Road to recovery still winds for new players

Isaiah Thomas, Michael Porter Jr. and Jarred Vanderbilt should all be healthy enough to play for the Nuggets this season, but no one is ready to say when that will be.

Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said Monday that the trio of Denver newcomers is inching closer to returning but there is no timetable. Porter (back) and Vanderbilt (foot), Denver’s first and secondround draft picks, said that they haven’t participated in any fiveonfive workouts.

“After back (surgery), you want to make sure ev erything around it is super strong, so every day we’re doing core stuff and getting there, getting really really strong so there’s no risk of injury once I’m back on the floor,” Porter said. “It’s so cool seeing (the training staff) care about you. In college, it’s all about getting back on the floor, but with these guys, it’s about the long haul.”

Thomas (hip), an MVP candidate two seasons ago whom the Nuggets signed this summer to be their backup point guard, is likely the closest to returning, but made it clear he was taking his time with the process. He said he hurried to get back on the court last season (while with the Cav aliers and Lakers), and it backfired.

“I can tell you that I’m feeling a lot better than I did last season. I do not have a date right now, I’m going to take my sweet time, because I’ve rushed it before and that did not work out for me,” Thomas said. He added: “We’re not worried about right now. We’re worried about April, worried about the playoffs and me being as healthy as I can going into that stretch. However long it takes, I’m only going to go out on the court when I can produce at a high level.”

The Nuggets begin training camp in San Diego on Tuesday and play the Lakers in their first preseason game Sunday.