Nuggets Players Reportedly Were 'Freakin' Miserable' Before Michael Malone's Firing

Morale among Denver Nuggets players was reportedly very low prior to Michael Malone's firing on Tuesday.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne, one Nuggets source described players as being "freakin' miserable" in the final weeks prior to Malone being dismissed.

"The players were freakin' miserable, man," the person said. "You could see it. The effort would come and go. I just wish it happened sooner. We wouldn't be in this mess."

Denver's most important player, Nikola Jokić, was also described as not being happy about the way things were without actually saying anything.

"Joker is really good at letting you know how he feels," a team source told MacMahon and Shelburne, "without saying anything."

Jokić told reporters after Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings that he sent Malone a text message upon learning about his firing. He also said Nuggets president Josh Kroenke gave him a heads up about the move before it was announced, but the three-time MVP declined to offer details of what was said in their meeting.

"I knew a little bit before everybody," Jokić said. "And he told me, 'We made a decision.' So it was not a discussion. It was a decision. He told me why. And so I listened. And I accepted it. I'm not going to tell you what he told me. I'm going to keep that private."

The Nuggets cleaned house not just by firing Malone, but also announcing they won't be renewing the contract for general manager Calvin Booth after this season.

Malone's firing has led to several stories about how things went so wrong for the Nuggets that they replaced their head coach of 10 seasons with three games remaining in the regular season.

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick and Tony Jones, Denver's most important players "had grown frustrated and fatigued by Malone’s fiery ways." It was also noted that Malone and Booth had a "strained" relationship that grew worse over the course of their five seasons working together.

The Nuggets did win their first game under interim head coach David Adelman. They are currently fourth in the Western Conference standings with two games remaining, but there's only one game separating them from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the No. 8 spot.