1 dream quote we wish to hear from every Denver Nugget at media day

Michael Malone: “Calvin and I are on the same page 100%”

Even if Malone says this, I’m not sure anyone would truly believe him. But this is the concern as Zach Lowe reported there were some rumblings about a riff between Malone and the front office. Beyond the reporting, this is pretty evident from watching the passive-aggressive battle between the two sides over the past few years.

Malone clearly favors his proven veteran players. He likes the guys he trusts and he has shown a hesitance to give minutes to young and unproven players. This was on full display in the playoffs when he was opting to use guys like Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday in favor of Peyton Watson.

But Booth has made it clear that the organization values the young players and believes in them. He has taken away almost all of Malone’s veteran role players, forcing his hand to play the young players.

This isn’t a rare situation, but if the young guys aren’t able to fit into Malone’s system quickly enough this could lead to some frustration. But at this point, there’s really no other option. Malone’s hands are tied and he might as well get on board.

Hopefully, he has gotten on the same page as the front office and everyone is ready to move on and win with this roster full of young players. Malone needs to buy in and let these guys play through some mistakes. He has no other options anymore.