NBA, unbelievable in Denver: Michael Malone and Calvin Booth away abruptly

From Denver comes news on Tuesday evening in Italy that has the resounding: the Nuggets, according to ‘ESPN’ reports, have decided to fire Michael Malone and Calvin Booth, who until a few hours ago held the key roles of head coach and general manager, on the spot. The unsettling decision, given the timing, comes on the heels of a series of four consecutive knockouts, seven in the last ten outings.

There will be no new bench hires: in fact, taking Malone’s place will be David Adelman, son of hall-of-famer Rick, who until yesterday was an assistant to the now former Nuggets coach. No news, at the moment, regarding the general manager role, with Booth leaving after nearly five years with the Colorado franchise.

With Malone on the bench and Booth in the front office, Denver won its first and so far only NBA title, at the end of the 2022-2023 season, when Nikola Jokic and teammates defeated the Miami Heat in the finals by four games to one. Denver has been a steady presence in the playoffs since 2019, but it is taking more risks this season than it used to in years past.

With only three games left in the regular season, the Nuggets are fourth in the Western Conference, but have only a half-game lead over a quartet consisting of the LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies. The risk is to finish outside the top six and play for a playoff spot in the ‘Play-in tournament’ which involves teams ranked seventh through tenth giving away the last two spots useful for the postseason.