Michael Malone’s days in the Mile High City are now numbered. After 10 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, the organization made the surprising decision to fire him just days before the playoffs. Not only did they fire Michael Malone, they also made the decision to let go of GM, Calvin Booth. The Nuggets are currently fourth in the Western Conference with a win-loss record of 47-32. However, they are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Tensions have also been growing for awhile now. Interim coach, David Adelman, will take over the head coaching duties for the rest of the year.
Denver still has one of the deadliest offenses in the Association led by Nikola Jokić, who is averaging an unheard of 45.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game in the month of April. However, their defense has been porous this season. This has led to many losses in games the Nuggets should have won handily. The team ranks 20th in team defensive rating, making them the only squad in playoff contention to have a bottom-tier defensive unit. Despite the Nuggets still residing in the top-four of the Western Conference, the ownership felt now was the time remove two key figures who had animosity towards each other.
Denver Nuggets Fire Head Coach, Michael Malone, and GM, Calvin Booth, Days Before NBA Playoffs
Denver’s Head Coach and GM Reportedly Did Not See Eye to Eye
According to NBA analyst, Kevin O’Connor, Michael Malone and Calvin Booth never liked each other going as far to “talk behind each other’s backs.” Other NBA peers also note that there was tension arising between Michael Malone and the front office before the season even started. Another report claimed that Booth and Malone disagreed with how certain players were utilized. Booth wanted young players such as Jalen Pickett to get more playing time. He did not like that Malone had played veteran, Russell Westbrook, down the stretch in recent weeks.
As if that was not enough, superstar, Nikola Jokić, had also grown frustrated with the team’s defensive intensity per Tony Jones, Sam Amick, and Zach Powell of The Athletic. While this may seem a bit hypocritical coming from Jokić who is not known as a reliable rim-protector. However, he does rank second in steals per game (1.8) this year. Plus, Jokić is still the best player in the world. If he says something, you listen if you are the Denver Nuggets. Time will tell if the Nuggets will return to championship contention. As of now though, the future is very murky for this current Denver Nuggets squad. Especially as they try to navigate life without Michael Malone for the first time in 10 years.
