Nuggets stuns NBA world but provide Spurs with possible Pop heir apparent

I was under the impression that the Denver Nuggets were no longer a borderline joke organization, but here we are. There has been a reckoning in the Mile High City and head coach Michael Malone was a casualty, losing his job with one week to go in the NBA season. The Nuggets have a 47-32 record as the fourth seed in the Western Conference but despite that, the franchise is going in another direction.

This decision is no less shocking than Taylor Jenkins' dismissal from Memphis less than two weeks ago. If anything, it's even more egregious and that was already walking the line of insanity. Malone just won a championship in Denver's history two years ago.

Seeing him fired while sitting in the top four of the Western Conference after a season of injuries and inconsistent play from Jamal Murray is shocking to NBA fans everywhere. However, it again gives the Spurs another option if Coach Popovich decides not to return and San Antonio fans have already begun calling for the marriage.

It's shocking to see a proven coach like Malone fired

Firing the head coach a week before the end of the season if you're a lottery team is a dramatic thing to do. Firing the head coach and the general manager a week before the season ends as a top contender in your conference screams panic. Something had to be going really wrong for that decision to be made, and when you look closer the move starts to make more sense.

Denver may be fourth in the West, but they're on a four-game losing streak and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. Two weeks ago, the Portland Trail Blazers, of all teams, beat them down by 19 points. Malone was understandably upset after the game but what he revealed in his press conference should have sounded more alarm bells than it did.

During this sitdown, Coach Malone discussed his team's lack of effort on defense and on the boards. He basically admitted to losing the locker room. According to his words, they don't watch film, they don't play defense, they don't rebound, and a portion of his players won't even acknowledge his coaching when he addresses them. That's something to be concerned about if you're a Spurs fan.

Malone has been Denver's coach since 2015, so maybe it's just time for a new voice but he's been known to have a prickly personality that rubs some people the wrong way. A couple of years ago, a study was conducted online to gather information about which coaches were liked or disliked based on what was being said about them. Malone ranked sixth from the bottom.

But we can't take away his accomplishments either. Nikola Jokic has emerged as one of the best players in NBA history and that was done under Malone's watch. He led Denver to their first championship in franchise history and he hasn't had the most competent front office to work with. That's why the Nuggets owner fired the general manager, too.

Malone's relationship with Coach Popovich is well documented so he would likely get a ringing endorsement from the greatest coach of all time if Pop decides to hang it up. That would make the transition a simpler one. Nothing about Coach Pop's future is set in stone, but Michael Malone's dismissal gives the franchise plenty to consider either way.