The 2015 NBA draft is less than a month away and the Denver Nuggets still do not have a head coach. Denver may have narrowed down its search to Mike Malone, Mike D'Antoni and Melvin Hunt, according to the latest reports.
Denver is still in search of its next coach after the midseason firing of Brian Shaw. Malone is considered to be one of the three top contenders for the vacancy and reportedly met with Nuggets management on Wednesday, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
"The Denver Nuggets on Wednesday interviewed former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Malone for their coaching vacancy, according to league sources," Stein wrote Thursday. "Sources told ESPN.com that Malone has joined Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt and former Suns, Knicks and Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni on the list of candidates known to be under strong consideration by Nuggets officials."
Malone earned his first head-coaching job in the summer of 2013 with Sacramento, but he lasted only 1 1/2 seasons before the team fired in December 2014. He's a defensive-minded coach, but if the Nuggets are looking for a run-and-gun kind of offense, they'll have to look elsewhere.
D'Antoni is another serious contender for the vacancy, according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo Sports.
"Mike D'Antoni met with Denver Nuggets management to discuss the franchise's head coaching opening, league sources told Yahoo Sports," Wojnarowski wrote Wednesday. "Denver general manager Tim Connelly conducted a sit-down with D'Antoni in California on Tuesday, league sources said."
D'Antoni's first head-coaching job was lasted one season with Denver during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. The Nuggets likely are attracted to his up-tempo style of offense, which would work well with speedy point guard Ty Lawson - if Denver doesn't trade him first.
Finally, there's Hunt, who took over as the interim coach after Shaw was fired. Hunt was able to do some positive things in his short stint as interim coach, and the team seemed to respond to him. Many reports peg him as the frontrunner for the head-coaching job.
Denver is the last remaining team without a head coach. The other big question Nuggets president Josh Kroenke needs to figure out is whether he will blow up the team this summer and undergo a rebuild.
