{"id":297466,"date":"2025-09-22T22:33:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T22:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/297466\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T22:33:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T22:33:12","slug":"michael-malone-tasks-veiled-shots-at-nuggets-after-firing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/297466\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Malone tasks veiled shots at Nuggets after firing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post Michael Malone tasks veiled shots at Nuggets after firing<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The very last week of the regular season is as odd as it gets when it came to seeing a playoff teams such as the Denver Nuggets<\/a> fire their head coach, Michael Malone<\/a>, especially two years removed from winning an NBA championship. However, that\u2019s how it went down last season. The Nuggets relieved coach Malone of his duties<\/a> and GM Calvin Booth days before the playoffs.<\/p>\n

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Month removed from his firing, Malone, who accepted a full-time NBA analyst position for ESPN during the postseason, addressed whether he\u2019d consider returning to coaching<\/a> in an interview with SiriusXM Radio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my heart, I\u2019m a coach. I\u2019m the son of a coach. It\u2019s still definitely something I\u2019d like to get back. I still have a bad taste in my mouth with how things ended in Denver, and I\u2019d love to go out on my own terms,\u201d Malone said. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned over my many years in this league is how important it is to go to work everyday with people you care about, you trust, you respect, and that are all pulling in the same direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the right situation presents itself, Malone is all-in on returning to the role of an NBA coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when I have a chance to go back into the NBA, I just want to make sure I\u2019m working with a group of people that are like-minded and share a common vision, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make that vision become a reality,\u201d Malone added. \u201cAnd if that situation pops up, I would love to get back on that sideline. I am a competitor, I\u2019m a teacher, and I am a coach first and foremost. TV star second.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Michael Malone takes subtle jab at Nikola Jokic after Nuggets exit\"Isaiah<\/p>\n

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone took a subtle jab at Nikola Jokic<\/a> in his new role as an NBA analyst amidst the Thunder\u2019s Game 1 blowout win against the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Following the Thunder\u2019s 114-88 win against the Timberwolves, Malone gave MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who beat out Jokic, his flowers as most assumed Malone would have favored his former center<\/a> in the league\u2019s MVP race.<\/p>\n

\u201cShai Gilgeous-Alexander, he showed why he\u2019s the MVP,\u201d Malone declared.<\/p>\n

Many perceived the comment as a shot toward Jokic, especially following the Nuggets\u2019 Game 7 loss to the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.<\/p>\n

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Related: 1 Nuggets player in danger of losing starting job in 2025-26 training camp<\/a><\/p>\n