Denver Nuggets Coaching Search Begins in Earnest

At the final buzzer of Wednesday night’s loss to the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, the Denver Nuggets seas came to an unceremonious close finishing with 30-52 record. But this could be one of the busiest offseasons in recent Nuggets history. The first order of business is to hire a head coach. Although Melvin Hunt did a very commendable job in his 23 game job interview, not many believe that Hunt is a real candidate to get the job on a full-time basis.

Rumors are flying all over social media, and the pundits at every sports organization are weighing in on who should be the next Nuggets coach, and why. There have been rumors of at least a half dozen potential candidates floating around and I have listed some of them with my opinion of their potential to be the next Nuggets coach.

Mike D’Antoni: He has been the frontrunner since Brian Shaw was fired in March for a number of reasons. He has coached here before, he runs the type of offense that seems to be the only way to win in Denver and with the current roster, and he has playoff background. He is considered something of a “Mad Scientist” when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, but his teams notoriously don’t play any defense.

If D’Antoni is hired it will be interesting to see what the Nugget do with their roster. Kenneth Faried would fit beautifully into D’Antoni’s system with his high energy play and leaping ability. Ty Lawson might benefit from that system as well because he showed under George Karl that he can run the up-tempo scheme.

Wilson Chandler, Will Barton, Erick Green and Gary Harris all would seem to be good fits for a D’Antoni coached team as well. The one player that may not fit with this system is up and coming center Yusef Nurkic. He has the athleticism to run the floor but we haven’t seen enough of him at that pace to make a sure judgment. I think D’Antoni is the favorite in the clubhouse this point and I would say it’s better than 50-50 that he gets the job.

Dec 9, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Michael Malone in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Lakers won 98-95. won Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Malone: The former Sacramento Kings coach shows up on many lists of potential Nuggets head coaching candidates. He was fired earlier in the 2014-2015 NBA season when the Kings were struggling at the beginning of the year. Many of those struggles can be blamed on the Kings having serious injury issues during the first month of the season and Malone is highly thought of in NBA circles as a very good NBA mind.

Malone has been around the league as he was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Hornets so he has coached under varying styles. Malone may be a good fit but I wouldn’t put him at or near the top of the Nuggets list for their next head coach. I give him less than a 20% chance to be hired by the Nuggets.

Mar 12, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators coach

Billy Donovan

disagrees with a call during the first half of the second round against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Billy Donovan: The University of Florida coach has come up recently as a possibility for Nuggets head coach. He entertained an offer two years ago and actually accepted it from the Orlando Magic before changing his mind and returning to Florida. Some of his former Gator players have said (Most notably Bradley Beal) that he is definitely intending on seeking out an NBA job this offseason.

Donovan might be the most intriguing name on this list as he has a great track record as a college coach having won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007 and holds an overall NCAA Tournament record of 35-12 while going to 4 final fours and winning the two championships. Donovan would definitely bring a new energy to the Nuggets with his fiery personality and great knowledge of offensive basketball.

I think the Nuggets will interview Donovan for the job if he accepts the request, and could be the dark horse candidate to be the next Nuggets coach. He would fall into that 50-50 category for me due to the intrigue of his possible hiring.

Apr 15, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach

Scott Brooks

stands on the sidelines in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Scott Brooks: If the speculation is correct and Brooks is, indeed, fired by the Oklahoma City Thunder, I think the Nuggets would be stupid to pass on a chance to let Brooks take the reigns of this team. He has significant NBA success, coached two of the most dynamic players in the league and taken his teams to the playoffs every year except this one. He is also a former Nuggets player and that tie cannot be denied.

Brooks might even have an interest in the Nuggets because of the roster. There are many players that are similar to those he has coached with the Thunder and could help them to improve and play to the potential we all know they have. Brooks would be my first choice if he becomes available so we will have to wait and see what the Thunder do, but this would be a huge hire for the Nuggets if they can pull it off. I have to list his odds at less than 5% but that would jump all the way to 75% if he is fired by the Thunder.

Apr 13, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Melvin Hunt reacts in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Clippers won 110-103. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Melvin Hunt: Hunt did a very good job righting the ship for the Nuggets when he took over for Shaw but I don’t think his chances are that great to hold onto the job full time. He went a respectable 10-13 in his 23 games at the helm and got the Nuggets back to playing hard, playing together, and playing to win. The results weren’t perfect but really good considering how the season was spiraling out of control before Shaw’s firing.

The players love him, the league as a whole thinks he is a great man in many aspects of basketball and his demeanor is such that he may be able to help convince Free Agents to come to Denver. With all that being said, I think the Nuggets want to make something of a splash with this hire and if that is the case I don’t give Hunt more than a 25% chance to be the permanent head coach.

It is going to be a very interesting offseason and I feel that the next Nuggets coach will be one of the keys to getting the Nuggets into playoff contention right away.

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