Malone: “On verge of something special”
A couple of weeks ago, Michael Malone and Tim Connelly decided to move a meeting from their Pepsi Center offices to the streets of their city. As the Nuggets coach and president of basketball operations grabbed a smoothie and walked through the revitalized Dairy Block in Lodo and past Coors Field, their conversation flowed from the motorized scooter epidemic in Denver, to their summer vacations, to how they can each improve at their craft.
Malone called the unexpected stroll therapeutic, an example of the constant communication and collaboration between him and the man who hired him. A massive season looms for the Nuggets and Malone, who enters the final season of his fouryear contract. And following an offseason that was part pain, part reflection and part recharge, Malone embraces the expectations on him to get the Nuggets back to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
“I don’t mind the pressure,” Malone told The Denver Post from his office. “It’s something that motivates me and kind of drives me to become a better coach for my staff and my players and use it to do what I have to do. Ultimately, as a coach, you’re judged on wins and losses. Did you make the playoffs or not? That’s what most people look at.
“I’m excited about the year. I embrace the pressure of being a playoff team. I can’t wait to get started.”
The Nuggets start training camp Tuesday.
Denver’s record has improved in all three of Malone’s seasons, from 33 wins in 201516 to 46 a season ago. The Nuggets appear to have the ingredients to make another jump, after signing star big man Nikola Jokic to a max extension, resigning versatile swingman Will Barton, adding a playmaking backup point guard in Isaiah Thomas and shedding salary by trading veteran forwards Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur.
But the Western Conference remains “unforgiving,” Malone said, with generational superstar LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. And last season, finishing 10 games above .500 was not enough to advance beyond the regular season. The Nuggets fell one game shy.
A new defensive outlook
The day after the Nuggets’ heartbreaking seasonending loss at Minnesota in midapril was like pulling the emergency brake on a speeding subway car, Malone said. He could not watch the first round of the NBA playoffs — the emotions were still too fresh.
But by May, Malone’s staff had begun devising a revamped defensive philosophy that accepts surrendering more buckets in the paint if it means better protecting the perimeter, after ranking last in the NBA in opponent 3point fieldgoal percentage last season (37.8). During June visits overseas to see Jokic and Juancho Hernangomez, Malone met with Serbian national team coach Aleksandar Dordevic and Spain national team coach Sergio Scariolo, who was recently hired as an assistant for the Toronto Raptors.
Throughout the summer, Malone also studied film of the Euroleague. He jotted notes about college schemes while scouting draft prospects. And while dissecting Thomas’ sensational 201617 season with Boston, Malone also paid close attention to allstar big man Al Horford. Malone sees similarities between Horford’s and Jokic’s playing styles, and Horford spent three seasons playing alongside Nuggets forward Paul Millsap in Atlanta.
Complementing Malone’s work was a twoweek vacation to Amsterdam, Belgium, Paris and Prague with his wife, Jocelyn, as an early celebration of their 20th wedding anniversary. He also went mountain biking with his buddies at Crested Butte. In a league that saw Cleveland coach Ty Lue and thencharlotte coach Steve Clifford leave their teams in the middle of last season because of health reasons, Malone is trying to keep balance in his life and prevent burnout.
“You’ve got to find time to be a husband and a father,” Malone said.
While reflecting on last season, Malone calls a team meeting the day after a March 27 loss at Toronto a defining moment. The fact that he asked each individual player if they still believed the Nuggets could make the postseason may sound corny to outsiders. But that led to critical moments — like Mason Plumlee’s block on Jerami Grant to preserve an overtime win at Oklahoma City, or Jamal Murray stealing an inbounds pass, getting fouled on a 3point attempt and sinking all three free throws to force an extra period in a win over Milwaukee — during a sixgame winning streak that put Denver in a winnertakeall finale against the Timberwolves.
“It was uplifting,” Malone said. “Teaching. Learning. Positive. ‘We can do this.’ I think that was a great lesson for all of us.”
Keeping an even keel
That leadership style is an example of Malone’s ongoing quest to keep his sometimesfiery emotions in check. He’ll still let it rip when there’s a purpose, such as when his technical foul drawn in Denver’s home finale against Portland flipped momentum in a gritty Nuggets win. But if Murray, a 21yearold point guard, immediately looks back at his coach following a turnover, Malone has put an emphasis on exuding positive body language and communicating calmly.
“I don’t want to be impatient. I don’t want to be moody. I don’t want to be emotional,” Malone said. He added: “I can be demanding. I can hold people accountable without belittling them and demeaning them in front of their teammates.”
Malone sent periodic text messages to his players throughout the offseason, reminding them not to let the disappointment of last season’s finish fully dissipate with time. He was pleased with the turnout in Las Vegas during summer league and at a voluntary minicamp at Millsap’s training facility last month. Before Labor Day, most players had already returned to Denver to work out together in the Nuggets’ practice gym ahead of the start of training camp Sept. 25.
That’s a sign that the players also grasp — and embrace — the expectations and pressure that surround this season. Maybe this time next year, they’ll get to take a celebratory walk around the city following their first playoff berth since 2013.
“All that pain and heartache is going to be worth it when we reach where we want to be,” Malone said. “I love where we’re headed. I love the people we’re headed there with, from front office to staff to players. I think this team is on the verge of doing something special.”