Are there any teams still looking for a coach with established winning system? Michael Malone might be available as the former Denver Nuggets coach expressed desire to return to the NBA.
Malone, who orchestrated Nuggets’ first ever title in 2023, was fired a few days before the start of the playoffs. He started with them in 2015 and finished with a 471-327 record. He turned the franchise from a mid-team into a consistent title contenders in the last five years.
His firing was one of the most shocking developments last season given the fact that the Nuggets weren’t that bad standings-wise. GM Calvin Booth was also a casualty. However, Denver president Josh Kroenke still thought he should be given the pink slip.
An insider said it was because of the bad vibes going around the organization with Malone openly expressing his dissatisfaction with his player’s performance.
Kroenke later on confirmed that he has been contemplating firing Malone since the start of the 2025.
“There were certain trends that were very worrisome to me at certain points in time, but they would get masked by a few wins here and there,” he said.
“In the world of professional sports, where winning and losing is your currency, winning can mask a lot of things.”
Malone did not want to go out based on the letter he wrote to the team and the fans after the news.
Michael Malone still feels unpleasant over firing
Malone became an analyst for ESPN after he was let go by the Nuggets but to him, coaching is his calling.
He admitted in the SiriusXMNBA that he wants to return because he does not like the way his career ended.
“In my heart, I’m a coach,” Malone told Sirius.
“I’m the son of a coach. It’s definitely something I’d love to get back in. I still have a bad taste in my mouth with how things ended in Denver, and I’d love to go out on my own terms.”
Nuggets hired David Adelman after him and the former assistant had notable success after the Nuggets reached the Western semis and pushed eventual champions Oklahoma City Thunder to a do-or-die Game 7. Adelman was named a full-time head coach by May 11.
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