One of the few remaining coaching vacancies in the NBA was filled today after the the Denver Nuggets named Mike Malone their new head coach and signed him to a reported four-year deal, with a team option for the fourth year, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The Denver Nuggets have reached an agreement to hire Michael Malone as coach, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2015
Malone is taking over the position from Melvin Hunt, who was named interim coach after Brian Shaw was fired in March following a disappointing 30-52 finish to the season. Most recently, we reported that Mike D’Antoni was also in the mix for the Nuggets job.
Malone last coached the Sacramento Kings until his unglamorous exit just 24 games into last season. The Kings’ front office got trigger happy after a rocky 11-13 start to the season, which coincided with a DeMarcus Cousins injury. Many around the league saw the move as questionable considering the fact that he appeared to be the first coach to really connect with Cousins.
Failure to connect with Denver’s star players was among the many reasons Shaw was shown the door, and Malone now faces the task of boosting morale and forming a cohesive unit around a team that has suffered relentless upheaval the past two seasons.
