NBA fans blast Denver Nuggets after Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth get fired weeks before playoffs: “Insane”

With less than 2 weeks to go ahead of the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets catch a ton of flak for firing Michael Malone, Calvin Booth.

NBA fans blast Denver Nuggets after Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth get fired weeks before playoffs: “Insane”

Michael Malone

The free-falling Denver Nuggets seem to have written their prospects off for the 2024-25 NBA season. Head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth have both been let go by front office, just days before the NBA playoffs are scheduled to kick off. While the team’s decline in two seasons since winning the title in 2023 has been palpable, the timing of this decision is being looked at badly.

Malone came under heavy fire due to his rotations over the past 10 years. While the head coach was viewed as a great media personality, he made several errors in game planning over the years. Malone’s iffy coaching decisions have since come to roost for the combative New Yorker. The team’s slide without Aaron Gordon, who has been dealing with injuries for much of 2024-25, was concerning for Booth as well.

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Booth acquired a team from Tim Connelly that was primed for making a championship run. The Nuggets capitalized on Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray’s relatively healthy seasons and did just that. However, the team ended up letting Bruce Brown Jr, and later on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, walk from the roster. Losing their two best perimeter defenders has been bad for their defense, which has spent all season among the NBA’s basement defenses.

The Denver Nuggets are currently fourth in the Western Conference, but at 47-32, they are only a half game ahead of teams tied at fifth. Michael Malone, who has been the team’s vocal leader and a media darling since Jokic’s rise, bore the brunt of the blame. The team’s lack of motivation and energy at various points of the season have largely been attributed to his lack of influence.

One of the major mistakes made by Calvin Booth was not getting a viable backup center for Nikola Jokic. Signing Zeke Nnaji to a new deal based on his play during the championship season gutted their ability to re-sign Bruce Brown. The cap space issue eventually led to KCP also moving to Orlando Magic this past summer.

NBA fans berate Denver Nuggets firing Michael Malone and Calvin Booth

The most common reason for NBA fans detecting this move is the timing of the decisions. Every basketball analyst worth their salt has been getting on Stan and Josh Kroenke and co for letting them go with only 11 days to go ahead of the postseason. This late firing ties a dubious record previously held by Hubie Brown for the latest point in a season when a coach has been let go.

A fan who’d posted that Malone had lost the locker room yesterday was vindicated.

Denver still have five games to see out in the regular season before a possible play-in situation against the Mavericks, Kings, Timberwolves or Grizzlies. In the event that they can hold on to their fourth seeded position, they will still have to combat Golden State or the Los Angeles Clippers – two teams that have been on hot streaks in the past few months.

The future looks bleak for Nuggets fans at this point of the season. While having the best player in the world can bridge quite a few gaps, it cannot shield the team from the morale hit they’ve suffered.