Former Denver Nuggets head coach George Carl was one of the first to respond to the team’s decision to fire Michael Malone.
Michael Malone falls into Denver Nuggets history after leading his team to the 2023 NBA Championship.
The Nuggets decided on another way with Malone on April 8, with George Carl losing his words when the news first broke, posting a wordless emoji that showed his clear shock.
Now there’s time to digest the news, Carl has said more and thinks the timing of the decision is financial.
The most distinctive aspect of the Denver Nuggets’ decision was timing. The team had only three games left in the regular season, and was expected to score a top six spot.
However, the Nuggets disagreed, and Carmelo Anthony believes the firing happened because he couldn’t believe the organization would be successful in the postseason.
George Carle says that if that’s what Nugget believes and has the theory behind the fire, he understands why the decision was made.
He argues that if Malone has a head start to win a new NBA job, it will save the Nuggets money.
Carl posted on X: “The Nugget wanted a fresh start. I don’t extend or confuse the inevitable.
“And they probably wanted to give Coach Malone the chance to land a new gig soon, so partially they don’t have to keep paying him!!!”
A secondary aspect of the Denver Nuggets’ decision was the choice to say goodbye to general manager Calvin Booth.
Chris Bruthard claims this is because owner Josh Croenke couldn’t choose the aspects surrounding who to blame and ultimately fired both.
Understanding why Booth was let go, Carl commented: “Owners wanted to see players being traded, cut when players were cutting things, or see a system adjustment, and it’s easier now to fire a coach.
“On the other hand, if the coach hasn’t made adjustments and the GM is not moving, the only option is to fire both.”