The Denver Nuggets made the shocking choice to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on Tuesday. The firings came only three games before the postseason begins and less than two years after the Nuggets won their first NBA championship.
Vice chairman of the Nuggets ownership group, Josh Kroenke, said the decision was made to give Denver the "best chance" to compete for a championship this year. Nuggets reporter Vic Lombardi said Kroenke referred to his team as "joyless" over the last few games, and wants to see them "play hard and have fun."
Since the firings, reports have emerged that Malone and Booth did not like each other, and that their disagreements were well known around the NBA. According to The Athletic, among those differences was that Booth wanted Malone to use the younger players he drafted more often and to use the veterans for fewer minutes. Booth was reportedly "dismayed" that in multiple games last week, Malone opted to play Russell Westbrook over Jalen Pickett late in games.
Playing Westbrook proved costly for the Nuggets last week, as he made two fateful errors in Denver's double overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, including missing a layup and fouling the Timberolves on their attempt at a game-winning three-pointer.
Malone would defend Westbrook after the game, but he and Booth would ultimately pay the price. Denver would go on to lose their next three games before ownership pulled the plug on their head coach and general manager.
Now, the Nuggets will prepare for the postseason and go after another title with interim head coach David Adelman.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nuggets GM, Michael Malone Had Dispute Over Russell Westbrook Before Firings: Report.
