Colorado Coaches: Take me to your leader

I shifted to a new gig recently, and have been fortunate to report to one of the more intriguing and non-traditional CEOs I’ve ever worked for. Coming in the door, I was curious to see if “his way” would work when push really came to shove. After several battles joined together this year, I am starting to see the method to his madness. The whole thing has been an extraordinary learning experience. Some people just thrive at teaching. But I’m sure I can find someone to say it better than that…

“In the end, it’s about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me.”

– John Wooden

Much better. There are countless and thankless hours of being a coach, whether you are doing it at the peewee level or at the highest heights. So the reason any coach worth their salt would do it is simply the joy and passion they derive from teaching players how to best play a game. Oh, and a fat paycheck probably doesn’t hurt the motivations of the gents we’ll be discussing today. But if an All-Timer like Coach Wooden hangs his hat on that emotion, you know it’s pretty powerful stuff.

After that, what makes up a coach is a mish-mash of traits, quirks, and complexities. Tempers can run the gamut from Bobby Knight to Tom Landry. Intellects from Mike Shanahan to… well, let’s not throw anyone under that bus today.

The gentlemen that make up Colorado’s pro coaching community are no exception. Each of them very different characters, and each of them in vastly different circumstances. Here’s how the gents at the helm of the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies, and Avalanche steer their ships.

Michael Malone, Denver Nuggets

Easiest to start with the coach I’m most familiar with in Mike Malone. At the start of his fifth season in Denver, Coach is riding high after an ever-building series of successes with the Nuggets. Malone has had both good judgment and good fortune on his side, arriving at the same time as a once-in-a-generation talent like Nikola Jokic, but also having the foresight to make several decisions along the way that were either unpopular with his players, the fans, or both. Coach goes by his own compass on such matters, placing the team and wins above all else.

Mike is also self-reflective in the extreme, always ready and able to call out the weaknesses in his own “game”, which has been a catalyst to his visible growth during his tenure.

It’s a good time to be Michael Malone in Denver these days. He’s also carried his team through some difficult moments, stayed loyal to his players, and remained consistent in his messages to team and fans alike. In return, his team is ready to run through a brick wall for him. If you get to see any of Malone’s interviews at this point, it would appear that Mike is having a lot of fun in Denver.

Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos

Understandably, Vic Fangio is not having nearly so much fun in his first season at altitude. Fangio had several stints as a highly sought-after defensive coordinator under his belt, but many were curious as to how he would handle his first head coaching assignment at 60. Though his Broncos are off to a tough start this season, most pundits do not lay the responsibility at Fangio’s feet. Should the bleeding continue, we shall see how long that latitude lasts. Vic’s commentary, expertise, and acumen make it perfectly clear that he is perfectly clear on what is not working with this Broncos squad. If he cannot fix it, he still may be on his way out the door, but Fangio is well aware he needs to “coach his butt off” to end his first season in Denver.

Though his circumstances are tougher, Vic’s non-nonsense demeanor and consistent message have at least kept him in a spot most of his players seem to like and respect him. His directness can chafe, but he doesn’t pull any punches with anyone. The task before him appears herculean, but his methodical approach could actually be hugely helpful in that effort, if he can get some momentum to build on. If he cannot gain momentum, the tumult may sweep Vic away along with it before we come to learn if “his way” would have worked or not.

Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche

His first day on the Avalanche bench a few years ago was Jared Bednar’s first on any NHL bench. Coach Bednar had built up an exceptional resume at the secondary levels, but found himself as an NHL head coach after the sudden departure of Avs legend Patrick Roy. The team Bednar inherited was young and talented, but had several near-term growing pains to overcome. But with a patience that seems to be an overall hallmark from their top brass (common knowledge, but the Avs and Nuggets are owned by the same governing body, for anyone who reads DNVR from under a rock). After consistently moving this Colorado squad forward season over season, Bednar received an extension from the Kroenkes and was nominated for the Jack Adams award.

Bednar seems to stress fundamentals as the key to his team’s consistent growth, and he’s also been fortunate to get enough time to see the wealth of young talent he started with mature and coalesce. Similar to his NBA counterpart, his young squad seems loyal to Bednar to a fault. With his Avalanche squad off to one of their best starts in team history, Jared seems to be a fixture in Denver for the foreseeable future.

Bud Black, Colorado Rockies

Boy, a seat can get hot quickly, can’t it? After playoff appearances in his first two seasons in Colorado resulted in a three-year contract extension for manager Bud Black. And then sadly for Bud, his team, and Colorado baseball fans everywhere, the Rockies promptly came out and had one of their more disappointing seasons in a while, with expectations very high.

For his part, Black has been a player and coach in the league long enough to be able to ride these sorts of ebbs and flows with a lot of calm perspective, but his often-calm demeanor has also been called out by some as not fiery enough to light his team up when they find themselves in a deep rut. To his credit, Black seems to stay true to himself in not trying to be what he is not, and his team has been complimentary of that consistency. Should the Rockies struggle again next season, Black may very well find himself out on the street. But whichever way it lands, it won’t be with Bud changing much about the way he relates to his team. Here’s hoping those Rox can steer back towards their previous history under Black, as they were a ton of fun to watch. Next season’s outcome will be compelling, either way.

A few constants amongst the four guys running these shows, DNVR faithful. Commitment to fundamentals and consistency, a loyalty to their squads, and a no-nonsense communication style all tie these gents together. But there’s even more disparities than commonalities, as personalities, common theories, styles and more are all a part of some very different outcomes for Colorado’s pro sports teams. How much of that can be laid at the feet of the way these guys run their teams? Do any of those traits (or others) bubble up as a “must have” for coaching success in any sport, or is this all simply a matter of good fortune and chaos?

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