On April 8, I got a notification from ESPN stating that the Denver Nuggets were dismissing their head coach, Michael Malone. This news seemed impossible with only a week and a half until the play-in tournament. To add to the shock, Calvin Booth was also let go. After the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with their head coach in late March, and the Kings fired Mike Brown even earlier, it’s become apparent that job security in the NBA is… pretty much nonexistent. The one thing I want to make clear is that Malone is not the problem.
Everyone has flaws, and no coach is perfect. Still, considering he leads Denver’s coaches in regular-season and playoff wins, I’m not sure I’d fire the man, especially when he won the only championship in franchise history. He’s always spoken his mind, much to the dismay of certain fanbases. He’s like a slightly tuned-down Dan Hurley in some of his press conferences.
During some postgame commentary leading up to his firing, Malone has been critical of his players, especially after losses. There’s been some disagreement regarding Nikola Jokic’s “preferential treatment,” and I say that he’s improving the team’s net plus/minus by being on the floor. The second he’s off, their performance plummets, and almost every time he has scored over 50 points, the Nuggets lose the game.
This team is going through a tough time with injuries, as Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray have missed games. They’ve had to rely on the younger members of their roster to keep things afloat, which is the problem. Things started to unravel after the All-Star break, and those younger players — except Christian Braun — saw much of their value diminished due to a general disconnect between them and their veteran counterparts.
The truth is that it’s much easier to find a replacement for a head coach than for younger players you’ve invested in. They can’t get much in return for them because of how poorly they’ve performed and their failure to meet expectations.
Malone has a reputation for not allowing younger players to shine, like when Isaiah Hartenstein was on the team and ultimately set up to fail. This approach has backfired, as the team is now trying to leverage DeAndre Jordan as a backup center. Then, there’s the situation with Russell Westbrook and a particular moment that is reminiscent of Shaqtin’ A Fool. Toward the end of the double overtime loss against the Timberwolves, Westbrook missed a layup and then fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker with less than a second left on the game clock. His play alongside Jokic is solid, and he’s generally a positive asset for the Nuggets.
Booth and Malone have fundamentally opposing views regarding the current state of the Nuggets. In all fairness, it is important to recognize that the Collective Bargaining Agreement imposes considerable restrictions on their ability to maneuver within the league. With Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray now receiving significant contract extensions, the Nuggets find themselves with very little flexibility concerning salary cap space, which does not bode well for the team’s future prospects. Their options are severely limited; they find it challenging to sign new players or make strategic trades. This scenario has led to a blame game within the organization, and it must be acknowledged that at least half of the responsibility for this predicament lies with the front office. They have made critical missteps in handling contracts, resulting in a constrained cap space that has left the overall situation looking worrisome.
With the playoff race in the Western Conference heating up, the competition for seeds three to eight has become increasingly intense among several teams — the Nuggets, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Warriors — who all finding themselves in a tightly contested battle. As long as the Houston Rockets maintain a consistent level of performance, they are likely to secure the second seed. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are facing a daunting challenge, with a 49 percent chance of dropping into the play-in tournament if they continue to struggle and lose games. While it may be an exaggeration to say that the Nuggets are burnt out, it is undeniable that they are in a soggy state, lacking the vigor and determination that might otherwise characterize a playoff contender.