Report: Mike Malone may be on the hot seat if Nuggets are poor in playoffs

[HotRocks34]

From Zach Lowe.

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/270807/Michael-Malone-Could-Be-On-Hot-Seat-If-Nuggets-Disappoint-In-Playoffs

Later in the conversation with Adam Mares, Lowe directly said he was alluding to Michael Malone regarding potential changes.

"This is the year where Michael Malone, I think, is facing an enormous amount of pressure," said Mares.

"That's kind of what I was alluding to," replied Lowe.

So if the Nuggets flame out early this postseason, Malone may get the boot.

That might be best for all involved.

Malone isn't a horrible coach, and I think players generally like him, but he's very unimaginative and isn't great at finding solutions to challenges the team faces.

[UcanUwill]

wouldnt like that.

[druggas]

"May be on the hot seat".
That's about as vague as you can get.

[The Rebel]

While Booth was promoted from within, he wasn't the one responsible for hiring Malone, so that usually means the coach gets less of a rope.

Malone has some good points and some bad, I am not sure that replacing him fixes the issues but I am not sure that it doesn't as well.

[dockingsched]

Excuses would surely be gone after that.

[Woodsanity]

Him constantly trying to play Reggie Jackson to the detriment of the Nuggets is giving me an aneurysm.

[Duke4life831]

You can do better than Malone, but you can also do a lot worse.

Like I’ve said in other threads, I totally get what Malone is trying to do with his rotations and I think it would work if Murray can make that jump to being a legit #2 guy. But I just don’t see that happening.

I still don’t think any coach can make this roster work if Murray is your #2. You need at least 2 legit all stars to have a chance to compete for championships.

[10DayContract]

Who's the upgrade? They bringing in Phil Jackson?

[CobraCommander]

"May be on the hot seat".
That's about as vague as you can get.

If you have a 3 time MVP and you don’t win a ring - you will lose your job- it’s that simple -

If you have one of the best 5 guys in the league YOUR job is in jeopardy if you don’t win it all after 3 years -

Bud, Kidd, Malone and Doc on the clock - Monty will be but is saved by new ownership and KD being injured -

Bud isnt on the clock as much cause he got one in the bag - but you know

[CobraCommander]

Who's the upgrade? They bringing in Phil Jackson?

Who is this eras Phil?

You know, a dude that shows up when you get the perfect team and PERFECTs their play?

[JayMKE]

It would be the roster more than Malone, not sure who they’re bringing in that changes anything

[CobraCommander]

You can do better than Malone, but you can also do a lot worse.

Like I’ve said in other threads, I totally get what Malone is trying to do with his rotations and I think it would work if Murray can make that jump to being a legit #2 guy. But I just don’t see that happening.

I still don’t think any coach can make this roster work if Murray is your #2. You need at least 2 legit all stars to have a chance to compete for championships.

Who was better than this years Murray on the GSWs last year?

At some point- Malone has to get more out of the sum of his parts:..

emergent

Or someone else will

[Ambrose]

"May"

"If"

[FluLikeSymptoms]

The surrounding cast still hasn’t been healthy long enough, I’d give him another year.

[-Luke-]

Report: It may be wet if it rains tomorrow

[ANTETOKOUNBROS]

The Nuggets are not going anywhere until that defense can clamp teams down. They go out and get guys like Thomas Bryant. Malone is going to get scapegoated.

[Bum Adebayo]

Dumb, Malone is one of the best coaches in the league, Nuggets should keep him, you can do much worse.

[cupcakesnake]

Mike Malone and the Nugget's crown jewel achievement so far was beating a healthy Clippers team in 2020.

Since then they've been too injured to seriously compete against elite opponents: the championship Warriors in 2022 and the finalist Suns in 2021.

Any conclusions about what Malone, Jokic, or the Nuggets are like in the playoffs (there have been tons of way overconfident takes on this board) isn't backed by strong data. This is going to be the first year since 2020 that we get a real look at the whole Nuggets situation in the playoffs. Whatever happens this year is going to cement the collective Nuggets opinion a lot more. If they go on a deep run, the "jokic got exposed" crowd will be confirmed silly. But an early loss of any kind will be the first legit logs on the fire.

I'd be really surprised if Malone got fired, unless the Nuggets have some 2007 Mavs level embarrassment. Malone has been pretty rock solid his entire Nuggets tenure, so I don't think losing to a good opponent (a healthy Phoenix might be the only example of that in the West) would endanger Malone's job. Unless the Warriors or Clippers can do a playoff transformation, Denver has a pretty good opportunity this year. The potentially rocky thing is that there's so many lower seeds that could get healthy and/or unlock a better version of their team in the playoffs. No one is going to be completely surprised if the Warriors, Lakers, or Clippers become a little scarier than Sacramento or especially the floundering Memphis. Minnesota and New Orleans could add All-NBA level big men right before the playoffs/play-in (if either make it). The West just feels completely on random mode outside of Denver and Phoenix, and even Phoenix might not end up with a high seed due to the Durant injury. Denver might end up fighting off a suddenly more powerful 8-seed, and then if they win, having to play a 4-seed Phoenix in the second round.

[Mavrelous]

Mike Malone and the Nugget's crown jewel achievement so far was beating a healthy Clippers team in 2020.

Since then they've been too injured to seriously compete against elite opponents: the championship Warriors in 2022 and the finalist Suns in 2021.

.

48 wins with last year roster, and beating the Blazers w/o Murray are also good acheivements.

[Duke4life831]

You can do better than Malone, but you can also do a lot worse.

Like I’ve said in other threads, I totally get what Malone is trying to do with his rotations and I think it would work if Murray can make that jump to being a legit #2 guy. But I just don’t see that happening.

I still don’t think any coach can make this roster work if Murray is your #2. You need at least 2 legit all stars to have a chance to compete for championships.

Who was better than this years Murray on the GSWs last year?

At some point- Malone has to get more out of the sum of his parts:..

emergent

Or someone else will

Jordan Poole averaged 17ppg on 65 TS% in the playoffs last year. Jamal is averaging 20ppg on 56 TS% this year.

That team was also much much deeper. Draymond was still an elite defensive player last year. Wiggins was playing elite two way basketball as well in the playoffs.

This year’s Denver’s team outside of Jokic is nowhere near GS outside of Curry last year.

Again I don’t think Malone is a great coach. But you’re going to have a limited ceiling when you only have 1 all Star on your team. Dallas pulled it off, but that is viewed as a magical playoff run and their team was filled with fantastic smart vets. Denver needs a legit #2 option.