Kroenke Denies Russell Westbrook Rumors, Nuggets PG Has 'Been Nothing But a Positive'

Despite reports that there were frustrations within the Denver Nuggets' organization regarding Mike Malone's reliance on Russell Westbrook, the team's vice chairman, Josh Kroenke, told reporters on Monday that the veteran guard has been a positive for the Nuggets this year.

"Russ has been nothing but a positive for this group," he said. "If anything, the way that I would describe Russ is that every year, you have a different bowl of food, bowl of soup. Russ was a very spicy ingredient for us to add. And we needed it. We needed it. I thought we needed some spice this year. He's one of the most competitive people and players out there, and I think as long as we're channeling that in the right direction, Russ' heart is 100 percent always in the right place."

Last week, The Athletic's Sam Amick and Tony Jones reported that "Malone's choice to continue supporting Westbrook, despite the frustration he was causing on and off the floor, led to a loss of credibility among the team’s key players. It was one thing when Malone handled Jokić and Murray with more leniency than the rest of their group, but affording Westbrook that sort of treatment, even with his Hall of Fame credentials, wasn't received well by some."

Amick, Jones and Zach Powell of The Athletic also reported that general manager Calvin Booth—whose contract won't be extended following the season, which was announced at the same time as Malone's firing—wanted the head coach to "use younger players that he drafted and to stray away from using veterans for so many minutes. Jalen Pickett is a good example of this, according to league sources. Booth was dismayed that Malone went with Westbrook over Pickett down the stretch of multiple games last week."

Statistically, Westbrook has been less efficient since the All-Star Break, perhaps one cause of the consternation surrounding him:

• Pre-ASG: 48 games, 27.7 MPG, 13.0 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 TO, 47.7 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from three.
• Post-ASG: 27 games, 28.3 MPG, 13.7 PPG, 5.6 APG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 TO, 40.8 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from three.

In particular, Westbrook's shooting splits have grown more concerning as the season has progressed. In seven April games, he's shooting 21.4 percent from three, all while taking 2.2 more attempts after the All-Star Break than he was before the February layoff.

That doesn't mean that Westbrook has been a net negative off the bench for the Nuggets. In many ways, he's given the second unit a nice boost, offering experience and explosiveness. It's clear that Malone's long leash for Westbrook, however, caused some friction.

But Kroenke remains in support of Westbrook, at least publicly.

"He's an unbelievable teammate and unbelievable person," he told reporters. "We're lucky to have him."