The Denver Nuggets on Tuesday made the stunning decision to fire Michael Malone with three games remaining in the regular season, and it sounds like the coach’s loyalty to Russell Westbrook may have been a factor.
Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic published a story on Thursday examining what led to Malone and Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth losing their jobs this late in the season. Malone and Booth were said to have been at odds over both on-court and off-court decisions. Westbrook might have been “the biggest lightning rod,” according to The Athletic.
Westbrook has struggled at times amid Denver’s recent poor stretch of play. Despite that, Malone continued to keep the veteran point guard ahead of 25-year-old guard Jalen Pickett in the rotation. Malone’s insistence upon sticking with Westbrook reportedly led to a loss of credibility for the coach among some key Nuggets players.
The tipping point may have come in Denver’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 1. Nikola Jokic had one of his best games of the season with a 60-point triple-double, but Westbrook made several mistakes late in the game. When asked about a miscommunication between Westbrook and Jokic that led to a late-game turnover, Malone defended Westbrook and seemed to challenge some of his younger players.
“He knows what big games are about, and we’re playing a lot of guys that have no idea what big games are about,” Malone said of Westbrook. “Having a veteran that’s been there and done that can also be reassuring for some of those guys.”
Michael Malone on Russell Westbrook:
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 6, 2025
"He knows what big games are about, and we're playing a lot of guys that have no idea what big games are about."
"Having a veteran that's been there and done that can also be reassuring for some of those guys." pic.twitter.com/pzIJajl9YI
The Nuggets beat the Sacramento Kings 124-116 on Wednesday night. Interim head coach David Adelman benched Westbrook late in the game in favor of Pickett, which almost certainly was not a coincidence. Pickett finished with 18 points and hit 5-of-7 three-pointers.
There have been reports of other issues between Malone and Booth, but it sounds like Malone’s stubbornness when it came to Westbrook’s usage was definitely one of the more significant problems.
