3 NBA coaches who could be on the hot seat with a playoff collapse

1. Michael Malone

It seems wild to think about the coach of the best team in the NBA’s toughest conference being on the hot seat. But things could get uncomfortable for Malone if the Nuggets don’t turn this regular season into a run to the Conference Finals or beyond.

Malone has been indisputably successful in Denver. He’s posted a 0.579 win percentage with the team, 0.618 if you just include the last six seasons. But the Nuggets have won just five games across three playoff series in the past two years. They are healthier, deeper and more talented than they’ve been at any other point in his tenure and if they can’t break through this year, ownership may consider whether a different coach is a missing ingredient.

I think my feelings on Kidd are pretty clear but Malone and Budenholzer are phenomenal coaches who have made the most of the opportunities and talent they’ve been given. An early playoff exit doesn’t mean either of them has failed or are failures, they just happen to sit at the confluence of history and context that could put them under the microscope and put change on the table.

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