The Denver Nuggets shocked the NBA world on Tuesday morning by announcing the firing of head coach Michael Malone. This is the third time this season a proven head coach has gotten fired, joining Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown, and many of their peers are starting to question their job security.
Malone coached the Nuggets for ten years and led them to eight consecutive winning seasons and their first-ever NBA championship in 2023. If a coach of that caliber is getting fired just three games before the playoffs, is any coach in the NBA safe?
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reacted to the unexpected news of Malone getting fired with a brutally honest statement about his job security.
"It's part of what motivates me, but I wake up every day saying this could be my last day," Mazzulla said. "You have to have that type of perspective. It gives you gratitude but also keeps you hungry.
"You have to have a healthy balance of, 'you want this for as long as you can' and at the same time, 'you're pretty much replaceable because that's just how it works.' Every day I remind myself of my own mortality, and I think that's what keeps me in perspective and a gratitude for the opportunity that you have."
Mazzulla is in his third season as the Celtics head coach and is already 180-63 since taking over while coming off an NBA title. Of course, Mazzulla is not going to get fired anytime soon, but with the recent unexpected coaching moves, many head coaches around the league likely have this mentality now.
