Mike D’Antoni met with the Nuggets on Tuesday regarding their head coaching position, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Denver’s post is the lone remaining coaching vacancy in the NBA now that Fred Hoiberg is in place in Chicago, Scott Skiles is on the job in Orlando, and Alvin Gentry has been hired to lead the Pelicans. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported that D’Antoni would be a potential target of Denver’s.
While D’Antoni’s fast-paced offensive style fits perfectly into what Denver wishes to transition to, interim coach Melvin Hunt, who was reported to have emerged as the front-runner to land the post on a more permanent basis, still remains a strong contender for the position, Wojnarowski adds. Also reported to be in the mix for Denver’s coaching billet is former Hawks and Knicks coach Mike Woodson, who could land an interview in the near future, and former Kings coach Michael Malone, who has had conversations with GM Tim Connelly, and Malone could warrant an interview as well, Wojnarowski notes.
D’Antoni, 64, spent less than a season as the interim head coach with the Nuggets during the 1998/99 campaign, and he has also been a head coach for the Suns, Knicks , and the Lakers. Through 881 career regular season contests his record is 455-426, with a postseason mark of 26-33.