The vibes in Denver? Straight-up toxic. By Monday, GM Calvin Booth was done playing nice. The Nuggets were sliding, and the tension with head coach Michael Malone had hit a boiling point. Booth and Malone had clashed for years, and this recent skid—13 losses in 23 games—pushed things over the edge. Even Jokic, doing MVP-level stuff, looked drained. Booth had thought about firing Malone before the 2023 title run. Ownership told him to chill and make it work.
They tried. It didn’t. So Booth made his move. But instead of just showing Malone the door, the Kroenkes decided to hit the nuke button.
Both were out. And this has raised concern for Austin Rivers, the son of Doc Rivers, about his father’s job. “Now that teams have done it… if you’re a coach, how could you ever feel safe?” Austin posed the question on his podcast Off- Guard that every NBA sideline general might be asking themselves after Michael Malone’s stunning firing. “Your job is just never safe,” he emphasized. As Rivers explained, even championship coaches aren’t immune. “Malone just won a couple years ago… they fire him the next day. And that’s how fickle this league is.”
The host echoed the sentiment with brutal clarity: “The only person who has fucking power in this league is Spoelstra, Steve Kerr, and Popovich. Those are the only three coaches that have stability.” Even Boston’s Joe Mazzulla, despite recent success, wasn’t spared: “You can throw a young Mazzulla in there… but even then, who f—–g knows?”
Nov 8, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone pulls center Nikola Jokic (15) away from a scrum in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
So why are Erik Spoelstra, Steve Kerr, and Gregg Popovich the only ones untouched by the coaching guillotine? Simple—legacy and loyalty.
Popovich is the blueprint. Five rings, decades of dominance, and total control in San Antonio. He’s more than a coach—he’s the Spurs’ identity. There’s not a single exec alive who’d dare question him.
Then there’s Spoelstra, who started as a video coordinator and worked his way up through Pat Riley’s empire. He coached the Heatles through the fire, then rebuilt post-LeBron into a gritty, respected contender.
Steve Kerr? He unlocked the modern game. Four titles, a dynasty built around unselfish basketball, and the Warriors’ culture shift wouldn’t exist without him.
Rivers highlighted the shifting nature of power dynamics in today’s NBA. “It’s not even a coaching problem… sometimes it’s just a relationship thing. If you don’t have the guy’s back, if your relationship’s not strong in there, you’re out, bro.” That very issue played into his father’s dismissal from Philadelphia. “If they would have called Joel Embiid and [he said], ‘No, I don’t want y’all firing Doc,’ he has to be here—my dad would be in Philly.”
But beyond the Xs and Os, Rivers made it deeply personal: “I call my pops all the time. I’m like, man, I worry about you, dawg.” It’s a chilling reflection on today’s coaching climate, where even Hall of Famers can be dropped overnight. “No one’s safe in the NBA anymore,” Rivers concluded. And as Malone’s ousting just days before the playoffs proves, not even recent glory guarantees a lifeline.
That idea hits close to home for Kerr, who’s watched the coaching carousel spin out of control.
Steve Kerr has a theory behind Michael Malone’s firing
Before Golden State steamrolled the Suns 133–95, Steve Kerr didn’t hold back when asked about the Nuggets axing Michael Malone and letting Calvin Booth walk—even after delivering a championship just last year. The Grizzlies did the same with Taylor Jenkins, cutting ties with one of the league’s steadiest voices. The Kings? They dumped Mike Brown just 31 games in—after extending him for $30 million.
So what’s behind all this quick-trigger chaos? Kerr thinks it’s about the money.
“Most teams now are owned by billionaires or giant corporations,” he said. “We’re all more expendable.”
May 31, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) talks with head coach Michael Malone during a practice session on media day before the 2023 NBA Finals at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Basically, the stakes are higher—and patience is lower. Owners are swimming in cash, and writing off huge contracts doesn’t faze them. “A lot of owners don’t mind cutting checks to make someone disappear,” Kerr added.
Look at Monty Williams. Detroit gave him a record $78.5 million deal, then fired him after a nightmare season. He’s still owed $65 million. No sweat for billionaire bosses like Stan Kroenke or Robert Pera—they’ve got empires.
Kerr’s lucky—he’s got stability in Golden State. “I love what I do,” he said. But even he knows it’s fragile. “Who knows how long that lasts?”
Bottom line? In today’s NBA, even if you’ve got rings, you’re just one bad month away from a pink slip.
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