Bret Bearup Exposed!

July 28, 2009
by Jeremy

Editor’s note: Summer league may be over, but that does not mean we have to let it go. Bret Bearup, Mark Warkentien and George Karl were all interviewed during Denver Nuggets games. I was able to get very low quality recordings of the interviews so crank the volume on your computer and enjoy.

We start our troika of interviews with Bret Bearup, the most mysterious of the Nuggets front office muckety mucks. No one really knows exactly what Bearup’s role is with Denver, but he clearly speaks with authority and claims that he recommended both Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman to Denver. I would think that gives him some serious pull.

During the interview Bearup talks about how he is pleased with the progress that Sonny Weems has made, the chances of Coby Karl making the roster and his opinion of George Karl.

Click here to listen.

Listening to what he says about Coby I would not be surprised to find out that the Weems trade was intended to clear up a spot for Karl the Younger. Regarding Ty Lawson, the way he describes the role they see Lawson playing it sounds a lot like what Anthony Carter has done for Denver in the past. I think the Nuggets brass is expecting Lawson to be the backup point guard for most if not all the season.

I also thought it was interesting to hear that he verifies that the room they budgeted for the Camby trade exception was eaten up by acquiring Chauncey Billups. Bearup verifies that the plan was to acquire a point guard with the exception, but once the Billups trade presented itself it plugged that hole in the budget and on the court. Even if they let the exception expire in November, I think everything has worked out pretty well.

Next up is an interview with Warkentien. Look for that tomorrow morning.

Posted on July 28, 2009 at 8:45 pm | filed in Interviews | 1 Comment
  • abs

    The Nuggets need another big, and they need to keep up with the big guys. So how about this trade – Klieza and Hunter for Jefferies and Lee in a sign and trade, using the trade exception. The salaries of Hunter and Klieza (qualifying offer) are about equal to that of Jefferies, so there are no cap issues and taking on Jefferies doesn’t change the salary dynamic this year until you get to Lee’s contract.

    Why the Knicks do it: They want to preseve 2010 cap space, so Lee is expendable, they have coveted Klieza, and they have been looking to shed Jefferies for a while now, since he is signed past 2010. May have to throw in a draft pick, but Denver could send the Clipper’s second round pick next year if need be.

    Why Denver does it: They get the big they desparately need in the form of a young, double double machine who will be signed for the forseeable future, plus a nice defensive-minded veteran forward to put on the Odoms and Gasols of the world. While they would be paying double for Lee’s contract for the next year or two, adding Lee would virtually guarnatee a long playoff stint. With Kenyon Martin’s albatross contract, and Jefferies bad contract, coming off the books in two seasons (Billips too?), in two years they will have added salary room to resign Melo, while not losing a beat as Lee essentially replaces Martin, and that is assuming they can’t unload Martin and/or Jefferies’ expiring contracts before the deadline in 2010-2011, which would mean they’d only have to pay the luxury tax one year (Martin and Jefferies contracts would be like $21 million coming off the books, while Lee would only get around $8-10 a year).

    Thoughts??

    That would be a big commitment for Stan to make, especially considering its not my money, but the Nuggets would be unstoppable next year with Lee added to the mix, and they would look great for the forseeable future, assuming Melo resigns…


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