4 lessons the Colorado Rockies can learn from the Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA championship in franchise history on Monday night, defeating the Miami Heat and winning four of the first five games in the best-of-seven series. This now leaves the Colorado Rockies as the only franchise in Denver of the four major sports without a title in their trophy case.

With one of the worst records in the National League, it seems like the Colorado Rockies are a long way from one day winning a World Series … but that’s what the Denver Nuggets felt a few years ago in regards to the NBA title.

Despite being different sports and having completely different league structures, such as no salary cap in MLB, there is a lot the Colorado Rockies can learn from the Denver Nuggets.

Lesson 1: Let young players learn from mistakes

The Nuggets let Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray go out and have on the job training in their first few NBA seasons without worrying about results. They gave them room to develop into the superstars that they are today.

Baseball is a different animal when I comes to development, but that doesn’t mean the Rockies can’t throw some of their young players into pressure situations. Let a starting pitcher try to work out of tough situation deep into a game instead of going to the bullpen. Don’t bench a hitter after an 0-for-5 night with four strikeouts at the plate. Now with all of the injuries on the team, throwing some of these rookies out there and see what they can do is not a bad idea.

Lesson 2: Identify core players and build around them

It’s easier to do this on a 12-man roster in basketball than a 26-man baseball roster, but the concept is still the same. The Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. and they have done everything they can to build their roster around those three.

The Rockies have Brendan Rodgers and Ezequiel Tovar as budding stars, and now they need to find a half-dozen or more core players to join them. Could Nolan Jones, Brenton Doyle, or a handful of these other youngster be part of this core? This is why the first lesson is so important.

It’s also easier when one of the core players is a once-in-a-generation talent like Jokic, but just ask Mike Trout how easy winning is when there isn’t much help around him. The Rockies don’t have that right now but in baseball it’s not needed.

Lesson 3: Be patient and don’t be afraid to cut bait

This process is going to take a few seasons. If there are some players who have some trade value now, they can’t be afraid to move them in fear of upsetting the fan base.

If the Rockies can get some pieces for players such as C.J. Cron or one of the bullpen arms, or even Charlie Blackmon, making moves based on logic instead of emotions can go a long ways.

Lesson 4: Know your window of contention and capitalize 

This is an extention of the previous lesson. The Nuggets are a win-now mode, which is why they have been willing to trade away future draft picks in order to bolster their roster now.

The Rockies need to do the same when they are on the cusp of making a run. That means trading away a top prospect or two if they can acquire a player that can help them make a playoff push.