Michael Malone’s Locker Room Struggle Draws Parallel to 2x NBA Champion’s Criticism of Younger Players

Denver Nuggets decided to fire their head coach with the final spot yet to be locked in the Western Conference. With just three games remaining in the regular season, the decision at first was a head-scratcher. But after multiple reports and a resurfaced clip from March, it became clear that the winningest coach of the franchise, Michael Malone had some locker room troubles. Apparently, the issue not only persists with one franchise, but with a lot of upcoming stars.

Recently, Rajon Rondo on Dwyane Wade’s podcast expressed bewilderment over players not watching their own films. “And I always ask a lot of young guys, the last couple years, I’ve worked with some of these guys coming from colleges, you know,w prestige colleges, not even watching film, you know.” The Kentucky native called it “crazy” for young stars ignoring the important part of training.

“But like I said, there’s been some like some great young talent and that’s been stars at these schools and they come to pros and it’s like ‘I don’t watch film.’ Rondo continued and asked his students why not partake in watching films. “Like, why not? ‘Cause I don’t know what to look for.'” Coincidently, it was the lack of effort that players put in that Michael Malone previously called out.

It was after the 128–109 loss at the depleted Portland Trail Blazers on March 21, where the then Nuggets head coach put his blunt opinion forward. “And the guys that maybe do really care—they’re not going to go back and what their minutes, because nobody watches their minutes, nobody watches film. So we’ll have to show them the film, and I said if somebody disagrees with me, please speak up.”

There might have been signs of Michael Malone and him losing his locker room. But nobody would have predicted the outcome that too with 3 games left in the regular season.

Digging into Michael Malone’s firing as Nikola Jokic’s emotions come to light

The same coach who brought Denver its first-ever championship in 2023 and kept them in winning form for eight straight seasons is now gone.  The coach did call out his players for their lack of effort. And to nobody’s surprise, he was not wrong. In fact, even the superstar Nikola Jokic expressed his disappointment recently.

Nov 8, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone pulls center Nikola Jokic (15) away from a scrum in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

As per The Athletic, the three-time MVP has grown tired of Denver’s shaky defense. Despite hanging near the top of the West, the Nuggets rank 20th in defensive rating. To give further context, every other team in that range is already out of the race. Denver’s the odd one in. All thanks to the Joker! He has been putting up insane numbers this month—45 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.7 assists. However, that did not convert into wins every time.

The Nuggets still lost four straight. Currently, they occupy the 4th but have a 3-7 record in the last 10. They still have a red-hot Jokic, but the team will have to pull itself out of this mess. Even though Malone is not the helm anymore, will his former players learn from the criticism?

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