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Nuggets' Michael Malone calls out Wizards over handling of former coach

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 1/25/24

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone seems to think one of his former assistants got a raw deal with the Washington Wizards.

Malone reacted Thursday to the Wizards’ decision to reassign coach Wes Unseld Jr. to a front office role. Malone felt that Unseld, who was a Denver assistant prior to being hired by Washington, did not get the chance to coach the team he thought he would be getting.

Michael Malone says it’s unfortunate Wes Unseld never got to coach the team he interviewed for, which was supposed to be with both Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. Westbrook was traded before Unseld’s first season, and Beal played a combined 90 games the last two seasons.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 25, 2024

As Malone notes, the Wizards had both Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal when Unseld was hired in 2021. Westbrook never played a game for Unseld, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers just before the start of the season. That left the Wizards with Beal, who battled injuries and played 90 games for Unseld over two seasons before being traded to Phoenix this past offseason.

Unseld went 77-130 in parts of three seasons with the Wizards. That record does not really suggest he deserved more time, but the team’s situation certainly did not turn out to be the one he thought he was walking into. Malone clearly does not have any doubts about his capabilities in spite of it all.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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