Just a week into NBA Free Agency, teams across the league have already seen movement of big-name players such as LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland to San Antonio), DeAndre Jordan (LA Clippers to Dallas) and Rajon Rondo (Dallas to Sacramento); Denver, meanwhile, seemingly remains stagnant.
Head coach Michael Malone said in his introductory press conference, “the roster we have today will not be the roster we have in mini camp.”
Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post said it best. “Once the hullabaloo of free agency begins to dwindle, Denver can let the trade interest in Ty Lawson heat up.” Which means how much the Nuggets get for Lawson will determine much of who Denver can bring in to improve their roster.
And while the rest of the league is throwing around record-setting money, Denver is busy making changes to its coaching staff that supports the direction Malone plans on taking the team.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Ed Pinckney was hired on as Malone’s top assistant Monday morning.
Denver coach Michael Malone has hired well-regarded Ed Pinckney as his top assistant, league sources tell Yahoo. He had been with Bulls.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2015
Pinckney previously worked under Tom Thibodeau with the Chicago Bulls for five years. Similar to Thibodeau, he is a defensive-minded coach and during his stint with the Bulls was credited for his work with bigs like Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson.
Prior to Chicago, Pinckney spent time as an assistant first with Villanova (2003-07)–his alma mater and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2007-10). Pinckney also had a 13-year career in the NBA with seven different teams.
Another new face in the Nuggets organization is Chris Fleming. He last coached the Brose Baskets of the German league where he is a four-time German Cup Champion, four-time German League Champion, three-time German Supercup Champion and in 2011 won German League Coach of the Year.
In addition to Pinckney and Fleming, the Nuggets coaching staff will also include Wes Unseld Jr., Ryan Bowen and Micah Nori, according to the Denver Post.
The Nuggets may not be catching national headlines with the moves, but they are laying the foundation of leadership that will guide the team through what looks to be a rebuilding year in 2015-16.
Mike Tolbert, a Mile High Sports intern MSU-Denver student, contributed to this report
