The Denver Nuggets have fired their head coach of 10 seasons, Michael Malone, and their general manager, Calvin Booth, with only four games left in the regular season. This was due to several factors, such as the head coach losing control of the locker room and his players, and a toxic environment that everyone knew was affecting the team. They had fired the Denver Nuggets’ head coach, even though he was the first coach to lead them to a title in 47 years. However, the new coach has had the team win the last three games since he joined. Michael Malone has been a rigorous and demanding coach for many years, and it is due to this that the Denver Nuggets have won a championship. Still, not all love this thorough and challenging coaching style, especially among some bench players. The coach had this to say after screaming at his player,” I don’t really care, my job is to be honest, sometimes brutally honest.”.
Although the ex-head coach has negatively affected the team’s dynamic, the players also play a part in being bad teammates, infighting, and creating bad energy. Some arguments have been caught on camera, such as
- Jokic’s frustration with the team’s defense
- a heated exchange between Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson
- Aaron Gordon is attempting to huddle on the court. In contrast, Jamal Murray and many others ignored him. This split in the team has even affected the faculty, coaches, and front office staffers, who felt they had to choose sides. It was also known that former head coach Michael Malone and former GM Calvin Booth did not get along and had several heated arguments. The tension between the two began after a four-game losing streak that started to affect their playoff positions.
The Denver Nuggets vice chairman, Josh Kroenke, said he was apologetic about the changes he and his staff made about the sudden changes made to the coaching staff, they believe that they had not given enough warning about firing both influential people in the franchise, but he has hinted at the changes have brought the desired result to the team and its chemistry. Even though the locker room has needed a change for a long time, he resisted the urge to change out of respect for the champion-winning coach. Now that the coach and GM have been fired and replaced by a much calmer coach that the entire team appreciates, everyone has had a chance to adjust, and the team looks much more united after winning its first two playoff games against the Grizzlies. In one of those games, the final score was 117-109, which is impressive considering the stress of the playoffs. Jokic is looking better than ever by dropping 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 assists, helping his team push past tough times in multiple parts of the game. The complaints have also stopped since the changes were made to the franchise, and one source says the toxicity has significantly decreased.
