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Report: Nuggets interviewed D'Antoni, Malone, others; want coach by draft

Soobum Im / USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets won't wait much longer to name their next head coach, and a number of big names have emerged as reported candidates.

The Nuggets dismissed Brian Shaw in March and named Melvin Hunt the interim head coach. Hunt led Denver to a 10-13 record after a 20-39 start under Shaw, who had reportedly lost the locker room.

Hunt has since interviewed for the vacancy and has reportedly gained traction. However, former Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni's name has also emerged, as he reportedly had a sit-down with general manager Tim Connelly on Tuesday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The Nuggets reportedly interviewed former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Malone the same day, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

According to RealGM's Shams Charania, the Nuggets also discussed the position with Washington Wizards assistant Don Newman during the past week.

In addition to Hunt, D'Antoni, Malone, and Newman, former New York Knicks head coach and current Los Angeles Clippers assistant Mike Woodson could also interview for the opening, reports Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

"I think the deadline is we want to have a coach as we head into the draft," Connelly told Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. "It's a pretty pivotal pick for us, and a pretty pivotal moment."

The draft will take place on June 25, with the Nuggets selecting seventh - their highest selection since drafting Carmelo Anthony third overall in 2003.

D'Antoni is the biggest name among the reported candidates. He helped revolutionize NBA offense with his dynamic "Seven Seconds or Less" Suns teams. However, D'Antoni has since floundered in two gigs with the Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. If hired, he'll likely bring his high-octane offense to the Mile-High City, which seems like an ideal fit.

D'Antoni also briefly served as the head coach of the Nuggets in 1998-99, leading the team to a 14-36 record before being dismissed.

Malone built a reputation for being a defense-first head coach in his short tenure in Sacramento. He led the team to a 39-67 record over a season-and-a-quarter and was shockingly fired earlier this season after the Kings weren't able to maintain their strong start once All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins was sidelined by meningitis.

Newman has spent 16 seasons as an NBA assistant, following a brief college coaching career that included a season at the helm of Arizona State in 1997-98. Before joining the Wizards in 2012, he served on the staffs of George Karl's Milwaukee Bucks, Lawrence Frank's New Jersey Nets, and, most notably, Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs (an eight-year run that included NBA titles in 2005 and 2007).

Woodson coached the Atlanta Hawks and Knicks over a nine-year career. He was known for being a player's coach with a short playbook that almost always revolved around isolations for his star players. He amassed a record of 315-365 and was fired by the Knicks in 2014.

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