NBA stunned as coach sacked: ‘What the hell is going on?’

For the second time in two weeks an NBA team headed for the playoffs has suddenly parted ways with its head coach.

That Denver altitude really can truly lead to some bizarre happenings.

The Nuggets shockingly fired championship head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on Tuesday with just three games remaining in the regular season.

Assistant coach David Adelman is being promoted to interim head coach.

“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,” Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said in a statement.

“This league out of pocket man,” NBA player CJ McCollum tweeted in reaction to the news. “What the hell is going on. Firing good coaches right before the playoffs is nasty work!”

There is a myriad of reasons why these moves — and more so in the case of Malone — are absolute stunners, perhaps the most shocking transactions of the NBA season behind the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap between the Lakers and the Mavericks at the trade deadline.

Perhaps at the forefront of the oddity is the timing, with ESPN reporting Malone’s dismissal is tied for the latest coaching firing in league history with Hubie Brown in 1980-81.

Brown’s Hawks squad, though, held a 31-48 record.

Mike Malone (centre) has been fired right before the playoffs during a season where team star Nikola Jokic is playing the best basketball of his career. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Malone’s Nuggets entered Tuesday in fourth place in the Western Conference but are tied in the loss column with four other teams.

Their final three games — at Sacramento, vs. Memphis and at Houston — will determine whether the Nuggets secure a top-six seed or possibly land in the play-in tournament.

“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,” Kroenke said in the team’s statement. “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.”

Then there’s Malone pedigree.

The 53-year-old led the Nuggets to their first and only championship two years ago and tallied the most regular-season and playoff wins in franchise history.

He amassed a 471-327 record (. 590) while guiding the franchise over 10 seasons, and would have coached the team in a seventh straight postseason, had he lasted three more games.

Head coach Michael Malone speaks during the Denver Nuggets victory parade and rally after winning the 2023 NBA Championship. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Malone tallied a 44-36 postseason record with the team, while also helping Nikola Jokic develop into a three-time MVP and in contention for a fourth this year.

He joined the franchise for the 2015-16 season after coaching the Kings for 106 games.

“There is no amount of gratitude that we can properly convey to his contributions since he joined our franchise in 2015,” Kroenke said. “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.”

As Malone exits, so does the man who built the 2023 title team in Booth.

Booth, a 10-season NBA veteran with seven teams, joined the franchise before the 2020-21 and constructed a perennial playoff squad and several championship contenders.

“Absolutely nuts,” NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor tweeted. “Booth and Malone never liked each other, rarely spoke, and talked behind each other’s backs. With the team struggling on the court, Nuggets ownership decided to fire both. Insane.”

This year marked the last season on Booth’s contract, according to NBA reporter Chris Haynes.

“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,” Kroenke said. “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 organisation 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 honoured for years to come.”

This firing marks the second coaching dismissal in two weeks, with the Grizzlies also stunning the NBA community by firing Taylor Jenkins just 11 days ago.

The Grizzlies are one of the four 32-loss teams tied with the Nuggets.

This article was originally published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission

Originally published as NBA stunned as coach sacked: ‘What the hell is going on?’