won’t happen, but the Nuggets’ best chance to win again just might be trading Nikola Jokic. I don’t want that to happen, but not a lot of options to move forward unless ownership pays heavy luxury tax, which it won’t do.

– K&C, sees end of era

Kiz: This team cries out for an extreme makeover, but Job No. 1 is to sign Joker to a contract extension. That being said, here’s what the debacle against the Timberwolves taught us: It would be foolish to expect 31-year-old Jokic to be the best player in the world on each and every night. Denver won a championship by making him the sun, moon and stars of its basketball universe. That’s got to end, just as the Broncos once stopped being too reliant on John Elway. If the Nuggets want to extend Jokic’s championship window, give him a legit rim protector and enough scoring options so that if he suffers through a bad shooting game, the team isn’t doomed. If Denver is going to make a major trade, I don’t want to hear any foolishness about Kevin Durant or Anthony Davis. The Nuggets need to find their Walker Kessler. 

This Nuggets playoff failure is all on Stan and Josh Kroenke. They hired a cheap wonderboy as coach and extended the contract of Christian Braun instead of Peyton Watson. They’re stuck with long-term deals with Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray when they are both injury prone at this point in their careers.

– Jones, trouble starts at top

Kiz: Josh Kroenke got named on two ballots for the NBA Executive of the Year award, which is voted on by front-office personnel throughout the league. Makes me wonder if our old friend Tim Connelly and current Timberwolves honcho cast one of those votes as a prank. And does Josh now fancy himself the Jerry Jones of the Nuggets? The Avalanche are perennial Cup contenders because ownership stays out of the way to let Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland do their jobs shaping a championship roster.

What should we think about Nuggets coach David Adelman? Hiring an assistant to replace a leader deemed a failure by management never typically ends well. So even if you agree it was time for the Nuggets to move on from Michael Malone, a full outside search was required after the new general manager was in place.

– Ron, Denver

Kiz: As much as we’d like to dream about how Billy Donovan or Steve Kerr could maximize what’s left of Jokic’s prime, Stan Kroenke doesn’t like paying people not to work. So it would be shocking if Adelman isn’t back on the Nuggets bench next season. But he needs to hire a wise, old head to sit next to him during games. If Jason Kidd is comfortable enough in his own skin to have Frank Vogel at his side on the Dallas Mavericks bench, then Adelman needs a voice of reason in his ear.

And today’s parting shot is a reminder that even a billion dollars can’t buy the wisdom of painful experience.

I’ll be forever grateful for an NBA title that I never expected to live to see, but the Kroenkes are learning off-court basketball brains are worth the money to have on-court championship success.

– P.W., master of the Wyoverse