Head coach Michael Malone was shockingly fired by the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. As was the case when the Memphis Grizzlies made a similar decision with Taylor Jenkins last month, everyone is wondering why. Why would the Nuggets, closing in on 50 wins this season, fire the only coach who's ever brought them a title? Why would they choose to do so with five days and three games left in the regular season? Why, in the middle of another historic season from all-time talent Nikola Jokic, would the team voluntarily do anything that could decrease its championship odds?
In a statement released after the news the Nuggets offered a brief explanation: the move was made with the hope of winning a title this year in mind. Speaking on ESPN after breaking the stunning development, NBA insider Shams Charania dug in further and detailed Denver's primary motivation for moving on from Malone at such an inopportune time.
"My understanding is they felt kind of like the Grizzlies did with the departure of Taylor Jenkins. It's (about) igniting this team. They've lost four games in a row. They're now in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating. They felt like the signs were there that this season was not going to end well... They're getting out ahead of what they felt they were going to do come the offseason."
"They felt like the signs were there that this season was not going to end well."@ShamsCharania with more insight on the Nuggets firing head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth. pic.twitter.com/rlR6xdoX9E
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As Charania noted, the primary motivator seems to be similar to why the Grizzlies' decision was made—maximizing right now at the cost of whatever turmoil follows such a shake-up. Like Memphis, it seems Denver believed Malone was not going to be able to lead the team to any meaningful wins in the postseason. Thus, by the logic of the sunk cost fallacy, there's no reason to wait. If the Nuggets really did believe that then moving on from Malone as quickly as possible was the only choice to salvage the current season.
It's a pretty big bet. But from Charania's reporting, the Nuggets believed their only alternative was to let the string play out on a season already dead in the water. The coming weeks will quickly provide a glimpse into how right, or wrong, they were to believe as much.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shams Charania Reveals Nuggets' Primary Motivation Behind Firing Michael Malone.
