Nuggets’ Michael Malone: Team more concerned with refs than running offense

For the amended portion of 5 minutes, Nuggets manager Michael Malone paced the baseline of the team’s signifier tribunal contemplating the signifier he’d conscionable watched.

Trapped with his thoughts, Malone’s locomotion came aft Saturday’s league had already extended 45 minutes longer than initially scheduled.

Once helium sat down with reporters, his vexation bubbled to the surface.

Asked what needed to beryllium cleaned up betwixt signifier and Wednesday’s opening nighttime successful Phoenix, Malone rattled disconnected a laundry database of issues that their five-game preseason didn’t benignant out.

“It’s everything,” helium said. “We’re conscionable not a precise bully squad close now. No organization, excessively galore blown sets, excessively galore blown coverages, deficiency of communication, excessively galore turnovers, sloppy, throwing the shot each implicit the place, starters got bushed contiguous due to the fact that they had 15 turnovers and the different squad lone had five.”

Perhaps that’s arsenic bully a spot arsenic immoderate to start. The Nuggets’ starting 5 – Monte Morris, Will Barton, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic – got bushed by Denver’s 2nd unit, which had been inconsistent astatine champion implicit the past 2 weeks. Outside of moments from P.J. Dozier, JaMychal Green, Jeff Green and rookie Bones Hyland, that portion had hardly gelled.

If immoderate operation of Denver’s reserves took it to the Nuggets’ emblematic starters, what volition the reigning Western Conference champion Suns do?

Unsolicited, Malone offered his opinion.

“If we locomotion into Phoenix playing the mode we played today, it’s gonna beryllium truly ugly, truly early,” helium said.

Malone couldn’t boil it down to 1 problem. The 2nd portion has been successful flux each camp, owing to ankle injuries to some Will Barton and JaMychal Green, Hyland’s emergence and the lackluster play of some Facu Campazzo and Austin Rivers. The reserve backcourt appears to beryllium the astir fluid.

Malone, who mentioned complacency regarding his reserves earlier successful grooming camp, utilized the connection again, though this clip successful notation to his full team. Did they deliberation their erstwhile triumphs implicit the past 3 years guaranteed them thing astir this season, helium wondered aloud.

But the halfway of his vexation stemmed from his team’s inability – oregon unwillingness – to talk.

He said he’s challenged each of the team’s guards to beryllium much vocal and much assertive.

“We person a very, very, very, precise quiescent group,” helium said. “We walk much clip bitching and complaining to the officials, wherever nary 1 has a occupation talking, but we can’t get ourselves organized, we can’t get ourselves into an offense.”

He mentioned Morris, Campazzo, Dozier and Hyland by name.

The Nuggets volition person 1 time to ruminate connected the messiness that unfolded successful the gym earlier hitting the signifier tribunal again Monday. Frustrated with his team’s progress, Malone wouldn’t perpetrate to immoderate maturation from his squad Saturday afternoon.

“Like John Wooden said: ‘Don’t mistake enactment for achievement,’” Malone said.