The San Antonio Spurs ended another season on the outside looking in for the playoffs, but they head into a critical offseason. They now have Victor Wembanyama’s co-star in De’Aaron Fox and a good young nucleus of Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan.
Veterans Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul were also stabilizing forces and the leaders of the team. The Spurs have the talent to make the playoffs next year, and with better health from Wembanyama, they should be in the mix next season.
The one hole they need to fill, though, is head coach, as Gregg Popovich faces a myriad of health issues, and no one knows if he will be able to coach next season. Fortunately for San Antonio, the perfect replacement for Pop will be available this offseason.
The Spurs must pursue former Nuggets coach Mike Malone to become the franchise’s next head coach.
Mike Malone was shockingly fired by Denver just a couple weeks ago, with three games left in the regular season. This was despite the fact that he was only two years removed from a championship and the Nuggets were one game away from a Western Conference Finals appearance last season.
Malone’s relationship with former general manager Calvin Booth was a big reason for him getting fired, as the tension between the two men was affecting Denver’s day-to-day operation. Players also began to tune out his message.
Malone is a brash personality and a disciplinarian, two traits that helped the Nuggets win a title. This is a young Spurs group that could benefit from Malone’s leadership style and this is a group that loved Pop, who is similar and is very honest with his players. So the fit with Malone would be perfect.
In addition to that, Malone was able to maximize Nikola Jokic’s talent and was instrumental in his development. Malone could have a similar impact on Wembanyama, who has immense potential and all the tools to be successful can have a similar trajectory to Jokic and Malone’s knowledge can help him get there.
Yes, his exit in Denver did not come without controversy, but there is no doubt about Mike Malone’s coaching ability. The Nuggets were once a young group that needed the right man to elevate them, and over ten years, he did that.
He is the winningest coach in franchise history for a reason. He can have a similar impact on San Antonio and their crop of young players, and the front office should pounce on the opportunity, especially with Popovich’s status in limbo.