Denver Radio Guys Get Their Answer After Criticizing Minnesota Media

After Minnesota had its way with Denver in Games 2 and 3, there's no need for follow-up questions by members of the Minnesota media.

Apr 23, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown (11) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Bad defenders? All of them?

"Go after Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, the whole team. Just go at them," said Jaden McDaniels after Minnesota beat Denver in Game 2.

Before McDaniels walked the talk with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while also shutting down Jamal Murray in the Wolves' 113-96 win in Game 3, the guys from a Denver-based sports radio show were upset at Minnesota media members for not asking McDaniels to provide specific reasons to support his claim that "they're all bad defenders."

"You know, I'm not in Minnesota standing in front of Jaden McDaniels. What the hell were those questions? I don't care about how he's reacting to the reaction," said Nate Kreckman on 92.5 Altitude Sports Radio.

Okay, Mr. Kreckman. What should Minnesota reporters, who were IN DENVER, have asked him?

"Hey, specifically, why is Cam Johnson a bad defender? Specifically, why is Aaron Gordon a bad defender? What is it in your game plan that you're trying to specifically target these guys?" Kreckman said. "Maybe that's just the basketball dork in me, and I'd rather just talk about the game. But I'm glad that he said that, and I'm glad that I have a window into his actual opinions of the Denver Nuggets. I'm not even going to necessarily say I don't agree with some of his opinions about the Denver Nuggets, but I have follow-up questions."

Kreckman then addressed McDaniels' pregame media session on Thursday morning, when longtime WCCO-TV sports anchor Mike Max asked McDaniels if he was trying to be a leader with his claim that Denver is terrible on defense.

"The one guy in there that asked the question, and you could tell he was the grizzled old columnist guy, was like, 'Did you take it upon yourself to be a leader and say these things right there?' That was actually a good question," Kreckman said. "That leads to a broader discussion. How do your teammates feel about you having said all of that? Is everybody on board? Is Chris Finch on board, etc.? How does everybody else feel about this? What have the internal discussions been like? Because what you said, again, is outside of typical athlete pablum."

Jaden McDaniels addressed his comments saying the Nuggets are all bad defenders.

No one asked him to explain WHY the Nuggets are bad defenders.@NateKreckman @Andy_Lindahl pic.twitter.com/2tHn3Z6dk5

— 92.5 FM - Denver's Altitude Sports Radio (@AltitudeSR) April 23, 2026

Kreckman could've asked those questions himself had he covered the game in person. It's a bit strange to criticize Minnesota reporters who traveled to Denver when he's literally in Denver hosting a daily radio show.

The reason Minnesota reporters didn't ask follow-up questions is probably that everyone already knows the answers. Denver's 110.1 defensive rating is ninth out of 16 teams in the playoffs, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The Wolves outscored the Nuggets 68-34 in the paint in Game 3, and 46% of their shots were layups, dunks, or tip-ins. That ranks in the 98th percentile for shots at the rim, according to Cleaning the Glass.

How does a team get to the rim so often? Playing a team that doesn't have a stopper on the perimeter, nor a protector at the rim, is the secret sauce. Minnesota's guards treated Denver's perimeter defenders like the Los Angeles Rams treated the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line in the 2025 playoffs, with nine sacks. People lost jobs over that disaster.

What's funny is that Minnesota has been a turnover-prone team all season, especially late in games. But Denver doesn't have the defenders to pressure Minnesota into turnovers.

Turnovers could swing this series.Denver takes care of the ball, averaging just 12.9 TOs per game (3rd best). The Wolves are at 14.9 (19th).

Minnesota’s turnover issues are well known, especially late in games. But this might actually be a favorable matchup. Denver has the… pic.twitter.com/voKL7pO8N5

— Wolf Wise Statistics (@WolfWiseStats) April 13, 2026

Kreckman knows the truth. Just like McDaniels knew it when he said it after Game 2. The only way Denver can win this series is by outscoring Minnesota, and that's going to be difficult when the Wolves can get to the rim almost any time they want, all while sending ferocious defenders like McDaniels and Rudy Gobert at the Nuggets' top players.