Former champion Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has weighed in on his past and future as a coach in the league.
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Across 10 seasons with Denver (he was fired with just three regular season games remaining last year), Malone led Denver to a stellar 471-327 regular season record and a 44-36 playoff record. He brought Denver to a pair of Western Conference Finals and of course the franchise's only championship (so far) in 2023.
He has finished as high as third in Coach of the Year voting, but never won the accolade while with the Sacramento Kings or Nuggets.
A decorated run with Denver
Granted, three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic, star guard Jamal Murray, and power forward Aaron Gordon had a lot to do with the Nuggets' success on the hardwood, too.
Nuggets ownership fired both Malone and Calvin Booth late into the 2024-25 regular season. Malone was replaced by his then-assistant coach David Adelman, who after a solid playoff run with the "interim" tag became Denver's permanent head coach this summer.
Booth, meanwhile, was supplanted during the offseason by vice presidents Ben Tenzer (the team's interim Booth replacement during the playoffs) and Jonathan Wallace (who was poached from the Minnesota Timberwolves after the year).
During a new interview with Kenny Smith on, uh, ESPN's "Inside The NBA" (that will never not be weird to write), Malone explained what he most missed about being a head coach.
"The camaraderie," Malone said simply. "I love building something, preparing, being organized. But the most important thing that I miss is being a part of something much better than myself, being in that locker room with the players, being with that coaching staff, celebrating a big win."
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Malone invariably pivoted the conversation to his own anticipated future as a coach, suggesting that he hopes to be back on the bench before too long.
"I love my wife, I love my kids, I love my dogs, but I do miss being a part of that team camaraderie locker room atmosphere, and I'm looking forward to getting back to that," Malone said. "I'm definitely not done coaching. Coaching is in my blood, I got that from my father, and I'm excited to get back coaching on those sidelines and teaching once again."
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