Mike Malone is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take this anymore.
After a 120-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets head coach bluntly called out his team for an utter lack of defensive effort and veteran leadership.
“We have the worst defense in the NBA,” Malone said, per Harrison Wind of BSN Denver. “That is the bottom line. It is embarrassing how we go out and attempt to defend every night. That is something that we have to try to fix as soon as possible because it’s at an all-time low right now and that is a huge concern of mine.
“It’s a joke right now we have no leadership,” he continued. “No veteran leadership stepping up. Don’t hear anyone speaking, taking the lead. We have two young guys trying to speak up on the team which you applaud, but we need some leadership to shine and step up.
“It’s a losing proposition, offense sells tickets, defense wins championships,” Malone concluded. “Right now, our defense is the worst in the NBA.”
The sad part is that Malone isn’t just using sensationalist rhetoric. Denver is giving up 110.5 points per game (27th in the NBA) and rank 28th in defensive efficiency (per ESPN). They have allowed 120-plus points in each of their last three games (all losses), and the last time they held an opponent under 100 points was in a 92-85 defeat to the Washington Wizards on December 8.
Part of Malone’s ire may derive from the fact that Tuesday’s loss came at the hands of a Kings team that fired him back in 2014 (a dismissal that he definitely hasn’t forgotten). But it’s painfully obvious that something needs to change for the 14-21 Nuggets.
