When the Denver Nuggets first placed Jamal Murray on the injury list for a hamstring strain, many believed it was to give him some rest. But he has now missed five straight games, and the news is that he could miss the remainder of the regular season. Recently, former head coach Michael Malone said that he is hopeful Murray will be ready for the playoffs. Now that Malone is out of Denver, a conspiracy has begun to creep out.
Jamal Murray Conspiracy Is Latest Nuggets Crisis
Something is not right in Denver, that much is for sure. The team fired both head coach Malone and general manager Calvin Booth. The two have been on opposite sides for the last year and a half. Malone has asked for more veteran players so he can compete for a championship with Nikola Jokic playing at an MVP level. Booth, on the other hand, believed that the young players he drafted would be ready to step in. The crisis reached its height with both now out of Denver.
However, things might get even murkier, as people are speculating that Jamal Murray might be ready to come back. For example, Nick Wright of First Things First, started the conspiracy by saying,
“So, this is not reporting, this isn’t even informed speculation. This is just me reacting to my role. But if Michael Malone’s press conference where he seemed as confused as anyone about Jamal Murray’s health status. Again, I know nothing on this. I am just, if Michael Malone being fired, all of a sudden makes Jamal Murray’s hamstring feel better, then, for the short term this season, that’s good news for them.”
Nick might be onto something, but it is hard to imagine a veteran like Murray faking his injury just because he doesn’t want to play for a certain coach.
Conspiracy Bill on the Conspiracy
Wright is not the only one who believes in this conspiracy. Bill Simmons of The Ringer weighed in on the matter as well. He said,
“Can we bring conspiracy Bill for a second? I wonder if Jamal Murray is healthy. And if they feel like they’re going the wrong way in the playoffs, and Jamal Murray is not 100% healthy and they lose, and then that becomes the excuse for why they fell apart down the stretch. And it becomes harder to clean house and fire everybody. You just do it now so there’s no excuse. Maybe he’s going to be where he was in December for the playoffs, maybe not.”
To be fair, teams have always looked for a scapegoat for their failures. Will that fall on Murray or Malone for the Nuggets this season? In any case, the timing of the firing is insane. You never let a coach go with three games left to play in the season and get ready for the playoffs.
How Serious is Jamal Murray’s Injury?
Hamstring injuries are not easy to recover from. The little strain can turn into something worse when put under pressure. Hamstring strains are among the most common injuries in sports because athletes play at a high degree of speed, power, and agility. For argument’s sake, according to the medical world, a Grade 1 hamstring strain usually needs rest from sporting activities for about three weeks. Grade 2 injuries require a minimum of four to eight weeks. Recently, former coach Malone talked about Jamal Murray injury status. He said,
“Jamal’s hurt. It’s not careful. He’s hurt. So there’s a big difference. Careful is if a guy can play and you want to be smart. We’re not in a situation to do that. There are six teams vying for four spots. So if Jamal Murray is not out there, it’s not careful. It’s because he literally just is not able to play at the moment.”
Modern medicine has gone a long way in helping athletes recover from injuries. We will have to wait and see whether treatment will help Murray get back to his old self. Or maybe he just needed a reset button on his coach. In any case, conspiracies will follow this Nuggets team through the playoffs. Their mental strength will be put to test and we will see how they react to it.
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