Michael Porter Jr.’s foreboding quote raises eyebrows after Michael Malone firing

The Denver Nuggets made a shocking decision with the firing of head coach Michael Malone with just three games remaining in the season. The Nuggets are also in the midst of a four-game skid as they try and hang on to a top four seed in the Western Conference standings. But on the heels of the Michael Malone firing, it begs the question of whether or not this was the ultimate path for the Nuggets this season. An old quote from Michael Porter Jr. seems to shed light on what the Nuggets’ plans were eventually going to be.

Back during the early days of the 2024-25 season, Michael Porter Jr. told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that, ‘If we don’t win it this year, we all know they might have to break it up,” as per Nuggets reporter Aniello Piro of Locked On Network.

While the Malone firing was something that surprised many considering when it happened, it was something that perhaps the writing was on the wall since the start of the season. Following their 2023 NBA championship run, the Nuggets have failed to recapture the magic of that season.

Last year, the team slopped through their first round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, coasting by on just being a better team and needing two Jamal Murray game-winners. They were then eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, a game in which they led 15 points at halftime.

This year, the Nuggets were unable to string together any kind of consistency, and even now there remains a danger of them possibly falling into a play-in spot.

It could be argued that the Nuggets have been in the process of breaking up the team for the past couple of seasons. They failed to retain key role players such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, and their replacements haven’t had the desired impact.

With David Adelman filling in as interim head coach, the Nuggets have a chance to rally together amid the Malone firing and try and make a sustained playoff run. If they fail to do so, there could be more changes coming in the offseason as Porter hinted at.