Nuggets Mailbag: Will Bol Bol ever be a significant part of Denver’s rotation? – The Denver Post

Beat writer Mike Singer opens up the Nuggets Mailbag periodically during the offseason. Pose a Nuggets — or NBA — related question here.

Is it time for me to give up my dream of seeing Bol Bol as a regular in the Nuggets’ rotation? What are the odds he’s back next season and a contributor? Does he hold value as a trade asset?
— Matt, East Colfax

There is no bigger mystery on the Nuggets’ roster than Bol Bol, who signed a two-year deal entering last season and barely made it off Michael Malone’s bench. Even as the injuries mounted late in the regular season, Bol played 26 minutes in all of April. Reserves Zeke Nnaji and Vlatko Cancar seemingly leaped him on the depth chart, which doesn’t bode well for consistent minutes next season.

It feels like the Nuggets are in a holding pattern with the 21-year-old, unwilling to truly trust him on the court and yet unwilling to cut bait. Would he have been included in the Aaron Gordon deal if Orlando was interested? How does Tim Connelly convince a team to trade for him when he hasn’t engendered enough goodwill to play in Denver?

Perhaps the introduction of the Grand Rapids Gold offers Bol a new lifeline with the organization, but it’s tough to see where they would earmark rotation minutes for him. Backup five? Backup three? This also gets to the heart of the problem. What position does he play?

Do you think the Nuggets take a page out of the Suns’ book and look for a traditional PG to pair with Jamal Murray? Or do you think they’re fine heading to the playoffs with a Murray/Will Barton or Murray/P.J. Dozier backcourt and could a Monte Morris/Murray starting pair be something worth looking into?
— @DavidSt24 via Twitter

I think the Nuggets more than trust Monte Morris to be their starting point guard next season. It’s been a luxury to have him come off the bench as a true, pass-first floor general. The draft may dictate some of the direction. Due to Murray’s injury, they almost have to look for backcourt help. Though they may bring back Austin Rivers, to me, their most pressing issue is at shooting guard. The return of P.J. Dozier will help stabilize the guard positions, but the draft may be indicative of what’s to come. If the Nuggets opt for a big guy at No. 26, it could be taken as a sign of confidence that Will Barton will return. If they select a guard, that could be insurance in case Barton leaves. The backcourt of Rivers and Facu Campazzo (somehow) survived the last month-plus of the season. Would it hold up throughout an entire season? I’m skeptical.

Should the Nuggets use Will Barton and someone else in a trade to bring in a younger talent to supplement or replace what they’re losing due to Jamal Murray’s injury?
— @OscarGambler via Twitter

Will Barton has a $14.6 million player option he must decide on by July 17. I’ve heard chatter recently from multiple people about a possible extension. That’s not to say it will happen, only that it’s a consideration. Whether that happens depends on what type of offer Barton might be able to get from another team and how much the Nuggets would be willing to pay him. I’m not going to speculate on what a deal might look like. But to answer the question, there is a lot of goodwill between the Nuggets and Barton. Both Malone and Connelly are big fans of what Barton can do when he’s healthy. The Nuggets will be sorely lacking next season in one-on-one playmakers, and Barton’s in line to start for a team with high expectations. I have a hard time seeing them trade that kind of ability.

Does Will Barton pick up his player option for next season? Is it possible he declines his player option but still returns to Denver? What does his recent agent change mean for the situation? If Barton is not on the roster, who should the Nugs target for the 2 guard? Should we start Monte Morris and Jamal Murray? 
— Jonathan, Golden

See above. If I had to bet, I think Barton will be back.

Is there any chance that Nuggets could trade Facundo Campazzo next season?
—  Agustin Besteiro, Olivos, Argentina

Remember when the Nuggets got panned for carrying too many guards to start last season, and then almost all of them got hurt? At various times, Murray, Morris, Dozier and Barton were all injured. Campazzo was the lone guard who stayed healthy all season and got progressively better throughout. Given his deep connections to the organization, the chemistry he’s established with Nikola Jokic and how he proved capable of keeping them afloat in April and May, I don’t think he’s going anywhere.

Should the Nuggets go with Zeke Nnaji, JaMychal Green and Vlatko Cančar in their 3-5 bench rotation? And would that allow more flexibility in bringing in a guard/wing rotation player? Mainly to help until Murray comes back?
— Mateja (translates as Matt), Kragujevac, Serbia

First of all, they need to ensure JaMychal Green is back to make this plan work (which I like, by the way). His player option deadline is July 26. Similar to Barton, I wouldn’t rule out an extension for Green. What’s great about the Green/Nnaji pairing is both players aren’t relegated to the four. Green can play small-ball five (which numerous teams employ in their second unit), and Nnaji can slot down to the three. That leaves Cancar without a defined role, but still gives Malone some flexibility in the second unit. The primary question is whether the Nuggets are content without a true backup center. The Isaiah Hartenstein experiment didn’t work, and neither did the JaVale McGee experience (which, in fairness to McGee, never really had a chance to work). The Nuggets love positional flexibility. The other guy to keep in mind here is Dozier, who actually played some power forward last season as well.

Any word on JaVale McGee? Will the Nuggets try to keep him?
— Rea, Zagreb

The Nuggets can try all they want, but McGee is a free agent. He was traded to Denver, ostensibly, to aid the second unit. Instead, he caught a handful of DNPs and was a non-factor in the playoffs. I’d have some serious questions if I was McGee and the Nuggets wanted to retain me. (By the way, see you in Zagreb in a couple months!)

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