Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:<\/p>\n
NBA Insider<\/strong><\/p>\n It looks like coach David Adelman\u2019s first staff is complete.<\/p>\n Adelman added Chase Buford and Mike Moser to his staff, according to a report from HoopsHype on Friday. That would bring the total to nine assistants between what\u2019s been reported and who is still listed on the team\u2019s staff directory. Last season\u2019s media guide listed eight assistants. Adelman and four others were promoted or retained, while Ryan Saunders, Popeye Jones and Charles Klask were not retained. Former assistant Ryan Bowen is now coaching Denver\u2019s G-League affiliate.<\/p>\n Travess Armenta, Sean Nolen and Bubba Gault make up the player-development staff, while Cam Griffin and Aziz Leeks will split time between the player-development and video staffs.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick look at the assistants:<\/p>\n John Beckett<\/p>\n The Georgia native is heading into his 12th season with the Nuggets. Prior to his time as an assistant, Beckett served as a player development coach in Denver. He also worked with the Delaware 87ers in the G League. He played college basketball at Georgia Southern and Eckerd College (Fla.) before a short professional career abroad.<\/p>\n Ognjen Stojakovic<\/p>\n Like Beckett, Stojakovic is headed into his 12th season with the Nuggets. The Serbian has climbed the ladder from video assistant to player-development coach to player-development director before starting his current role in 2021. He\u2019s also worked as an assistant with Serbia\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n Elvis Valcarcel<\/p>\n This will be Valcarcel\u2019s fourth season as an assistant and eighth in total with the Nuggets. He previously split his time in scouting. Prior to coming to Denver, the Rutgers graduate worked with the Pelicans (assistant coach\/special assistant to the head coach), Kings (video coordinator) and Suns (video coordinator).<\/p>\n Andrew Munson<\/p>\n Another climber within the Nuggets organization, Munson enters his second season as an assistant coach. He previously worked in the video department. The University of Iowa graduate was a student manager during his time in Iowa City. He also coached Denver\u2019s Summer League squads the last two years.<\/p>\n Jared Dudley<\/p>\n The 14-year NBA veteran will be Adelman\u2019s lead assistant. Dudley comes to Denver after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant to Jason Kidd in Dallas. The Boston College product won the 2020 championship with the Lakers during his playing career that also included stints with the Bobcats, Suns, Clippers, Bucks, Wizards and Nets.<\/p>\n J.J. Barea<\/p>\n Like Dudley, Barea played 14 seasons in the NBA before embarking on a coaching career. He\u2019s spent most of his coaching career in his native Puerto Rico but also worked as player-development coach for the Mavericks in 2021.Barea won an NBA championship with the Mavericks in 2011.<\/p>\n Rodney Billups<\/p>\n \n Your daily report on everything sports in Colorado – covering the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and columns from Woody Paige and Paul Klee.\n <\/p>\n Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.<\/p>\n No stranger to hoops on the front range, Billups joins Adelman\u2019s coaching staff after working as a scout and assistant for his older brother, Chauncey, in Portland. The younger Billups played at University of Denver and later served as the Pioneers\u2019 head coach from 2016-21. He played professionally in Latvia and Finland after his collegiate career ended.<\/p>\n Chase Buford<\/p>\n The 36-year-old joined the Nuggets after one season as an assistant to Bill Self at Kansas last season. Buford was a walk-on for the Jayhawks and won a national championship in 2008. Prior to returning to the college game, Buford worked in the video, scouting and player-development staffs of a few different NBA teams. He also coached the Sydney Kings in Australia before returning to Lawrence. Buford is the son of R.C., who serves as CEO of the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n Mike Moser<\/p>\n Moser, 34, split his college days between UCLA, UNLV and Oregon before embarking on a professional career that took him to Lithuania, Israel, Kosovo, Qatar, Finland and France. Then, he transitioned to coaching and spent time with the Mavericks, Celtics, Rockets and the University of Oregon\u2019s women\u2019s basketball program before being hired by the Nuggets.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Five must-see games on the Nuggets’ 2025-26 schedule | Vinny’s Take<\/a><\/p>\n What I\u2019m Thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n – The NBA certainly isn\u2019t appealing to the masses with its decision to start the second game of Tuesday doubleheaders on NBC at 9 p.m. mountain time, according to reports. The competition for eyeballs is fiercer than ever and only getting more competitive, and this feels like a weak effort from the NBA. This night owl isn\u2019t mad about the late tipoffs, but it\u2019s a loss for the majority of NBA fans.<\/p>\n – The early winner of the Michael Porter Jr. trade is the Nuggets\u2019 public relations staff. Porter\u2019s been going viral for mostly the wrong reasons since he joined the Nets this summer. He\u2019s been pushing his \u201cCurious Mike\u201d podcast content, which started innocently enough with a reaction to his trade. In later episodes, Porter talked about his brother Jontay\u2019s problems gambling, which earned him a lifetime ban from the NBA, and his own struggles with women. Porter dug the hole deeper in following episodes, but that\u2019s Brooklyn\u2019s problem now.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Denver Nuggets mascot sues team for alleged disability discrimination<\/a><\/p>\n What I\u2019m Fo<\/strong>llowing<\/strong><\/p>\n – Nikola Jokic surprised some people with a double-pump reverse dunk prior to one of Serbia\u2019s tune-up games ahead of the upcoming EuroBasket tournament. Those who watch Nuggets warmups routinely have seen the slam before.<\/p>\n – Lakers fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Luka Doncic was diagnosed with a knee contusion after one of Slovenia\u2019s preparation games, but he was cleared to return to action for Tuesday\u2019s game against Great Britain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peyton Watson getting ‘nerdy’ to prepare for pivotal season with Denver Nuggets | NBA Insider<\/a><\/p>\n – The Raptors are letting Bobby Webster take over as lead executive. Toronto fired former Nuggets executive Masai Ujiri on June 27. Webster previously worked under Ujiri as general manager, a title he retains, according to an ESPN report.<\/p>\n – The NBA and its players association took a unified approach in support of limiting some prop bets with multiple players involved in a gambling investigation. The hope is fewer prop bets being made available will curb manipulation and some of the abuse players face.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nuggets agree to Exhibit 10 contract with former Nets, Kings, Mavericks forward<\/a><\/p>\n