Head Coach Possibility?

[The Rebel]

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.

Brian Shaw was given almost 2 years despite his team openly ignoring him and him admitting he could not get through to them. Malone has now had 3 years despite having major issues with most of his roster his 1st year, and it being blatantly obvious for 2 seasons that he does not know how to use his players in ways that fit him. What actually has pushed most Nuggets fans to call for him to be fired is that he has been making the same mistakes the last 2 years and still does not know how to use his players.

If anything our ownership have been to patient with coaches.

[skywalker33]

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.

While can't say I know a lot about Kokoskov, I do know there is no such thing as a "playoff guarantee" and I also know there is a HUGE gap between EuroCup and the NBA. That said, I do like the way you described the Slovenian play, sounds like something that would benefit the Nuggets, a style of play I'd love to see here.

[skywalker33]

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.

Given the current rosters, I think 9/10 head coaching candidates would EASILY select DEN over PHX right now. You say there'd be pressure to make the playoffs but the Nuggets FO doesn't seem too concerned as long as we're "building for the future". And most coaches with any motivation would rather become a HC over staying stagnant with their current team in a lesser role.

[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.

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.

I didn't say we shouldn't fire Malone, only that we shouldn't fire him unless an upgrade is available. Another unproven assistant is not a clear upgrade.

[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.

I didn't say we shouldn't fire Malone, only that we shouldn't fire him unless an upgrade is available. Another unproven assistant is not a clear upgrade.

And I am saying that there is no way for us to know if a coach will be better or not, but I would rather take take the chance at getting a good or great coach than accept mediocrity.

[skywalker33]

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.

I didn't say we shouldn't fire Malone, only that we shouldn't fire him unless an upgrade is available. Another unproven assistant is not a clear upgrade.

And I am saying that there is no way for us to know if a coach will be better or not, but I would rather take take the chance at getting a good or great coach than accept mediocrity.

And honestly, we HAVE clear evidence Malone isn't the guy to take us to the promised land so it should be done. If you're dating a girl you know isn't marriage material and you're ready to get married, do you continue to date her ??

[MidMountain]

I didn't say we shouldn't fire Malone, only that we shouldn't fire him unless an upgrade is available. Another unproven assistant is not a clear upgrade.

And I am saying that there is no way for us to know if a coach will be better or not, but I would rather take take the chance at getting a good or great coach than accept mediocrity.

And honestly, we HAVE clear evidence Malone isn't the guy to take us to the promised land so it should be done. If you're dating a girl you know isn't marriage material and you're ready to get married, do you continue to date her ??

It depends on how hard it is to find a date and the quality of currently available women in your area!

[Powder Blue]

And I am saying that there is no way for us to know if a coach will be better or not, but I would rather take take the chance at getting a good or great coach than accept mediocrity.

And honestly, we HAVE clear evidence Malone isn't the guy to take us to the promised land so it should be done. If you're dating a girl you know isn't marriage material and you're ready to get married, do you continue to date her ??

It depends on how hard it is to find a date and the quality of currently available women in your area!

Then you're just content keeping her around for the sake of companionship because you won't take the risk to find someone better and be happy....which is how I think the Nuggets will react. Malone is a 152-192 career coach, some folks are acting like the Nuggets have to replace Pop.

[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.

While can't say I know a lot about Kokoskov, I do know there is no such thing as a "playoff guarantee" and I also know there is a HUGE gap between EuroCup and the NBA. That said, I do like the way you described the Slovenian play, sounds like something that would benefit the Nuggets, a style of play I'd love to see here.

Huge gap?

Coaching in European basketball is more advanced than in NBA. While NBA has couple of top coaches, the rest are schematic, simple-minded (in term of basketball IQ) and just bad. Their game plan and tactics are very simple. NBA is what it is because of players, not because of coaches. Europe on the other hand is loaded with coaches who know how to use players, how to set up tactics for each and every opponent and so on. Coaches here work hard for every game. Outcoaching opponents at EuroBasket is harder than outcoaching most of NBA.

Kokoskov outcoached the same Spanish coach who lost against USA at 2 Olympics finals with only 8 and 3 and with a legit opportunity to win in those games. And USA was not only loaded with players, they were well coached as well (when they weren't, before 2008, they were losing to better coached teams). So they were far stronger than any NBA team.

If you going to diminish EuroBasket gold just because it's not NBA, you are making a big mistake. That gold is HUGE achievement, and Kokoskov definitely proved himself in a great manner. He is easily one of the best in the NBA.

[The Rebel]

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.

While can't say I know a lot about Kokoskov, I do know there is no such thing as a "playoff guarantee" and I also know there is a HUGE gap between EuroCup and the NBA. That said, I do like the way you described the Slovenian play, sounds like something that would benefit the Nuggets, a style of play I'd love to see here.

Huge gap?

Coaching in European basketball is more advanced than in NBA. While NBA has couple of top coaches, the rest are schematic, simple-minded (in term of basketball IQ) and just bad. Their game plan and tactics are very simple. NBA is what it is because of players, not because of coaches. Europe on the other hand is loaded with coaches who know how to use players, how to set up tactics for each and every opponent and so on. Coaches here work hard for every game. Outcoaching opponents at EuroBasket is harder than outcoaching most of NBA.

Kokoskov outcoached the same Spanish coach who lost against USA at 2 Olympics finals with only 8 and 3 and with a legit opportunity to win in those games. And USA was not only loaded with players, they were well coached as well (when they weren't, before 2008, they were losing to better coached teams). So they were far stronger than any NBA team.

If you going to diminish EuroBasket gold just because it's not NBA, you are making a big mistake. That gold is HUGE achievement, and Kokoskov definitely proved himself in a great manner. He is easily one of the best in the NBA.

To be fair European teams play like 35-37 games a year with several days in between most games, not even half a season of NBA games in almost the same amount of time, and it is easier to coach in Europe where many of the players have been taught all the skills by the time the hit the upper leagues than in the USA where many of the kids being drafted struggle with basic skills in the game due to the screwed up AAU and high school systems.

That being said the issues I see with a European coach is that he is going to have to adjust to the schedule that NBA teams keep while also teaching young guys skills they should already have and still keep guy's egos in check. That is why I am open to guys who have been NBA assistants or head coaches, but would not even consider bringing in a guy straight from Euro league.

The Nuggets have invested heavily in European scouting, they have Artūras Karnišovas who is actually our GM despite TC making the decisions, and it would not surprise me if they brought in a coach with Euro league experience.

[skywalker33]

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.

While can't say I know a lot about Kokoskov, I do know there is no such thing as a "playoff guarantee" and I also know there is a HUGE gap between EuroCup and the NBA. That said, I do like the way you described the Slovenian play, sounds like something that would benefit the Nuggets, a style of play I'd love to see here.

Huge gap?

Coaching in European basketball is more advanced than in NBA. While NBA has couple of top coaches, the rest are schematic, simple-minded (in term of basketball IQ) and just bad. Their game plan and tactics are very simple. NBA is what it is because of players, not because of coaches. Europe on the other hand is loaded with coaches who know how to use players, how to set up tactics for each and every opponent and so on. Coaches here work hard for every game. Outcoaching opponents at EuroBasket is harder than outcoaching most of NBA.

Kokoskov outcoached the same Spanish coach who lost against USA at 2 Olympics finals with only 8 and 3 and with a legit opportunity to win in those games. And USA was not only loaded with players, they were well coached as well (when they weren't, before 2008, they were losing to better coached teams). So they were far stronger than any NBA team.

If you going to diminish EuroBasket gold just because it's not NBA, you are making a big mistake. That gold is HUGE achievement, and Kokoskov definitely proved himself in a great manner. He is easily one of the best in the NBA.

Yes a huge gap, the style of play between the Euro clubs and NBA basketball is a big difference. Not only are there twice as many games, as The Rebel noted, but the NBA is really a more ISO league. I do see many Euro teams passing more to teammates, but they do tend to try and emulate NBA styles while their coaches try to slow the game down rather than free flow. It seems to me Euro coaches tend to control (doesn't seem like the right word here) their player more and that's not happening in NBA realm, a huge adjustment for Euro coaches that isn't easy to accomplish

Kokoslav MAY be a good coach but he'll have to prove it to me first. I wouldn't be against his hiring, we need to find the right guy which is not Malone. I'm just not ready to say he's the new Popovich until he proves it IN THE NBA, which is what I got from your post. I don't see a lot of X's and O's out of Malone and that's what a coach needs during gametime IMO.

[Mickey8]

Well Kokoskov was lucky as well, lots of NT's have missed many of their important players at Eurobasket , I don't think he's proven coach , he still needs to prove a lot.

[kololoco]

I hate this "hasn't been proven" **** a lot of you guys are throwing around. And it only means the person we are talking about was never an NBA coach. Messina being one of the best European coaches of the last 30 years. "Yeah but he hasn't done it in the NBA". Kokoskov winning the EC. "yeah, but that's not an NBA title. All the while pretending Malone is the most proven NBA coach ever. Malone proved he can not make the playoffs with a playoff roster two years in a row.

Two of the best coaches in the NBA at this moment are Popovich and Stevens, followed by Spolestra. Each one of them was "unproven" when they got their first NBA gig, and continued to prove themselves. Most NBA coaches are ****. You can never really know what you are getting with Kokoskov, Finch, Messina, but are they worth a shot? Absolutely! Each one of them has shown he has the capacity to be an NBA coach. Will that capacity amount to real world quality? Who knows. But they sure are a better bet than the Malones and Fizdales of the world who are a dime a dozen.

[NuggetsWY]

I hate this "hasn't been proven" **** a lot of you guys are throwing around. And it only means the person we are talking about was never an NBA coach. Messina being one of the best European coaches of the last 30 years. "Yeah but he hasn't done it in the NBA". Kokoskov winning the EC. "yeah, but that's not an NBA title. All the while pretending Malone is the most proven NBA coach ever. Malone proved he can not make the playoffs with a playoff roster two years in a row.

Two of the best coaches in the NBA at this moment are Popovich and Stevens, followed by Spolestra. Each one of them was "unproven" when they got their first NBA gig, and continued to prove themselves. Most NBA coaches are ****. You can never really know what you are getting with Kokoskov, Finch, Messina, but are they worth a shot? Absolutely! Each one of them has shown he has the capacity to be an NBA coach. Will that capacity amount to real world quality? Who knows. But they sure are a better bet than the Malones and Fizdales of the world who are a dime a dozen.

Player or coach; American or European (or anywhere else); the NBA is different than anything else. College draft picks and European draft picks --- it's all a gamble. Until someone has proven themselves in the NBA, we will never know if they are going to be successful in the NBA.

[Richard Miller]

Kokoslav MAY be a good coach but he'll have to prove it to me first. I wouldn't be against his hiring, we need to find the right guy which is not Malone. I'm just not ready to say he's the new Popovich until he proves it IN THE NBA, which is what I got from your post. I don't see a lot of X's and O's out of Malone and that's what a coach needs during gametime IMO.

Do you really think you're in position to demand that? For example he goes to Phoenix, transforms them/takes them to playoff (i.e. proves himself), and after that he'll be ready to consider Denver? I don't think so, if he really does prove himself, he will either stick with his team or he will have plenty of offers, and I don't think Denver's would be on top of his list.

On topic, I don't see how Denver would risk much here, they are not in the playoffs anyway, and they actually played better when Malone was less involved (huge wtf! btw), so at worst the new guy will be on par with Malone or thereabouts, at best sky is the limit.

[TheGr81]

Do you guys even know what the EuroBasket is? Why do you mention European clubs? Kokoskov never coached any European club, he coached Slovenian national team at EuroBasket, the continental tournament for national teams, where you have games every day or every other day. Not much time to rest and prepare.

Slovenia was maybe lucky to win gold, but that doesn't change the fact how Slovenian NT was coached.

Btw, best European clubs play 3 competitions at the same time - Euroleague (the best) or Eurocup (2nd best) or Champions league (3rd best) + National leagues (with regular season and the playoffs) + National cups. So it's far more games than "half compared to NBA teams". Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) for example last week needed to play 4 games in total.

The thing which I agree with you is that coaches in Europe have more control over players compared to NBA environment, but I don't think that would be much of the problem for Kokoskov. He didn't seam authoritative and he didn't yell on players or refs like many Euro coaches do, he was quiet and he just knew what to say on time-outs.

Speaking of play style, isn't Kokoskov's setup from Sloveninan NT the right thing for the Nuggets? 1-2 main players distribute the ball, players run without the ball + the ball is moving fast and the open man shoots it or the center finishes it or somebody else cuts to the basket. Jokic would rack up better numbers than under Malone for sure, and Denver would be one of the best offensive teams WHILE being significantly improved on defense. Team would be fast but super-organized and set in the natural way, without stupid experiments, without chaotic games and lapses, without stupid "I'll just use 9 players" - he would use all players because everybody can contribute and you need them to take some weight because NBA is a marathon. If you think that EuroBasket 2017 doesn't prove that Kokoskov is an absolute phd compared to Malone, than idk what to tell you. Maybe you shouldn't watch NBA only.

[NuggetsWY]

Do you guys even know what the EuroBasket is? Why do you mention European clubs? Kokoskov never coached any European club, he coached Slovenian national team at EuroBasket, the continental tournament for national teams, where you have games every day or every other day. Not much time to rest and prepare.

Slovenia was maybe lucky to win gold, but that doesn't change the fact how Slovenian NT was coached.

Btw, best European clubs play 3 competitions at the same time - Euroleague (the best) or Eurocup (2nd best) or Champions league (3rd best) + National leagues (with regular season and the playoffs) + National cups. So it's far more games than "half compared to NBA teams". Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) for example last week needed to play 4 games in total.

The thing which I agree with you is that coaches in Europe have more control over players compared to NBA environment, but I don't think that would be much of the problem for Kokoskov. He didn't seam authoritative and he didn't yell on players or refs like many Euro coaches do, he was quiet and he just knew what to say on time-outs.

Speaking of play style, isn't Kokoskov's setup from Sloveninan NT the right thing for the Nuggets? 1-2 main players distribute the ball, players run without the ball + the ball is moving fast and the open man shoots it or the center finishes it or somebody else cuts to the basket. Jokic would rack up better numbers than under Malone for sure, and Denver would be one of the best offensive teams WHILE being significantly improved on defense. Team would be fast but super-organized and set in the natural way, without stupid experiments, without chaotic games and lapses, without stupid "I'll just use 9 players" - he would use all players because everybody can contribute and you need them to take some weight because NBA is a marathon. If you think that EuroBasket 2017 doesn't prove that Kokoskov is an absolute phd compared to Malone, than idk what to tell you. Maybe you shouldn't watch NBA only.

I agree with your last two paragraphs. I would also suggest that most American fans thing of "European" as "teams in Europe" as opposed to teams in a specific league. In fact, there are major differences between various competitions as you point out. My favorite league to watch "over there" is the Turkish League and it's rather different than watching some of the others. Style of play is similar, but a little different IMO. It's not a big deal. What we all agree on is that the NBA is pretty much unique in style of play and in other ways, when compared to European, Australian, Chinese, etc.

[stitches]

For people wondering about Kokoskov - he was a player in the early 90s in Yugoslavia but he had a car crash in which he sustained injuries that cut his career short and he became a coach very early in his basketball life. At 25 he was already a head coach of local OKK Beograd.

At about that time he attended a summer coaching camp/internship at Duke where Quin Snyder was assistant to coach K. Snyder and Kokoskov became very close friends during that summer and Snyder was extremely impressed by his basketball knowledge and ingenuity. When the time came for Kokoskov to leave and go back to Serbia, Snyder gave him a letter and told him to read it on the plane back home. In that letter Snyder told him how much he appreciated what he brought in to the camp and that whenever he gets his first headcoaching job, Kokoskov will be the first person he calls to offer him the head assistant job. Several years later Snyder got the Missouri job and he held to his word by making Kokoskov the first European coach to hold assistant job at a Division I school. In 2000 Kokoskov got an offer from the NBA(Clippers assistant coach) and he took it becoming the first European coach to hold assistant job in the NBA as well... When Snyder got the Jazz job, he again made everything possible to bring Kokoskov over and he's been our lead assistant coach for the last 3 years. An interesting tidbit that not many people know - Kokoskov actually lead the Jazz on a couple of different occasions in the previous 2 seasons when Snyder missed a couple of games due to an illness and I think the second one was due to the birth of his child(don't quote me on the second one, but I remember he missed games on couple of occasions). I think he won both of those games.

So yeah... Kokoskov has been assistant in the league for 17 years and despite that he's still a young coach at 46. Others have mentioned his success with both Georgia national team and last summer with Slovenian national team. Those achievements should not be underestimated. I was blown away watching Slovenia last year and how he was adjusting his lineups and game plans for different matchups and how he empowered 18 year old Luka Doncic to be one of the leaders of the team and gave him the keys to the team along with Dragic. Hell he took Dragic out of the final game in the crunch since Dragic had expanded serious energy in that game was obviously exhausted and was beginning to make mistakes and cramp up. Kokoskov not only knew what he was doing, he had the balls to go with his gut/brave decisions on multiple occasions. His team played beautiful basketball, he empowered his players and put them in positions to succeed.

If for some reason we lost Snyder I would absolutely love him to be our HC. I think he deserves a chance and he's paid his dues and has a very strong pedigree of working with some very very strong coaches.

[THE J0KER]

Kokoskov is a really superior option compared to Malone, especially for a team with so many international players (+GM Karnisovas) and biggest star is from Serbia, and also for a team with so many problems with defense.

But personally, I think he will wait first to see who will draft Luka Doncic this summer, in which case his price will rise, and the long-term job would be almost guaranteed in the franchise which would be built around Doncic. If Kings, Suns, Grizzlies or Magic take Doncic, chances of Kokoskov get that "perfect job" seems good for him.

So if our FO really wants him, but he will wait for 2018 Draft, we should pray that Luka Doncic is going to Atlanta or Chicago, or some other team without plans of coach changing.

[skywalker33]

Kokoslav MAY be a good coach but he'll have to prove it to me first. I wouldn't be against his hiring, we need to find the right guy which is not Malone. I'm just not ready to say he's the new Popovich until he proves it IN THE NBA, which is what I got from your post. I don't see a lot of X's and O's out of Malone and that's what a coach needs during gametime IMO.

Do you really think you're in position to demand that? For example he goes to Phoenix, transforms them/takes them to playoff (i.e. proves himself), and after that he'll be ready to consider Denver? I don't think so, if he really does prove himself, he will either stick with his team or he will have plenty of offers, and I don't think Denver's would be on top of his list.

On topic, I don't see how Denver would risk much here, they are not in the playoffs anyway, and they actually played better when Malone was less involved (huge wtf! btw), so at worst the new guy will be on par with Malone or thereabouts, at best sky is the limit.

Yes I AM, I am the paying customer...and your example is hyperbole, it COULD happen but more LIKELY not to happen. Exactly the shot we took with Shaw and look how that turned out.