Malone on the Hot Seat? Takeaways From Nuggets vs. Heat

Will Malone finally start Murray? Where is Malik Beasley? Could it be time to send Nurkic to the bench?  When will the Nuggets find their optimal starting 5? Who is our go-to player?

These questions have popped up among many Nuggets fans following Wednesday’s loss, and justifiably so. Yes, Gary Harris and Will Barton are sorely missed, but coach Mike Malone’s handling of the Nuggets in their absence has left many questioning his ability to make Denver a winning team. According to fans, the biggest concern seems to be Malone’s continued starting of veteran PG Jameer Nelson at the SG spot, over rookie SG Jamal Murray.

Nelson has played well in his recent starts, but at age 34 and measuring just six feet tall, his speed and size have caused the Nuggets to bleed defensively. His offensive production has been making up for this weakness, but most knew that this was unsustainable. Jamal Murray is no defensive god, but he does have more size and speed, not to mention one of the most promising jump-shots to come to Denver in quite some time. If nothing else, giving the rookie more court time seems like enough of a reason to give him the start at SG, and now that another Nuggets loss has brought their record down to 7-11, coach Malone is starting to be held responsible.

Similarly, Malone’s inability to create an effective game-plan for late-game scenarios has left a bad taste in the mouths of Nuggets fans. When watching this team play late, one word comes to mind; chaos. This team looked completely out of whack against the Heat in the 4th quarter. After securing a multiple possession lead midway through the 4th, everything fell apart.

Pick and rolls were either completely ineffective or absent all together, and the team’s lack of a true leader started to hurt once again. As the Heat started to take the lead, panic set in, and the Nuggets lost control of the game. Had there been a stronger sense of leadership, or any true closing game-plan, then the win could have easily gone to Denver. It was off of poorly executed improvisation-offense that late-game turnovers piled up, boosting the Heat to the win hand in hand with some timely shooting touch from Miami guards Ellington and Johnson. In this time, feeding the ball to Wilson Chandler would have been the better choice, as he has proven lately his ability to slash and/or shoot, and Miami’s defense would have been kept on its toes.

Using a threat like Chandler is how you get to the foul line, how you get other teammates good open looks, and how you win games. Every successful team has had their go-to guy in late game situations, and Denver needs to pick theirs sooner than later. Wilson Chandler seems to be the front-runner.

It is also worth mentioning that rookie guard Malik Beasley has seen virtually no boost in playing time despite injuries to guards Harris and Barton. Beasley too has a much more appropriate size and speed for the SG position than Jameer Nelson, and even could have easily been a defensive answer either Ellington or Johnson.

Had Malone started Jamal Murray, made better substitutions/rotations, or set up Wilson Chandler to be the go-to-guy late in the 4th, this game might have gone Denver’s way.

Must Read: Nuggets Must Learn to Close Out Tight Games

But alas, it didn’t, and much is left up to speculation. In the meantime, coach Mike Malone will have to do his best to explain himself, and hopefully make some changes. Otherwise, he might need to start organizing his résumé.