Michael Malone firing: Determining every possible factor in massive decision

The Denver Nuggets fired Michael Malone on Tuesday, with three games left in the regular season. Despite being the franchise's winningest coach, recent struggles prompted this decision.

Malone was fired with Denver going 3-7 in its last ten games and on a four-game losing streak where they dropped points to the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, and Indiana Pacers.

The Nuggets's efficiency sharply declined, as noted by Michael Malone after Sunday's loss to the Pacers. In the post-game conference, he noted the team fell below 20th in defensive efficiency.

Some fans questioned Michael Malone's firing, but owner Josh Kroenke clarified it wasn't a rash decision. He cited the franchise's defensive struggles this season as a key factor for parting ways with Malone. In a statement relayed by Chris Haynes on Tuesday, Kroenke explained:

"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.

"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.”

Although some unknown factors may be at play behind the scenes that fans aren't aware of, Malone's firing looks to be a purely basketball-based decision.

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"There were certain trends that were very worrisome," - Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke hints at further reasons for Michael Malone firing before postseason

With only three games left in the regular season, many fans wondered why the Nuggets fired Malone instead of allowing him to lead the team through the postseason.

Josh Kroenke followed up on Tuesday's statement with additional comments via a video released by the Nuggets on X (formerly Twitter).

In the video, Kroenke emphasized that the decision was made after considering this season, not Denver's recent skid.

With Michael Malone in charge, the Nuggets appeared headed for an early playoff exit. Josh Kroenke thought dismissing Malone before the playoffs was better than letting him finish the season.

“Having observed that group over a period of time there were certain trends that were very worrisome to me at different points in time. But they would get masked by a few wins here and there."

Now, lead assistant David Adelman will look to step into the head coaching role with the team as they look to stave off an appearance in the play-in tournament and punch their ticket to the 2024-25 NBA postseason.