Head Coach Possibility?

[NuggetsWY]

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/professional/denver/2018/03/23/opinion-would-becky-hammon-right-denver-nuggets/453333002/

Denver Nuggets want to put fans in the seats? How about hiring the first female head coach?

[The Rebel]

I doubt that puts fans in the seat, and while she has earned an opportunity I do not see Malone being fired this year and I hope she gets a head coaching job soon.

[skywalker33]

Gotta think Ettore Messina and Chris Finch make that list

[SoCalNuggsFan]

We need someone with a defensive system. I’ve been pretty anti-fire Malone to this point, but millsap is back and we’re still embarrassingly bad on defense.

Murray - plays with effort, not terrible
Harris - Good
Chandler - Good when engaged
Millsap - Great
Jokic - solid

D. Harris - sub par
Barton - Awful
Lyles - Pretty bad
Plumlee - bad

That rotation shouldn’t be bottom 5 defensively. That points to bad scheme. That doesn’t bode well for Malone, who is supposed to be a defensive minded coach. Bring in someone that can hide some of the guys’ deficiencies on defense and is willing to let the offense be free-flowing.

[Zaccaibone]

I dont know about it

[THE J0KER]

She would be a risky experiment, but still a better option from my point of view than Malone, but if we really want to risk with an assistant who never worked as NBA head-coach I will go with SAS Ettore Messina or UTA Igor Kokoshkov. Their qualities are increased in teams with many international players, and Denver is one for sure.

But my personal #1 option is still David Fizdale.

[NuggetsWY]

She would be a risky experiment, but still a better option from my point of view than Malone, but if we really want to risk with an assistant who never worked as NBA head-coach I will go with SAS Ettore Messina or UTA Igor Kokoshkov. Their qualities are increased in teams with many international players, and Denver is one for sure.

But my personal #1 option is still David Fizdale.

Interesting - I will agree with Messina for sure but hadn't thought about Kokoshkov. Don't know too much about him. Sure didn't think about Fizdale. I like him, but I'm not sure he's the man we want at the top of this team. Great personality but I'm not sure that's the most important thing. We have players that appear to be easy to deal with, for the most part. Just not sure about his offense/defense schemes. Then again, I'm not sure he'd be a bad choice either. Just not sold either way.

My first choice still remains Messina. My second choice is more of a reach: Chris Finch.

[MidMountain]

I'm against changing coaches just for the sake of a change. In my mind, Malone is an average coach. I give it a 50/50 that someone else is better/worse than him. Shaw was well regarded and seemed very promising. He had a strong pedigree, an endorsement from a HoF coach, and former players really responded to him. We all saw how that ended up. I'm not in favor of a coaching change unless it is a clear improvement. I don't want to take another chance on a promising young assistant with no head coaching experience (or no history of winning) and risk another Shaw.

[THE J0KER]

about Kokoshkov

He is Serbian, but he is also the head coach of Slovenia National team last couple of years. Here are popular rumors that if Suns or Kings draft Doncic (Slovenia NT young star), Kokoshkov will go to Phoenix or Sacramento next season as head coach. If not, I guess he will be available for all other teams, and mostly because of Jokic it would be a good solution for Denver IMO.

[Powder Blue]

I'm against changing coaches just for the sake of a change. In my mind, Malone is an average coach. I give it a 50/50 that someone else is better/worse than him. Shaw was well regarded and seemed very promising. He had a strong pedigree, an endorsement from a HoF coach, and former players really responded to him. We all saw how that ended up. I'm not in favor of a coaching change unless it is a clear improvement. I don't want to take another chance on a promising young assistant with no head coaching experience (or no history of winning) and risk another Shaw.

Won’t know it’s a clear improve until next season but I’ll refer to a tweet I saw....

Read on Twitter

[The Rebel]

I'm against changing coaches just for the sake of a change. In my mind, Malone is an average coach. I give it a 50/50 that someone else is better/worse than him. Shaw was well regarded and seemed very promising. He had a strong pedigree, an endorsement from a HoF coach, and former players really responded to him. We all saw how that ended up. I'm not in favor of a coaching change unless it is a clear improvement. I don't want to take another chance on a promising young assistant with no head coaching experience (or no history of winning) and risk another Shaw.

Being afraid to make a mistake is how you end up with a mediocre coach and roster, sorry but that is the worst reason I have heard not to fire Malone. Although that is how this front office operates, which is why we have a capped out roster with a large majority of the money going to 1 position where $20 million in salaries sit on the bench with no hope of playing nightly. Which is why they will not fire Malone and we will end up with basically the same roster we have this year sans Barton.

Also Shaw was highly regarded in the media but we were the 12th team he had interviewed for and the Lakers had refused to put him as head coach after being talked about as the heir apparent there for years, there were plenty of signs that he was not a great candidate.

[The Rebel]

I'm against changing coaches just for the sake of a change. In my mind, Malone is an average coach. I give it a 50/50 that someone else is better/worse than him. Shaw was well regarded and seemed very promising. He had a strong pedigree, an endorsement from a HoF coach, and former players really responded to him. We all saw how that ended up. I'm not in favor of a coaching change unless it is a clear improvement. I don't want to take another chance on a promising young assistant with no head coaching experience (or no history of winning) and risk another Shaw.

Won’t know it’s a clear improve until next season but I’ll refer to a tweet I saw....

Read on Twitter

I agree with you and this fan that tweeted Mares, in any business or anything in life being afraid of making a mistakes usually causes more mistakes and things to be mediocre at best, it is time to fire Malone, but our front office and media are happy with this team being mediocre.

[TheGr81]

Kokoskov won the gold at EuroBasket 2017 with Slovenian NT. They won gold by clearly outcoaching, outrunning and outshooting every opponent. They played super fast and physical but fantastically organized on both offense and defense. Slovenian players have never played better, every single player not only significantly contributed and had a clear role in the team, they played better than ever before or after. For example, scrub like Vidmar (center) seemed like a beast, especially against Gasols and Spain. Dragic and Doncic played better than ever since their strengths were used to the max. btw Slovenia beat Spain (the big favorites) in SF by 20p and the Spanish coach looked lost and clueless.

This proves that not only Kokoskov deserves the chance, this proves that he is easily one of the best coaches in the NBA and that he should have gotten the head coach role long time ago. He is a phd compared to Malone, he knows how to use every single player to his individual max and fit him into the system at the same time. And his system adopts to players he has and he also adopts to each opponent. Young Denver players would flourish with him as the head coach and team would be well organized, Jokic-centric on offense as it should be, everybody would have adequate role and there would not be stupid lapses in games and no stupid loses against bad teams.

Kokoskov as the coach would be the real deal. Playoffs guaranteed with him, 3rd or 4th spot in the West (instead of Portland) probable.

[The Rebel]

She would be a risky experiment, but still a better option from my point of view than Malone, but if we really want to risk with an assistant who never worked as NBA head-coach I will go with SAS Ettore Messina or UTA Igor Kokoshkov. Their qualities are increased in teams with many international players, and Denver is one for sure.

But my personal #1 option is still David Fizdale.

Interesting - I will agree with Messina for sure but hadn't thought about Kokoshkov. Don't know too much about him. Sure didn't think about Fizdale. I like him, but I'm not sure he's the man we want at the top of this team. Great personality but I'm not sure that's the most important thing. We have players that appear to be easy to deal with, for the most part. Just not sure about his offense/defense schemes. Then again, I'm not sure he'd be a bad choice either. Just not sold either way.

My first choice still remains Messina. My second choice is more of a reach: Chris Finch.

Any coach that feuded with Marc Gasol is a no for me. Fizdale lasted 1 year with the Grizzlies and the entire time he was having trouble with a guy who has never been reported to have issues with any coach or teammates. I know everybody loves the guy due to his speech, but I have no interest in him.

I am fine with Messina, Finch, Kokshkov, or anybody else they choose to bring in, but I am not okay if they choose to keep Malone.

[NuggetsWY]

She would be a risky experiment, but still a better option from my point of view than Malone, but if we really want to risk with an assistant who never worked as NBA head-coach I will go with SAS Ettore Messina or UTA Igor Kokoshkov. Their qualities are increased in teams with many international players, and Denver is one for sure.

But my personal #1 option is still David Fizdale.

Interesting - I will agree with Messina for sure but hadn't thought about Kokoshkov. Don't know too much about him. Sure didn't think about Fizdale. I like him, but I'm not sure he's the man we want at the top of this team. Great personality but I'm not sure that's the most important thing. We have players that appear to be easy to deal with, for the most part. Just not sure about his offense/defense schemes. Then again, I'm not sure he'd be a bad choice either. Just not sold either way.

My first choice still remains Messina. My second choice is more of a reach: Chris Finch.

Any coach that feuded with Marc Gasol is a no for me. Fizdale lasted 1 year with the Grizzlies and the entire time he was having trouble with a guy who has never been reported to have issues with any coach or teammates. I know everybody loves the guy due to his speech, but I have no interest in him.

I am fine with Messina, Finch, Kokshkov, or anybody else they choose to bring in, but I am not okay if they choose to keep Malone.

I'd forgotten about that feud - it makes him sound too much like Malone. Being a control-freak with modern athletes just doesn't work. Totally agree with you on this. Thanks for the reminder.

[AGE1207]

If I were Kokoskov, I wouldn't join the Nuggets at this stage. The pressure to make the playoffs is going to be extreme next season and even though I have no doubt about his qualities, Phoenix does seem an easier start as nba head coach.
Obviously, he can also simply stay with us in Salt Lake. He's been doing a great job developing our players.

[The Rebel]

If I were Kokoskov, I wouldn't join the Nuggets at this stage. The pressure to make the playoffs is going to be extreme next season and even though I have no doubt about his qualities, Phoenix does seem an easier start as nba head coach.
Obviously, he can also simply stay with us in Salt Lake. He's been doing a great job developing our players.

So taking a tanking team that is still years away from the playoffs and ruin his future opportunities when they fail is better than a team that should have been in the playoffs? Why don't you like the guy?

[AGE1207]

If I were Kokoskov, I wouldn't join the Nuggets at this stage. The pressure to make the playoffs is going to be extreme next season and even though I have no doubt about his qualities, Phoenix does seem an easier start as nba head coach.
Obviously, he can also simply stay with us in Salt Lake. He's been doing a great job developing our players.

So taking a tanking team that is still years away from the playoffs and ruin his future opportunities when they fail is better than a team that should have been in the playoffs? Why don't you like the guy?

I love the guy and I actually like Denver but u guys would be a much better destination if u made the playoffs this season. I think Kokoskov (or any other starting nba coach for that matter) will need some time to get things going and u guys will want immediate results. So, tons of pressure from day 1.

Besides, that Phoenix roster isn't without talent (either).

[NuggetsWY]

If I were Kokoskov, I wouldn't join the Nuggets at this stage. The pressure to make the playoffs is going to be extreme next season and even though I have no doubt about his qualities, Phoenix does seem an easier start as nba head coach.
Obviously, he can also simply stay with us in Salt Lake. He's been doing a great job developing our players.

So taking a tanking team that is still years away from the playoffs and ruin his future opportunities when they fail is better than a team that should have been in the playoffs? Why don't you like the guy?

I love the guy and I actually like Denver but u guys would be a much better destination if u made the playoffs this season. I think Kokoskov (or any other starting nba coach for that matter) will need some time to get things going and u guys will want immediate results. So, tons of pressure from day 1.

Besides, that Phoenix roster isn't without talent (either).

On the other hand, it seems extremely likely that Denver makes the playoffs next year regardless of who coaches. Our young talent is proving to be quite capable and with a different coach, a more flexible coach, there shouldn't be any issue. Remember the Nuggets were flirting with 4th place in the west before they started their slide.

[AGE1207]

So taking a tanking team that is still years away from the playoffs and ruin his future opportunities when they fail is better than a team that should have been in the playoffs? Why don't you like the guy?

I love the guy and I actually like Denver but u guys would be a much better destination if u made the playoffs this season. I think Kokoskov (or any other starting nba coach for that matter) will need some time to get things going and u guys will want immediate results. So, tons of pressure from day 1.

Besides, that Phoenix roster isn't without talent (either).

On the other hand, it seems extremely likely that Denver makes the playoffs next year regardless of who coaches. Our young talent is proving to be quite capable and with a different coach, a more flexible coach, there shouldn't be any issue. Remember the Nuggets were flirting with 4th place in the west before they started their slide.

True and I am still thinking/hoping u can squeeze in this season actually.

Basically, I am trying to say that if u do go for Kokoskov, u need to go "all in" and give him the necessary time to get his defensive and offensive sets working. No point in appointing him and subsequently call for his head when he starts the season 3-7 or so.