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NBA: Greatest head coach in each team’s franchise history

By Josh Cornelissen

Gregg Popovich, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Gregg Popovich, Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Larry Brown, Charlotte Bobcats
Larry Brown, Charlotte Bobcats. (Photo by Gary O’Brien/Charlotte Observer/MCT via Getty Images) /

Greatest head coach in Denver Nuggets history: Larry Brown, 1974-79

In 1976, the ABA merged into the NBA and four franchises entered the league, among them the Denver Nuggets. They were the most dominant team in the ABA regular season leading into the merger, winning 65 and 60 games respectively their last two seasons in the league.

Upon entering the NBA, the team did not miss a beat, winning 50 games in its first NBA season and 48 in the second. While the team was certainly talented, with players such as David Thompson and Dan Issel, the most significant presence during the transition was head coach Larry Brown.

Brown is one of the most decorated head coaches in NBA history, with 2,338 games and 1,327 wins to his name over an NBA career spanning 40 years. He put in a lot of that work over five seasons with the Nuggets, winning 251 regular-season games and another 21 in the playoffs.

In those five seasons, the Nuggets won at least 47 games each time, a feat the franchise has replicated just nine times in the 40 years since. Although he never brought the franchise a title in either league, he demonstrated he is a top-notch coach who brought a significant amount of success to the Nuggets franchise.