Coaching is the NBA is a fickle business; Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone knows this better than most. Malone - son of former Pistons’ assistant Brendan Malone - was let go by the Sacramento Kings in December of 2014 after having spent just a little over a year there. The firing came as a bit of shock as he’s seemingly the only professional coach to make a positive impact on DeMarcus Cousins.
Coaches move on; that’s what they do. In June of 2015 Malone was hired by the Denver Nuggets and inherited a capable but directionless team.