The behind-the-scenes drama that led to shocking Nuggets firings of coach Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth
After the Nuggets won their first championship in 2023, then-head coach Michael Malone made a bold proclamation.“What a great day to celebrate a championship, but we’re not done yet,” Malone said at the championship parade.“We some greedy bastards, baby.
We some greedy bastards.And we’re getting another one.”Less than two years later, disagreements about how to best pursue those “greedy” ambitions reportedly led to one of the most shocking firings in NBA history with both Malone and general manager Calvin Booth getting the axe Tuesday just days before the NBA playoffs.“Calvin Booth had really managed this team around young players the last couple of years after winning that championship, saving money for ownership.
They had saved millions and millions of money in terms of tax over the last couple of years, and from Michael Malone’s perspective, he’s trying to win a championship building around win-now players with Nikola Jokic,” ESPN insider Sham Charania reported Tuesday after the Nuggets fired the pair with three regular-season games remaining.“The fabric and what both sides have philosophically there were some big differences there, so instead of buying time and maybe letting go of one guy instead of the other, the Nuggets, (owner) Josh Kroenke, let go of both.”Malone’s dismissal is tied for the latest in-season ousting of a head coach, according to ESPN data, but the previous example came during a losing season.The Nuggets stood in fourth place at the time of the move and on the verge of a seventh straight postseason trip under Malone, the franchise’s regular-season and postseason leader.It appears the tension between Malone and Booth regarding roster construction and player usage hit its boiling point, per The Athletic, and the team’s defensive slip this year could not buy Malone any extra time.Since winning the title in 2023, Booth opted to reshape the roster around younger talent while letting important veterans like defen...