Former Blazers Star Reacts to Nuggets Shockingly Firing Michael Malone

A Portland star has weighed in on Denver's stunning decision to fire championship coach Michael Malone just days before the postseason.

May 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and head coach Michael Malone celebrate beating the Los Angeles Lakers in game four of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NBA world was rocked on Tuesday morning when the 47-32 Denver Nuggets shockingly decided to fire head coach Michael Malone within a week of the postseason and not even two years after Denver won its first-ever franchise championship.

He will be replaced by assistant coach David Adelman, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Lead assistant David Adelman will serve as the interim head coach for the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/DD3Y6eDJVT

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 8, 2025

Denver also canned recently-extended general manager Calvin Booth.

While letting go of Booth makes some sense following some lackluster roster-building, firing him and Malone so close to the postseason effectively will doom Denver's title chances this year. There is almost no way the team can rally in time to mount much of an effort through four playoff rounds.

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Former Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum, who played a critical role in a memorable, seven-game 2019 Western Conference Semifinals series against Denver, weighed in on the stunning moves.

This league out of pocket man . WTH going on. Firing good coaches right before the playoffs is nasty work !

— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) April 8, 2025

"This league out of pocket man," McCollum said. "WTH going on. Firing good coaches right before the playoffs is nasty work!"

McCollum is also referencing to the postseason-bound Memphis Grizzlies' already-shocking decision to fire Taylor Jenkins a few weeks ago. McCollum, 33, has been the president of the National Basketball Players Association since 2021. His words carry extra weight, as these kinds of firings could become a chip at the CBA negotiating table soon.

Denver has lost four games in a row, and seven of its last 10 contests, while stumbling towards the playoffs. The Nuggets, for now, still occupy the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, but are just 0.5 games ahead of the 46-32 L.A. Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies. Denver is now in danger of slipping into the play-in tournament as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the conference.

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The Nuggets' health and depth issues, however, could be blamed for much of their recent bad luck. Star point guard Jamal Murray has been out for five consecutive contests (during which Denver has gone just 1-4, often hurt by the bizarre late-game antics of backup guard Russell Westbrook) with a hamstring injury, and questions linger about his readiness for the impending postseason.

Seven-time All-Star and three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic has been in the midst of yet another major MVP campaign of late under Malone's tutelage. Across 67 contests, the 6-foot-11 big man has been averaging an insane 30.0 points on .577/.415/.803 shooting splits, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists a night for a top-four seed (for now).

If All-NBA Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't playing out of his mind right now, Jokic would be the clear favorite to win his fourth MVP honor in five years.

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