By Jordan Long
The Denver Nuggets are in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. This got me thinking, is Michael Malone the best coach in Nuggets’ history? Let’s take a look.
The top coach in Nuggets history in terms of wins is Doug Moe. He coached the Nuggets franchise from 1981 to 1990. His record in Denver was 432-357, a winning percentage of .548. The 432 wins are #1 in Nuggets history. Denver earned a playoff spot 9 times under Moe. Denver advanced to the Western Conference Finals once, 1985. They were beaten by the L.A. Lakers in 5 games. Moe was let go following a 43-39 record in 1990 and Denver was swept in the first-round by the San Antonio Spurs.
That is so many wins for Moe that his number is hanging in the Nuggets rafters for the most wins in Nuggets’ history. Moe might be the best coach in Nuggets history, but he was never able to coach them to an NBA Finals series.
George Karl coached the Denver Nuggets from 40 games in the 2004-2005 season to 2013. Karl finished with a record of 423-257. His winning percentage in the Mile High City ended at .622 which is the highest in Nuggets’ history.
Under Karl, the Nuggets never missed the postseason. The problem with Karl was 9 of his 10 years were first-round exits. The only year Denver managed to advance was 2009. They lost that year in the Western Conference Finals to the L.A. Lakers in 6 games. Even though Karl had success, it wasn’t good enough. There were too many first-round failures. Still, Karl is known for being a great coach in the Mile High City.
Malone may have already passed Moe and Karl. Malone has been with the Nuggets since 2013. His wins aren’t as many to this point as Moe and Karl, standing at 367. Malone has earned a playoff spot 5 years in a row in Denver. Besides this year, the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2020, when the NBA finished the season in the bubble setting. The Nuggets though were beaten in 5 games by the Lakers.
This year, Malone has surpassed that since Denver is in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Malone is in the conversation as the top coach in Nuggets’ history already. If he wins a championship, it could stop the debate since no other coach has helped Denver go on this type of run. Even if he doesn’t, Malone will still have a case as the best coach in Nuggets’ history.
Leave a Reply