Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. is set to be cleared for contact drills 'within the next week,' agent says

The Denver Nuggets might be getting some help soon as they continue to jockey for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. Forward Michael Porter Jr. is expected to be cleared for on-court contact within the next week, per Porter's agent, Mark Bartelstein. According to Bartelstein, that means Porter could return sometime in March.

However, ahead of Denver's Sunday night game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Nuggets coach Michael Malone did speak about the comments from Porter's agent, neither confirming or denying them.

"I would say don't listen to those reports," Malone said. "They didn't come from me, they didn't come from Tim Connelly, they didn't come from anyone within the Nuggets. Be careful what you listen to."

That makes Porter's status a bit hazy after hearing those comments from Malone. But the most recent update we do have from the Nuggets came in mid-February when team president Tim Connelly suggested that Porter, as well as Jamal Murray, could be cleared in the "not too distant future."

It's been several weeks since those comments from Connelly, and given Bartelstein's comments suggesting that Porter could be cleared soon, it sounds as though a potential return is at least on the horizon, which is more than promising for the Nuggets.

Porter played only nine games this season before undergoing back surgery, and he was originally expected to miss the remainder of the season. Getting him back in the starting lineup would be a huge boost right as the Nuggets try to climb up the standings in the West. Denver is tied with the Dallas Mavericks for fifth and is only three games back of the Utah Jazz for the No. 4 spot. Nikola Jokic's MVP-caliber play has been the primary reason the Nuggets have been able to maintain their high level of play without Murray and Porter, and getting one -- or perhaps both -- of them back would only improve this team.

While the timeline for Porter is no less murky than it was before his agent's comments, it's positive news that he's progressing toward a potential return this season.

Comments

Dennis Rodman Once Said He, Michael Jordan, And Scottie Pippen Could Lock Up LeBron James: "LeBron Is So Easy To Play. He’s So F**king Easy To Play. He Doesn’t Have Any Moves."

If there is something that will never end it is the comparison between players from different eras. Even in that niche, most comparisons revolve around the legendary players from the Chicago Bulls. Yes, we are talking about the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. A perfect example of that was seen by fans back in a 2019 interview featuring Dennis Rodman. The Worm was asked about his thoughts on guarding none other than LeBron James. Rodman replied: (starts at 6:06) "You know who could lock up LeBron? Me, Mike, and Scottie could. F*ck yeah. I would have locked his a** up. LeBron is so easy to play. He’s so f*cking easy to play, he don’t have any moves. Only move he has is streak down the line. He ain’t got no moves. Where he going?? Where is he going that’s quick? That’ll be sh*t, you can stop that. Scottie Pippen would have shut his f*cking a** down quick before I get to him. His game is too simple, he’s just big. I’m 260 and 6’8” and 6’9”, that’s the onl...

From Deep: At long last, Nikola Jokic's Nuggets can envision getting to the top of the mountain

Jamal Murray tore his ACL on April 12, 2021. Leading up to that night, he'd been playing at an All-NBA level for two months: In a 25-game stretch, Murray averaged 24.1 points on .509/.459/.935 shooting splits, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He was even more efficient than he was in the bubble playoffs, and his defense had improved, too. Murray only got to play with Aaron Gordon, the Denver Nuggets' big trade-deadline addition, for five games. They won them all except the one in which Murray got injured. In 110 minutes, their new starting five scored slightly more efficiently than any iteration of the Kevin Durant-era death lineup in Golden State and defended like a top-five team. Two Nikola Jokic MVP awards later, Murray is back. So is Michael Porter Jr., who signed a five-year extension about a year ago and needed back surgery nine games into the 2020-21 season. The Nuggets remember how easily everything slid into place with Gordon in the mix. Newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pop...

Michael Jordan On LeBron James: "He's An Unbelievable Player, He's One Of The Best Players In The World... I'm A Fan Of His, I Love Watching Him Play..."

Even before he made it to the NBA, LeBron James was already compared to the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. His Airness made a huge impact on the league, winning six championships in eight years, dominating rivals every night, and becoming one of the best two-way players in NBA history. During his career, and even during his retirement, many players were compared to Jordan, but nobody could live up to the expectations. LeBron James was deemed 'The Chosen One' when he was a teenager, and comparisons between him and MJ never stopped coming. They have mutual respect, and the biggest proof of that came during the 2022 All-Star Game, where MJ and Bron embraced each other in Cleveland. James would post a big pic of his first and most recent encounter with Jordan, paying respect to the man that inspired him. Just like the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has always shown his admiration for James, Jordan has done the same before. Back in 2020, during a press co...

Crossover World

Search This Blog