The NBA world is reeling from the Denver Nuggets’ shocking decision to fire head coach Michael Malone on Tuesday, despite his impressive record of 471 wins and an NBA championship over 10 seasons. With only three games remaining in the regular season, many around the league were left stunned. Insiders have suggested various reasons for his dismissal, including disagreements with general manager Calvin Booth regarding player usage, who was also fired that day. Meanwhile, some players reportedly expressed frustration with Malone’s coaching style.
On FS1’s Speak Tuesday, Paul Pierce directly addressed these rumors. While the panel acknowledged Malone’s capabilities as a coach, they questioned the reasoning behind his firing. “’Cause players get they feelings hurt in this generation!” Pierce remarked. “‘Oh, I don’t like him! He’s talking bad to me!’ Man, get on the line! You’re making $30 million a year! These players feelings get hurt! I’m telling you, he’s a great coach, he’s won a championship. Joker [Nikola Jokić] is playing the best basketball of his career, again. But now, because somebody’s feelings are hurt in the locker room, ‘Oh, we don’t like him, we don’t think we can win with him,’ it don’t matter — get over your feelings!”
.@paulpierce34 GOES OFF on the Nuggets for firing head coach Mike Malone 🔥
“Players get they feelings hurt in this generation!… He’s a great coach. He’s won a championship… Get over your feelings!” pic.twitter.com/AOX6xu5MKA
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) April 8, 2025
While it’s unclear what specifically fueled Pierce’s frustration over Malone’s firing, he continued to express his opinion. “He’s a successful coach, who’s brought you to the mountaintop and now people’s feelings get hurt, and how he’s out of there,” he stated. Malone would likely appreciate Pierce’s perspective, especially considering that he had called out his players after a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in late March. When asked how he thought they would react, Malone replied, “I don’t really care” (via The New York Post). He added, “It’s not my job to evaluate how they take things. My job is to be honest and sometimes brutally honest … The guys that are full of s*** won’t hear it. They’ll say, ‘Coach is tripping.’”
