The Denver Nuggets have parted ways with head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth with only three games remaining in the regular season.
This stunning move comes barely two years after Malone guided the franchise to its first NBA championship.
While the timing appears shocking, signs of internal tension had been brewing beneath the surface.
A particularly revealing moment from late March has resurfaced, showing Malone’s growing frustration with his team’s approach.
“It was a brutally honest message,” Malone said. “The guys that are full of s*** won’t hear it. They’ll say. ‘Coach is tripping.’ And the guys that maybe do really care will, because they’re not going to go back and watch their minutes. Nobody watches their minutes, nobody watches film, so we’ll have to show them the film.”
“They’ll say ‘coach is tripping’… Nobody watches their minutes, nobody watches film…”
– Mike Malone two weeks ago 😬
(h/t @pointfour__ )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 8, 2025
These sharp comments clearly hinted at disconnection within the Denver Nuggets’ locker room.
Malone appeared to be calling out certain players’ work ethic and their resistance to criticism – unusual public frustration from a coach who had led the team to the NBA’s pinnacle just months earlier.
Even acknowledging these tensions, the organization’s decision to make such drastic changes now raises serious questions.
The Nuggets currently find themselves in a crucial battle for playoff positioning in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.
With just three games left, they could finish anywhere from third to eighth seed – dramatically impacting their championship hopes.
Assistant coach David Adelman will step in as interim head coach to guide the team through the remainder of this tumultuous season.
The organization has indicated that they’ll conduct a thorough search for permanent leadership once their playoff run concludes.
For a franchise that tasted championship glory so recently, this unexpected leadership vacuum creates both uncertainty and opportunity as they head into the most important games of the year.
NEXT: Austin Reaves Has Honest Admission About Anthony Davis Trade
