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Rockets interested in Nuggets assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr.

By Quenton S. Albertie

Nov 20, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. in the second quarter of the game against the Houston Rockets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. in the second quarter of the game against the Houston Rockets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Denver Nuggets lead assistant Wes Unseld Jr. has the Houston Rockets’ attention.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has said many times that assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr., who was behind the team’s defensive improvements in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, deserves to be a head coach.

After there was initial speculation that the Chicago Bulls (now run by former Nuggets general manager Arturos Karnisovas) would have interest in Unseld before they pegged Billy Donovan as their new head coach, Malone may finally be getting his wish.

According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Unseld is in the shortlist of candidates that the Houston Rockets have interest in hiring as head coach after Mike D’Antoni’s departure:

Doc Rivers, Tyronn Lue, Jeff Van Gundy, Kenny Atkinson, Stephen Silas and “possibly” Sam Cassell also have drawn interest from the Rockets.

Silas and Unseld, both the sons of former head coaches, are the only two members of this group without head coaching experience. Unless Houston is looking for a leader who is new and has an approach that’s relatively unknown, it would seem that this distinction puts the duo at a disadvantage.

Nonetheless, Unseld could be a worthwhile acquisition for the Rockets. As an assistant for both Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors, Unseld has plenty of experience with teams who have two dynamic guards. While he was with the Wizards it was Gilbert Arenas and John Wall, and with the Warriors it was Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry.

If talked with getting the best out of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, there’s reason to believe he can fare well.

Until going to Denver, Unseld’s teams never made it to the playoffs, and that may work against him even though he wasn’t the head coach. However, Unseld’s experience in helping coach teams with a solid big man (like Nikola Jokic, Dwight Howard, and Nikola Vucevic) could mean a stylistic change for Houston, who would have benefited from having more size at center.

Next. Offseason improvements for MPJ to make. dark

Unseld could, of course, get passed over by Houston. However, he would be an intriguing addition to a Western Conference foe.

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