Troy Renck: It is the return of kings. But what if one plays like The Artist Formerly Known As Prince? The Avs and Nuggets, armed with title ambition, welcomed back Nazem Kadri and Aaron Gordon last week. Colorado acquired Kadri in a trade, pairing him with Nathan MacKinnon again in a lineup that conjures comparisons to the Kevin Durant Warriors. After missing more than half the season with multiple hamstring injuries, Gordon stepped back into the starting lineup Friday. Mr. Nugget is also known as The Missing Piece. So which return should we be more excited about?
Sean Keeler: When he’s right, Aaron Gordon is the Nuggets’ DJ Khaled: All he does is win, win, win, no matter what. But there’s one factor he can’t charge: karma. Every time David Adelman’s crew takes a step forward, it feels as if the hoops gods cock their heads, laugh maniacally, and decide to set them a half-step back. (See: Murray, Jamal.) Any Nuggets team with AG in it is a team worth taking seriously. But I’ve also watched them stumble against good NBA rosters, playoff rosters, too many times lately to trust the vibes. I also can’t get one image out of my head from Sunday: Nathan MacKinnon smiling. Like, actually, unabashedly smiling. A man embracing the sheer joy of the game, in the moment, for everybody to see. If Naz Kadri could bring that much light to the most serious man in hockey, hey, forget the Stanley Cup, dude. Give Naz the Nobel Prize for sunshine.
Renck: Gordon cannot save the Nuggets’ season. At least not alone. That is becoming obvious since every day brings another co-pay on a visit to the trainer’s room. Denver has the talent to compete for a championship, but lacks health and grit. The Nuggets were supposed to unseat OKC. Clearly, that role has shifted to the Spurs. Gordon needs to become Jayson Tatum, who seamlessly rejoined the Celtics. Gordon delivered an awful performance on Friday night against the Knicks. He is too good to play like this. He deserves the benefit of the doubt. But time is running out on what is becoming an underwhelming season.
Keeler: I was stoked for that Knicks tussle — until about midway through the second quarter. It’s not fair to ask AG to hit the ground running on a bad hammy, but that’s the hole the Nuggets find themselves in down the stretch run. There’s just so little margin for error right now. Denver woke up Monday as the 6 seed in the West with a 39-25 mark. Did you know that on this day a year ago, the Nuggets were 41-23? Everything’s changed so much on Chopper Circle since April 7, and yet it’s not always changing for the better. This is a roster that, on talent and reputation, should be able to kick it into another gear. Yet there’s just something wrong with the suspension right now. You fix a flat tire, the bumper falls off. Again: karma.
Renck: At 35, Kadri should be on the other side of his career. Instead, he looks energized. Has there ever been a better Avs’ fit in a deadline deal? He plays his best when the game is big, physical, mean, gritty. He wants all the smoke. The Nuggets’ season will go up in smoke if Gordon fails to provide an edge, toughness, defense and slow-heartbeat 3-pointers. Kadri has the advantage of joining a team that is so loaded that anything less than a Stanley Cup appearance will demand an investigation. This is what was thought about Gordon and the Nuggets a few months ago. But everything about this season feels off, wrong. Gordon has a month to make it right.
Keeler: It’s going to be an interesting month, my friend. Kadri is like AG in that his return, for the most part, brings back the happiest of memories. He’s unlike AG in that the team he rejoined is a 1 seed, absolutely cruising and, as opposed to their basketball counterparts, just built up a little more separation with shootout wins over their closest division rivals. Talking to Naz at his locker stall on Sunday, the man looked genuinely happy to be here. But not as happy as MacKinnon was to share the ice with him. Logan O’Connor, Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen are working their way back, too. It’s no wonder the smiles in the Colorado locker room feel awfully contagious right now.
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