Nuggets Owner Clears the Air on Michael Malone, Calvin Booth Firings

Malone led Denver to its first title in 2023, and the Nuggets have been contenders throughout his tenure. He and general manager Calvin Booth were unable to find much of anything to agree on, however, and the Nuggets fired both of them.

Ownership held a press conference on Monday, but their statement on the matter doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. 

"To be frank, neither of them deserved it," said Josh Kroenke. "And for that I apologize. From my position, as a leader of the organization, I needed to be better at different points in time. I could see certain trends behind the scenes with the group, and those were worrisome. When you have an incredibly talented roster and incredibly solid group, you have to play through that."

If Malone and Booth were capable, why fire them? Of course, Kroenke could just be trying to paint both of them in a good light since there is no ill will, but he made it sound like it was impulsive.

Letting a Finals-winning coach can't be done on a whim, and it sounds like the business people are trying to take over on the basketball side, which has historically not worked out well.