With just three games remaining in the regular season, the Denver Nuggets fired head coach Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth on Tuesday. The Nuggets are on a four-game losing streak in their worst stretch of the season, but firing a 10th-year head coach just before the playoffs as a top-five seed seems excessive.
After the sudden firing of arguably a top ten coach in the league, Denver is under more pressure now than ever before. While some NBA analysts have claimed that there’s been tension between various Nuggets players and Malone, there’s no way to know for sure.
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Assistant coach David Adelman will step in as the Nuggets’ head coach for the remainder of this season. If the playoffs started now, they would be matched up against the red-hot L.A. Clippers, a matchup that could pose serious challenges for Denver.
Nikola Jokic is on a record-breaking hot streak, but the Nuggets continue to slip. With Jamal Murray remaining inconsistent and echoes of internal conflict being heard in the NBA media, the Nuggets front office seemingly panicked over how the season was projected to end.
Per Shams Charania, the writing was on the wall for some time that Mike Malone's job was in jeopardy ???? pic.twitter.com/JVgShSmxOq
— Ball Exclusives (@ballexclusives) April 8, 2025
We can only speculate on the complete reasons for Tuesday’s firings, but from the outside looking in, they don’t point to a clear plan to pursue another NBA championship in a few weeks. If their front office is willing to make this type of move now, they will certainly be worth monitoring over the summer.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
