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After the Denver Nuggets fired Michael Malone, there continues to be more to the story, especially regarding Russell Westbrook. When the franchise signed the veteran point guard, there was a level of favoritism towards the All-Star. It was one that the young players didn't agree with.
Although Westbrook has proven to be productive, it still is difficult to play him when there are young players eagerly waiting to hit the hardwood. However, there was one game in particular that was the tip of the iceberg.
Despite a Nikola Jokic 60-point triple-double, Westbrook had a costly turnover that cost the Nuggets the game. Even after the game, Malone defended his point guard consistently.
It wasn't even the defense that was bad. It was how Westbrook was defended. The comments felt like a subtle shot at the young players, even though they didn't make the mistake.
According to Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic, they pinpointed what transpired after Malone's comments.
“Ultimately led to a loss of credibility among the team’s key players,” Amick and Jones said. “It was one thing when Malone handled Jokić and Murray with more leniency than the rest of their group.
“But affording Westbrook that sort of treatment, even with his Hall of Fame resume, wasn’t received well by some.”
Nuggets' Michael Malone enjoyed Russell Westbrook
Even though Westbrook is a veteran and proven player, as well as a potential Hall of Famer, making the right coaching decision is what is best.
Sometimes, people have to look adversity in the face and figure out how to overcome it. The job isn't about being the most liked. It's in part with how well they coach, relate to the players, and making tough decisions, the latter of which is one of the more difficult things.
It's hard to cut Westbrook's minutes, considering his career. However, if it is impacting winning, then a change has to come. As a result, no change ever took place.
Still, it feels disheartening that the change was made right before the NBA playoffs. This felt like a move that on the outside could've been conducted in the offseason.
However, the Nuggets front office might've felt that it would've been not well with the team if a change didn't happen immediately.
Either way, no one will quite understand why the firing took place when it did. At the end of the day, it felt like something that had to happen.
Losing the locker room, especially with a guy like Jokic, isn't what anyone would like. With all of the chaos and the lack of winning around him, he might want to find a way out.
