The Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Micheal Malone. This comes while the team is in the middle of a four-game losing streak, including a loss at home to the Indiana Pacers two days ago. The Nuggets have a record of 47-32 on the season and are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference. Denver has also terminated the contract of general manager Calvin Booth. Lead assistant David Adelman will serve as the interim head coach for the Nuggets. This comes just days before the playoffs begin.
Over the last five years, no head coach in the NBA had more wins than Malone, (252). Ty Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers is now in first position with 230. Denver had eight consecutive winning seasons under Malone and won the NBA championship just three seasons ago. Last season, they were up 20 in game seven of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, the Nuggets would lose the game, ending their potential back-to-back championship season. With this coaching change coming just days before the playoffs begin, this opens the door for many questions. What does this mean for Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray’s future with the team, and what can we expect from Denver this postseason?
Reaction
This makes zero sense for this to happen at this point in the season. If you are going to clean house, why not wait until the off-season to make this change? The playoffs start within the next week, and when you have an all-time great player like Nikola Jokić, you have a puncher’s chance at making a deep run. Yes, the season has not gone the way the Nuggets had expected. However, they are arguably the best offensive team in basketball, ranking in the top five in points per game, field goal, percentage, three-point percentage, and assists per game. This hammers home the point of how poorly the team has been constructed despite having an all-time great player and a complimentary second star.
The erosion of the championship team is the reason why this team is falling apart, starting with the head coach. When you look at the difference between the championship roster and today’s roster, only six players from the championship year are still on the team. When you lose productive wing defenders/three-point shooters such as Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and a nice role player in Jeff Green, you will not improve. And it will increase the load on your superstar players. As mentioned previously, when you have an all-time great player, you are essentially in win now mode every single season. Instead of keeping the core team together and trying everything this organization can do to surround Jokić with talent, they’ve done the opposite. Denver relies on his sensational play to the point that he does not have enough horses on the team to win the race.
