Saturday night at the Pepsi Center will be about finger waves and bravado. About on-court excellence and off-the-court stewardship. About overcoming the odds to lift a team, a city and fill his home country with joy, admiration and pride.

Saturday night for the Nuggets is about Dikembe Mutombo.

The giant was gentle to everyone but players driving down the lane toward him. The Nuggets will honor Mutombo, one of the most beloved players in franchise history, by retiring his jersey.

What’s his lasting impact? Let three people give their view.

The General Manager

Mutombo isn’t a Nuggets legend if Bernie Bickerstaff, the team’s general manager in 1991 when the big man was drafted No. 4 overall, didn’t select him. And though Bickerstaff desperately wanted the skinny shot-blocker out of Georgetown, it was by no means a slam dunk to get him. It took a bit of sleight of hand to ensure Mutombo would be available. Charlotte, New Jersey and Sacramento had the top three picks.

Bickerstaff takes it from there.

“Charlotte, I knew what they were doing. They had no interest in (Dikembe). Our thing was that Sacramento at that point was trying to get something from us and throw the bluff that they were going to take Mutombo. What we did was tell them we had a deal with New Jersey (at No. 2). Basically we killed the game that Sacramento was trying to play because we told them we could move to two. And New Jersey echoed those sentiments that we were having some discussions. So that basically killed that. But in terms of who we wanted at that time, there was no doubt about that. We wanted the big guy for defensive purposes.

“He was used a lot that first year offensively. Paul (Westhead) was coaching, and Paul had the ability to get big people the ball. I think Dikembe was more interested in getting that basketball down on that block that first year. And then he evolved into who he was, and the reason he’s in the Hall of Fame is because of his defense.

“You talk about (Bill) Russell, I don’t think there’s anybody in his class defensively. But (Mutombo) had this innate intelligence and ability to read offenses. And even if you put him on the perimeter, if you got by him, his recovery and his chase down was right on the money because he knew angles. You’d think you had a layup after you got by him, but he was there.”

The Teammate

Robert Pack still looks like he can take a steal the length of the court and jam it home. The tank of a guard played alongside Mutombo, most notably on that beloved 1994 team, which was the first No. 8 playoff seed in NBA history to beat a No. 1 seed.

This is Pack, in his own words, smiling the entire time as he discussed playing alongside Mutombo.

“The guy was an amazing player, an amazing teammate. And I think when he was there in Denver he loved the city and took a lot of pride in the city and us doing well for the city. He gave his all to Denver and that organization, so for him to be now getting this I think is well-deserved.

“That was my boy. We had plenty of laughs together, plenty of long conversations over dinner. I just loved playing with the guy. I tell guys all the time, I spent many nights driving to McNichols (Arena) thinking of how many gambles I was going to take, to try and get a steal and a dunk to get the crowd going because I knew if I made a mistake he had my back, back there. As a point guard, being able to play defense out there knowing that I’m not trying to let my guy beat me, but if he does I’ve got protection behind me. He gave us confidence with that.

“Most people think the finger wave came from him blocking guys’ shots. I think it came from him waving his finger at Mahmoud (Abdul-Rauf), Bryant Stith and myself because we fouled the guy instead of letting him get to the basket so he could get a block. So he would tell us: No, no, no. That finger wave originated with him getting on us about fouling the guy and taking a blocked shot away from him.

“He’s a clown. People don’t know. That guy’s a lot of fun. Smart guy. Very passionate about a lot of things in particular, all of the work he’s doing with his charities and things, a real big heart. But he’s a fun guy, real fun to be around. And for that guy to be in the position of being a leader of the team and still have that type of engaging personality, it was good for the whole team.

“When he came in as a rookie and he established himself right off the bat as somebody that was going to have an impact on this league and be a force, he made you know that when you came to Denver, there’s going to be problems getting to that basket. And I think he set the tone for the organization during that period.”

Mr. New School

Kenneth Faried doesn’t hesitate when the subject turns to Mutombo. He says he looked up to the sultan of swat as a kid. Faried’s interactions with Mutombo as an adult further cemented his love for the Hall of Famer.

“I looked up to him, big-time. His defensive prowess and the things he did on the court was amazing. But the off the court stuff is even more meaningful to me, just the person he is, the type of humanitarian he is, the type of ambassador he is, he’s just amazing. I love people like that, who don’t care what they’re doing on the court, but moreso off the court and impacting the world.

“We played in a little summer thing last year. That was fun and exciting and we talked then. We talked before that. When I saw him at the All Star games I’d go visit and just have a conversation with him, pick his brain, see what he thinks. Inspiration in leadership from vets like that is great. He wasn’t my vet, but I’m saying, a legend.”

PORTLAND AT DENVER, 7 p.m. Saturday, ALT, 950 AM

Spotlight on Damian Lillard: The high-scoring point guard is right at the top of the Nuggets’ list of players to try and slow down – and that’s much easier said than done. The guard exploded out of the gate, scoring 39 points in the Blazers’ season opener, and is averaging 34 points per game.

Nuggets: Shooting guard Gary Harris and forward Darrell Arthur participated in the majority of practice Friday, but Arthur, who is dealing with knee rehab, said he will not play against Portland. He is hoping to be ready for Monday’s game at Toronto. Harris is closer to playing, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he would like to see both Harris and Arthur go through a full practice before putting them out there. Harris, Malone said, is day-to-day.

Trail Blazers: Portland comes into town on the heels of a loss to the Clippers on Thursday night. The Blazers are the favorite to win the Northwest Division, which has been dominated by Oklahoma City in recent years. But with Kevin Durant gone to Golden State, the division title seems wide open for the taking. … The Blazers have won 11 of the past 12 regular-season games against the Nuggets, dating back to the 2013-14 season, including three of four last season.