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Denver Nuggets Coaching Profile: Mike Malone

By Chris Schmaedeke

Mike Malone was hired by the Nuggets on Monday.
Mike Malone was hired by the Nuggets on Monday. /
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The Denver Nuggets sit on Monday as the only team without a head coach in the NBA.

It was announced on Sunday by ESPN’s Marc Stein that Mike Malone has secured a second interview with the Nuggets. Stein also expects Mike D’Antoni to get another interview and Melvin Hunt is still in the mix.

Malone is an interesting name that has been added to the mix. He did not have a lot of success as a head coach with the Sacramento Kings. In 2013-14 he went 28-54 and then was fired the next season after starting the season 11-13. As of right now Malone is not working with any NBA team.

The Nuggets may be interested in Malone because of his experience as an assistant, especially his time with the Golden State Warriors. Malone was Mark Jackson‘s assistant when the Warriors upset the No. 3 seeded Nuggets in the 2013 NBA Playoffs. Malone was also named best assistant by the NBA that season.

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The style Malone would bring may be a sign the Nuggets roster is set for a rebuild. Malone was known for his defensive teaching while with the Warriors. Golden State jumped into the top 10 in defensive rebounding, opponent field goal percentage and opponent three-point field goal percentage with Malone on the bench next to Jackson. Those impressive numbers got Malone the Kings job but things kind of fell apart.

During Malone’s final season in Sacramento, he clashed with general manager Pete D’Alessandro about the style that the Kings should be playing. Malone wanted to slow it down and play defense. D’Alessandro, who has since hired his old friend and know fast-paced head coach George Karl, wanted the Kings to score a ton of points. D’Alessandro won that fight as Malone is without a job.

So if the Nuggets are serious about hiring Malone, the current roster must be in jeopardy. Malone would be walking into the same type of situation. Players and front office types want to play an up-tempo style while the coach wants to slow it down. The Nuggets went down that route with Brian Shaw and it fell flat.

But Denver could be moving towards a little more defense for next season. On Monday, the Nuggets will work out Kentucky standout Willie Cauley-Stein. The big man was known for his shot blocking at Kentucky and would add an element of defensive prowess to the Nuggets. Cauley-Stein is expected to be around when Denver picks at No. 7.

If the Nuggets truly want to go in a different direction, then a Malone hiring would make sense. Again, it would take a lot of roster movement as this team is not known for its defense. The Nuggets gave up 105 points per game last season and were near the bottom in almost every defensive category in the NBA.

Malone is a wild card in the coaching season. Many see Hunt and D’Antoni as the favorites because of their styles.

Denver tried to go the defensive/half-court coach with the hiring of Shaw and it flopped, but if the Nuggets are serious about switching styles then Malone could be their guy.

Next: Golden State Warriors: 5 Adjustments For NBA Finals Game 3

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