With Serbian star Nikola Jokić — a once-in-a-lifetime player who has turned into one of the game’s all-time greatest players — delivering another historic season, the Denver Nuggets made stunning organizational changes with three games remaining in the regular season and the playoffs looming.
On Tuesday, the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and jettisoned general manger Calvin Booth, whose contract will not be extended, leaving the Nuggets without two key people who were instrumental in helping the Nuggets win the franchise’s only NBA title in 2023.
It’s a perplexing move given Denver is not only in playoff position, but very well a contender in a deep Western Conference. Malone had taken the Nuggets to the promised land before, and had a chance to do it again for the second time in three seasons. But things were reaching a boiling point in the Mile High City, resulting in the moves that sent shockwaves through the Association.
Why did Nuggets fire Mike Malone?
Nuggets president and governor Josh Kroenke said in a video posted on social media the decision wasn’t taken lightly, but things weren’t trending in the right direction for the franchise.
‘What I would say is that, having observed that group over a period of time, there were certain trends that were very worrisome to me at different points in time,’ Kroenke said.
He added the issues were masked by wins, and as Denver hit a recent slump, Kroenke believed the season would come to a disappointing end. Ownership didn’t want an early playoff exit and believed a deep playoff run was possible if it opted to go in a different direction.
There were rumblings of changes coming in the offseason, but felt it needed to be expediated, even if the timing wasn’t ideal.
‘All that taken into consideration, wanted to try to figure out a way to potentially squeeze as much juice out of the rest of the season as possible,’ Kroenke said. ‘I became comfortable with the thinking of let’s try to shake this tree and squeeze as much out of this as we can.’
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What led to Nuggets firing Mike Malone, Calvin Booth
There was friction between Malone and Booth over Denver’s roster construction. Malone wanted to succeed with veteran players while Booth sought younger talent, mainly through the NBA draft. Despite their differences and trying to work past them, Denver was still successful on the court.
Booth is a strong talent evaluator and has hit on some late first-round picks, including Christian Braun who is a candidate for Most Improved Player this season.
The discord between the two proved to be much. The battle between playing veterans and younger players – Russell Westbrook over Jalen Pickett was an issue – was never resolved, and Malone’s style had worn thin in the locker room. Jokic was privy to the decision before it was announced, and there was not an objection, people familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the team’s internal operations.
A re-start with a different coach and different GM was the answer. In a battle of Last Man Standing, neither won.
On Feb. 20, Denver was second in the Western Conference at 37-19. But since then, it’s been 10-14 as the offensive and defensive efficiency numbers dipped.
Denver is 3-7 in their past 10 games and are riding a four game losing streak. Now in a crowded Western Conference where only two games separate the No. 3 seed an No. 8 seed, Denver has slipped to fourth in the conference and is at risk of being in the play-in tournament.
The Nuggets have slipped offensively and defensively since the All-Star break, scoring 119.5 points and allowing 113.7 point per 100 possessions before the break and 116.8 and 118.3 after the break.
They lost to Minnesota April 1 in double overtime, a game in which Jokic recorded a 60-point triple-double: 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and lost to Indiana Sunday with Jokic going for 41 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists.
The Nuggets’ situation illustrates how difficult it is to maximize a championship window in today’s NBA. When Denver beat Miami for the title in 2023 with Jokic and Jamal Murray, it looked like it was a team built for multiple championships. But Denver lost in the conference semifinals and do not look like a team – at least today – ready to return to the Finals this season.
Ownership isn’t ready to give up on that goal.
Who is Nuggets’ new coach?
David Adelman, who was Malone’s top assistant, will take over the interim coaching duties for the remainder of the season. He is the son of former NBA coach Rick Adelman.
Adelman has been in Denver since 2017 and has drawn head coaching interviews in recent years for his role in developing Denver’s offense around Jokić. The Nuggets lead the league in points in the paint per game (58.4).
‘I have complete trust and belief in our assistant coaches and their ability to step up into different roles,’ Kroenke said.
