It’s time to start asking hard questions about Michael Malone.
The question has to be asked. It might be uncomfortable. It might be unpopular. It might even seem a little “mean,” in a world where any kind of criticsm is seen as a harsh attack. But it needs to be asked.
Is Michael Malone the right head coach for the Nuggets?
Yes, he won a championship just last season. He took Denver to NBA heights they’ve never seen before. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the right guy for the job.
Has he take the franchise to a place where no other head coach has gotten them? Yep.
He’s also been blessed with more to work with than anyone else. Doug Moe and George Karl didn’t have an MVP on their roster. They certainly didn’t have a guy who has won three of them.
Nikola Jokic has won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in three of the last four seasons. The Nuggets have lost twice in the second round and once in the first round during those campaigns.
The first two exits can be explained away. The Malone apologists have the story down cold. Without Jamal Murray, Denver wasn’t going to beat the Suns in 2021 or the Warriors in ’22.
That’s true. But that’s missing the big picture.
It wasn’t just that the Nuggets lost those series. Without their second-best player, that was bound to happen. It was the way they fell that was disheartening.
Denver got swept by Phoenix, with Jokic getting booted in the decisive Game 4 at home when his frustration boiled over. And they lost in five to Golden State, once again putting up very little fight.
There were no adjustments. There were no grand moves. There were no slight tinkers.
The Nuggets showed up, got kicked in the stomach and went home in nine straight games. They lost eight of them.
Did they need to win those matchups? Nope. Did they need to put up a better fight. Yep.
That was alarming. Anyone who isn’t a cheerleader for the team can admit that fact.
But it was overlooked. And then last year, when Denver rolled to a title, everyone looked the other way.
Malone was impervious to criticism. He was the second coming of Phil Jackson. He was Red Auerbach without the cigar.
Until he wasn’t. On Sunday night, in Game 7, at Ball Arena, with the season on the line.
The Nuggets led 58-38 in the third quarter. They went on to blow the biggest Game 7 lead in NBA history.
It happened because Denver had no answers for what Minnesota threw at them. The Timberwolves took away the two-man game of Jokic and Jamal Murray, but the Nuggets kept going to it. Everyone else was a bystander.
No other Nuggets player scored in double digits. Murray had 35. Jokic had 34. The rest of the team combined for 21.
The coach will blame his players. He always does.
