Shaquille O'Neal makes feelings clear on Michael Malone's shock ouster by Nuggets
In one of the season’s most stunning developments, the Denver Nuggets parted ways with coach Michael Malone — who led them to their lone NBA championship in 2023 — and general manager Calvin Booth, just days before the playoffs begin.
On Thursday’s episode of “Inside the NBA,” Shaquille O’Neal called the move disrespectful, criticizing the Nuggets' choice to let Malone go so soon after delivering a title.
“I would have liked to see them give him (Malone) a little bit more respect,” O’Neal said. “He did bring a championship to the organization.”
“And listen, to get those guys back, Kenny knows this, the NBA is a season full of peaks and valleys, so if they peak at the right time, they do have the personnel to possibly win another championship.”
The Nuggets have battled through a rough stretch of injuries this season, most recently to Jamal Murray, the Robin to Nikola Jokic’s Batman, who has missed the team's last six games due to a hamstring injury. Since the All-Star break, the team is just 12-13. Prior to Wednesday’s 124-116 victory over the Sacramento Kings, they were riding a four-game skid.
Assistant David Adelman has stepped in as interim head coach, while Denver is expected to conduct a thorough GM search during the offseason.
Nikola Jokic says he knew about Nuggets' Michael Malone decision in advance
Following the win against Sacramento, Nikola Jokic said he was informed of Michael Malone’s dismissal ahead of time.
"I knew a little bit before everybody," Jokic said (per ESPN). "And he (Josh Kroenke) told me, 'We made a decision.' So it was not a discussion. It was a decision. He told me why. And so I listened. And I accepted it. I'm not going to tell you what he told me. I'm going to keep that private."
With the postseason looming, the Nuggets' focus now shifts to regaining their rhythm.
As of writing, they sit at No. 4 in the Western Conference with a 48-32 record. They’ll close out the regular season with back-to-back games: at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, then a road test against the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Adelman emphasized that the team must rally together and find their collective identity quickly.
"The last 30 hours have been pretty crazy, pretty stressful for everybody," Adelman said ahead of the Kings game (per Fox Sports).
"But the bottom line was we have to stay unified. I think it was a good thing for everyone to sit in a room together and realize that we have not played to our expectation as of late. That’s not just the players (but) everybody that’s a part of this."
With his dismissal, Michael Malone now holds an NBA record — tied with Hubie Brown — for the most games coached (79) and most wins (47, tied with Larry Brown) by a coach fired during the season.