DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 14: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets shoots a free throw against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter of the NBA game at Little Caesars Arena on May 14, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.(Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
The Denver Nuggets cleaned house Tuesday, firing both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth in a shocking move with the playoffs right around the corner.
The Nuggets have named David Adelman, their lead assistant, as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
In 10 seasons as Denver’s head coach, Malone led the team to its first and only championship, finishing with a 471-327 record.
“They’ve lost four games in a row, they’re now in the bottom-half of the league in defensive rating, and so they felt like the signs were there that this season was not going to end well,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on SportsCenter. “They’re getting out ahead of what they felt they were going to do come offseason.”
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While Denver’s dismissal of both Malone and Booth comes as a surprise, tensions existed between the two.
“The fabric in what both sides had philosophically, there were some big differences there,” Charania said. “Instead of maybe letting go of one guy and keeping the other, the Nuggets, Josh Kroenke, today let go of both.”
Since the All-Star break, the Nuggets have posted an 11-13 record and are in danger of slipping into the play-in tournament.
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