Denver Nuggets Head Coach Search: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation on Position

With the Denver Nuggets firing Brian Shaw, per Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, the team will now be seeking a new head coach. Melvin Hunt is expected to take over in the interim, while Mike D'Antoni and others have emerged as possible long-term replacements.      

Continue for updates.   

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Melvin Hunt Expected to Be Interim Coach, Mike D'Antoni, Others in Mix

Tuesday, March 3

The Nuggets will have some big decisions to make following Shaw's firing, both for the rest of the season and for the future of the organization after that. It appears the team might be going the interim route for now, per Dempsey:

But don't count out Mike D'Antoni, who could reenter the coaching mix, per Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report: 

"There is nothing that motivates me more than being with a group of guys in the coaching room of an organization trying to figure out un-solveable problems," D'Antoni told Skolnick and Howard Beck, per Bleacher Report SXM. "It's fun. It's a competition thing...it's fun to have a relationship with players like Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash, and watch guys develop." 

Sam Amick of USA Today, meanwhile, has more on the ties to Denver's job:

ESPN's Marc Stein added two other names to the mix:

While D'Antoni might be willing to take the job, Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Nuggets haven't considered any long-term options as of now: 

D'Antoni's stint with the Nuggets didn't go terribly well, as he went 14-36 in the 1998-99 season. But he made his mark with the Phoenix Suns, going 253-156 from 2003 to 2008 and leading the team to the postseason four times. 

He then left to coach the New York Knicks, though in four seasons they made the postseason just once and his up-tempo system never seemed to take root. He then spent two years with the Los Angeles Lakers, making the playoffs in 2012-13 season (they were swept in the first round) before going 27-55 in his second campaign with the team and deciding to leave the organization.

His up-tempo style might be just what the Nuggets need, however, as the team was simply going through the motions under Shaw. In Denver, D'Antoni would also have the opportunity to build his system without needing to work around more established superstars, often an issue in both New York and Los Angeles. 

The fit seems to be a good one, though the Nuggets could also choose to go the interim route to see which candidates are available in the offseason. But D'Antoni seems likely to be a candidate in all scenarios.