During Denver Nuggets governor and team president Josh Kroenke's press conference on Monday, a reporter prefaced a question by describing last week's firing of Michael Malone as "one of the latest" such decisions that a playoff-bound team has ever made.

Firing the head coach and general manager with just three games left in the regular season might seem like an impulsive move but Denver Nuggets coach Josh Kroenke said Tuesday the split was months in the making.

"To Nuggets nation, it has been my absolute pleasure to lead and fight for our team every night," Malone wrote via The Denver Post's Nuggets reporter Bennett Durando. "To help bri