In news that no sports fan, small or big, ever saw coming today, the Denver Nuggets have announced that they have relieved Head Coach Michael Malone of his head coaching duties.
While the Nuggets have struggled a bit this season, including losing their last four games, it’s still incredibly surprising to part ways with a head coach that led us to our first NBA Championship just two years ago.
In addition to the head coach change, the Nuggets also announced that they would not be renewing the contract of their GM Calvin Booth. While both the head coach and GM are out a week before the playoffs is a bold move, the goal is to hopefully shake things up enough to get this team back rolling heading into the postseason.
Current Nuggets Assistant Coach, David Adelman, will act as head coach for the rest of the season with the hope to “squeeze some juice” out of the team heading into the playoffs next week.
Here’s Josh Kroenke, Vice Chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, on the Denver Nuggets relieving Head Coach Michael Malone:
It is with no pleasure that we announce that we have relieved Michael Malone of his head coaching duties, effective immediately. David Adelman will assume our head coaching role for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere.
While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver.
There is no amount of gratitude that we can properly convey for his contributions since he joined our franchise in 2015. It is with our utmost respect that we would like to thank Coach Malone for the most successful decade in Nuggets history, setting the all-time wins record and helping deliver Denver our first championship.
Statement from Josh Kroenke, Vice Chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, on the Denver Nuggets not extending the contract for General Manager Calvin Booth:
I want to thank Calvin Booth for leading our front office for the past three years and, most importantly, for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA Championship. Calvin’s knowledge of the game, his passion for scouting, and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA helped lift our organization to new heights, which we will continue moving forward. We are grateful to Calvin for his eight years with the Nuggets and know his place in Nuggets history as our first championship-winning GM will be honored for years to come.
It is without question that the Nuggets have one of the best teams in the world, with the very best player to ever play the game in the Jokic, so if this is what it takes to make sure we’re giving Joker his best chance to win another Championship in Denver, I guess it’s what had to be done. Keep up with all of the latest with our friends at Altitude Sports Radio 92.5. Go Nuggets!