Stan Kroenke is worth a cool $7.5 billion, give or take the price of his 500,000-acre ranch in Texas. Everything he touches turns to gold — except the Nuggets, Avalanche and Rapids. Why can’t a billionaire’s sports teams buy a victory?

There is one certain way to know if a big-league Denver franchise stinks.

Look for the Kroenke label.

The Nuggets, defiant and desperate in pursuit of their first postseason appearance since 2013, made one of the more mystifying trades in recent NBA history, sending center Jusuf Nurkic to Portland in a deal that enabled the Blazers to pass Denver for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Has anyone mentioned what an ill-advised move that was? Well, when general manager Tim Connelly passed me in the hallway of the Pepsi Center on the day after the team’s final game, he said: “My ears are burning.”

The Avalanche, a once-proud NHL franchise, finished with the worst record in the league since the turn of the century, then lost the draft lottery. But don’t worry. Be happy. Instead of holding general manager Joe Sakic accountable for this mess and tightening his margin for error, Josh Kroenke insisted: “Joe’s leash hasn’t changed at all.”

The Rapids, who were a pleasant surprise a year ago, have forgotten how to get off a shot, much less score a goal. As with the other two teams in a Denver sports empire built by his father, Josh has opened the family checkbook to upgrade the talent. A heavy bet on 38-year-old goalkeeper Tim Howard, being paid a $2.48 million salary in 2017, has yet to return big dividends. The Rapids have won only once in seven games, three of which Howard missed by losing his cool and getting suspended. Want to find the Rapids in the standings? Start at the bottom.

Kroenke the younger is no longer a kid. The training wheels as a sports executive are off. He is 36 years old. He’s a smart man, a hard-working man and a patient man. I have asked him more than once if he is stretched too thin while trying to oversee an NBA franchise, an NHL team and a MLS club. He steadfastly says no.

But are the Nuggets, Avs and Rapids being properly managed? My opinion doesn’t really matter. Here’s what does: scoreboard, baby.

The fans of Denver are bighearted and forgiving, but they’re no fools. They ain’t buying whatever Kroenke is selling.

The Nuggets ranked dead last, 30th of 30 NBA teams, in attendance during the 2016-17 season.

The Avalanche finished 25th of 30 NHL teams in attendance, ahead of places like Florida and Arizona, where folks have a natural aversion to ice.

The Rapids? Yes, the season’s young and spring weather in Colorado can be fickle. But their home crowds are among the bottom three in the league. Related Articles September 15, 2020 Kiszla: The Nuggets did what? How Joker and his little buddy Jamal shocked the Clippers and the NBA world (again).

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There’s no quibble with the cash Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has thrown at its big-league problems in Denver. The Kroenke family isn’t cheap. But it hasn’t exactly been smart money.

Connelly has discovered gems in the NBA draft, but the team’s locker room smells suspiciously like petty jealousy. After Sakic overestimated the abilities of the Avalanche’s young core, let’s see if center Matt Duchene is traded as a scapegoat for the boss’ poor roster design. The Rapids are a gritty defensive team that aspires to play beautiful soccer, so it shouldn’t be a shock the results have been ugly.

Maybe winning is too much to expect from the Nuggets, Avs and Rapids.

But for $7.5 billion, could the Kroenke teams at least buy a clue?