OAKLAND, Calif. — On Wednesday night, Melvin Hunt left the court for the last time as the Nuggets’ interim head coach. Perhaps the next time he’s seen, it will be either as the permanent head coach or as a coach for another team in the league.
The coaching search begins in earnest now, a process the Nuggets have said would be thorough but not move at a snail’s pace as the beginning of what promises to be a very busy offseason. General manager Tim Connelly declined comment on the coaching search Wednesday.
Nuggets players won’t be consulted but they’ve already thrown their support behind Hunt, who closed the book on his six-week résumé in a 133-126 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Hunt will get an interview and is said to be strongly considered for the post.
“I don’t control the front office, so I can’t do too much,” said Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, who was held out of the game. “But Melvin Hunt took over the reins recently, and I feel like we’re back to the old Nuggets and it’s exciting. I hope they hire him, and I hope he’s the head coach for next year. But we’ll see what happens.”
Said Danilo Gallinari: “I’d be happy if he has the chance to be our head coach.”
The Nuggets went 10-13 under Hunt during a tough late-season stretch of games, the vast majority against playoff teams.
Going into Wednesday night’s game, the Nuggets averaged 106 points per game under Hunt, up seven points from what they scored under previous coach Brian Shaw. Rebounding and assists both improved, and the team’s shooting percentages and steals totals took big leaps under Hunt.
But perhaps Hunt’s — and the staff’s — best accomplishment was in individual player improvement. Gallinari’s average jumped a full 10 points per game, to 19.2 — which would be a career high over the course of an entire season. Gallo’s rebounds, assists and steals averages spiked as well.
“He was put in a tough situation,” guard Randy Foye said. “We were trying to play one way in the beginning, and he brought back that running, athletic, 3-point shooting Nuggets. If you look at the way Gallo has played since he’s taken over, it speaks for itself.”
Faried went from 11.2 points and 8.5 rebounds under Shaw to 16.3 points and 10.0 rebounds under Hunt. Faried’s blocks and steals also improved.
Many believe the Nuggets are in search of a sexy name, such as Mike D’Antoni, who is interested in the opening, to sell to season-ticket holders and a fan base that largely stopped coming to games. Hunt holds onto his faith and says he’s not worried about that.
“Sexy name or not, they know,” Hunt said. “Whatever they want to do, that’s on them. I can’t control that, don’t want to control that. They have to find what they believe is the best fit for them. But at the end of the day, if they didn’t think I was qualified or able to do it, I wouldn’t be the interim head coach.
“I was given an opportunity to lead even as an assistant. So it’s not like this is a brand new thing. I know I’m a head coach. It’s not if I think I am. It’s just a matter of opportunity.”
