On Tuesday Denver Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke, son of owner Stan Kroenke, simultaneously fired both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth. Now Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic [subscription required] have shed light on the turmoil in Denver, and the Portland Trail Blazers may factor in before all is said and done.
It’s been rumored for a while that Malone and Booth have not gotten along, so some sort of a move has long been expected. Conventional wisdom said that Booth would fire Malone when the opportunity presented itself, presumably after the season. As it turned out, the GM didn’t get the chance.
Amick and Jones report that things in Denver came to a head with an unhealthy locker room and a frustrated Nikola Jokic. Results trended below expectations, even as Jokic put up tremendous numbers, including averaging 45 points in the three games before the firing.
Malone’s treatment of Russell Westbrook was also mentioned as a stress point in the locker room:
All the while, Malone’s choice to continue supporting Westbrook, despite the frustration he was causing on and off the floor, led to a loss of credibility among the team’s key players. It was one thing when Malone handled Jokić and Murray with more leniency than the rest of their group, but affording Westbrook that sort of treatment, even with his Hall of Fame credentials, wasn’t received well by some.
The dynamic between coach and GM was described by Amick and Jones as a “cold war”, and the stress had an impact on the entire team.
They also write that this was viewed as an opportunity to give a meaningful audition to Nugget’s assistant coach David Adelman in the head coaching role.
The Adelman name is familiar to Blazers fans. David Adelman’s father, Rick Adelman, served as Head Coach of the Blazers from 1988 to 1994. After playing in Portland’s inaugural seasons, the elder Adelman joined the organization as an assistant coach in 1983 before ascending to the head coach position. Adelman led the team to the NBA finals twice, in 1990 and 1992, losing both times.
Finally, and almost parenthetically, Amick and Jones cite NBA sources saying that Portland is “likely” interested in hiring David Adelman as their head coach should they decide to part ways with current head coach Chauncey Billups. For now Adelman will get his shot in Denver, albeit with a lot of damage to repair and limited time to put his imprint on the team.