Renck & File: Either Nuggets seriously consider trade, or they accept appearing in play-in round in April

Those are not Christmas carolers outside Ball Arena. Those are alarms blaring.

Worried yet? Join the club. The Nuggets are Van Halen without David Lee Roth or Motley Crue sans Vince Neil. Something is missing.

Three-point shooting is the easy answer. The Nuggets are 2-15 when they make fewer than seven 3s, which most teams fall out of bed and convert in the current NBA. They don’t shoot enough 3s, they don’t make enough 3s, and they don’t defend players shooting 3s.

Nikola Jokic is having a season that conjures images of Wilt Chamberlain, inching him into the conversation of a top-10 all-time player, and the Nuggets are flirting with a .500 record. I said it a few weeks ago: the Nuggets owe him an apology.

Their issues go well beyond the arc.

All the sorrys in the world are not fixing this mess. The Nuggets look uninspired, disinterested and disjointed defensively. In 2023, they ranked third in 3-point defense. Entering Saturday’s game, they rank 24th.

And yes, it’s time to have a conversation about Jamal Murray. He is averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting a career-low 33.3% on 3-pointers and 47.5% on twos, his worst mark since his rookie season. He is a slow starter. I get it. But he looks slow. He struggles to create separation, and for long periods remains a defensive liability.

The Nuggets are a quarter of the way through their season. Coach Michael Malone has talked about this team searching for its identity. But at some point, what we are seeing is who they are: a disconnected team with a thin bench and two underwhelming max players who are more reliant on Jokic than St. Vincent-St. Mary was on LeBron James.

The Nuggets are squandering Jokic’s prime. They don’t have enough talent. Either they seriously consider a trade or they can begin growing comfortable with the idea of appearing in the play-in tournament in April.

Golden Rule: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the golden at-bat rule — which would allow teams the ability to send any hitter to the plate at any time once per game — is a long way from reality. Thank goodness. Baseball has made necessary changes to address the pace of the game, but this idea is ridiculous. Might as well place the Savannah Bananas in the NL East and let Paul Skenes pitch on stilts while we are at it. The golden at-bat needs to go into the silver trash can forever.

NIL concerns: College athletes deserve NIL money. But it comes with side effects, not the least of which is increased pressure. Look no further than Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Texas’ Quinn Ewers. They began the season as projected top-10 picks and now it’s fair to wonder if they will be drafted in the second round.

Walk the Line: The Broncos offensive line continues to rank among the best in pass protection. This stat is connected directly to Bo Nix. But let’s not dismiss how well the grunts are playing. It is a reminder that the Broncos should make a serious effort to keep left tackle Garett Bolles.

Mail Time

The Broncos should have kept Tim Patrick over Josh Reynolds and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Imagine having Courtland Sutton, Patrick, Devaughn Vele, Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin. Wow. 

Jason Jones, Twitter

First, congratulations to Patrick on scoring two touchdowns Thursday night for the Lions, his first in 1,082 days after suffering ACL and Achilles injuries. It is possible to be happy for Patrick and agree with the decision to cut him. The Broncos needed to create a path for Vele and Franklin. If you want to argue that he should have stuck over Humphrey, clearly coach Sean Payton has a soft spot for the latter as a blocker, and he is five years younger.