Nuggets get creative during pandemic
Instead of scheming to stop James Harden or plotting a way to find Nikola Jokic some rest within a grueling playoff series, the Nuggets have a new problem to address amid the coronavirus pandemic. Staying engaged.
The Washington Wizards have used Zoom calls to guide amateur chefs through the kitchen. The Utah Jazz created an online film series to highlight some of the players’ favorite dishes. The Nuggets? They’ve sought to recreate the locker room — and the jokes that never leave the walls.
The virtual locker rooms, as they’ve been tabbed, were the brainchild of Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and coach Michael Malone. Tired of strictly connecting with their team through e-mails and text messages, the Nuggets opted for a handful of team Zoom calls where seemingly anything is fair game.
“A lot of us, me included, our hair has definitely not been a priority,” Connelly said. “Guys come on with beards or different haircuts than we’re accustomed to. Guys certainly don’t hold back if you’re not looking real good on the call.
“… Obviously it’s not normal, but these guys are so accustomed to seeing each other,” he said.
Veteran Mason Plumlee has spent the majority of the suspension back home in Indiana, with his parents and his sister. He’s been able to stay in shape thanks to a neighbor who built an indoor half court and has allowed him use of the gym. He knows he’s one of the lucky ones. Even though he’s been able to hunker down in relative comfort, he appreciates the Nuggets’ efforts at keeping the team connected.
“Our staff and front office, they’re doing a good job of basically reaching out and touching base whether it’s individually or the team Zooms that we’ve done,” he said. “Everybody is, I think it’s like an unexpected offseason in the middle of the season. It’s not like free agency where you don’t know where you’re going or if you’re going to be back. We’re still all in this, we’re still all hopeful to get back to competing and playing for a championship.”
Plumlee, an art collector and an engaged financial investor, has also begun hosting a Facebook series titled “Founder Series with Mason Plumlee.” The goal is to give a platform to small businesses and non-profits as they adjust to the pandemic and an effort to help.
One of the 15 online conversations he’s had thus far included an interview with “Off Their Plate” founder Natalie Guo, which seeks to raise funds so that restaurants can hire back their most vulnerable workers. Those meals then go directly to healthcare workers. Other areas Plumlee’s interviews have touched on include virtual learning, marketing opportunities and innovative exercise equipment.
Rather than waste the extended down time, Plumlee has taken advantage of it. When, or if, the season does resume, he believes his teammates will have done the same.
“I would bet on our team being more ready than most, one because we have a lot on the line to play for and also just knowing our guys,” he said. “I think the guys have found a way to stay in the gym, stay in the weight room and be ready when that time does come.”