Renck & File: In championship-or-bust mode, Knicks should hire ex-Nuggets coach Michael Malone

The Post Malone Nuggets rocked given the context But does that mean that Michael Malone can t coach Hardly He won more games with the Nuggets over years than anyone in franchise history He served as the stern father nurturing the expansion of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray His abrasive style eventually wore thin the kids were grown up with kids of their own and no longer needed browbeating and grievances aired in press conferences But with a fresh start and lessons learned ditch the paranoia stay out of office power struggles there is no better free agent Would it be weird in New York Sort of The same complaints about Tom Thibodeau have dogged Malone He plays his starters too much including in routs and is slow to trust his bench But Malone brings an edge and competitiveness that translates to players and he is adept at dealing with the media Like Malone Tom Thibodeau deserved better He inherited a red-faced franchise took it to the playoffs four times in five years and received a pink slip The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals before the Pacers eliminated them Whether because of friction created by assistant coach Rick Brunson star player Jalen Brunson s dad or association president Leon Rose believing he could not push this group across the finish line Thibodeau was canned The Knicks are in championship-or-bust mode operating like the Yankees overnight And for all the similarities between Thibodeau and Malone there is one huge difference Malone has a ring He led the Nuggets to their only title two years ago Could he do it again returning to his eastern roots as a high school graduate of Seton Hall Prep in West Orange N J Unlikely But leading the unit to the Finals is not an unreasonable request Rose had to have someone in mind before making the unpopular decision to fire Thibs He is expected to interview Mavericks coach Jason Kidd But no one is more qualified to lead the Knicks than someone who was a former New York assistant Malone s career post-Nuggets should resume in The Garden Related Articles Renck Mike McGlinchey believes Broncos offense ready for big stage This is Bo s unit Renck Avs re-signing Brock Nelson puts Chris MacFarland Jared Bednar on notice Renck vs Keeler Nuggets or Avs Who is closer to a title after playoff exits Renck For Rudden family gratification comes from Cherry Creek baseball Gabby s legacy Renck File It is not Joe Flacco s job to mentor Shedeur Sanders And it should not matter Dad Deion Deion Sanders must stop creating distractions for son Shedeur Sanders During a contemporary appearance on the Say What Necessities to Be Mentioned podcast Coach Prime labeled reports that Shedeur was unprofessional in pre-draft meetings with teams foolish The complication is he wasn t there Therein lies the response Disappear into the shrubbery Shedeur doesn t need his dad in his life this way Not anymore He has a realistic path to start especially if the Browns cut Kenny Pickett in camp and is getting rave reviews for his early work Dad requirements to leave Cleveland decision-makers alone in general and behind the scenes and trust that his son will earn the spot He has the talent to pull it off Seeing Stars Well the Avs received specific good news Friday without making a move The Stars fired coach Peter DeBoer who has owned his counterpart Jared Bednar in the playoffs When it comes to the Avs not having to face him can only help As an aside it s a tough year for pro coaches losing in the conference finals see Thibs and DeBoer SEC Not A-OK The SEC boasted the No overall postseason seed in men s basketball softball and baseball and none made the championship contest Is it time for a new slogan The SEC It Just Means Less Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis