After a surprising front-office overhaul, Denver Nuggets players are regrouping with renewed focus. Following Wednesday night’s 124-116 win over the Sacramento Kings, veteran center DeAndre Jordan revealed that the team held “serious conversations” after the dismissal of head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.
“We just had serious conversations with each other,” Jordan told reporters. “Sometimes you go one way or you go another. It doesn’t stay the same. We responded well, I thought, tonight. We just gotta build off this.”
Denver Nuggets Have Little Time to Adjust After Coaching Change
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Nuggets, who remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. While the decision to part ways with both Malone and Booth so close to the postseason was seen as a shock across the league, Jordan said the team wasn’t entirely surprised.
“Memphis just fired their coach,” he said, referencing the Grizzlies’ decision to part ways with Taylor Jenkins. “We’re paying attention. It’s not like it came completely out of nowhere.”
The coaching change followed mounting internal tension between Malone and Booth, detailed in a report from The Athletic this week. According to the report, two-time MVP Nikola Jokić and other veterans had grown “frustrated and fatigued” by Malone’s fiery style, while the coach’s relationship with Booth had reportedly deteriorated into a “cold war.”
David Adelman, Malone’s lead assistant, stepped in as interim head coach and earned a win in his debut Wednesday.
Whether this internal shakeup will spark a deep playoff run remains to be seen, but Jordan expressed optimism that the team is turning the page at the right time.
“We’re trying to stay together, stay focused,” Jordan said. “A lot’s happened, but we control how we come together now.”
Denver (48-32) will look to keep the momentum rolling Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in another crucial late-season test.
