John
The Denver Nuggets are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. They are a top-four seed in the West and have one of the best players in the NBA, Nikola Jokic.
More Nuggets news: Nuggets Shockingly Fire Michael Malone Ahead of Playoffs
Jokic is one of the reasons why the Nuggets are considered a dangerous out in the playoffs. They are a scary team to face in a seven-game series because of how well he is able to dictate the game.
Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Michael Malone has been a really good coach for the Nuggets for a while. He is the winningest coach in franchise history.
More Nuggets news: Nuggets Shockingly Blow Up Front Office, Fire HC Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth
The Nuggets disregarded Malone’s success, including the championship win, and decided to fire him. That wasn’t the only person they fired on Tuesday, either.
Denver also fired GM Calvin Booth. It’s a stunning decision with just three games left in the regular season.
After the decision to fire both guys was made, the Kroenkes, who own the team, sent a bizarre statement about why they made this move.
The hope is this moves provides a spark for what’s left in the @nuggets season/postseason.
I asked Josh to identify his immediate expectations for this team:
“Play hard and have fun.”
Need to see this team play with joy again. https://t.co/hEbgEzqmiu
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) April 8, 2025
It’s interesting that the team didn’t seem to be playing hard or having fun in ownership’s eyes. They lost four straight games before the Nuggets decided to fire Booth and Malone.
The timing of this is what is so surprising for NBA fans. The playoffs start in just a couple of weeks, so to have an interim coach lead them in the postseason is fairly surprising.
Denver will commence a full search once the playoffs are over. Until then, Rick Adelman will lead the team.
The Kroenkes have done a pretty good job of leading their sports teams in recent years. The Nuggets, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Colorado Avalanche have all won titles in the last four years.
With a track record like that, it’s hard not to trust what the owners deem the right thing to do. Still, the timing could have been much better.
Right now, the Nuggets are fourth in the Western Conference standings. They still haven’t sealed up a playoff spot, and they are still in danger of falling into the play-in.
How well the Nuggets do in the postseason determines how much of a shot to lead the team next season.
More NBA news: How Michael Malone Firing Impacts Western Conference Standings with Playoffs Looming
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