Sharing Doug Moe Memories - Kim Hughes

Kim Hughes, Nuggets player (1978-81)

Kim Hughes played two full seasons in Denver before he was traded to Cleveland eight games into the 1980-81 season. Doug Moe was an assistant coach during Hughes time here. Hughes returned to the Nuggets, serving as an assistant coach himself from 1998-2002.

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Your memories of playing for Doug?
“Well, the refreshing thing about Doug is that he was blatantly honest. When I was here he was the assistant under Larry (Brown). Larry left and then Donnie Walsh took over and he was still the assistant. But if you were playing bad, Doug would call you out on it. Some people would just sugarcoat things, but Doug believed that if you play poorly he’ll let you know immediately."

"His banter with the referees was outstanding. Many think that he cursed at the referees like he did at some of the players, namely (Bill) Hanzlik, but he really didn’t. He just was really critical, and probably justifiably so."

"But Doug definitely I thought, brought a refreshing touch to the game because I think from Day One, a coach was taught to be stoic and from that ilk, and Doug can’t even spell the word let alone understand what it means."

What about the wardrobe?
"Well, (Doug) claimed that Larry Brown dressed well. I think that was just a bad era of dressing. I think Larry was stylish for the era. Doug would never be accused of being stylish. Doug half the time dressed in the dark. But Doug makes no pretenses about it. He doesn’t think he’s a good dresser. He would even make jokes about it. It scares me, and I shutter to think every day if it wasn’t for Jane (Moe) he’d be totally lost. He probably would come (to work) in overalls and look even worse."

Thoughts on honoring Doug Thursday night?
“I think it’s long overdue. I know Doug wasn’t around (in recent years). Knowing Doug, I think he probably doesn’t want it done, but it’s not really his choice. It’s not to reward a guy for long years of passionate work, what it is is like a celebration of a guy who was a very important part of this franchise. And Doug may have the pretense, but nobody believes he doesn’t care about winning and losing. He was passionate; he tried to win every game. And that really is the way you should approach anything, whether it’s cards, or golf or an NBA basketball game. If you are going to play something, you play it to win and Doug epitomizes the challenge involved. He took teams that really, I felt, had weaker talent than a lot of teams, but he coached better defense than people believe and he pushed the ball so fast that his coaching philosophy fit the players, which is something that some coaches are remiss in not doing. He got the most out of his talent as any coach I’ve seen in a long time. He never won a title, but I thought he pushed his players to the limit and that really shows what a true coach can do. He may not have won a title like he so desired, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.”