Hoops Habit
Fansided

Denver Nuggets: Melvin Hunt Would Be Wrong Choice For Coach

By Chris Schmaedeke

Mar 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Melvin Hunt during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Melvin Hunt during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

This is going to be an unpopular opinion with the way the Denver Nuggets finished the season.

More from Denver Nuggets

But Melvin Hunt should not be the next head coach in Denver.

Before taking over for embattled coach Brian Shaw, Hunt was an assistant with Nuggets. He served under both Shaw and the most more successful George Karl. When Shaw was fired on March 3, Hunt took over on an interim basis for the last 23 games of the season.

The Nuggets looked like a different team under Hunt as Denver went 10-13 down the stretch. That record looked massively better after the same team was 20-39 under Shaw in 2014-15. The current players quit on Shaw but felt a renewed passion under Hunt. That passion was to actually try and be professional basketball players.

And there lies the problem. It is not Hunt’s fault that he is not the right choice. It is the current roster of the Denver Nuggets that makes a big change necessary. These players, including Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried, didn’t like the way Shaw ran things, so they revolted. But what if these same players don’t like something Hunt does? They may possibly do the same thing.

The Nuggets seem to be conducting the most silent coaching search in NBA history. There was really nothing from owner Josh Kroenke and general manager Tim Connelly for several weeks until finally on Thursday, when news broke the team has met with Mike Malone and Mike D’Antoni. That narrows their silent search to three names including Hunt.

If the Nuggets brass go with Hunt, there is a good chance the roster stays the same with the only change being the No. 7 pick in the draft. That is not good thing. This roster is full of underachievers and players that try only when they want. Lawson and Faried, who reportedly want out if no big change in made, have become two of the more frustrating players in Nuggets history.

There is plenty of talent but it only shows when they decide it matters.

Lawson, Faried and maybe other members of the roster would get comfortable under Hunt and that is not what the team wants. Denver has a long haul to even get back in the talk of playoffs in the Western Conference. This team had its chance in 2012-13 when it finished 57-25 and grabbed the No. 3 seed. Denver bombed in the playoffs against Golden State.

Live Feed

Will Zeke Nnaji be a part of the Nuggets' future?
Will Zeke Nnaji be a part of the Nuggets' future? /

Nugg Love

  • How many Denver Nuggets made B/R's Top 100 NBA players list?Nugg Love
  • Grade the Trade: Denver Nuggets proposal adds pair of sharpshootersNugg Love
  • Grade the Trade: Denver Nuggets proposal offloads MPJ in salary dumpNugg Love
  • Experts question Denver Nuggets star's fit with World Cup squadNugg Love
  • Denver Nuggets predicted to get worse in key categoryNugg Love

    • The Nuggets fired Karl and have never been the same. The Warriors are three wins away from a NBA title. My how things have changed in two seasons.

    Hiring Hunt will not be the fresh start that Connelly is looking for. It will be the same old story with just a different face on the bench. No Nuggets fan wants that. Let the rebuild start now with Danilo Gallinari, Jusuf Nurkic and the No. 7 pick being the cornerstones.

    Who really is the right coach for the Nuggets? There seems to be no right answer at this time. Malone and D’Antoni would require complete roster overhauls in two totally different fashions. Malone is defensive-minded while D’Antoni will run and gun all night.

    It has to be a coach that is willing to lose a couple more years to build this team back up the regular playoff contender it was under Karl.

    But through no fault of his own, the wrong man for the job is Hunt.

    Next: The 30 Best Point Guards of All-Time

    More from Hoops Habit

    Home/Denver Nuggets