On Tuesday afternoon, the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth. The unprecedented decision left the entire basketball world in a state of shock. Many people began to hypothesize on potential reasons for ownership relieving Malone, the best coach in franchise history, of his duties just a few games before the start of the postseason. It turns out that three-time MVP Nikola Jokić was at the forefront of the team’s reasoning.
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No other head coach has witnessed more success with the Denver Nuggets. He is the winningest coach in franchise history and the only one to deliver the team an NBA championship. Nonetheless, it didn’t change his fate with the organization.
Malone had been quite vocal about his feelings toward the team’s roster construction. He wasn’t a fan of Booth’s tendency to add young questionable talent over experienced veterans. As a result, the two never saw eye-to-eye over five years of working together. The assumption was that one or both would be gone in the summer, but the timing is truly shocking.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Tony Jones revealed inside information which led to the firing of Booth and Malone. Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke made the executive decision to move in a different direction for the sake of Jokic.
“The Kroenkes would fire them both. And in the end, with the goal of preserving the 30-year-old Jokić’s precious prime at the forefront of the decision,” Amick said.
Kroenke’s decision to relieve them both of their duties didn’t come out of nowhere. The Nuggets management held multiple meetings attempting for Booth and Malone to find a common ground, which never developed. Additionally, the team’s struggles didn’t help their case.
The stunning move came amid a four-game losing streak. A few of those losses feature Jokic’s absurd 61-point triple-double against the Timberwolves, along with 41 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists versus the Pacers.
Denver appointed David Adelman as the team’s interim coach for the remainder of the season. Despite the sudden coaching change, Kroenke had a positive message for his players ahead of their postseason push.
Kroenke implores the team to have fun
Kroenke noticed there was a lack of joy present in the team’s play. Of course, winning is at the top of his priority list but he didn’t like how unhappy the team seemed.
Ahead of the team’s shootaround before their matchup against the Kings, Kroenke spoke with them. NBA insider Chris Haynes reveals what Kroenke told the Nuggets roster.
“Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke met with team prior to shootaround on Wednesday to say the team wasn’t playing with joy, and implored them to fight with passion and enthusiasm the duration of the season,” Haynes said.
While the Nuggets went on to defeat the Kings by a score of 124-116, it’s unsure if his words had any real effect. Denver has two games remaining against the Grizzlies and Rockets which will be crucial to their postseason seeding.
It’s hard to say if the Nuggets’ change will end in success as the only team to fire their coach and win a title was the 2016-17 Cavaliers, who fired David Blatt for Tyronn Lue.
