"You should sell the team" - Ex Mavs exec slams Nuggets owners for not getting Nikola Jokic enough help before firing HC Michael Malone

By Miguel de Guzman

Modified Apr 08, 2025 19:41 GMT

NBA: NBA Finals-Media Day - Source: Imagn — Former Mavs exec criticizes the Denver Nuggets owner for firing Michael Malone after failing to get Nikola Jokic some help (Photo credits: IMAGN)

The 2024-25 NBA season has seen ups and downs, with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets now in the spotlight. Recently, they parted ways with veteran coach Michael Malone.

The stunning move comes with only three games on the Nuggets's schedule. The timing and abruptness of this decision from the Denver front office drew criticism, notably from Haralabos Voulgaris, the former director of quantitative research and development for the Dallas Mavericks.

Voulgaris criticized the Nuggets ownership on X (formerly Twitter) for failing to get Jokic adequate help.

"In my opinion, if you have a generational player fresh off an NBA championship and you’re unwilling to pay the tax to win another, you should sell the team to someone who will," Voulgaris said.

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The Denver Nuggets fired coach Michael Malone on Tuesday following a four-game losing streak. Despite this string of losses, Denver maintains their tenuous grasp on the fourth seed with a 47-32 record.

However, the team is still at risk of falling out of the top six. If this happens, they lose their guaranteed playoff spot and would have to claw their way in via the Play-in tournament.

This shocking development comes almost two years after Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets won the NBA title. Part of why they have failed to recapture the championship since then is losing key roleplayers.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, instrumental to that title run, are no longer with the team.

Also read: "Wouldn't be top 20" - Nikola Jokic's old beef rival refuses to place him among NBA greats

Nikola Jokic has never had a different head coach in the NBA other than Michael Malone

Nikola Jokic - drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2014 - debuted in the 2015-16 season, coinciding with Michael Malone's arrival as coach. Jokic has played under Malone his entire career, and in their ten seasons together, they had only two losing seasons — ironically, during their first two.

In Jokic's rookie year, the Nuggets went 33-49. The next, they improved slightly to 40-42. In Jokic and Malone's third season as a coach-player duo, the team achieved a 46-36 record but still missed the postseason in the tough Western Conference.

That was the last time they missed the postseason. They went 54-28 and reached the Conference semifinal in 2018-19. Denver went 46-27 in 2019-20 but suffered elimination in the finals. The following two years ended in similar results — disappointing playoff exits.

Things would change in 2022-23. Jokic, Malone and the Nuggets marched to the Finals, where they faced and beat the Miami Heat to win the franchise's first title.

Another interesting factoid is that Nikola Jokic has been Denver's leader in victory shares all these years.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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Edited by William Paul