By now, you’ve likely heard about the shocking decision by the Denver Nuggets to fire head coach Michael Malone just four days before the end of the NBA regular season. The team hasn’t been playing great recently, but this is an astonishing move for a team that holds a top-four seed with just three games until the playoffs.
BREAKING: The Denver Nuggets have fired coach Michael Malone, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bZoKRx6kgt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 8, 2025
It also seems harsh given Malone has been coaching this team for the past 10 seasons, he’s now the winningest coach in franchise history, and he led them to the first championship in franchise history not even two years ago.
It’s abrupt and unbelievable but it’s the move that the Kroenke’s and Denver chose to make. They also relieved GM Calvin Booth of his duties and in a statement said in part, that this was a “necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season.”
Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke: “While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship level standards and…
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 8, 2025
The statement makes sense on the surface, but it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story of this jaw-dropping move. Here are five reasons that should help add some perspective and context as to why the Nuggets cleaned house on the eve of the playoffs.
5.) Malone and the front office have been at odds for years
Malone and Booth have never seen eye-to-eye. Booth believed in draft picks, flexibility, and a youth movement, while Malone has favored reliable veterans. In the end, both were let go, so it’s hard to say either side “won”, but more appropriately, both sides “lost”.
Absolutely nuts. Booth and Malone never liked each other, rarely spoke, and talked behind each other's backs. With the team struggling on the court, Nuggets ownership decided to fire both. Insane. https://t.co/BUVS7grQWq
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 8, 2025
It doesn’t seem like Malone has been easy to work with and has made his frustration with the roster well-known. Agree with him or not, if Malone wasn’t willing to work with the front office, that’s not giving the Nuggets the best chance to win.
4.) Nikola Jokic deserves better
It’s completely unacceptable that Nikola Jokic is having one of the best seasons in NBA history and yet, the Nuggets have as many losses as seven other teams in their conference. It’s hard to pin all of that blame on Malone and his coaching, but he’s the one at the end of the bench calling the shots each night.
Jokic is the best thing that has ever happened to the franchise and ownership must do everything possible to maximize his window and convince him to spend his entire career in Denver. The Kroenke’s clearly felt that it was time for someone else to take the reins of the Jokic era before it was too late.
3.) Malone has never fully trusted the young players
It’s clear that Malone wanted vets, but he lost that battle and never adjusted. We still don’t fully know what to expect out of players like Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and Jalen Pickett. Christian Braun has been a success story, but Malone has almost had no choice but to play him.
He’s been stubborn to a fault and preferred to give minutes to guys like Reggie Jackson, Justin Holiday, Russell Westbrook, and DeAndre Jordan instead of developing young players. Maybe those young players wouldn’t be good, but at least we’d know.
2.) The Nuggets’ defense is atrocious
In terms of basketball, the biggest problem for the Nuggets has been the defense. Sure, some of it is personnel, but Malone hasn’t been able to scheme or push the right buttons in a way that works. Denver’s defense has fallen off a cliff in the past couple of years and they’re just 20th in defensive rating.
At times it’s also been fair to question the effort and buy-in of the players on the floor. These players may not be good enough, but it doesn’t seem like Malone is maximizing their abilities either. At some point, he lost the locker room.
1.) The on-court product simply isn’t good enough
The bottom line is that the team just hasn’t lived up to expectations. It’s no single person’s fault, but it’s everyone’s fault. The Nuggets won it all in 2023, they have the best player in the world, and they’ve kept their top four players intact.
But the team has gone 8-11 since the beginning of March, they’ve lost four straight games, and they’re on the verge of falling into the play-in tournament. We can argue all day about who’s to blame, but frankly, the results just aren’t good enough. People need to be held accountable and that starts at the top. It’s a sad day in Denver, and Malone deserved better than this, but the Nuggets haven’t been nearly good enough and it was time for heads to roll.