The Denver Nuggets are in a world of hurt as they suffered yet another blistering defeat at home. This time it was to the Houston Rockets, 128-110, and after the game head coach Michael Malone had a short and sweet press conference that sent a clear message about where this team is at.
“I told [the players] that it is unacceptable to let a team come in here and outwork us.” Malone said. “I apologize to our fans. They deserve better then that. The effort that [the players] have given, I have to do a much better job as head coach to get these guys ready to play and to find a group that is going to go out there and play the right way.
“It’s a lot of bad basketball, and it starts with me.”
The Nuggets were nearly run out of their home court Friday night on national television, failing to gain a lead at any point of the game.
The Nuggets allowed the Houston Rockets, who arrived at their hotel in Denver at roughly 5:15 in the morning Friday, to out-play, out-work, and out-hustle them in every major statistical category, including field goals, 3-point field goals, assists, steals, blocks, and bench points.
Bottom line, this team got bullied once again.
This Nuggets team is in a world of hurt, having lost four of their last five, and Coach Malone admitted that he has no explantation for this team’s sluggish season.
“I must have done a bad job preparing our team tonight.” Malone said. “I don’t even know what to say. I have no explanation. I really don’t. All I know that it is unacceptable, and thats why I do apologize to our fans because they deserve better then that, and as the head coach of this team it starts with me.
“If guys want to go out there and go through the motions, I have to find a bunch of guys – even if they are young – that will go out there and at least play.”
There are so many problems with this Nuggets team that need to be fixed before progression can even be reasoned with.
Yes, the Nuggets have been riddled with injuries this season, but Malone refuses to use that as an excuse for this team’s play, and rightfully so. This problems with this team are far deeper than injuries.
The problem is energy, and the lack of it has left Malone dazed and confused.
“It’s one thing to be out played. It a completely other thing to be outworked,” Malone said. “That does not sit very well with me.
“If we don’t change out mindset and our approach it’s going to be more of the same. We are a bad team right now, and I have to start doing a much better job because the direction we are heading in right now is a bad, bad place.”
Things do not get easier for the Nuggets moving forward as they hit the second night of a back-to-back Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, a team that manhandled the Nuggets last time they squared off, followed up by five more games away from home across the country.
This team is flirting with disaster, and desperately needs to get things back on track before this season takes a turn for the worse.
