For a multitude of reasons, the Nuggets were shrewd to sign Jeff Green
Dec 16, 2021, 8:43 AM
If you are the Denver Nuggets, you could do a lot worse than having Jeff Green.
The signing did not get a lot of attention. Most folks looked at the Nuggets of signing Green to a two-year contract in the offseason as just a filling out of the roster. The signing didn’t make headlines and didn’t produce a lot of fodder for sports talk radio. I’m guessing the subject was barely touched by the on-air folks on this radio station.
But the move by Tim Connolly may prove much more valuable than most believe.
Green has had a long and very steady NBA career. Incredibly, he is in his 18th NBA season. The Nuggets are his 11th different franchise, 12 if you count the Seattle Supersonics and Oklahoma City Thunder separately. And there are plenty of reasons he has lasted so long.
He’s a versatile defender. He is a constantly reliable contributor, whether as a starter or off the bench. He is humble and low-key. He is simply a vital piece, both on and off the court, for a team like the Nuggets.
Green played collegiately for Georgetown and was the 2007 Big East Player Of The Year. His coach was John Thompson III, who once said of Green, “He is the most intelligent and has the best attitude of any player I have ever coached.” Subsequently, NBA coaches have said very similar things about Green. Every one of them seem to love the player. And especially the man.
The word on Green, from both the Nuggets and several previous teams, is that the guy is a walking bundle of positive energy. He never complains. He never criticizes. He is always upbeat, always encouraging and always ready to play. These are the reasons he keeps hanging around, keeps signing free-agent contracts, keeps having coaches and teammates boast about him. He’s not a flashy player, but he’s a player you want to have on your team.
When things get a little crazy with injuries, you want Jeff Green on your team. After tough losses, you want Jeff Green on your team. To help young players, on and and off the court, you want Jeff Green on your team.
And come playoff time, when the NBA game seems to change and the pressure can become pretty intense, you especially want Jeff Green on your team.
Yes, Nuggets, you can do a lot worse than Jeff Green.
