"This worse than how they did Mark Jackson" - NBA fans abuzz as Michael Malone lands ESPN gig for WCF coverage post Nuggets' playoff exit

NBA fans online were abuzz after Michael Malone landed an ESPN gig for the Western Conference Finals after the Denver Nuggets were eliminated. On Monday, NBA Central posted a picture of Malone from the 22-23 championship celebration on its X (formerly Twitter) handle.

They reported on his off-court gig in their post's caption.

"Michael Malone is joining ESPN as part of their Western Conference Finals coverage."

The fans quickly made the best of this ironic situation and expressed their thoughts in the post's comment section. One fan compared Malone's situation to that of former NBA player and Warriors coach Mark Jackson.

"This worse than how they did Mark Jackson."

Other fans joined the bandwagon and expressed their varied opinions in their comments.

"I still don’t understand why he was fired," one fan said.

"he waited for the nuggets to be eliminated..." another fan said.

"bro just had the best hatewatch ever 😭😭😭" another fan said.

One fan expressed his belief in Michel Malone in his comment.

"Would have been champs if he was still the HC," the fan commented.

"Let's go Mike! He needs to be a HC next year," another fan said.

The Nuggets fired Michael Malone on Apr. 8, with only a few games left in the regular season. The decision was received with mixed reactions, as Malone left as the winningest coach in the Nuggets' history and had a decent record (47-32) this season before getting fired.

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NBA Insider reveals details behind Michael Malone's firing

Michael Malone's firing puzzled many Nuggets fans, who saw no reason to dismiss a coach who won a championship two years ago. On Saturday, Sam Amick from The Athletic appeared on "The Ringer NBA Show," sharing details on Malone's firing behind the scenes.

"One of the things that ended up tripping Malone up at the end was that he was giving the star treatment to Joker, to Jamal, and to Russ. And that locker room was like 'Wait a minute. Two of these things are not like the other.' And that caused issues," Amick said.

Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Russell Westbrook are the biggest names on the Nuggets roster. However, giving star treatment to any player can cause a coach to lose the trust of the rest of the team. If the team doesn't back their coach, it's hard for any franchise to keep them.