Denver Nuggets News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Nuggets Owner Breaks Silence on Shocking Firings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 2:28 PM ET

Just this weekend, as his team lost its fourth straight game and fell to 11-13 since the NBA All-Star game, coach Michael Malone was asked to explain what, exactly, is behind the team's slide in the standings.

They're currently 47-32, which is fourth in the Western Conference with three gasmes to play. On Sunday, they blew a 13-point lead in losing to the Pacers.

"I don't know if I would say there's been a hangover," Malone said. "We were up tonight. We got up by 13. We weren't able to hold on. We were up in Golden State, weren't able to hold on. So, I don't know if it's a hangover necessarily, but whatever it is we've got to find a way to get this out of our system."

Well, they got something out of their system. Problem for Malone is, it was him.

On Tuesday, the Nuggets pulled a pair of shocking firings, getting rid of both Malone--who won the franchise's only championship and won 471 games in 10 seasons--and general manager Calvin Booth.

With just three games remaining in the season, it is all but unprecedented for an NBA team in the thick of the conference playoff race to make a decision like this so late in the year. Lead assistant David Adelman will take over as the interim head coach.

Team owner and vice chariman Josh Kroenke tried to explain, in a statement: “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. 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.”

Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke: “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. Championship level standards and…
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 8, 2025

Kroenke also had a statement on Booth: "I want to thank Calvin Booth for leading our front office for the past three years and, most importantly, for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA Championship. Calvin’s knowledge of the game, his passion for scouting, and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA helped lift our organization to new heights, which we will continue moving forward.

"We are grateful to Calvin for his eight years with the Nuggets and know his place in Nuggets history as our first championship-winning GM will be honored for years to come."

The Nuggets are currently a half-game ahead of four teams--the Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Grizzlies--who have 46-32 records. That means Denver could easily slip to No. 8 in the Western Conference and into the play-in tournament, or could find itself holding on to the No. 4 seed.

The Nuggets play in Sacramento on Wednesday.

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

More must-reads: