The Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Mike Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, the team has announced. The decision comes amid a four-game slide for the Nuggets, who have gone 11-13 since the All-Star break and are in danger of falling into the play-in spots. Denver lead assistant David Adelman will take over head coaching duties for the final four regular season games and playoffs. “There were certain trends that were very worrisome to me at different points in time. But they would get masked by a few wins here and there and in the world of professional sports, when winning and losing is your currency, winning can mask a lot of things,” said Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. Kroenke added that despite the timing of the move, he believes “that there's more in that group that can be accomplished and I look forward to seeing what they can do.” Kroenke thanked Malone for “the most successful decade in Nuggets history” and “helping deliver Denver our first championship" in 2023. Malone became head coach in 2015, setting the franchise record for all-time wins and boasting a 471-327 record during his Nuggets tenure. According to The Athletic, there had been growing tension between Malone and Booth “over everything from roster construction to the way players were used.” Booth, who has been general manager for the past three seasons, wanted Malone to use younger players such as Jalen Pickett and Peyton Watson. However, Malone opted for veterans such as Russell Westbrook, who was getting minutes; Booth would've rather gone to Pickett. The Nuggets' 2023 championship team lost some valuable pieces over the last couple of years, notably Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, who signed free agency deals elsewhere. Adelman, who has been an assistant under Malone for the last eight seasons, was interviewed for head coaching positions at the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers last offseason.