Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:<\/p>\n
NBA Insider<\/strong><\/p>\n Labels carry a lot of weight in the Association, and Aaron Gordon\u2019s leaning into a couple of newer ones.<\/p>\n After years of being one of the league\u2019s most exciting, above-the-rim finishers, Gordon added to his game after being traded from Orlando to Denver. Last season, the 29-year-old shot a career-best 43.6% from 3-point range. That would\u2019ve ranked sixth in the NBA had Gordon made enough 3-pointers last season. His previous best in a season was 34.9%, but Gordon is out to prove last season\u2019s label as a shooter wasn\u2019t a mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, I\u2019m just going to increase the volume and hopefully increase the percentage as well,\u201d Gordon said during a promotional tour event for 361 Degrees, the brand that has released his line of signature shoes, in China.<\/p>\n Gordon has embraced another label since he\u2019s helped the Nuggets become a championship contender \u2013 glue guy. The power forward was a top-two option for most of his time with the Magic. Now, he\u2019s slid somewhere down the pecking order. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Russell Westbrook at Christian Braun all attempted more field-goal attempts per game than Gordon, but that\u2019s not an issue.<\/p>\n \u201cI love that description. I pride myself on being the best glue guy in the NBA,\u201d Gordon said in the video shared to social media.<\/p>\n \u201cBasketball is a team sport. If I didn\u2019t want to be a glue guy, (if) I didn\u2019t want to have teammates, I would\u2019ve been a boxer or I would\u2019ve played tennis. I would\u2019ve been a fencer. \u2026 A connectedness of a team is really what makes basketball special. You can\u2019t do it without a team. So, I just make sure everybody on my team is together, and I do whatever it takes for our team to win.\u201d<\/p>\n After signing autographs at the airport on Aug. 21, Gordon\u2019s first stop in China was the gym for an on-court workout. He\u2019s also made in-store appearances, put on a basketball clinic for kids, judged a dunk contest and had a sit down with Yao Ming.<\/p>\n Gordon\u2019s China trip is set to end Friday. Then, it\u2019s time to put his new labels to use as the Nuggets chase a second championship.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Star of Denver Rockets, Nuggets predecessors, Larry Jones dies at 83<\/a><\/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 What I\u2019m Thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n – Someone owes Malik Beasley some money. Beasley was the subject of a federal investigation conducted by the Eastern District of New York for his alleged involvement in improper gambling activity. News of the investigation broke a day before free agency started. Beasley was not charged and is no longer the subject of the investigation, according to an ESPN report Friday. The 28-year-old shooting guard was reportedly set to receive a three-year contract extension from the Pistons worth $42 million. Detroit spent that money on other players during the months-long investigation, and few other teams have the cap space to sign Beasley to a similar deal. Beasley\u2019s reportedly been evicted and had some of his wages garnished to repay loans this summer, as well. The former Nuggets draft pick is coming off one of the better seasons of his career but won\u2019t get a contract reflecting that performance, and that\u2019s not right.<\/p>\n – Don\u2019t put too much stock in a recent report that had the Nuggets interested in acquiring Anfernee Simons from Boston. Simons is a nice player but a move to Denver makes no sense for the Nuggets. Simons is set to make $27.7 million next season on an expiring contract. To make the money work, Denver would have to include a player like Aaron Gordon or Cam Johnson and a young player on a rookie contract like DaRon Holmes II or Julian Strawther. Simons would give Denver a solid backup guard, but there\u2019s no reason to give up a starter and a young prospect to get a deal done. Denver\u2019s interest might have been legitimate prior to Boston\u2019s trade for Simons and Denver\u2019s trade from Johnson, but that\u2019s not the case these days.<\/p>\n