Major Russell Westbrook situation caused Nikola Jokic and Nuggets locker room frustration with Michael Malone: Report

Russell Westbrook has emerged as one of the central reasons behind the firing of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone as the NBA world continues to reel from the surprising news. According to Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Nuggets' players had started losing faith in their head coach after he gave the former MVP a long leash.

Russell Westbrook's streaky fourth-quarter play has lost the Nuggets a few games this season, and players reportedly were frustrated that Malone treated him as lightly as he treated his superstar backcourt of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. While the transaction is still a shock, Malone's inconsistent treatment of his players has been one of the main reasons Denver decided to move on.

Michael Malone is the Denver Nuggets' all-time leading winning head coach, but is currently unemployed following the termination of his contract, along with general manager Calvin Booth, by the team on Tuesday. Malone joins Frank Vogel, Mike Budenholzer and Nick Nurse in being among the best coaches to be fired by their teams after winning a championship.

One of the key points of contention between Malone and the management of the Nuggets involved how minutes were spread among the players. Malone was more in favor of allocating extra playing time to veteran players like Russell Westbrook off the bench, while the management believed the time could be utilized to a better advantage for younger players so that they gain more on-court experience.

Malone's favoritism towards the team's veterans, especially towards Russell Westbrook, put him at odds not only with Booth and the front office but with the players on his team, according to Amick and Jones.

"“…All the while, Malone’s choice to continue supporting Westbrook — despite the frustration he was causing on and off the floor — ultimately led to a loss of credibility among the team’s key players," reported The Athletic. "It was one thing when Malone handled Jokić and Murray with more leniency than the rest of their group, but affording Westbrook that sort of treatment, even with his Hall of Fame resume, wasn’t received well by some.”

Now that Michael Malone is no longer the leader of the team, the Denver Nuggets are left with a quick turnaround to get adjusted to interim head coach David Adelman in their final games before the Western Conference playoffs begin. Nikola Jokic and Co. can't afford a lapse in focus as they continue to fight to stay out of the play-in tournament.

How does Michael Malone's firing affect Russell Westbrook?

Before making fatal mistakes at the end of a few close games for the Nuggets and refusing to speak to the media, it appeared that Russell Westbrook was comfortable in Denver, forming one of the better veteran duos in the league with Nikola Jokic. Now that there is a new head coach and a new general manager on the way, Westbrook is unlikely to receive as much freedom going forward.

In their first game without Malone as head coach, the Nuggets defeated the Sacramento Kings 124-116 on dominating performances by Jokic and Christian Braun. Russell Westbrook, however, only played 17 minutes in the game, far less than his season average playing time of 28 minutes per game.

This could be the start of what the Nuggets are going to be witnessing as the young guards of Jalen Pickett and Peyton Watson become the core of the team in the next couple of seasons. Westbrook is halfway through a two-year contract he inked during the offseason, but Denver may seek to trade him to give more minutes to the youth on their roster or simply release him outright.