Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Shams Charania reveals why the Denver Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone

The Nuggets are on a four-game losing streak and take fourth spot in the Western Conference.

Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets surprised everyone by firing NBA championship-winning head coach Michael Malone on Tuesday. It came as a surprise move as the regular season will be ended this week. NBA’s Shams Charania dropped a reason behind the shocking firing of Malone, who was hired in 2015. General manager Calvin Booth was also sacked.

“It is with no pleasure that we announce that we have relieved Michael Malone of his head coaching duties, effective immediately,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a statement. Assistant coach David Adelman will take head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.

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Shams Charania put Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins in the same bracket

Malone guided the Denver Nuggets to the franchise’s first-ever NBA title in 2023 and has amassed a 471-327 record in the NBA since joining them in 2015. The ongoing struggle has been one of the reasons behind Malone’s firing. Despite Nikola Jokic’s outstanding season, the Nuggets have struggled for consistency.

Shams Charania shed light on Malone’s sacking just before the playoffs. As he shared in his tweet, this is tied for the latest coaching change in NBA history, matching Hubie Brown in 1980-81. The ESPN insider related Denver’s approach with Memphis, who fired Taylor Jenkins just before the postseason.

“My understanding is they felt kind of like the Grizzlies did with the departure of Taylor Jenkins. It’s (about) igniting this team, Shams Charania detailed Denver’s primary motivation for moving on from Malone. “They’ve lost four games in a row. They’re now in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating. They felt like the signs were there that this season was not going to end well… They’re getting out ahead of what they felt they were going to do come the offseason.”

Reporting for NBA Today on arguably the most shocking in-season coach firing in league history with Nuggets dismissing Michael Malone – and players left surprised when informed: pic.twitter.com/kcR1MqAQBX
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 8, 2025

The Nuggets have gone 3-7 in their last ten games which allowed the Rockets and the Lakers to go ahead in the standings behind the OKC Thunder. The Nuggets are on a four-game losing streak and take fourth spot in the Western Conference. Four teams are just a half-game behind Denver and if they drop games this week, the 2023 winners can slip to Play-In Tournament.

Also Read: 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament Odds, Structure, Schedule and Playoffs Favorites- Riveting 7-10 seed battle, West has a sizzling race from top to bottom

What went wrong with Michael Malone and Denver Nuggets?

Reports claimed that something was cooking behind the court as Malone called his team out for some discipline. The 2023 NBA winning coach called them ‘full of ****’ for watching film and not listening to his game plan while on a losing streak. Just after the incident, he was fired.

MALONE CALLED THEM OUT: Michael Malone called out his Denver Nuggets players for not watching film & called them ‘full of ****’ for not caring & not listening to his game plan while on a losing skid.

Days later, Malone was fired.

Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/RaPsiZ0zfB
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) April 8, 2025

His departure will affect the decorum of the Denver locker room and there will be a real test for the franchise during the playoffs. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment owns many sports teams including Arsenal in the Premier League. The Gunners haven’t found a way to win the English top-flight under Mikel Arteta but they backed the Spaniard.

There is another reason behind Malone’s dismissal which is Denver’s defensive struggles. The Nuggets ranks 20th in the league in defensive rating. The roster revolved around Nikola Jokic, who also missed few games due to injury. It seems the franchise believed Malone was not going to be able to lead the team to glory in the playoffs.

It was completely a surprise move from the franchise as they fired someone who had the most successful decade in Nuggets history, set the all-time wins record and led Denver to their first NBA championship. However, this is not the first time we’ve seen this in the NBA. The Raptors fired Nick Nurse in 2023, four seasons after he guided Toronto to its only championship.

Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.