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Coaching has always been a high-pressure job in the NBA, but it has never been more unstable after the Denver Nuggets fired championship-winning head coach Michael Malone. After the Nuggets dismissed the winningest coach in Denver history, Golden State Warriors' Steve Kerr shared his honest reaction to Malone's firing ahead of the Dubs' matchup with the Phoenix Suns.
“Shocked, like everyone. Mike is obviously a great, great coach. Championship coach. Fantastic record,” Kerr said in an interview (h/t Danny Emerman of The San Francisco Standard). Like many around the league, the 11-year Warriors head coach was surprised by the timing of the firing. He cited the firing of former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins to describe how he's feeling about the shocking news.
“It doesn't seem right, but this is the business we're in. We're all going to suffer a similar fate at some point; that's kind of the way it is.”
Malone's dismissal is indicative of the short leash afforded to head coaches across the NBA. With Taylor Jenkins fired a week ago and Mike Brown fired mid-season, two coaches instrumental in turning around the Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, it's difficult to believe any coach in the NBA has job security.
In the same interview, Kerr shared his belief behind the transience of the NBA head coaching.
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“I think one thing that's happened is most teams are now owned by billionaires, big corporations. So, we're all more expendable. There's so much money in the business now,” Kerr said. “There's pluses and minuses to that. We're all making bigger salaries than we were five years ago, but we're much more vulnerable because I think a lot of owners aren't that concerned with firing a guy and paying him off to go away. So, again, this is the business we chose. We all love it. But it's not the most stable profession, that's for sure.”
Kerr, Gregg Popovich, and Erik Spoelstra are the only three head coaches remaining from before the pandemic. And since 2020, every NBA champion has fired the coach that brought them a title, excluding the Warriors mentor.
In the wake of another head coach firing, Kerr also reflected on his coaching mortality in the same interview.
“I don't know. I love what I do. I'm in an amazing position, with great support from my ownership, my management, and obviously have talented players. The idea of continuing on with this group is very appealing. I love it every single day. But who knows how long that lasts? I don't spend a whole lot of time worrying about it. I just enjoy it, and we'll see where it all goes.”
With Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, Kerr at least has the opportunity to go out on top.
