Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke made an honest admission about the team’s decision to fire coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth last week.
The Nuggets shockingly fired both Malone and Booth despite being on their way to the playoffs, as reports suggested the two were at odds with each other. Kroenke on Monday acknowledged that neither Malone or Booth deserved their fate.
“To be frank, neither of them deserved it. And I apologize for that,” Kroenke said. “I needed to be better at different points in time.”
Josh Kroenke on firing Michael Malone and Calvin Booth: "To be frank, neither of them deserved it. And I apologize for that"
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 14, 2025
"I needed to be better at different points in time." pic.twitter.com/KnP1LWE5VR
In recent years, the Nuggets have allowed key rotation players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to leave in free agency as they landed big contracts elsewhere. It’s not clear if that is what Kroenke is alluding to, but there have been suggestions that ownership tried to control costs, keeping Denver from retaining some important players.
There was also the issue in which Malone and Booth were constantly at odds with each other. One could argue Kroenke could have done more to mediate that situation before things got out of hand.
The issues run deep in Denver, as Kroenke has previously alluded to. The fact that things reached this point is an indictment on the entire organization. On the other hand, it is not clear what Kroenke intends to do differently in the future, but perhaps lessons have been learned.
The Nuggets will open the playoffs on Saturday as they host the Los Angeles Clippers.
