Legend of Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony reacts to turbulence crossed by the franchise

By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist

Denver saw a more than hectic pass as the Playoffs approaches, after having separated from his coach Michael Malone. A decision to which Carmelo Anthony returned recently, the latter having worn the nugget jersey for a long time.

Casually, his name always makes the news on the side of the Nuggets, 15 years after leaving the franchise. In the same time, this is a big question that arises in Colorado: which of Nikola Jokic or Carmelo Anthony will have his jersey number withdrawn? It is recalled that the Serbian pivot carries the n ° 15, the same as the old winger when he still made the heyday of the team during a good part of the 2000s.

That aside, the one who will soon be inducted at the Hall of Fame continues to follow his old stable. It must be said that the latter has been talked about for a few hours, when she decided to separate from her coach Michael Malone. We recall that the playoffs start in a few days … Instead, it is his former assistant David Adelman who will have the heavy task of managing the team during the post-Season.

Carmelo Anthony Fatalist as to Michael Malone's dismissal

The announcement surprised a lot of people since Denver is in the top 4 of the Western Conference, but there were already signs of a break between the coach and his men not to mention his heads with the former GM Calvin Booth, fired at the same time as him. For his part, Melo was not surprised at the decision:

When this kind of stuff happens, that means that the front office, the leaders, think that the summit has been reached. You won, you built a great culture in Denver, but you can't do better, you've reached the summit. The locker room is the locker room. There is always a level of respect, but the voice begins to be heard less, until it is no longer listened to.

As a reminder, for no less than ten years that Malone was in office at the Nuggets, a longevity that has become extremely rare in the big league. Arrived at the same time as Nikola Jokic, he had passed the deductible of the NBAs to a stronghold of the latter, even winning a title of NBA champion in 2023.

Only here, he had admitted a few days ago that his squad was no longer really listening to his directives, some players being more frustrated not to see him reprimand Jamal Murray and Jokic for their defense efforts. Add to that that he persisted in wanting to use Russell Westbrook, which also posed a problem, and we quickly understand that his days in the Rockies were counted …

Carmelo Anthony knows better than anyone what he can deal with in a wardrobe, Michael Malone's dismissal therefore does not surprise him. If the players were no longer attentive and frustrated, his dismissal was only a matter of time.