Earlier today it was announced that Denver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone has entered into health and safety protocols. It isn’t the first time that COVID-19 has affected the Denver Nuggets this season, Bones Hyland, Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic have all also spent time away from the team due to health and safety protocols this season.
The team also announced that Assistant Coach David Adelman will serve as the Head Coach for tonight’s game against Portland. This is likely to stay the case for every game that Michael Malone misses, with a game Wednesday evening against the Timberwolves also likely to be missed by Malone.
Though no time table is given for his return, as is the nature of health and safety protocols, it is likely that he will be healthy after five to ten days given the other cases that the league has seen this season. In the next five days the Nuggets play three games — tonight against the Portland Trailblazers, Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Friday against the Indiana Pacers. All of which are played at home.
If Michael Malone were to miss a week, he would also be home for games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks. Both of which are also at home. There is also a chance that if he misses more than that he could miss another few games in the ten day span as opposed to five to seven days.
Right now, the Denver Nuggets have been 16-3 in their last 19 games, 8-2 in their last 10, and are on a 6 game winning streak. A portion of that can be credited to Michael Malone who has put himself in conversations for Coach of the Year. Fans will get to see in the next few games what a team without Coach Malone would look like, but either way we at Denver Stiffs are wishing him a fast and safe recovery.
