The Nuggets aren’t exactly making waves when it comes to adding to their roster, but they may be on the verge of making a splash on the coaching front as the latest rumors suggest Denver is interested in hiring Mavericks’ assistant coach, Jared Dudley.
Dudley had a long NBA career and has moved up the ranks quickly as an assistant. He was Jason Kidd’s number three in command last season and has already had several teams sniffing around at him, with the Nuggets being the latest.
The Grizzlies and Cavaliers have already made their interest known, but nothing has come of that pursuit thus far. Now, the Nuggets join the fray as Marc Stein reported on his Substack that they are making a push to steal Dudley away from Dallas and add him to the forefront of David Adelman’s staff.
Adelman needs a strong bench to succeed
Adelman has more than earned this job, but he’s still a young, first-time head coach in the NBA. He’ll need a strong support system around him, especially with the veteran presence of Michael Malone no longer hanging over the locker room.
Dudley would be a strong fit and a rock-solid addition to the staff. As a longtime former player who played in the league not that long ago, he should be able to relate to the players and bring that perspective to the locker room, whereas Adelman and his other assistants only know the other side of the coin.
Splurging on a coaching staff would be a sign of progress
While the Nuggets are limited in their finances when it comes to the roster, there’s no reason the Kroenkes can’t pay to improve the team elsewhere. By promoting from within, the team is already saving money as opposed to going out and hiring a big fish head coach or GM.
The Kroenkes also aren’t exactly fan-favorites at the moment after Josh’s woeful press conference, where he made it sound like he’ll be heavily involved going forward before openly wondering about whether or not Nikola Jokic will sign an extension with the Nuggets, and whether the team will ultimately need to trade him.
Spending big bucks on one of the top available assistant coaches in the league would be a great gesture and step in the right direction. It would also earn the owners some goodwill and show that they are actually committed to winning and want to bring championship basketball back to Denver.