The New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Monty Williams on Tuesday morning. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
And then there was a third…
The Nuggets saw the teams in search of a coach grow by one on Tuesday, when the New Orleans Pelicans announced .
“Making a decision like this is never easy and is never done hastily, especially when you are dealing with a person of Monty Williams’ character. We thanked Monty for the tremendous work and commitment he made to our organization and the development of our young players, specifically Anthony Davis,” said Pelicans executive vice president Mickey Loomis.
Current Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly has ties to Williams. Connelly was the assistant general manager with New Orleans for three seasons before being hired by the Nuggets. It is not expected, however, that Williams will be considered for the Nuggets coaching search.
, but now might find they have to put a bit more urgency in the process.
While word around the league is their list of candidates doesn’t necessarily overlap Orlando’s, the same can’t be said with the same conviction about coaches New Orleans might be interested in. And there could be another entrant into the coaching market — the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri has recently said the Raptors organization is “going through the process” of evaluating the individuals in the program before making a decision on whether to retain head coach Dwane Casey another season. If Casey is let go, Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt could be among the names in contention there. Hunt and Ujiri worked together in Denver.
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