Per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Denver Nuggets reached an agreement on a deal with Mike Malone to become coach. Malone has been coaching in the NBA as an assistant since 2001, and was most recently head coach of the Sacramento Kings, before being fired shortly into his second season. He finished with a 39-67 record as head coach.
The Nuggets desperately needed a new leader after Brian Shaw's flaccid performance. Shaw took over prior to the 2013-2014 season, and the team quickly declined. After finishing 57-25 prior to Shaw's arrival, they subsequently finished 36-46, then 30-52 under Shaw's leadership. The Nuggets have a strange collection of talent that Malone will have to juggle, and improvements must be made on the defensive end. As head coach of the Kings, Malone emphasized defensive grit, so he is certainly up to the challenge of rebuilding a Nuggets defense that finished 27th in defensive efficiency last season. Overall, Malone will certainly cause a culture shift within Denver, but it's unclear if he'll be able to rebuild the team back to its previous success.