Denver villain Nick Wright explains himself on Schlereth and Evans
Jun 20, 2023, 9:23 AM | Updated: 9:59 am
Out of all the gripes Denver Nuggets fans had with the national media this year, Nick Wright of Fox Sports 1 may have topped the list.
On a seemingly daily basis, Wright would say something disparaging about the Nuggets, or more specifically, back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic.
His clips would constantly go viral, riling up Denver fans and doing exactly what Wright likely wanted — building his profile.
On Tuesday, Wright was a good sport and joined “Schlereth and Evans” on 104.3 The Fan in an attempt to explain himself. The interview got off to an interesting start, as Wright immediately threw shade at the quarterback of the Broncos.
“So, were not talking about that new Russell Wilson workout video? Because last time I was public enemy No. 1 in Denver was for accurately saying you’ve got a washed quarterback, but I get it,” Wright said.
To be fair to Wright, Wilson isn’t exactly beloved in Denver at the moment like Jokic is. It was a smart opening line.
Wright then was asked to explain himself about Jokic, and gave a long answer in which he admitted he was wrong, but also didn’t.
“I can throw flowers at Nikola Jokic, without really having been wrong. What I wanted is what we have demanded of every all-time great, which Jokic now is. Show it to me on a deep playoff run. And the fact that folks were so upset that he was held to literally the same standard that every other all-time great was held to, I find laughable,” Wright said.
He kept going, again telling listeners he was right while also praising Jokic.
“Now, my initial assertion three years ago that he was the worst MVP since Dave Cowens? Yeah, that was wrong. Was my frustration that he was going to win a second straight MVP when his team was a six-seed, was that wrong? No, I don’t think it was. Was the skepticism that he would be able to do it over four rounds, was that well-founded? Maybe. Did he prove he could? Unequivocally,” Wright said.
And in his continued answer, Wright ultimately put Jokic on some very impressive lists, while also explaining why he wasn’t willing to do it before the Nuggets won their first NBA Finals.
“Jokic now has answered every question. He now is one of the 25 greatest players ever. He now is one of the eight best centers of all-time. Now, he gets all of it, because now he has done it. I just didn’t want to prematurely anoint a guy who had been past Round 2 once,” Wright said.
Wright continued by answering questions on why Joel Embiid deserved MVP over Jokic this year, how Nuggets fans reacted to disrespect from the national media and the shakeup in Phoenix to try to catch Denver.
To listen to the full interview, click here.
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