Thread: The Official Denver Nuggets Thread!

Interim coach generating wins, support in quest to take over Nuggets full time

When news that Melvin Hunt had been named Nuggets interim head coach reached Sharon Dawson, she cried. Cried tears of joy. Hunt had always been one of her favorites.

It had been that way from the first day they met, after Sharon's husband, Carroll, hired the fresh-faced assistant from Incarnate Word in San Antonio to his first pro gig as video coordinator with the Houston Rockets in 1999.

This was a day she and many, many other longtime friends were certain would arrive — even if his promotion was less than ideal, Hunt taking over on an interim basis for Brian Shaw, who was fired March 3.

"I actually thought he would get the job (in 2013)," said Carroll Dawson, who spent 27 years with the Rockets as an assistant coach and general manager, and put together championship teams in 1994 and 1995. "I just hope that they see what we saw in him, and that they make that permanent."

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci...experience-nba

Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

Chris Dempsey @dempseypost · 16h

#Nuggets F Kenneth Faried asked about resting: "No comment."

Chris Dempsey @dempseypost · 16h

Chandler: "It’s tough when you’re fighting together but you’re getting set up for failure.” #Nuggets

Chris Dempsey @dempseypost · 16h

Chandler: "Whoever is on the court just got to keep playing. It’s the nature of the business. I’m not a GM; I don’t know what’s going on."

Chris Dempsey @dempseypost · 16h

Wilson Chandler, on if he expects the #Nuggets to have a full roster vs HOU with two days rest: “I have no idea what they are going to do."

DAMN - I have ZERO respect for the Nuggets' Management. Right now, my only hope is that they SELL the team to someone who has a CLUE in regards to being professional. All this ownership/management does WELL is to keep screwing things up.

Do you find Chandler's quote about being tough to fight together when you're set up for failure a little ironic, considering at the time they actually were in the midst of the fight (for the playoffs), they not only weren't committed to playing together but basically not trying because their coach didn't let them play their favorite style of play?

I really agree about the ownership, they need to sell it to a group that can run a professional organization, and actually get players on their team that take their job serious and are professional about it.

The rules of the system make tanking an evil necessary, and the Nuggets have shown the first positive step towards bettering their future by getting that higher draft pick, and that's a sad fact. Best possible piece for the future Nuggets coach to start something positive here next year.

Spencer Haywood's long wait is finally over.

The former star of the ABA Denver Rockets and a 13-year NBA veteran was voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday.

"It began in a cotton field in Silver City, Miss., population 300 people," Haywood said. "My brothers and I, in between doing farm work, we played basketball in our bare feet. ... It was basketball. It was my way out."

Haywood, who was one of 15 finalists for the Hall, needed 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee. Haywood played one season for the Denver Rockets in the ABA and won league MVP honors after averaging 30.0 points and 19.5 rebounds per game in the 1969-70 season. He joined the ABA in 1969 and went on to play for 12 years in the NBA from 1970-1983, before retiring.

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci...ball-hall-fame

Who wants to sex Mutombo?!

It had been a long time since Fat Lever stood in front of the bright camera lights and the recorders, and certainly for nothing quite as satisfying as this.

On Wednesday, the Nuggets, his one true basketball love, wrapped its arms around him, giving him one long-lasting hug. At long last.

Lever's smile could not be contained.

"It's been a tremendous, tremendous experience for me being back and seeing what I really miss," Lever said. "And that's the Nuggets."

He is without question one of the greatest players in Nuggets history, a master of the triple-double before it was en vogue, and the organization is giving him a well-deserved moment in the sun. Lever attended the Nuggets' morning shootaround Wednesday and had a few words for the team in the final huddle.

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci...onorary-moment

from same article:

For many of the players, it's an introduction to a past Nuggets era — a revered era — to help them understand the impact the 6-foot-3 guard had on a team and its city.

"I'm a fan. He made rebounding sexy for small guards when it wasn't cool," Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt said. "And he took pride in it. For our guys to see him and to know him and to be able to go in the locker room and Google him, and to get all of the fine points about him, I think is important.

"I was probably more excited than Fat that he got a chance to come in, because he did so much for the game."

Arguably one of the most underrated players in NBA history, Lever had 46 triple-doubles in his career with the Nuggets, more than two-thirds of the total triple-doubles in franchise history.

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci...onorary-moment

looks like we're going to get the 7th or 8th pick. . . should've tanked much harder. . .

Originally Posted by dogfish

looks like we're going to get the 7th or 8th pick. . . should've tanked much harder. . .

Last year, Milwaukee had the best chance of winning the #1 pick, and Cleveland had the 9th best chance, and Cleveland ended up getting the #1 pick. No way to know where the Nuggets will pick until the night of the lottery.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/5/2...ules-how-works

I used to pretend like I was Fat Lever when I was playing basketball in the driveway. Thanks for sharing that Carol.

Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

Last year, Milwaukee had the best chance of winning the #1 pick, and Cleveland had the 9th best chance, and Cleveland ended up getting the #1 pick. No way to know where the Nuggets will pick until the night of the lottery.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/5/2...ules-how-works

i may be wrong, but i'm not sure that's accurate any more. . . i thought that only the top four teams were selected by lottery now, and the rest slotted in. . . not positive, though. . . in any case, the nugs won't out-draw anyone anyway-- the franchise doesn't have that sort of luck. . .

Originally Posted by dogfish

i may be wrong, but i'm not sure that's accurate any more. . . i thought that only the top four teams were selected by lottery now, and the rest slotted in. . . not positive, though. . . in any case, the nugs won't out-draw anyone anyway-- the franchise doesn't have that sort of luck. . .

Article was written yesterday - 14 teams are listed
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...-for-no-1-pick

Originally Posted by dogfish

i may be wrong, but i'm not sure that's accurate any more. . . i thought that only the top four teams were selected by lottery now, and the rest slotted in. . . not positive, though. . . in any case, the nugs won't out-draw anyone anyway-- the franchise doesn't have that sort of luck. . .

Edit because I misunderstood: top 3, so you get past the third pick and it is slotted, so if the top 3 are all below Denver on lottery night, Denver could have no better than whatever place they finish at.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Edit because I misunderstood: top 3, so you get past the third pick and it is slotted, so if the top 3 are all below Denver on lottery night, Denver could have no better than whatever place they finish at.

Every team that doesn't make the playoffs has a chance for the #1, 2, or 3 picks. After that, yes they are slotted. So if Denver finishes with the 8th worst record, they could potentially end up with a pick as high as 11. The Nuggets have never had luck in the lottery. They are overdue for some.

Now that the regular season is over, Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly is focusing full-time on a search for a new head coach.

"I think it's a chance to get to know a lot of different candidates," Connelly said Thursday. "And then when we find the right fit, we'll be aggressive and pull the trigger."

Names expected to get attention include former NBA coach Mike D'Antoni, current Golden State assistant Alvin Gentry and college coach Billy Donovan, in addition to Melvin Hunt, who has been the Nuggets' interim head coach. A wild-card could be Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks, if the Thunder decide to part ways with him.

"We're going to be pretty patient," Connelly said. "Certainly Melvin is going to be one of the finalists. I think he deserves that, he's earned that. But we're going to talk to anybody and everybody, candidates that could potentially help us take the next step. So we're in no rush."

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci...d-coach-search

from same article:

"I'm not a coach," Connelly said. "But I do think we're Denver. We've got to play with pace, we've got to play up-tempo basketball. And up-tempo basketball can take on various styles. We're certainly looking for a coach that understands how we've been successful in the past and probably how we'll be successful in the future, with fast basketball and playing with pace."

"Melvin did great," Connelly said. "Melvin was fantastic and so was his whole entire staff. Certainly one of his greatest attributes is his love for the game and the positivity that he exhibits every day. I think you saw that on the sideline. I'm unbelievably proud of him and he certainly wasn't handed an easy situation."

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci...d-coach-search