The Denver Nuggets made a majorly shocking announcement on Tuesday, firing both their head coach Michael Malone and their general manager Calvin Booth just three games before the end of the regular season.
The Nuggets currently sit at 47-32 and the fourth seed in the Western Conference, but they are only one game ahead of the four-way traffic jam between the fifth and eighth seeds. This move was preceded by the Memphis Grizzlies' recent firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins, which given the fact that the Nuggets are in a similar position to the Grizzlies, may have given the organization confidence in making such a move.
Michael Malone firing could signify a Warriors reunion
Malone, who first came into the NBA as a coaching associate with the New York Knicks, has been on the Warriors' coaching staff in the past.
Following his work with the Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New Orleans Hornets, Golden State hired Malone as an assistant coach under Mark Jackson. The organization thought of him highly, as he helped break the team's playoff drought and was named the league's best assistant coach by a committee of general managers in 2012.
While Malone would go on to accept a head coaching role with the Sacramento Kings for the 2013-14 season, it was his decade-long, championship-bearing tenure with the Nuggets that cemented him as one of the premier coaches in the NBA
Now, as the Nuggets attempt to deal with their apparent internal turmoil, with the team having lost their recent matchup against the Warriors and five out of their last six games, Malone will need to find a new job.
The outcome of this year's playoffs will, in all likelihood, leave more head coaching positions vacant, especially for teams like the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. However, in the scenario that teams steer away from Malone in favor of younger or more innovative options, there is a chance that Malone could return to the Bay Area.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr have all spoken highly of Malone's successes with the Nuggets and his time with Golden State. While Malone has a notoriously strong and abrasive personality, which likely contributed to the ending of his time in Denver, joining the staff of another storied head coach such as Kerr might be the best thing for both parties.
With how wild the NBA's coaching carousel has already been this season, such a hiring would be among the least of the league's surprises.