Hochman vs. kiszla:
Whom should the Nuggets hire to become their next coach?
Kiz: Let’s not overthink this issue. As Chauncey Billups told me, it’s likely the next coach of the Nuggets will be fired within two years, even if team president Josh Kroenke brings back the ghost of John Wooden. If that’s true, then interim coach Melvin Hunt might as well take the losses on what I would graciously call a permanently interim basis. Hey, we’re all day to day.
Hooch: How far are the Nuggets from the playoffs? Consider that Oklahoma City, with NBA scoring champ Russell Westbrook, had a winning record and didn’t make the playoffs. (I say this because if the Nuggets were to somehow get Westbrook, we’d all go bonkers, yet the reality is one star player can’t get you into the postseason.) But I like the idea of developing the new players and new coach together. Is Hunt the long-term answer?
Kiz: I do think Hunt can coach in the NBA. Without a doubt, Mike D’Antoni could get the Denver offense running, whether his point guard is Ty “Going to Vegas, Baby!” Lawson or free agent Jeremy Lin. If Oklahoma City is crazy enough to fire Scott Brooks, he’s a George Karl disciple to appease irked fans. But I wonder: Am I asking the wrong questions when looking for a coach in Denver?
Hooch: Does this coach have patience? Does this coach have a vision? Does the coach want to run, run, run? As for the third, clearly, Hunt and D’Antoni would want to run. But what Denver really needs is a Scott Brooks — literally or figuratively. Brooks took some lumps with the Thunder but grew a culture there, and he helped transform Westbrook and Kevin Durant into all-stars. The Nuggets will probably get the No. 7 pick in the draft, which is June 25. They will stink next season, then get another top lottery pick. So, as morbid as this will sound, I think they need a Brooks-type coach who can lead them into the playoffs … in 2017.
Kiz: This much I know is true: 1) Painfully young NBA players need a teacher on the bench, and 2) The Nuggets, who must make Denver appealing to free agents, need an ace recruiter. With that in mind, I am intrigued by the idea of slick Billy Donovan, who has won two national titles at Florida. Donovan would be my first call in the job search.
Hooch: I just get the sense that the Nuggets are afraid to hire another firsttime NBA head coach, even if it’s a proven college champ in Donovan. Now, if they can somehow get John Calipari, who stunk in the NBA in the 1990s, then sign the guy to a 37-year deal, that might work. But the reality is, Denver will probably end up with D’Antoni. Not a terrible choice. But here’s wondering if he has the patience to be bad long enough to be good.