In a shocking turn of events, the Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone with just three games remaining before the regular season ends.
Malone helped lead the Nuggets to a championship in 2023 and had been with the team for 10 seasons. He finishes with a 471-327 record.
David Adelman, the team’s lead assistant coach, will step in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Booth was named the team’s general manager three years ago, after Tim Connelly left for the Minnesota Timberwolves. His contract will expire at the end of the season.
It was Minnesota that knocked out Denver in last year’s West semis in seven games, despite the Nuggets holding a 20-point lead at halftime.
The Nuggets have been slumping with four straight losses and are 11-13 since the All-Star break. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have had injury issues all season. The team’s depth has taken a serious blow with the losses of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown over the last couple seasons.
Nuggets ownership has historically avoided paying the luxury tax.
All the while, Nikola Jokic has been having arguably the best season of his career with 30.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals. He is shooting 57.7 percent from the field including 41.5 percent from three-point range over 67 games. He could earn his fourth MVP award in five seasons.
Denver sits fourth in the West with a 47-32 record.
Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment which owns the Nuggets, released a statement:
This isn’t new territory for Malone. He hasn’t shied away from publicly challenging or criticizing the team in the past. He can also be just as gracious in his public praise when things are going well.
How much his tirades grew tiresome will only be known on the inside, at least for now.