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Before the Denver Nuggets played their first game since the firing of head coach Michael Malone, Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of the team's ownership group, assumed an interim job title and tried to motivate the players.
Kroenke, whose father owns the team, attempted to light a proverbial fire under the Nuggets amid a four-game losing streak, which, along with a not-so-secret feud with the general manager, may have led to Malone's firing.
“Sources: Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke met with team prior to shootaround on Wednesday to say the team wasn’t playing with joy, and implored them to fight with passion and enthusiasm the duration of the season,” NBA insider Chris Haynes wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The team appeared invigorated in win over Kings.”
Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets' centerpiece and three-time league MVP, said after Denver's 124-116 road win against Sacramento that Kroenke, by firing Malone and possibly by trying to rally the team, may have awakened something within the roster.
“People say that we are vulnerable, but I think the beast is always the strongest or the most dangerous when they’re vulnerable. So maybe he woke up the beast,” Jokic said in the post-game interview.
Nikola Jokic: “People say that we were vulnerable, but the beast is always the most dangerous when they’re vulnerable.”
“Maybe he woke up the beast.” pic.twitter.com/3QboYDj3YS
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 10, 2025
Along with trying to motivate the team, Kroenke named himself as the interim president of basketball operations, according to Haynes. This comes in the wake of the Nuggets firing general manager Calvin Booth, who reportedly had a toxic relationship with Malone. As a result of the tensions, it was expected that either Malone or Booth would be fired this offseason. However, on April 8, two days after the team lost their fourth consecutive game, Denver ownership decided to fire both Booth and Malone in a shocking move.
While Kroenke is heading the front office, with the help of the G-League Grand Rapids Gold's vice president and GM, Ben Tenzer, and assistant GM Tommy Balcetis, until a new general manager can be hired, David Adelman was appointed the interim head coach. Adelman, the son of Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman, had been an assistant for Malone since 2017 and previously worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After last night's win against the Kings, the Nuggets are 48-32 and remain tied for fourth place in the Western Conference standings with the Los Angeles Clippers. If the Nuggets lose each of their next two games, they could realistically fall to eighth place and into the Play-In.
Denver hosts the Memphis Grizzlies, who are half of a game behind the Nuggets, in the regular-season home finale tomorrow at 7 p.m. MT.
