The Denver Nuggets didn’t stop with their head coach. Along with Michael Malone, they fired general manager Calvin Booth on Tuesday, as first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
This news has sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, in a season full of stunners. The Nuggets (47-32) sit in fourth place in the Western Conference standings — a race that is incredibly tight with just more than a week to go in the regular season.
“Days before the NBA playoffs, the Nuggets dismissed Malone in a meeting today,” Charania wrote. “Malone is the winningest coach in franchise history since being hired in 2015 — and led the Nuggets to the 2023 NBA championship.”
Assistant David Adelman will replace Malone on an interim basis, per reports.
The Nuggets enter Tuesday with a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies. They are 1.5 games back of the third-place Los Angeles Lakers.
“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,” Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke said, via NBA insider Chris Haynes. “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.”
How all of this will sit with NBA MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and other top Denver players such as Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. … well, that’s anyone’s guess.
“This is tied for the latest coaching change in NBA history, per ESPN Research, matching Hubie Brown in 1980-81,” Charania wrote.
Two weeks ago, the Grizzlies fired then-coach Taylor Jenkins, also the winningest coach in franchise history. While that news broke the NBA internet, this may be even more stunning.
Booth began his front office career with the New Orleans Pelicans as a scout during the 2012-13 season. After one year with the Pelicans, he joined the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he eventually rose to the position of director of player personnel.
On August 16, 2017, Booth was appointed assistant general manager of the Nuggets. Three years later, on July 7, 2020, he was named the team’s GM. Booth shaped a roster that won the first NBA championship in franchise history in 2023, a five-game victory over the Miami Heat in the Finals.
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