Before heading into the playoffs, Nuggets ownership decided to give many quite the surprise. On Tuesday Senior Insider Sham Charania with ESPN sent waves through Nuggets Nation and the NBA when breaking the news that the Nuggets were firing Head Coach (HC) Michael Malone, a move that was shocking to many. Shortly after Charania also reported the Nuggets firing of General Manager (GM)Calvin Booth.

The timing of the news definitely wasn’t convenient by any means. It is an odd time being we are just a few days out from the NBA Playoffs beginning with 3 games left on the Nuggets schedules and the season ending on April 13th. This has to be one of the craziest moves that I can recall where an organization decides to move on from both their Head Coach and GM just days before the playoffs. Typically, these types of moves are made at seasons end. The timing of the decision as I’ve stated is odd, but a message was sent and a move had to be made in hopes of inflicting some energy within the Nuggets locker room in hopes to go on a deep playoff run. The Nuggets currently have a record of (47-32) and are 4th in the Western Conference.

As one of the league’s longest-tenured coaches, it is disheartening to see the Nuggets organization decide to move on from coach Michael Malone, as he is only 2 seasons removed the Nuggets first championship back in 2023. Malone played a vital role in what was a 2015 rebuild, setting the culture for this Nuggets organization, turning things around, and what has been continued success for many seasons in his tenure as head coach. He is the Nuggets’ winningest coach in franchise history, totaling 471 wins—a record surpassing former Nuggets former Coach Doug Moe (1980-1990). Throughout the season there was a different vibe about this Nuggets team, as if something was going on behind closed doors. It definitely showed on the court with the lack of effort and defensive intensity given by the players. It feels as though there was a disinterest in the message Malone was giving to this team and it was time for a new voice to be heard in that locker room in which was part of the reason for the dismissal of Malone.

Calvin Booth spent the past 3 seasons with the organization after replacing Tim Connelly when he departed to become the president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his 1st tenure as GM, Booth acquired talent in both guards Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell Pope, who were vital pieces to that championship run in 2023 despite not being able to retain either of the two players in back-to-back off-seasons. There were many decisions made by him that limited the ability to improve this roster due to mismanagement of assets to acquire more talent with which to surround Nikola Jokic. One scenario in which Booth mismanaged assets was the Reggie Jackson trade. Booth sent backup point guard Reggie Jackson and three 2nd round picks to the Charlotte Hornets this off-season to unload his contract in what was viewed as a head scratching move because the amount of draft capital given up to offload Jackson’s contract. Point being: Booth in his tenure has had more misses than hits in terms of his ability to add talent to the roster to have the opportunity to be in contention.

It has been described as the Cold War between coaches Malone and Booth because of their differences in philosophy, which have caused friction between the two individuals. Malone prefers established veterans that he can count on in critical game situations, especially that he can trust in the playoffs. As for Booth, he wanted to draft and develop, especially with the new luxury tax rules being set in place. Despite their differences or who was right or wrong, the results have not shown on the basketball court. The Nuggets have recently lost 4 games in a row and needed some sense of urgency instilled in the locker room and the organization.

Team owner Josh Kroenke released a statement Tuesday, calling the timing of the decision “unfortunate.” He said he wants to give his team the “best chance” at competing for a championship this year.

In his statement Kroenke has named Assistant Head Coach David Adelman as the interim head coach to lead the charge into the playoffs. Adelman has been with the organization since 2017 and is well respected within the Nuggets locker and organization. Coach Adelman is the son of former retired Head Coach Rick Adelman. The Nuggets interim head coach gets his audition going into the playoffs to prove his worth as a candidate to be the next head coach of the organization.

When you have Nikola Jokic within your organization, who is viewed by many as the best player in the NBA and potentially one of the top 5 centers of all time, you do everything in your power to exhaust your championship window when it is open. The Nuggets ownership wasn’t satisfied with the status quo obviously, since they felt they had to make such a move firing both their GM and head coach. This off-season will be very interesting for the Nuggets organization.

I want to take the time to thank Michael Malone and Calvin Booth for their contributions to this Nuggets organization and for bringing its 1st Championship. You will always be remembered by Nuggets Nation. GO NUGGETS!

Stats & Information provided by: NBA.com, ESPN.com

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