You’re not crying, Bruce Brown. We’re crying.
For the record, the kids up in the Grading the Week offices absolutely, unequivocally hate goodbyes. They love puppies. They love sunsets. They love fry bread, wild huckleberries, hibiscus doughnuts and long walks along the Barker Meadow Reservoir. But man, do they hate goodbyes.
So when Brucie B, Nuggets Legend For Life, went to Instagram a few days ago to pen his official farewell to Denver, well — we won’t lie. The kids have been kind of a hot mess ever since.
Bruce Brown’s long goodbye — B+.
The better the fit, the deeper the hurt. Brucie B had us at “hello,” but when he photoshopped an image of himself as a child with a tiny arm around an equally photoshopped Nikola Jokic, we lost it.
“To the fans,” Brown wrote, “(t)hank you for the love and support throughout this year never felt anything like that before!”
On the court, Brown, beloved sixth man for Denver’s first-ever NBA champions, proved to be the missing piece of this ever-evolving, long-gestating title puzzle. A 6-foot-4 swing man, he handled the ball like Monte Morris, defended like Torrey Craig and shot the rock like Will Barton. What it took previous Nuggs rosters to get out of three spots, BB11 could ace out of one. All by himself.
The Christian Braun Hype Train has long since left the station. But those are massive shoes to fill.
We’ll miss Brucie B the dude, too. For a Boston guy, Brown took to the Front Range like he was raised on the Q Creek Ranch. The cowboy hats. The chill. The shots during the victory parade. Serving drinks to patrons at Happy Camper Pizza.
The Pacers offered Brown three times more money over two years ($45 million) than he’d earned over his first five NBA seasons combined ($15.1 million). The Nuggets’ cap hands were tied, and as a result, the league’s labyrinthine contract loopholes did more damage to Denver than any team in the Western Conference could ever manage.
Hey, at least B11 can almost afford a down payment on a house in Boulder now.
“Also, to all the friends I made in the city,” Brown continued, “I will definitely miss the laughs and just the great vibes we always had!”
Back atcha, my man. If a return to the Nuggets ain’t in the cards, do you want to be mayor? Unless you somehow have to face Aaron Gordon in a run-off, the door’s always open.
Drew Lock, preseason Patrick Mahomes clone — C+.
Speaking of old crushes in new places, the GTW crew has an iron-clad if unwritten rule about exes: No fawning, no pining and no, absolutely no, cyber-stalking.
That said, did any you, um, happen to see the dime Drew Lock dropped on the Cowboys last week?
Second quarter. Over route. John Elway’s last swing at a franchise quarterback hit wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, just over his left shoulder with a throw plopped into the only place the rookie could grab it and stay in stride.
Lock, who got shipped to Seattle with Noah Fant, Shelby Harris and what feels like about 38 draft picks for Russell Wilson, ended up completing 5 of 6 throws against Dallas for 119 yards.
Over his first two August appearances, the former Mizzou standout has put up preseason career bests in completion percentage (73.3) and passing yards (310).
And yeah, yeah, we know: Preseason stats pretty much only matter when you’re trying to break ties among the bottom half of a roster or among potential starting QBs.
But this particular number was also pointed out by the two Lockheads still left among the GTW gang, and it’s an eyebrow-raiser: On 30 pass attempts, Mr. Zero Pocket Presence has been sacked just once.
For perspective, over his last two preseasons in Orange and Blue, Lock was taken down nine times against 79 passes.
Maybe Buzz Lightyear’s turned a page, and good for him. Then again, maybe that last stat says something about the Broncos’ judgment calls at offensive line — and at tackle, in particular. The GTW peanut gallery tried to ask Big Russ for his take, but he was too busy running for his dang life.
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