“League has gotten so soft,” Nuggets championship-winning coach confirms accusations on modern day players

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made a bold statement regarding the NBA and his side ahead of the 2024-25 season.

“League has gotten so soft,” Nuggets championship-winning coach confirms accusations on modern day players

Michael Malone

The Denver Nuggets recently faced off against the Phoneix Suns in a preseason matchup and lost 118-114 at the Ball Arena. Later, the Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone did not shy away from speaking his mind after the game.

Coach Malone played most of his main players through the third quarter of the Nuggets’ preseason defeat to the Suns to put them through their runs. He also did it to test the present physicality of his roster. In the post-match press conference, Malone also made a bold assertion regarding the NBA, stating that the ‘Modern NBA is not the same’ as before.

Tried to push their envelope a little bit, That was probably a little bit hard on some of those guys. And then in practice, I think we can get up and down more. I think so often as coaches and modern-day NBA the league has gotten so soft; everybody’s afraid to condition and run. We have to.

Michael Malone said

The Nuggets managed to clinch their first-ever NBA title in the 2022–23 season. However, they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals the previous season.

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Going into the 2024-25 season, the Nuggets are once again tipped to be favorites to win the title alongside the Boston Celtics. It remains to be seen how they perform throughout the season.

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Michael Malone has a history of giving ‘blunt’ statements about Denver Nuggets’ players

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has been dealing with a lot lately. He previously appeared to be at odds with the team’s board, according to multiple reports. Nonetheless, Malone is well-known in the industry for his “blunt nature.”

His bluntness throughout the NBA 2023–24 Playoffs was a perfect example. After falling behind 0–2 early in the series, Malone was disappointed with his players’ performances and criticized them during a press conference after the game. Malone specifically condemned his players’ body language, calling it shameful.

The body language of our guys…you know it was not where I think it needs to be but yeah we just got beat up in our building! we got embarrassed in front of our fans.

Michael Malone said

The Denver Nuggets performed poorly against the Minnesota Timberwolves and eventually lost the series in Game 7. Jamal Murray was also seen throwing a heat pack across the court in frustration during Game 2.

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Malone is under additional strain to perform well without the Nuggets board’s support. Therefore, it’s unclear how his team will fare in the upcoming NBA season. All eyes will be on the Nuggets when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening game on October 24.