Denver homecoming special for Nets Jordi Fernandez: great memories

DENVER — Jordi Fernandez has known Nuggets coach Michael Malone since their days in Cleveland, and he spent six seasons as an assistant under him in Denver.He credits those years — helping mold the Nuggets into winners — for not only getting him the Nets job but laying down the blueprint he’s trying to follow.“Six years of my life with my family were here, my kids were born here, so great memories, not just professionally but family-wise,” Fernandez said before Friday’s 124-105 loss at Ball Arena.“Every year I was here helped me prepare for this job.

Michael Malone, the organization, the coaching staff, ownership, front office, every experience … it was one of the reasons I’m in the position I’m in right now.“I was able to experience a young team, the majority of guys were drafted that we built into a playoff team, made it to a conference finals and then won a championship.So the process really helped me to understand how things work.

It’s never going to be the same, and it’s not going to be perfect, but going through it here and being part of it, I think it was a great experience for me as a coach.”Fernandez joined Cleveland in 2009 as a developmental coach while Malone was a Cavaliers assistant.And later, the year after Malone became head coach in Denver, he brought the young Spaniard in as an assistant.

Fernandez spent 2016-22 with the Nuggets, building a contender that won the title the season he departed.He left an impression on Malone.“[Fernandez had] just a hunger and an appetite for learning and growing, and his ability to just relate and get along with the players,” Malone said.“You could just tell that it was just a matter of when he was going to be given that opportunity.

And obviously, Brooklyn gave him that chance.“It’s been a tough year for them, but when you look at everything they’ve gone through this year — the trades, the players and all that — the most important thing for Jordi and any young coach ...