"Where Russ goes, guys usually lose their jobs": NBA analyst takes massive shot Russell Westbrook after Mike Malone's firing

NBA analyst Nick Wright took shots at Denver Nuggets star Russell Westbrook on Tuesday after the Nuggets shockingly fired Michael Malone as their head coach. While discussing Malone's firing with Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard, Wright discussed Westbrook's role in the situation in Denver.

Wright seemingly alluded to himself as someone who warned people of the following:

“Where Russ goes, guys usually lose their jobs,” Wright said on First Things First.

Wright's claims are backed up by facts. In three of Westbrook's previous four stops before Denver (Houston, Washington, LA Lakers), the team's head coach (Mike D'Antoni, Scott Brooks, Frank Vogel) either quit or was fired around a year after Westbrook's arrival. Now, Mike Malone has been added to the list.

However, it remains to be seen exactly how much responsibility (if any) Russell Westbrook should have on these departures.

Russell Westbrook is having a somewhat resurgent season as a sixth man for the Nuggets. He is averaging 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 28.1 minutes in his debut season in Denver.

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Michael Malone and Nuggets GM clashed over Russell Westbrook before firing

Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth had their share of disagreements, according to a report from The Athletic shortly after they both got fired. One of those disagreements surrounded Russell Westbrook.

Malone believed in Russ and wanted to run certain plays around the star guard. However, Booth felt otherwise and demanded to see less of Westbrook in the rotation in favor of the team's younger players.

Russell Westbrook committed some crucial errors in last week's double overtime game against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Tuesday. He missed an open layup to potentially seal the game. He then committed a foul on a 3-point game-winning attempt, which ultimately resulted in their defeat.

Michael Malone defended Russ and told Calvin Booth that he'd still be heavily utilized in the rotation. The Nuggets then proceeded to suffer four consecutive losses, which ultimately led to the organization pulling the plug on both Malone and Booth.