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Tag: Coban Porter

  • Michael Porter Jr. embraces Nuggets brotherhood amid family sorrow

    Michael Porter Jr. embraces Nuggets brotherhood amid family sorrow

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    DENVER — Nobody needed basketball more this week than Michael Porter Jr.

    “I definitely tried to compartmentalize,” Porter Jr. said after the Nuggets Game 1 victory over Los Angeles. “Some bad stuff and some sad stuff happened to my brothers.”

    In the span of two days, Michael Porter Jr. watched one younger brother — Jontay — gamble his way to a lifetime ban from the NBA.

    Then, his youngest brother — Coban — was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a young woman in a drunk driving crash.

    “I wish it was me,” Michael Porter Jr. said testifying at the sentencing hearing on Friday — the day before Denver opened up the playoffs against the Lakers. “As the older brother in the family, I wish it was me. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life, I wish it was me not Coban.”

    Michael Porter Jr. missed practice to be at that hearing, but the entire team made sure he knew that his family was on their hearts.

    “Each one of them texted me separately and told me they got my back and if I needed anything they got me,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “To have these guys understand why I missed practice and have my back has been big for me.”

    After all of that, the hardwood floor at Ball Arena proved to be a sanctuary for MPJ on Saturday night.

    “That’s why basketball is such a beautiful thing,” Nikola Jokic said after watching Michael Porter Jr. score 19 points and help Denver claim a 1-0 series lead over Los Angeles. “You don’t think about [anything] but what’s going on on the floor.”

    “There’s so much going on for Michael Porter Jr. and his family,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. “This allows him to get back to doing something not only that he loves but that he does very well.”

    MPJ, along with the rest of the Nuggets, got off to a slow start in Game 1. It’s hard to believe that had nothing to do with the pain inevitably weighing on his heart.

    “We’re human, we carry our emotions and the things that go on off the court onto the court,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “I’m mentally tough, I’ve been though a lot my whole career so it was just another one of those things that I had to play through.”

    Leaning on perseverance and championship experience, MPJ and the team as a whole found a rhythm in the second half and imposed their will on the Lakers in what turned out to be a comfortable victory.

    “For his mindset to be where it is, I applaud him,” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said of Porter Jr. “We’re going to keep him, as a brother, we’re going to keep him straight.”

    The mental strength displayed by Michael Porter Jr. is nothing short of Herculean.

    He’s battled back surgeries, physical and mental pain — now, sorrow and scandal among his siblings.

    During these dark moments, Michael Porter Jr. leans on faith and family to provide warmth.

    “I’ve got 15, 16 more brothers in [the locker room],” Porter Jr. said. “I knew I had to be here for them and come in here and do my job.”

    “Of course family is the first thing but we are some kind of family too,” Jokic said. “Hopefully he’s going to find peace and he’s going to be in a good spot mentally.”

    Winning won’t cure everything, but it works as a soothing balm for now.

    While the tempest rages around Porter Jr., throwing himself into work — at this time of year — may be a championship decision.

    Michael Porter Jr. embraces Nuggets brotherhood amid family sorrow

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    Nick Rothschild

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  • Renck: Michael Porter Jr. finds support from teammates as he seeks refuge on court

    Renck: Michael Porter Jr. finds support from teammates as he seeks refuge on court

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    There is a chair in front of Michael Porter Jr.’s locker where the artwork rests. It was a gift from teammates Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray, a reminder that there is no paved road back to an NBA title. It reads simply: “I am going to do today what others won’t, so that tomorrow I can do what others can’t.”

    Porter looked back at the picture Saturday night with comfort.

    “I have to go hang that up at the house,” Porter said.

    Porter, 25, had an awful week off the court. Wednesday, his brother Jontay, 24, a former Toronto Raptors reserve, received a lifetime ban from the NBA for allegedly betting on basketball and disclosing confidential information to bettors. Two days later, Coban, 22, a former University of Denver guard, received a six-year prison sentence for a drunken driving crash that killed a 42-year-old woman last year.

    Porter missed Nuggets practice Friday to testify on Coban’s behalf, telling the judge how Coban provided a source of motivation growing up, always pushing him to work harder and get better.

    “It’s not often a big brother looks up to his little brother,” Porter said.

    It was against this backdrop that Porter entered the playoffs. The scrutiny only amplified because of the stakes and the opponent.

    Would MPJ be able to find refuge on the court?

    What unfurled suggests the playoffs will remain a continuation of the best stretch of his career. Porter delivered 19 points and eight rebounds in the Nuggets’ 114-103 Game 1 victory. He did not turn the ball over. His length and athleticism caused fits for the Lakers.

    “I definitely tried to compartmentalize — some bad and sad stuff with a couple of my brothers,” Porter said. “But I’ve got, you know, 15, 16 more brothers in here. I knew I had to be here for them, and come in and do my job and prepare to do it at a high level.”

    Basketball offers an escape, a two-hour diversion from reality. Yet the specter of what has happened to Porter’s family is inescapable. No one would have been surprised had he been distracted. What Saturday revealed offers hope for this postseason. The caring and trust of teammates is real, genuine. Without it, there is movement but no progress.

    “For his mindset to be where it is, I applaud him,” guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “We are going to keep him as a brother and keep him straight.”

    Porter appreciates the environment his teammates have created, enveloping him with a cocoon of support. After all, he is not pretending to be immune from what has happened in his personal life.

    “Each one of them texted me separately and just told me that they’ve got my back. That if I need anything they’ve got me,” Porter said. “We’re human, so we carry our emotions and the things that go on off of the court, onto the court. But I am mentally tough.”

    As an X-factor, Porter creates options and questions, a refrain that has followed him since he was drafted. His talent is unique – a 6-foot-10 wing capable of living behind the arc and working the boards. When the Nuggets defense intensified in the third quarter – Denver outscored the Lakers 32-18 – it created opportunities in transition. During these times, Porter thrives, drifting to the corners for wide-open looks.

    The Lakers have no answer for the Nuggets bigs, most notably the future three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Coach Darvin Ham insisted, like he did a year ago, that there are adjustments they held back as part of the series chess match. Riiiiight. Is he saving them for a beach volleyball game in Cancun?

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    Troy Renck

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