The Nuggets have gone from the NBA's superstar-free darlings who won 57 games this season to a team without a general manager or a head coach in the span of just a couple months. After Masai Ujiri left to take over as the Raptors new general manager, George Karl was fired when both he and Nuggets management agreed he wouldn't be offered an extension after his contract ran out at the end of the 2013/14 season.
The Nuggets have recently acquired permission from the Pacers and Grizzlies to speak with Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, and Grizz head coach Lionel Hollins, reports Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. Both Shaw and Hollins have been highly touted objects of interest this offseason with so many head coaching vacancies to fill.
Plus, the Nuggets still have roster issues to clear up before next season while they're figuring out Shaw and Hollins' fit as their new head coach:
- It appears Shaw is ahead of Hollins on the Nets' wish list for a head coach. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News has a source saying the Nets are looking for a "fresh face," and Shaw doesn't have any head coaching experience yet.
- Hollins still might re-sign with the Grizzlies as Sam Amick mentioned yesterday, but the Grizz also might promote assistant David Joerger, and they're high on Karl, too. So there's a possibility the Grizzlies and Nuggets switch head coaches this offseason after their teams finished with the 5th and 3rd seeds in a tough Western Conference this past season.
- Shaw and Karl are also the top two prospects for the Clippers, which both Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported on Thursday, but it appears Shaw is also the Nets' top choice to coach, so he might have to choose between a plethora of offers.
- The Nuggets are also looking at filling their vacancy at general manager, but President Josh Kroenke doesn't have a timetable for the head coach or general manager decisions yet.
Kroenke isn't just worrying about hiring a new coach and general manager. He's also looking at bringing Andre Iguodala back next season and beyond, telling the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman on Friday that "I didn't bring Andre Iguodala to Denver to be here for one year. And that's what I've told him."
- Iguodala can walk away from the $16MM he has left on the final year of his contract to look elsewhere for a contending NBA team that will pay for his still-stout perimeter defense.
- But when asked by TNT's David Aldridge about his odds for re-signing with the Nuggets, Iguodala replied, "Good question. Need some time to let it sink in."
With no coach, no general manager, and an ambiguous future for Iguodala, the Nuggets' reign as one of the NBA's most entertaining teams with a bright future ahead of them is now in doubt.