The excuses expire as soon as the NBA champion is crowned Sunday night.
Denver’s front office remains directionless with four days until the NBA draft starts. While the Nuggets don’t have a draft pick, the only way that makes sense is if the Nuggets are waiting to hire someone from the Thunder or Pacers after Game 7.
Woody Paige column: There’s a good reason the Nuggets continue to draw a blank in the offseason
Oklahoma City architect Sam Presti is far too smart to leave his situation, but Rob Hennigan, the Thunder’s vice president of basketball operations who previously served as Orlando’s general manager, might be interested. Jesse Gould, Oklahoma City’s other vice president of basketball operations, has a resume that’s largely built on G League experience.
Regardless of the result, Indiana president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard should be happy to stay put. Denver Gazette columnist Mark Kiszla previously floated Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan’s name as a potential hire. He or Hennigan look like the only options that could spare Stan and Josh Kroenke from deserved criticism locally and nationally.
Ben Tenzer, the only remaining internal candidate after the organization parted ways with Tommy Balcetis last week, has been serving as interim general manager for more than two months. Tenzer has been with the organization since 2012, plenty of time to know if he can handle the gig.
Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd, Tim Connelly’s No. 2, has been another name rumored to be involved in the process. Minnesota’s season ended nearly a month ago, leaving time for Nuggets ownership to assess his readiness. If an interview has been conducted, it’s been kept private.
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The Kroenkes have kept their circle of trust incredibly small since Calvin Booth and Michael Malone were fired right before the playoffs. A couple of people close to the team were in the dark earlier this week.
Josh, the team president, said he didn’t believe the franchise needed a cultural reset when he introduced David Adelman as the team’s next coach. The messaging made it sound like the Nuggets are banking on internal development being enough to get back to contending for championships.
That’s quite a gamble these days. Nikola Jokic, who’s eligible for an extension on July 8 — as long as, you know, the Nuggets have a lead executive by then — turned 30 in February. Aaron Gordon joins him in September, while Jamal Murray, 28, and Michael Porter Jr., who turns 27 on June 29, aren’t far off.
The next few years figure to be the franchise’s best chance to win another championship for a long time. That makes hiring the right person one of the bigger decisions in team history.
Ideally, that person would have plenty of time to formulate a path forward before teams can start negotiating with free agents on June 30. Unofficial conversations start much sooner.
It’s a good reason to take your time with the process, but incredibly valuable time has been wasted, unless the hire’s coming from Oklahoma City or Indianapolis.