Yes, the Nuggets can win an NBA championship. But it was never going to happen with George Karl as coach. Franchise president Josh Kroenke took a gamble on greatness when he fired Karl. If Denver doesn’t win 57 games next season, it is the billionaire’s son, not the new coach, who will get blamed.

“I don’t think we’re going to miss a beat. But are we going to win 57 games next year? We’ve got our work cut out for us, just based on roster and injury situations,” Kroenke told me last week, while we stood in the hallway of the Pepsi Center and I tried to grasp his vision of how the Nuggets will hang a championship banner in the arena.

Kroenke said: “For me, it doesn’t matter if we win 57 games or not, as long as we’re continuing to build toward something bigger. And I think we can do that.”

That bold thinking is certain to unnerve fans unsettled by general manager Masai Ujiri bolting for Toronto and the dismissal of Karl.

“With Masai’s departure and an uncertainty with George’s contractual situation,” Kroenke said, “I just needed to rip off the Band-Aid and put everybody on the same page.”

Ouch. And there could be more blood.

Nobody knows when forward Danilo Gallinari will be back from a knee injury worse than originally imagined. Given a chance to test the open market, guard Andre Iguodala could be gone, as well.

The Nuggets need to hire a coach who can calm the blood pressure of agitated customers and spiff Denver’s image as just another flyover city in the league.

I want a coach who can be a Pied Piper for players and give the Nuggets some sizzle in the NBA’s cult of personality, at a time when even Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant has signed to be a client of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

If, like me, you want a high-profile coach who can make players take notice, go spend whatever it takes to hire somebody with the name recognition of Boston’s Doc Rivers.

On the other hand, if you want a no-nonsense coach who instills respect and fear in players so they compete relentlessly, then Lionel Hollins is your man. He fits the profile of what Kroenke likes in a coach.

Or, if you don’t give a hoot about making headlines, and want to maintain continuity on a team that finished third in the Western Conference standings? Then Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt would be a solid choice.

But this is Kroenke’s decision. And what is he looking for in a coach?

By listening to Kroenke, the profile of Denver’s next coach comes in focus. A candidate for the job will need to be on the same page with Kroenke on key points:

A belief Denver can build to championship contention through the development of a young core that features point guard Ty Lawson, forward Kenneth Faried and center JaVale McGee. In no small part, San Antonio has maintained dominance by nurturing the raw skills of Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. At age 62, Karl felt more comfortable placing his trust in veterans such as 37-year-old Andre Miller, whose lack of athleticism was exposed during the playoff loss to Golden State.

Holding players accountable, scolding players or demanding more from players is all good. Kroenke doesn’t want a babysitter on the bench. But, no matter how much a coach might scream, a player must know Coach has his back. Karl could certainly teach players how to improve, but stars the magnitude of Ray Allen and role players on the level of Kosta Koufos alike have discovered the corner of Karl’s doghouse can be very dark, with no way out.

Learning to win in the NBA is a process that requires mental toughness. Karl was high maintenance. No coach had more swagger in victory or did more dejected shoe- gazing in defeat than Karl, as his longtime friend Doug Moe once told me. What makes Golden State’s Mark Jackson an effective coach can’t be spelled out with X’s or O’s. He’s a preacher. And his unwavering message is: We will find a way.

For those who cannot make sense of the Karl firing, it came down to money. Karl sought a multimillion-dollar extension, despite having a year remaining on his contract. The Kroenke message to the coach was calm and direct: Why did you sign the agreement if you didn’t intend to honor the final season on it?

Kroenke does not subscribe to the lame-duck theory, believing it’s only as big a deal as a coach makes it. “Look at Lionel Hollins,” Kroenke said. “He didn’t make an issue out of being in the final year of his contract in Memphis.”

The Grizzlies advanced to the Western Conference finals, despite a midseason trade of forward Rudy Gay that didn’t please Hollins.

Hollins is tough-minded, which makes him of the same mind as Kroenke.

Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053, mkiszla@denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla