Michael Malone compiled a record of 471-327 during his 10 seasons with Denver, including 47-32 this season.
Michael Malone led the Denver Nuggets as the NBA in 2023. He had them lent to the playoffs for a seventh consecutive year. Even in the midst of a four -game slide, they are still in a position to have an advantage at home 1.
And he left with three games to play – an unprecedented decision for an club for the playoffs.
The Nuggets dismissed Malone on Tuesday, a breathtaking movement that comes with less than a week in the regular season. Also: the director general Calvin Booth, whose contract will not be renewed. Nuggets said David Adelman would be the rest of the season coach.
Josh Kroenke, the vice-president of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, who owns the Nuggets, said “it is without pleasure” that the team made the change in the coach.
“This decision was not taken lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we only do it with the intention of giving our group the best chances of competing with the NBA 2025 championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans from around the world,” Kroenke said.
The Denver Nuggets relieved the head coach Michael Malone from his functions and will not extend the director general Calvin Booth.
David Adelman will assume our role as head coach for the rest of the 2024-25 season.
Complete version: https://t.co/d176ktkk5w pic.twitter.com/dmyLxiqocl
– Denver Nuggets (@Nuggets) April 8, 2025
There has never been an example in the history of the NBA of a team that officially changes coaches with three games to play and go to the playoffs; Nuggets are not yet in the playoffs but are assured of a game of play at worst. The last change of season for a eliminatory team previously was in 1983, when Larry Brown left the New Jersey nets with six games to take at the University of Kansas.
The Nuggets are 47-32 this season, but are part of a logjam of teams that are fighting for the advantage of the field at home in the first round of the playoffs. Denver won the title in 2023 and lost a game 7 at home in the semi-finals of the West Conference a year ago against Minnesota.
Malone pointed out after the last defeat, a defeat of 125-120 against Indiana on Sunday.
“I’m going to start with me: we have lost four games in a row and I never go to this-kept, what would you say about me, as a chief coach, not doing my job at best my abilities,” said Malone. “We have not lost four consecutive for a long time. It’s really easy to be together and say “family” when you win, but when you lose matches, can you stay together? “
The slide occurs despite the Nikola Jokić Nuggets star – a winner of three of the last four MVP NBA prices – having an historic season, an average of 30 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. But even it was not good enough so that Denver enters the last week of the season, some at home in turn 1.
After this defeat against the Pacers, Jokic asked his greatest concern of the team at the moment.
“I don’t know. Maybe we’re just, maybe we … I don’t know, actually,” said Jokic.
Shaquille O’Neal, Vince Carter and Candace Parker react to the news of Michael Malone’s dismissal in Denver.
Nuggets hope that a reshuffle could provide the answer.
Malone had the fourth longest mandate of any active coach of the NBA, behind Gregg Popovich of San Antonio, Erik Spoelstra of Miami and Steve Kerr of Golden State.
Malone won 471 regular seasonal games in Denver, 39 more than Doug Moe for the head of coach of all time in the franchise.
“Although the calendar of this decision is regrettable, because the coach Malone helped build the bases of our NOW championship program, this is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level at the moment. The standards and expectations of championship level remain in place for the current season, and while we are turning to the future, we are impatient to rely on the foundations laid down by the coach Malone during his record career of Denver ”.
Malone was a constant success in Denver. The Nuggets finished with the loss of records during its first two seasons and displayed winning records over the next eight years with the club.
The appearance of this season in the playoffs will be the seventh consequence of the team; He has not yet won room in the playoffs this season, but is guaranteed not to finish worse than in the game tournament.
Beginning with the first appearance in the playoffs under Malone in 2019, the Nuggets came out of the first round six times in seven chances. They made the Western Conference final in the Bulle of Walt Disney World in 2020, then launched the championship by winning 16 of the 20 eliminatory games in 2023.
This is the second time in the past two weeks that a team related to the playoffs has dismissed a coach. Memphis – Another team assured at least one game place – rejected Taylor Jenkins at the end of last month with nine games to play in the season, replacing it with Tuomas Iisalo on a provisional basis.
The nets separated from Brown (officially he resigned) with six games to play in 1982-1983, and the Nets – now in Brooklyn – replaced Kenny Atkinson by Jacque Vaughn for the last 10 games of the “Bubble” 2019-20 season. The nets of 1983 and the nets 2020 went combined 0-6 in playoffs after the changes of coach; Time will say what’s going on with grizzly groves and nuggets this year.
Booth came to Denver in 2017 as deputy director general and was promoted GM in July 2020. He signed his last contract with the club in 2022.
Kroenke credited Booth “for having helped the latest parts in place to the list that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA championship.”
“Calvin’s knowledge of Calvin on the game, his passion for scouting and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA have helped to take up our organization towards new heights that we will continue to move forward,” said Kroenke.
Nuggets play Wednesday in Sacramento.
