Michael Malone is no longer the Nuggets coach, and is immediately backing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Nikola Jokic for MVP.
Michael Malone was unceremoniously fired by the Denver Nuggets just three games before the NBA playoffs. It was a wild move, given that they were the fourth seed and had done quite well.
Malone was reportedly going to get the axe regardless of the Nuggets’ season. In fact, GM Calvin Booth had planned to fire him before the Nuggets won the 2023 NBA championship.
There is still a lot of ambiguity regarding Malone’s departure. Some believe that Nikola Jokic played a part in Malone’s dismissal.
It appears there might be some truth to this statement, as Malone’s recent comments on his ESPN debut about the Serbian seem to suggest some discord.
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Michael Malone made his debut for ESPN as an analyst after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. And it’s safe to say he’s made some waves already.
While speaking about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Malone was all praise, even calling him the MVP of the NBA this season.
“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he’s the MVP. He took over in the second half.”
This is a far cry from the argument he made while head coach of the Nuggets, as Malone consistently backed Nikola Jokic to win the MVP.
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Could Malone’s shift in MVP stance be hinting at issues between him and Nikola Jokic? Or is it just him no longer having to toe the company line for the Nuggets anymore?
We’ll probably have more answers as time goes on. But this is certainly a drastic shift from the man who just a few months ago was banging the drum for Jokic.
Given Jokic’s personality, it’s unlikely he will express any public disappointment with Malone’s words. If anything, he might not react at all.
But Malone is known to be a hothead and can act out when he is disgruntled. So this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
