DENVER — Rockets point guard Chris Paul, who played for Nuggets coach Michael Malone in 2010-11 during Malone’s lone season as an assistant with the New Orleans Pelicans, spoke highly of Denver’s coach after the Rockets’ 119-114 win Sunday night.
“I think Mike Malone does a great job of letting those guys play,” Paul said. “I mean, they play so free and they play hard and they play together and that’s why the game was like it was.”
Paul is the latest in a long line of players and coaches to endorse Malone. In his third season as Denver’s head coach, Malone has amassed a 106-118 record.
“They’ve got a lot of talent. They’re athletic. they’re young they play together they play smart. Mike’s done a great job,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after Denver beat San Antonio 122-119 on Friday. “They play with pace, which is best for them. They play with a real quick pace. They attack well. A lot of shooters, but they’re playing together and working hard. They’re on the right track for sure.”
Dwyane Wade also gave a glowing review of Denver’s coach after he signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bulls in 2016. The Nuggets were a finalist for Wade’s services along with Chicago and Milwaukee.
“Coach (Malone), someone who I respect from afar, just getting into his mind as a coach and how he thinks,” Wade said. “I really had a great meeting. It went way over time, just talking about basketball. Those guys, I was sold on them, those individuals, great individuals. They made it a lot tougher than people think just from the standpoint of when you get into free agency, it’s all about how comfortable someone can make you feel. It’s about the picture they paint for you about the what’s the possibility of how the team can look with you inside of that team. Coach Malone was great. I enjoyed sitting down and talking basketball.”
When the Nuggets signed Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90 million contract last summer, the power forward also complimented Malone on his message during their free agency meeting.
“He’s a hard-nosed guy. He’s tough on his guys but getting to know him, I know he’s a players coach,” Millsap said. “Well respected around the league, his style of play and what he expects from his players, it fits my style and who I am. I’m appreciative for that.”
Malone has faced scrutiny from media and fans over his two-plus year run in Denver but has the Nuggets on track for their first playoff appearance in four seasons. Denver is 33-27 and eighth overall in a crowded Western Conference and is 10-4 since Jan. 22 — the date when Malone said he’d loosen the reigns on the offense in an effort to try and return the Nuggets’ attack to last year’s form. Since then, Denver is the league’s third-best offense.
The Nuggets have also won seven of their last 10 games.
