北京时间4月10日，The Athletic的Amick和Jones联合撰文，揭秘掘金主帅马龙下课的更多内幕，除了他和布斯之间的紧张关系，给威少特殊待遇也让他失去了队内的信任。以下是文章相关内容摘译——

Russell Westbrook may have been the biggest trigger. On the one hand, Westbrook have been in great form for a large part this season, injecting some energy on the pitch for a team that needs energy. Booth ventured to sign Westbrook from the free agent market last summer. Before making this decision, the team's management sought and received Jokic's consent.

But Westbrook's performances have been inconsistent lately, and his performance on the pitch has slipped somewhat. Pickett has shown his shooting ability lately and has been calm and calm on the court, which is in stark contrast to Westbrook's style of play.

在周三晚上以124比116战胜萨克拉门托国王队的比赛中，阿德尔曼在第四节末段将威斯布鲁克按在板凳上，而是选择让皮克特打关键球。威斯布鲁克下赛季有一个价值340万美元的球员选项，可以选择回到掘金队，但联盟消息人士称，他在球队的未来仍然不确定。

谈到马龙以及他在更衣室的支持率，球队和联盟消息人士称，情况在3月中旬开始恶化。主场输给华盛顿奇才队是一个新的低谷，摆烂的奇才队在这场126比123的比赛中随心所欲地得分，这让约基奇赛后非常生气。上赛季排名联盟第八的防守，在过去六个赛季中每个赛季都能排在前16位，而当时已经下滑到了第21位。据联盟消息人士称，当时，对手球队开始听说约基奇对球队的糟糕状况已经失去了耐心。

Six days later, things got worse when the Nuggets lost 128-0 to the Portland Trail Blazers on the road, and Malone showed no mercy to the players in a press conference after the game.

"My job is to tell the truth, sometimes even bluntly." "Tonight, I sent a very straightforward message. The careless guys won't listen, they'll say, 'The coach is crazy.'"

'They're not going to look back at their playing time because nobody is going to pay attention to that. No one will watch the game footage. So, we have to show them the video. I also said, 'If anyone disagrees with me, please stand up and say it'. But no one said a word. ”

All along, Malone chose to continue to support Westbrook — despite the problems he caused on and off the court — and ultimately led to a loss of trust in the team's core players. Malone is understandably more tolerant of Jokic and Murray than other players, but giving Westbrook the same treatment, even if he has a Hall of Fame resume, is difficult for some to accept.

The situation has gotten worse lately, starting with Westbrook's erratic performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 60/0, when his late missover cost Denver and made Jokic's 0-point triple-double meaningless. Jokic made a serious mistake late in Sunday's loss to the Indiana Pacers when he miscommunicated with Westbrook on the court and the big man's pass went straight out of bounds. After the game, Malone's defense of the veteran point guard was seen by some as disparaging the team's young players.

Now that David Adelman is interim head coach, the Nuggets have really played with a sense of urgency and energy that hasn't been typical this season. Adelman's rotation isn't much different from Malone's, but some tweaks have been made. At the start of the second quarter, Jokic was given more time to rest. Jokic also uses less of the ball when he's on the court. When Westbrook had a small emotional runaway early in the second quarter and again in the fourth, Adelman quickly replaced him with Pickett.

As Jokic revealed after his victory over the Kings, he spoke with Josh Kroenke about it before the decision to fire Booth and Malone became public.

"I'm not going to say what Josh told me." "I mean, I knew a little bit earlier than everybody else, he ...... Tell me, 'We made a decision'. So it's not a discussion, it's a decision. And, you know...... He told me why. So I listened and accepted. ”

In the win over the Kings, the Nuggets looked more focused, both on the court and off the bench, with a stronger bond and a determination not seen in a previous game.

After the game, the Nuggets' locker room was quiet most of the time. Team executives, including Kroenke, paced around. Adelman was greeted with handshakes and congratulations from people from time to time for his first win in his new position. However, everyone was relieved to finish the first game without Ma Long.

That positive vibe, which was missing for most of the season, is back.