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Tim Connelly said recently that he had already exceeded his dreams by becoming the assistant general manager of an NBA team three years ago. The 36-year-old Baltimore native might be raising his career bar again.
Connelly, who never played on the college or pro level after graduating from Towson Catholic, was named Monday as the new executive vice president of basketball operations for the Denver Nuggets.
Connelly had spent the past three years with the New Orleans Pelicans — formerly the Hornets.
"I want to thank the Kroenke family for this incredible opportunity and for putting their faith in me to help lead the Nuggets to new heights," Connelly said in a statement released by the team. "I am also very grateful to Dell [Demps, the Pelicans' general manager] and the Pelicans organization and want to thank them for preparing me for this next chapter of my career. I am looking forward to building a strong foundation that has already been established in Denver."
Said Nuggets majority owner Stan Kroenke: "We are extremely excited to have Tim join the Denver Nuggets organization. He comes from a great basketball background, possesses an incredibly strong work ethic and is a wonderful person. His passion and energy for the game of basketball are contagious and I am confident that he will be a great fit with us in Denver."
It marks the second time in less than a month that one of the four Connelly brothers now working for NBA teams was promoted to a new position. Younger brother Pat was recently named assistant general manager of the Phoenix Suns after working for the Washington Wizards.
Older brother Joe is director of player development for the Wizards. Younger brother Dan is a scout for the Utah Jazz.
Tim Connelly, whose first NBA job was as an unpaid intern with the Wizards in 1996 while attending Catholic University, will jump into his new job immediately.
According to the Denver Post, Connelly will interview two candiates this week for the head coaching vacancy left when longtime Nuggets coach George Karl was fired following a 57-win season.
The Post reported Monday that Connelly will interview Indiana assistant Brian Shaw and former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, who, like Karl, was not retained despite his team making the playoffs.
Connelly will also have to decide whether to offer All-Star guard Andre Iguodala, an unrestricted free agent, a new five-year contract. The Nuggets pick 27th in next week's college draft.
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