DENVER — Here we are, with three games left in the regular season, the fourth-place Nuggets fired their head coach, Michael Malone, and their GM, Calvin Booth.
The first response is, ‘Oh my gosh, it's over. They're going to limp into the playoffs and be eliminated in the first or second round.’
But that may not be the case.
David Adelman is going to take over as an interim coach. He coaches the Nuggets’ Summer League team and has filled in as acting head coach in Malone’s absence. He is one of the most highly regarded assistant coaches in the league. Everyone in the know thinks that he is ready to be a head coach.
Well, he better be ready, because it's happening right now as they approach the playoffs.
Here, two things can happen. First, a total collapse and everything falls apart and the team resets next year. Or, Adelman provides them a jolt of energy and Adelman coaches the same players that Malone was coaching to a serious run to the NBA Finals. We shall see.
It's the same players – Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, who is injured, these guys had a disconnect, it seems. I don't know this for sure, but it seems like there was a disconnect between Malone and the players as they headed down the stretch.
Denver Nuggets
Former Nuggets head coach George Karl reacts to Malone firing with single emoji
I didn't see any joy, any energy in the team in the last few weeks, and Malone even said it. He said the team was lacking passion, lacking hustle and wasn’t playing defense as it lost game after game. Maybe this lights a fire under the team as they head to the NBA Playoffs. I think it will, and we'll see what happens.
Coach Malone is the most successful coach in franchise history with 471 wins over 10 years and the Nuggets’ first NBA championship less than two years ago. That's the mind blowing thing: Less than two years ago, they're having a parade with Malone, champagne was flowing, and now this.
But, Josh Kroenke said it: We're not throwing in the towel on this season. We're doing this so that we can chase a championship this year.
So, we'll see how it works out.
Adelman, as I said, could bring this team to another level that Malone couldn't. It looks like they were stagnant, dead in the water, the last couple of weeks. So Kroenke didn't wait to see what happens for next year. He made the move on this Tuesday, so we'll see how it happens.
But look on the bright side: It couldn't get much worse than it was right now as they head towards the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets 2024-25 Schedule
- April 9: @ Sacramento Kings
- April 11: vs. Memphis Grizzlies
- April 13: @ Houston Rockets