Two years ago, Melvin Hunt tied for second in the “best assistant coach” category in the NBA’s annual survey of its general managers.
You know what has changed since?
Nothing. And everything.
When that survey came out, the Nuggets were coming off a 57-win season. Yes, the coach of that team was fired. But Hunt’s contributions to that team — and ostensibly, to the new coach — didn’t go unnoticed.
Now, here we are.
Nuggets Mailbag: Pose a question for Christopher Dempsey
One and two-thirds of losing seasons later, Hunt is the head coach. But it’s not in the most satisfying, or secure, way possible because of the “interim” that precedes the title. Hunt is fulfilling the potential NBA insiders saw then. He has the Nuggets humming again. They are hard to guard again. They are competitive in a way they weren’t for the majority of this season.
There is a throwback (to the very recent past) feel to it. The ball moves. Spacing is the best it has been all season. Kenneth Faried is back below the defense, there are multiple drives into the lane, and the sneaky alley-oop pass has returned.
Despite what many thought, the Nuggets’ pace never actually significantly waned under previous coach Brian Shaw, but this clearly looks like the Nuggets are playing faster. And compared to what was happening in the weeks leading up to Shaw’s dismissal, the Nuggets are playing faster.
And the players like Hunt.
Which, for many in this group whose effort and attention swings wildly depending on how they feel about the man leading them, means everything.
But what does it mean for Hunt?
It should mean he’s placing himself at or near the top of the list to take over on a full-time basis. The fact is he deserves it. He has earned it. With every solid Nuggets effort and top-five lottery-killing victory, he’s proving he has the chops to get it done.
But, of course, it’s more complicated than that.
This is some of what Hunt is fighting: First, will these even be the players next season? Because even if they play great down the stretch, if the cast is different, will Hunt be the right coach for the revamped roster?
If the front office wanted to separate from George Karl ball, will Hunt be saddled as being more of that, much in the same way that being perceived as a “triangle offense guy” hurt Shaw in his initial attempts to get a head coaching job? The question of what kind of basketball the Nuggets want to play will be central in the search.
In early conversations with insiders, the issue of experience is a common theme — in specific, the belief that the Nuggets will now move toward a person with previous coaching experience after just trying the hot, up-and-coming assistant route.
Working in Hunt’s favor is running a system that has proved to work — especially in Denver’s thin air. Hunt coached under Karl when those same general managers were naming Denver’s offense the best in the NBA in 2011-12 and 2012-13. And there is this question: Was it the system that wouldn’t work in the playoffs or not enough high-caliber players running it?
It’s not always sexy to go with the guy who’s holding down the fort. Hunt’s name isn’t on the same level as Alvin Gentry’s or Avery Johnson’s or Mike D’Antoni’s. But the Nuggets don’t need a flashy name. They just need the right one.
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dempseypost
