Denver Nuggets News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NBA insider says Nuggets aren't interesting to write about

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 5/25/23

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix drew the ire of Denver Nuggets fans for his comments on "The Rich Eisen Show."

In his latest appearance, the longtime NBA and boxing scribe said that the newly crowned Western Conference champions aren't as compelling to write about compared to some of the other teams that were vanquished in the postseason.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix talks the Denver Nuggets media gripe.

"they're just not a compelling team to talk about - to write about"

Worth noting that @SIChrisMannix and his cohort are compelled by attention. And financial return. They peddle NBA sugar, not basketball. pic.twitter.com/RSLKMbb2dl
— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) May 25, 2023

As the quote tweets tallied up and his name began to trend on Twitter, Mannix added additional context to his comments in response to a question specifically about Nikola Jokic's lifestory.

Of course. Was asked specifically about the "respect" comment Malone made. Said they were respected. Joker a 2 x MVP. Malone regularly on COY lists. That's respect. But, specific to this season, they weren't as interesting as what was happening in LA/PHX/GS/LAC. And that's just…
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) May 25, 2023

Mannix references the postgame press conference where Nuggets head coach Michael Malone demanded that Jokic should be given his respect from people outside of Colorado.

Seemingly since the dawn of time, sports leagues have had to contend with perceptions of favoritism based on market sizes, high-profile players and "good stories" in the media. While no commissioner or league executive would ever outright say that they prefer a championship to be decided by teams of a particular profile, fans and observers constantly play that game in order to justify their interest in those events. This is most especially true when a team such as the Nuggets, one with talented star players but no high-wattage superstar, finally breaks through to make the Finals.

Denver, the 16th-biggest media market in the United States, clearly isn't Los Angeles, the Bay Area or even Boston (ninth-largest and home to the Celtics). Yet the demand for respect should be more focused on the Nuggets' previous history of coming up short, not about its media market or the lack of signature shoe deals.

Funny enough, this topic won't be as loud for Miami, which is 18th but will potentially host both the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final this June.

Mannix isn't entirely wrong in the notion that the Nuggets aren't interesting, but not exactly because of anything the team or even Lakers, Suns, Warriors, Clippers or any other team has done. Our media ecosystem gets fully activated when there's some drama, whether involving a controversial player signing, a terrible call that impacts wins and losses or when the drama takes place off the court. His assertion is less of an indictment on the Nuggets as one of media at-large.

Drama, or the perceived lack thereof, shouldn't be the leading factor in telling the story of these upcoming Finals.

More must-reads: