Liv Moods breaks down growing concerns surrounding the Denver Nuggets as injuries, energy shifts, and identity questions start to surface heading into the All-Star break. She reacts to the Chargers being favored in the AFC West, discusses the serious charges facing BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston, and dives into potential NBA buyout candidates — including why Russell Westbrook to Denver (or Houston) makes real sense. Are the Nuggets battling more than just physical injuries? Liv keeps it real on missed free throws, Jokic’s recent play, and why this stretch feels bigger than the standings suggest.
Liv Moods opens the show with a quick Valentine’s Day reminder before diving into a fiery NFL take: why are the Chargers the betting favorites in the AFC West after proving nothing when it matters? She breaks down Denver’s trajectory compared to Kansas City and Los Angeles, and calls out what she sees as media bias. Liv also addresses the serious first-degree felony rape charge filed against BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and what it means moving forward.
On the NBA side, Liv evaluates potential buyout candidates and makes the case for Russell Westbrook landing with either the Denver Nuggets or Houston Rockets. She explains why Denver desperately needs a reliable backup point guard behind Jamal Murray and why Russ deserves to finish his career on a contender.
Then, Liv shifts into a deeper conversation about the Nuggets’ current state. Despite sitting third in the Western Conference, injuries to Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, inconsistency from key contributors, and a noticeable dip in Nikola Jokic’s energy and execution raise real concerns. Are physical injuries starting to create mental ones? Is Denver in an identity crisis? Liv lays out why this stretch heading into and coming out of the All-Star break could define the season.
00:00 – Valentine’s Day reminder + Chargers favored in AFC West?
05:45 – Broncos vs Chargers: Why the narrative makes no sense
11:40 – Parker Kingston felony charge reaction
20:15 – NBA buyout market: Russell Westbrook’s future
27:50 – Why Westbrook to Denver makes basketball sense
33:40 – Houston as a landing spot for Russ
40:10 – Western Conference injury landscape
45:35 – Nuggets concerns: Aaron Gordon & Peyton Watson injuries
52:20 – Jokic energy shift, turnovers & missed free throws
59:10 – Identity crisis in Denver?
1:04:30 – What the All-Star break needs to fix
Presented by Landmark Lincoln.
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[INTRO + SPONSOR READ: LANDMARK LINCOLN]
Welcome into another episode of mood swings with live moods. I am live moods. And as always, this is presented by landmark Lincoln. Shout out to our friends over at landmark Lincoln. Make sure you head to their location off of Bellevue and Broadway to figure out why they have been the number one Lincoln dealer in Colorado for as long as they have. I say at every show, I'm going to say it again. I am the proud new owner of a twenty twenty five Lincoln Nautilus and my car is a dream. so make sure you head to their location check out all that they have to offer and maybe potentially join the landmark lincoln family enough about vehicles let's get into the show
[VALENTINE’S WEEKEND]
welcome into another episode of mood swings with live moods we are here in the almost weekend almost valentine's weekend fellas this is your reminder that if you have a valentine you still do yes have to ask your valentine to be your valentine every year i'm not kidding it is an unspoken rule it is just from from a woman to a man let me tell you if you have a valentine i don't care how many years you've been married i don't care how many years you've been dating i don't care how secure your relationship feels she needs to be asked to be your valentine every year i'm not kidding it is an unspoken rule it is just from from a woman to a man let me tell you if you have a valentine i don't care how many years you've been married i don't care how many years you've been dating i don't care how secure your relationship feels she needs to be asked to be your valentine It's true. I don't make up the rules. I just follow them. I'm pretty sure my fiance will be following them as well. It's just how it goes. So happy almost Valentine's Day. Make sure you treat your special someone.
And also, ladies, little reminder, men deserve flowers too, right? Men deserve a little something here and there as long as they've been behaving themselves this year so far. It's only literally two months in. They haven't behaved themselves thus far. We need to have a different conversation. But happy almost Valentine's Day. I hope your weekend is full of love.
[NFL: SUPER BOWL + AFC WEST ODDS]
We've got some things to talk about. The football season is over, so not much to discuss there. The Seattle Seahawks are your Super Bowl champions in arguably, no offense, one of the most boring Super Bowls ever. But that's fine. We've all moved on. We are on to the next season. Excited about what is to come.
I do want to really quickly mention the absolute joke fest that is the Chargers being the favorite to win the AFC West. What have the Chargers done to warrant this? I just cannot wrap my head around the constant Chargers glazing and the Justin Herbert excuses. I mean, it's just... There are certain teams in this league that just get a pass for everything. They never get held to the same standard as other teams.
You've got this Denver Broncos team that's planning to bring back most of their team. They're bringing back their defensive coordinator in Vance Joseph. They're now upgrading Davis Webb to offensive coordinator. He may be the play caller. That's addressing an issue the Broncos had all season. Hopefully you get Bo Nix healthy. This is a team that went all the way to the AFC championship game, and they are not the favorite heading into next season.
Not only are they not the favorite, but the favorite is a team I would actually understand more, the Kansas City Chiefs being the favorite. Yes, if you're going to make it a team that's not the Broncos, because we know the media, the world, they hate the Denver Broncos for a reason that I'll never understand. I don't get it. But I would at least understand the Chiefs being the favorite over the Chargers.
The Chargers are the most unproven football team in the league. And yet still, here we are. another off season gassing them up and and trying to actually brainwash people to believe that they've proven themselves in a way that deserves praise they have done nothing yet i'm gonna say yet because yes with mike mcdaniel as their offensive coordinator there's a chance that they could do something great but chance chance maybe shoulda coulda woulda i don't know they have done nothing yet justin herbert has not proven a damn thing i don't understand why we keep doing this
The Chargers being the favorite to win the AFC West going into next season is a joke. It's laughable. I'm so over this. If we are five, six, seven games in and they are absolutely dominating, okay, it makes sense. But I would argue having Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, even with uncertainty around Travis Kelsey, I would still make the Chiefs the favorite over the Chargers if I had to pick someone outside of Denver.
But after this season, the only... The team that should be favored to win the AFC West is the team that proved themselves the most this season, which is Denver. The Chargers have yet another season under their belt where they proved nothing when it mattered the most. Yet they are the favorite going into next season. I'll never understand it.
I don't understand this weird obsession with the Chargers and with Justin Herbert and we excuse everything when it comes to them. Every other team, the goalposts move and it's almost impossible to prove yourself with the Chargers. They don't have to do a damn thing and they are the team that we should be respecting, watching, idolizing, and putting our money on. I don't get it. I never will.
So this hocus pocus BS of the Chargers being the favorite, whatever whatever and maybe they do win the AFC West but they have proven nothing yet in this moment so it blows my mind
[NEWS: PARKER KINGSTON CHARGES]
I'm trying to think of any other sports news that as it pertains to football before we get into all things basketball unfortunately there is a conversation that probably needs to be had or just at least brought up I'm not sure if you guys have seen the I'm gonna call them accusations, except they're actually charges at this point.
Star wide receiver Parker Kingston has been arrested on a first degree felony rape charge. He is being held without bail. Just last week, he announced that he was engaged to his girlfriend. This is going to be an interesting situation. We don't know a whole lot outside of that.
I believe what I saw was this event occurred I'm not going to call it an event. That's a really bad way to put it. This situation occurred last February. He was recently arrested as of just a few days ago and, again, is being held without bail. So he's not getting out until they get to the bottom of this one. And first-degree felony rape in Utah. I'm not sure how that's going to go over for him. We don't know a ton of details yet.
I think TMZ recently dropped – A little bit more information. This encounter occurred in twenty twenty five. Again, felony rape. First degree. Yeah, this this happened a year ago. According to jail records, Kingston was picked up shortly before three thirty p.m. local time and is currently being held without bail in the Washington County Jail.
The Washington County Attorney's Office said a woman. who was twenty years old at the time, reported an alleged sexual assault encounter with Kingston that she says occurred on February twenty third twenty twenty five.
It sounds like they've been since she went to what I believe was the hospital. She actually took this very seriously when the event occurred. She immediately brought it to people and made sure that they knew about it. And I think since then they have been gathering enough evidence. When you get held without bail, folks, that means there's some pretty damning evidence against you. There is.
So we don't know the details as of yet, but we do know that if this occurred last February. There's now been a year where the police have obviously been gathering evidence that would warrant them arresting him a year later. So I would say that this is going to be probably a long situation.
And I do absolutely believe innocent until proven guilty. But I also know how the justice system works. And when you're held without bail, you've got some evidence against you that's probably not looking super hot. So he is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday afternoon. Unfortunate stuff. Absolutely unfortunate stuff.
[QUICK LIVE MOMENT]
Really quick, you guys. I don't know how to handle this right now. We're going to do this live. There's a spider crawling up a spider web right here. It's on the bottom of my shoe. I think. Yeah, you know what? I think I did it. Yeah, it's just climbing up its little web right there. Perfect, we love that.
Sorry, I just had to commit such a heinous crime on air just now. Poor guy. I hate spiders. Anyway, guys, I'm so sorry about that. I'm not a big spider girl. And actually, I kept my cool there. That was really good for me because normally I would shriek and scream and all the things. But we're good.
Either way, that's neither here nor there. We've got a pretty serious accusation here for this BYU wide receiver that will be unfolding as he goes to court, as he makes his court appearances. But pretty unfortunate stuff. And I'm... Not gonna comment too much on it until we know a few more details.
But like I said, held without bail is definitely quite serious. And first degree felony rape is also quite serious. So I will continue to talk about that because these things deserve to be talked about. These athletes aren't exempt from being exposed. They're just not. So we will discuss it, but we're just gonna wait until there's a little bit more information out there.
[NBA: BUYOUT TALK + RUSSELL WESTBROOK]
Okay, let's get into quickly all things basketball. Okay, really quick. I'm going to close with all things Nuggets. First, I want to talk a little bit about the landscape of the NBA as it stands right now. There are some potential buyout candidates that I want to discuss, and one really in particular, and that's my all-time favorite. My ride or die, I will defend till death. You know, really, that's how I feel. Russell Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook is a potential buyout candidate, okay? And I want to have a conversation about where should Russ go? Well... There's a really obvious answer, I'm afraid. And we're going to get into that in just a moment.
But the Kings are currently in rebuilding mode. They've made that very clear. And I just don't think including a thirty seven year old Russell Westbrook makes a whole lot of sense in their rebuilding. So as a potential buyout candidate, I think it's pretty safe to say it's in the King's best interest to just free him.
He has done pretty well for this Kings team, especially early in the season. And the Kings at this point are just bad. They're in rebuilding year. I don't think they care about being bad. I mean, when you lose ten plus games in a row, you're kind of just in what I would consider the tanking phase. I don't even know if it's entirely intentional, but this is certainly a year that the Kings don't really care about. They are currently in rebuilding mode.
And like I said, including a thirty seven year old Russell Westbrook in your rebuild doesn't make a whole lot of sense. He has overperformed, I think, based on how many years he's been in the NBA. Year eighteen. He's thirty seven. He's been passed around like a hot potato in this league. Not really sure where he's going to end his career or end up. But at the beginning of the season, he was balling out. He's still balling out. Still hooping in year eighteen on a bad team, so it's time to send Russ to a contender.
What does that look like? He deserves to be on a contending team. Now, in a perfect world, the Denver Nuggets, who are riddled with injuries, and in my opinion, need a good ball handler behind Jamal Murray, one that is... As equipped as Jamal Murray, maybe not from a shooting perspective, but certainly from a facilitating and ball handling perspective, and I think that guy is absolutely Russell Westbrook, I think a backup point guard has kind of been the missing piece for Denver, aside from the millions of injuries.
So in a perfect world, Denver makes things right. Denver makes things right with a guy that never really wanted to leave Denver. He only left because he felt like they wanted him to. I don't know. As a potential buyout candidate, Russell Westbrook back in Denver kind of makes sense to me.
Now, I'm sure you're sitting there going, of course. I mean, at one point in last season, I was called Rochelle Westbrook. They were putting Russell Westbrook's face on my face. So, of course, you know, you're probably sitting there going, of course, Liv. Of course, this is what you want. You're biased.
Well, I really actually believe it would be doing right by Russ, and it certainly wouldn't hurt the Denver Nuggets. riddled with injuries. Right now you don't really have a solid PG behind Jamal Murray with the same ball handling skills. You don't. Russell Westbrook can give you that.
He doesn't need to be, I've already said it before, I'm going to say it again, when Russell Westbrook was here in Denver, you don't need him scoring . But actually what you've seen with him on the Kings is that he's capable of it. He can still do it. Just because he doesn't need to doesn't mean he can't. He can.
So to me, do right by Russ, bring him back to Denver. Another option to me that makes a whole lot of sense is Houston. I think Houston could benefit from a guy like Russ coming off of the bench. I think Houston could benefit from the energy, the veteran presence. You've already got Kevin Durant there. Something about Houston feels right.
I think Russ deserves to be on a contender. And right now, just given how injured the Western Conference is, it kind of does feel like the Western Conference is a little bit wide open.
I say that with a team like OKC that is obviously the standout and is deservingly. So they play exceptionally well. They're forty two and thirteen as it stands right now. The next best team is the Spurs at thirty eight and sixteen. So, yeah, OKC is definitely in a position to still be the front runner and the best team in the NBA. But they're riddled with injuries.
The Denver Nuggets, who are third in the West right now and slowly slipping. They're third in the West, thirty-five and twenty riddled with injuries themselves. The Rockets at thirty-three and twenty.
I really think Houston or Denver for Russ. Houston or Denver for Russ. I think both of those teams have contender capability. I'm not going to call them a contender right now. I think they're capable of being a contender this season. And I think both could benefit from having a guy like Russ. either interchangeably in your starting lineup, depending on the injuries there and what purpose he serves, but certainly coming off the bench. I think he brings a certain level of energy that both of those teams could benefit from.
Denver desperately needs a backup point guard. Desperately, in my humble opinion. And that's just my opinion.
All season long, as Nuggets fans, we have had to watch Russell Westbrook ball out, really. I mean, just straight hooping in year eighteen on another team that doesn't really quite deserve his hooping capabilities at the moment. You know, they're in rebuild year. Why include him in that? He's in year eighteen. There's no reason for him to be a part of your rebuild.
So free him as the potential buyout candidate that he is. And you know what, Denver, maybe it's time you do right by him. I don't know. He overperformed quite a bit on the last contract you gave him and you were giving him pennies. Pennies, and he overperformed and overachieved. He definitely surpassed expectations being here.
I don't think Denver's a bad idea for Russell Westbrook. I don't think Houston's a bad idea for Russell Westbrook. I think both of those, to me, make the most sense. One has a little bit of a story. Actually, both kind of have storylines attached, truly. But yeah, he deserves to be on a contender, and I think you could make a case for both Houston and Denver being contenders.
I'm going to get a little bit more into Denver as a whole and kind of some of my concerns there, but I do think you could make a case for Denver being a contender as you could Houston.
Like I said, the Western Conference riddled with injuries at the moment. You know, the Spurs, to me, arguably one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference if they can stay healthy. If you can keep Wemby healthy, the Spurs are a threat. To everybody, including OKC.
I mean, the league's investigating it. I doubt they see much, but you know you're good when you rest ten players. When ten players are injured versus your team. I'm kidding. Kind of.
You know, Spurs have been the only team that can really dominate OKC this year. And then ironically, ten OKC players out with injury in the nationally televised game. Huh. We knew SGA was going to be out. We knew J-Dub was gonna be out, but there were a couple in there. All of a sudden, Chet's got back spasms. What the flip is that?
And you know what? The only reason I'm a little irritated about it is because I bet on Chet that night. And here he goes. Here he goes. Back spasms versus the Spurs versus Wemby. Okay, well, you know, I'm no doctor. I've had a back spasm or two, but, you know, I'm not judging. It definitely is a little sus, though. Ten of ya? All ten of you can't play tonight versus the only team that's been able to beat you? Weird.
Anyway, the Spurs are a threat. Clearly. If you've got to rest your whole team against the Spurs, you must be scared, right? I mean, I think everybody looks at the Spurs team and says if they can stay in full health, they will be a problem. Absolutely.
But you've got the Nuggets who are kind of holding on by a thread. Still the third best team in the West, despite having some of their most valuable players missing the majority of the season. The majority of the season.
As of January twenty ninth, Aaron Gordon had missed twenty four games. And he's out again, another four, six weeks. So, you know, the nuggets, you could make a case being a contender, given all the things they've had to deal with and how, you know, chaotic really, uh, their season has been so far and they're still maintaining a record. That's got them sitting at third in the most competitive conference in the NBA, the rockets, another one, young, talented team, um, And a guy like Russell Westbrook could be the perfect person to just kind of plop into the system that's already doing pretty well at thirty three and twenty.
Not bad. Not bad. It's not the best. It's not a forty two and thirteen situation like OKC, but it's certainly not bad.
So, yeah, I think you get Russell Westbrook to a contender because that's what he deserves. But you also find a team that needs Russell Westbrook. And I think you can make a case for both the Denver Nuggets who have desperately needed a backup point guard for quite some time. And you need a you need a backup point guard that can match the level of ball handling that Jamal Murray has.
I don't need Russell Westbrook to be this lethal elite three-point shooter. But we've also seen with the Sacramento Kings that he can still bring that if you need it. If that's his role on your team, he can still bring that.
It's really unfortunate to me, and I don't like it, and that's why I want him out of Sacramento. They're clearly in rebuild. He's thirty-seven years old. He's in year eighteen, and he's hooping and kind of wasting away this Hooping that he's got still left in the tank on a bad team that's in rebuild. Get him out of there. Get him to a contender and a contender that needs him.
And then you can make a case for the Rockets as well. The Rockets could benefit significantly from a guy like Russell Westbrook, and maybe that's their missing piece. Maybe that's their missing piece is a guy like Russell Westbrook coming off the bench, fueling that second unit. I don't know, guys. I don't know.
I think Denver or Houston as landing spots for Russell Westbrook make a whole lot of sense. And I think both teams could benefit greatly from it. So as a potential buyout candidate, Nuggets, Rockets, do with that what you will. Do with that what you will.
[SPONSOR READ: DEN PERKS]
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[NUGGETS: RED FLAGS + IDENTITY CRISIS]
OK, we got to get into the Denver Nuggets really quick. And I'm just going to keep it really honest and really real with you. OK, I've got some concerns about the Denver Nuggets. I do. Yep, I do.
As a Denver Nuggets fan, as a Denver Nuggets supporter, as someone who will go toe-to-toe with any Denver Nuggets hater and tell them all the reasons they are miserably and horribly wrong, I have concerns. One thing about me and the way that I cover my favorite teams is that I never shy away from the truth. And I don't like to be naive and I don't like to be a fan that just pretends everything is happy-go-lucky rainbows and butterflies because sometimes it's not.
So here's the reality. Here's the reality of what you've got going on in Denver. Okay, you've got an Aaron Gordon who as of January twenty ninth had already missed twenty four games this season. He comes back. He agitates the same injury another four to six weeks. OK, another four to six weeks out for Aaron Gordon, who is arguably one of the most valuable and important pieces to this Denver Nuggets team, especially defensively, which has been the demise of the Denver Nuggets over the last few seasons. OK, you need Aaron Gordon. It's not optional now.
The Denver Nuggets are coming off of a victory versus the Memphis Grizzlies. So, you know, it's going to sound a little bit like I'm complaining over nothing. But what I'm seeing with this Nuggets team is some of the things that are out of their control, right?
Unfortunately, what I don't want to see is this Denver Nuggets team succumbing to their injuries this season and just kind of get into a point where it's like, it's just on our year. This really, really sucks. And there's a little piece of me that already worries about that and maybe feels that way.
There's a little piece of me that already feels like, are we just too injured? Are we just too injured? But then I look at who this team has. An all-star in Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. To be honest, that's more than they've been able to say in years past. We've been waiting for Jokic to get an all-star. He's got one this year in Jamal Murray. Jamal Murray has been exceptional for this Denver Nuggets team, especially when all of these other starters have been out.
You finally get Cam Johnson back. Cam Johnson was out with an injury. You get him back. But Cam Johnson is not necessarily a piece in this puzzle anymore. that isn't he alone is not enough to to win you games in a seven game series he's valuable he brings value um but he himself is not enough okay just last game versus the grizzlies you got five points out of cam johnson one of three from the three-point line two of seven from the field okay um
And when Cam is out on the court, from a plus minus perspective, you're still not getting enough, right, of that value. You don't need him to be scoring twenty five plus, but you do need him to bring values and make bring value and make plays. And you're not getting that consistently enough for my liking.
Julian Strother has been exceptional, but we also know Julian Strother's time and starting lineup is fleeting. He's not going to be a starter the rest of this season. So it's difficult because you want to get attached to a guy like Julian. You want to be like, hell yeah, look at what he's doing. But you know, the second that Pwatt and AG and all these other people are healthy, he's not playing in the starting lineup and he's probably getting very limited minutes. So I can't even let myself really get excited about Julian Strother, okay? I can't really let myself even get hyped on what Julian Strother has been bringing to the table because I know his time as a starter is fleeting. It is. Not per my choice, just the reality of the situation, okay?
Nikoli Okic. Nikoli Okic. Best player in the world. Three-time MVP. Could be five. Potentially six, depending how this season plays out. You guys are not going to like hearing what I have to say. And you can call me cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. You can say I'm crazy. You can say I'm reaching. That's fine. There's been a lot of times in my job where I have gone with a gut feeling and it has aged like fine wine. And I'm going to just tell you what my gut feeling is telling me right now.
There is something about Jokic's energy attitude that isn't sitting right. It's not. It's not. And we know Jokic was injured. Historically, he has been a very healthy player. We've very rarely seen him out for extended periods of time. Do I think Nikola Jokic is back and better than ever and in full health? No, I don't. I think Nikola Jokic is probably banged up every game he plays. He just kind of plays through it and that's his game.
We are getting to a point though where the attitude in a post-game presser, which has always kind of been Jokic's attitude. But that's usually coupled with like perfection. So I'm like, yeah, okay, whatever. That's just who he is. Like leave him alone, right? But now it's like, oh, we've got really messy offense. We've got messy passes. We've got turnovers happening a lot. I'm talking nine turnovers versus the Grizzlies. Nine turnovers. Okay, missed free throws every single game.
I mean, we're getting to a point now where jokic is not playing his best and i know his best his his like not best is still most players best but when you couple that with an attitude or an energy that's just kind of like whatever that's how it feels that's how it feels right these missed free throws this lack of hustling back to get on defense the kind of shrugs we're seeing shrugs by the way guys me saying that the attitude is this I see these in the game a lot. I'm not making this up. I watch the Denver Nuggets and I could probably count ten different times that I'm watching players just kind of go, hmm, what do you mean, huh? What do you mean, huh?
Like, guys, we're not in a position where if you are back and you are on the floor, As far as I'm concerned, you are healthy and ready to go. Otherwise, don't play.
Because here's the deal. It reminds me of when I was growing up and my mom would be cleaning up the house, right? And as a little kid, I'd be like, let me help you clean. And she was like, if you're not going to do it right, don't help me at all. You're making it worse.
I a little bit feel that way with Denver right now because you even got Christian Brown back, who we know adds another layer to this offense. Christian Brown was lethal in transition last season. We know what he brings and the value that he's got and the reason he got paid. We know that.
But Christian Brown is not himself yet. He's not. He's playing a little timid. You can tell he's a little apprehensive. He's not himself yet.
So what's hard is that these guys come back from injury and Meanwhile, the rest of these guys who have been playing, been picking up the slack for this injured roster, been giving it their all, a guy like Peyton Watson, he's not available for you either. He's not available for you either.
I'm still wondering what more you need to see before you make Tim Hardaway a starter. I get it. There's value in coming off the bench. I understand. I get that there is value coming off the bench for guys like Tim Hardaway. But I also get that you might benefit greatly from having him as a starter at this point in time.
Because what I'm seeing from the starting lineup right now is three guys back from injury who are back but not back. Aaron Gordon's now out another four to six weeks. Peyton Watson, minimum of four.
So I don't want to say or claim that the Denver Nuggets are going to be succumbing to their injuries this season and that all hope is lost. This is still a team that, despite the injuries and the chaos of the season, is still third in the Western Conference. I don't want to act like they're not still performing at a high level and winning basketball games.
But I'm a little bit worried that the injuries that have – Kind of invaded this team and kind of poked holes in their momentum. It feels like every time they started to make a step in the right direction, an injury came and kind of pulled the rug out from under their feet.
I do worry that we just, that mentally that the physical injuries of the Denver nuggets have unfortunately been attacked with, it feels like it's an attack, honestly, have now injured them mentally.
Because I'm watching basketball being played with a certain energy that is a little frustrating as a fan. It is.
As the best player in the world, one of one, we're talking best in the world. I want to see you get frustrated when you miss free throws every single game with the game on the line. I want to see you get pissed off about that. I want to see you get pissed off when you turn over the ball nine times. Sometimes this, hmm?
Especially when you've had so many guys on this team that had to pick up the slack when this team got injured and they have been busting their butt and they have been playing really hard and they have been super duper competitive. And then you come back and you're not fully locked in or there or even ready to go. A Christian Brown, a Cam Johnson, a Nikola Jokic, whoever it may be.
I think on any given night, any of your starters just don't look fully dialed in. And if we get comfortable with this complacent style of basketball, I do worry about what the postseason looks like.
Because just because you plug Aaron Gordon back in just ahead of the postseason doesn't mean Aaron Gordon is... the Aaron Gordon that we saw before he was injured. I think Christian Brown is a great example of that. He's back, but he's not back. He's not back yet. I think this last, as we've been watching him, he's slowly getting more back to normal, but he's not there yet.
So this is a perfect example of just because you're ready and cleared doesn't mean you're back to normal. We can't expect Peyton Watson or Aaron Gordon to get back to normal right away. It's not going to happen.
So I do have some concerns. Yeah.
Normally this Denver Nuggets team can have Nicole Jokic out there and that's enough. And what we actually saw was without Nicole Jokic this season, when he was injured, this Denver Nuggets team for the first time in a long time had to figure out how to win basketball games without Jokic. They had to figure out how to win without Jokic.
Then Jokic comes back and it's like, what the hell? No, don't backtrack. Do exactly what you've been doing and throw Jokic back into the mix.
Of course, couldn't predict a Peyton Watson injury. That's unfortunate. Things happen out of their control. But the controllable is... That you continue to play at a high and very competitive level, no matter who's available and who's not. Because this Nuggets team has already shown you this season that they can do that. With the majority of their most valuable players out, they were still winning basketball games. So they have it in them.
But then you get Jokic back out there. And I think not only does Jokic have a little bit of a complacent energy to me right now, but then it created a complacency across the team. Where it's like, well, Jokic is back and he does it all. So... My role looks a little different.
I don't want the roles to look different because as of right now, Jokic is not in his normal form either. So maybe drive back with Jokic and everybody else steps up the same way they did before.
I just think there's a little bit of, like I said, the physical injuries have created mental injuries as well. There's just a sense of complacency. Missed free throws? Can't have them. I don't care who you are. You could be Nicole Jokic, LeBron effing James. I don't care. Missed free throws are tough. Turnovers are tough.
Jokic is just a little out of character right now. But it feels like the team is also a little out of character right now. And again, rightfully so, right? The injuries have been excessive. It's been a lot on this team. But can't be an excuse if you want to win a championship you got to win one pushing through this regardless unfortunately these are the uncontrollables if you want to win a championship the injuries can't matter they can't um
so yeah i don't know i've got just this weird gut feeling that the nuggets are this close to letting the injuries take them over mentally like we're this close we're this close to them just being like it's not our year i don't want that i don't want that i don't want that i don't want that because i do think this nuggets team has so many pieces so many pieces um and you just we're gonna have to slowly string them together
Whoever you've got healthy right now, win games with them. And then when we need to plug AG back in, we'll do that. When we need to plug Peyton Watson back in, we'll do that. But for now, you win with what you've got.
And that's, some of that's also determining what Jokic's role looks like, which did we ever think we'd ever have this conversation? Did we ever think for a second, or did I ever think for a second that I'd be sitting here trying to figure out what Jokic's role looks like? It's Nikola Jokic, but I do feel like we're kind of, and that's the best way to put how I feel. I feel like we have a little bit of an identity crisis with the Denver Nuggets, right?
because they figured out who they were without Nicole Jokic and they kind of liked what they saw. I mean, I know I sure did. Jokic out, we were seeing some of their best basketball, okay?
Then one of the glue pieces to that identity, Peyton Watson, injured, out four weeks. Okay, okay, don't panic, okay? We've got Jokic back. But then you plug Jokic back into this newfound identity And it's kind of hot mess express. It's a little chaotic. It's not seamless. That's for sure.
So again, we're in a little bit of identity crisis mode. I think the physical injuries have taken a toll and created some mental injuries. You've got CB back, but he's not back yet. You've got Jokic back, but he's not back yet. Nine turnovers, missed free throws, would say you don't have Nicole Diokic back just yet.
So, little bit of identity crisis here going on in Denver. Do I think there's time to iron it out? I do. But do I think we also need to be realistic and say CB's a great example that just because Peyton and AG are cleared doesn't mean they're back.
We've got a little bit of... We're in an awkward puberty phase right now with Denver. We're going through puberty, guys. A lot of changes, and we're just figuring out how to rock with them, how to thug it out a little bit.
So I have some concerns. I have some concerns about missed free throws, kind of out of character, lots of turnovers, and kind of a little bit of like an energy about it. I don't like it. I don't like it.
We've got to buckle down. We cannot let these injuries completely take over the season and convince this Nuggets team that it's doomsday in Denver. It's not, okay? You're still the third best team in the Western Conference. My goodness. In one of the most competitive conferences in the NBA, okay? My goodness.
And OKC, who's the best team in the West, is also dealing with injuries. So, you know, thug it out, Nuggets. This builds character. It does. It builds character.
So I've got concerns. I do. But you know what? There's still time. Following the All-Star break, we get completely different versions of every team in the NBA, which means everybody plays a little tougher, a little harder, a little better. The Nuggets have to do the same. They have to. Okay?
[OUTRO]
That's all. That's all, guys. That's all I've got for you on this episode of Mood Swings. I'm Liv Mood signing off for now. But obviously, we'll be back again on Monday to rehash more NBA, all things NBA.
Hopefully, the Denver Nuggets give us one of those games. I want one of those games following the All-Star break where it's just like, ah, there they are. there's the denver nuggets that we know and love i need that after the all-star break but i also need the players to utilize the all-star break in any way that they can get their bodies right figure it out
i'm excited for jamal murray okay this is fantastic uh his first time ever being an all-star we'll be rooting for him and three-point contest as well okay
So, yeah, I just we're not losing faith or hope, but we're definitely hoping to see some improvements by the Denver Nuggets team following the All-Star break. OK, fingers and toes are crossed.
OK, guys, thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Mood Swings. I'm Liv Mood signing off for now.
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I'm Liv Moods signing off. Happy Valentine's Day. Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you Monday. Bye.