Subscribe
Follow Us
The Denver Nuggets endured a tumultuous spring when they fired both their head coach and general manager just three games before the playoffs. Despite the abrupt turnover, team president Josh Kroenke wants to make one thing crystal clear: the organization does not need a cultural reset.
“I can also say very clearly that this organization does not need a cultural reset,” Kroenke said during the Nuggets' end-of-season press conference.
“I think that anyone who was in and around that dressing room for the last six weeks … could probably say that there was a very unified group. While I understand the pressure might have brought some of that unification, I also think it was the people in that locker room. I think, a long time ago, when we set organizational standards to get to where we are today, a lot of that is about culture, and a day-to-day thing.”
Nuggets' locker room chemistry validates front office decision-making
While some may think dismissing your head coach and general manager means a cultural reset, it doesn't seem that way to Kroenke. In fact, he referenced the way the players responded following the firings. Rather than crumbling under the weight of abrupt organizational changes, the Nuggets players rallied together during their final regular-season games and put together a solid playoff run.
“The players are policing [culture] on a daily basis, and from what I saw and how the players responded, our culture is still there, we just needed to peel off a few things, have a small reset, and I think we’re ready to go forward,” Kroenke said.
Article Continues Below
That internal solidarity was evident throughout the season, with one such prominent moment being when Aaron Gordon publicly defended teammate Russell Westbrook following a critical ESPN report about his role in some reported locker room tensions. Gordon's response emphasized a certain protective nature of Denver's locker room.
“Of course, there are going to be disagreements. But that conversation wasn't for anybody other than our own group and the internal workings of our locker room,” said Gordon. “That article is just so arbitrary and so far from the truth. Russ has been amazing for us.”
Asked Aaron Gordon about the game and he just went OFF on the @espn article that cast Russell Westbrook as a bad teammate.
Listen: pic.twitter.com/eXh3bzb4KQ
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) May 14, 2025
With Nikola Jokic still being in his prime years and the championship window still open, Kroenke believes the foundation remains solid enough to contend without serious organizational changes. Instead, he will choose to fine-tune rather than rebuild, preserving what made the Nuggets' 2023 NBA championship run successful while still addressing the specific issues that led to the coaching and front office changes.
