Yes, that did just happen. The Denver Nuggets have officially fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with just three games to go in the regular season seemingly out of nowhere. Denver has struggled a bit of late, but firing a championship-winning head coach and GM with less than a week to go in the regular season is genuinely shocking.
Firing any head coach at this stage in the NBA calendar is hard to get behind, but firing one of Malone's caliber is what makes this such a shocking and interesting move.
Malone not only won a championship in Denver, but he had been running the ship in Denver for a decade, making him one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the sport. He wound up being one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the league by the time of his firing. Here's a look at some of the new longest-tenured coaches now that Malone is out.
Longest tenured NBA head coaches after Mike Malone's firing
Rank | Head Coach | Team | Seasons With Team |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gregg Popovich | San Antonio Spurs | 29 |
2 | Erik Spoelstra | Miami Heat | 17 |
3 | Steve Kerr | Golden State Warriors | 11 |
4 | Tom Thibodeau | New York Knicks | 5 |
5 | Billy Donovan | Chicago Bulls | 5 |
Prior to his firing, Malone ranked fourth on this list just behind Steve Kerr and in front of both Tom Thibodeau and Erik Spoelstra.
One thing that immediately sticks out when looking at the list of longest-tenured head coaches in the NBA is how much turnover there is. With Malone fired, only three head coaches have been with their respective organizations for a decade or longer. Only one head coach has stuck around for two decades.
I get that not all head coaches will prove to be the right fits for the job, but what exactly is the justification for firing a championship-winning head coach like Malone? What more did he have to prove? Sure, the Nuggets might not be favored to win it all this season, but they're one of the best teams in the Western Conference under Malone's leadership, and that's despite a good amount of injury woes and despite Malone having to deal with a roster that is objectively flawed thanks to previous Calvin Booth mistakes.
There's something to be said about valuing stability, and having guys like Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, and Steve Kerr around for so long is undoubtedly a big reason why the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, and Golden State Warriors have been successful for a sustained period. The Nuggets were on that path, and might be able to stay there thanks to Nikola Jokic's greatness, but who knows if they actually will now that they fired Malone? His replacement can prove to be a worthwhile one, but the Nuggets are taking a very clear risk by making this move.