The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of NBA immortality.
In many ways, they've already reached the pinnacle. After 47 years of patient heartbreak, the Nuggets have finally reached the biggest stage in the sport of basketball.
Why now? It's easy to chalk up Denver's success to its swashbuckling superstar, Nikola Jokic. He's the game's greatest player, after all, a basketball oracle with footwork like a ballroom dancer. Jamal Murray's return certainly has played its part, as well; the Canadian sharpshooter is moving as fluidly as ever since battling back from his ACL tear.
Jokic and Murray have been brilliant. But so too has their supporting cast. With defenses keying in on the Nuggets brightest gems, it's been Denver's role players that have stepped up. From Bruce Brown to Christian Braun, the Nuggets have a cadre of contributors ready to offer quality possessions when needed.
Their roster hasn't always looked like this. Jokic, Murray and Michael Porter Jr. have been ever-presents for much of the past few years. But they're flanked by a rotation of rounded pegs, each of whom fits perfectly into head coach Michael Malone's system.
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So, who is the architect behind all of this success? In some ways, it was Tim Connelly. The former Denver general manager played a pivotal role in bringing Jokic, Murray and Porter to the Mile High City.
He's not there anymore, however; Connelly joined the Timberwolves organization last summer.
In his stead is former NBA journeyman Calvin Booth. The 10-year NBA veteran was, as he described it to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, "just an OK NBA player." Yet in the world of wheeling and dealing, where you're judged just as much for your principles as you are IQ, Booth reigns supreme.
With that, here's what you need to know about the fresh face who fortified the Nuggets' core and propelled them to the NBA Finals.
Who is Calvin Booth?
Booth isn't just one of the NBA's newest general managers. He's also among its tallest, towering over his contemporaries with a 6-11 frame.
That spindly foundation helped Booth achieve moderate success in the NBA. He was a basketball nomad, traversing beneath the deep blue sea of various NBA benches. Taken with the sixth pick in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Wizards, Booth was a fairly understated talent. Appreciated by all, understood by few, Booth was drawn to the intricacies of the game that enveloped his life as a youth.
“Observers are very intelligent,” said former teammate Antonio Daniels. “He was a watcher. Let me watch, let me see. ‘OK, this is what they’re doing? Let me watch how to attack it, how to scheme against it.’”
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With career averages of 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 366 games, Booth's numbers don't jump out the page by any means. But his reputation around the league was sparkling, bolstered by an eye for scouting that developed towards the latter part of his playing days.
"He’s got a great eye for talent,” Connelly said, reminiscing on Booth's evaluation of Nicolas Batum, a player he tipped for success from a young age.
At the conclusion of his playing career, Booth spurned the spotlight, moonlighting as an AAU coach while offering his services to an independent scouting service on the side.
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He was a basketball globetrotter, trekking all around the parquet courts that pinprick the country. His relationship with Connelly flourished in the meantime; the two initially bonded in Washington — Booth the rookie, Connelly the video coordinator. By 2017, Connelly had ascended to Denver's front office as team president. Booth was there, too, the franchise's assistant GM.
When Connelly departed, Booth was tipped as his replacement. He proceeded to trade to draft Braun, sign Brown and trade for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, three moves that have added steady offense and defensive versatility to a Joker and Murray-led side in desperate need of it.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for 3 off the assist from Jamal Murray...
— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) May 2, 2023
...KCP with another 3 off a great kick-out from Nikola Jokic...
...Calvin Booth for the win.#Nuggets #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/6K22DBID5w
Booth fell short of the votes needed to capture the Executive of the Year award. He'll have to do with the distinction of leading the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA Finals.
Not too bad for a rookie.
