The Balkan Bear can dance.
“Dance with the girls? Yes. With the boys? No,” Nuggets rookie Jusuf Nurkic told me Monday.
The NBA season is upon us, which in Denver is news that often induces yawning. But there is one reason to get pumped up about the Nuggets, and I can explain it in two words:
Jusuf! Nurkic!
“He brings the pain, offensively and defensively,” Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said.
At 6-foot-11 and 280 pounds, Nurkic is already as big as a bear, and apparently isn’t done growing. His father weighs 450 pounds, with fists the size of sledgehammers.
“Next to him, I feel so small,” Nurkic admitted.
The Nuggets, as we all know, are not so hot at winning championships. But they have always been good at producing colorful characters that inspire Halloween costumes and nicknames.
So get ready, Denver: In the grand tradition of Birdman and the Manimal, here comes Nurkic, the Balkan Bear.
In one respect, Shaw goes so far as to compare Nurkic to Shaquille O’Neal. The Balkan Bear and Shaq are both light on their feet.
“Shaq could do every dance that somebody Ty Lawson’s size can. I think you guys witnessed it when Shaq got up at the All-Star Game in 2009 with the Jabbawockeez,” said Shaw, recalling how O’Neal danced onto the court, in what has to be one of the more unique player introductions in league history.
Within 10 minutes of walking into Nuggets practice on Monday, I saw the Balkan Bear bust teammate Kenneth Faried in the lip with an elbow and nearly make 7-foot Timofey Mozgov disappear with a wrestling hold under the basket.
“Everybody in this league can jump. But there are not so many strong guys,” said Nurkic, who accuses American players of shamelessly flopping, which he insists is frowned upon in Europe. If Nurkic is strong enough to turn that stereotype on its ear, then maybe the Balkan Bear is even stronger than he looks.
His basketball hero?
“Kobe Bryant is my legend,” Nurkic said.
He unabashedly admitted playing against the Los Angeles Lakers superstar during a preseason game was such an overwhelming thrill that the entire arena went dark for him except for the vision of Kobe. For Nurkic, this was a hoops dream come true that was akin to a high school boy walking into chemistry class, only to discover the substitute teacher for the day was Megan Fox.
When Denver used a lottery pick to choose Doug McDermott from Creighton with the 11th pick in the first round, the cheers of Nuggets Nation morphed into curses for general manager Tim Connelly, when he traded down to take the 20-year-old Bosnian.
After averaging nearly nine rebounds in only 18 minutes per game during the preseason, however, Nurkic has claimed the No. 2 spot on the depth chart at center, ahead of JaVale McGee and his $11.25 million salary.
“I think the things that jumped out for me is his rebounds per minute is through the roof, and how nimble (Nurkic) is for a guy who’s as big and heavy as he is,” Shaw said.
Is there anything the Balkan Bear can’t do? I asked Nurkic if he can indeed dance. With perhaps something lost in translation, he seemed a bit perplexed by my question, repeating he would not dance with me, although he would be happy to show off his dance moves with a woman. Nurkic added one more caveat: No rap.
“I like my music. Balkan music,” he said.
Suffice it to say that “Balkan Pop Music” would not be my strongest “Jeopardy!” category. But whether it’s Emir Kusturica and the No Smoking Orchestra or some other rock band from Sarajevo, the sound crew at the Pepsi Center should have no trouble finding a song that helps Nurkic feel at home and makes the crowd go wild as the big rookie peels off his sweats and reports in at the scorer’s table.
When the Balkan Bear checks in the game, Nuggets fans can make him feel as welcome in America as Norm did every time he entered “Cheers” for beer, by rising from their arena seats to shout:
“Jusuf!”
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla