Jazz must avoid repeating Nuggets' soon-to-be regrettable mistake

Ever since starting this new chapter in 2022, the Utah Jazz haven't made many mistakes. They've made a few, most notably refusing to pick a direction until this season, which has led to some questions, but they haven't done anything too costly.

When the Jazz return to playoff contention, they must be aware that to keep a window open, they must also make some tough decisions. They may not be received well for sentimental reasons, but the smartest moves for contenders are often the toughest.

However, with contenders, it's also best not to get rid of something that isn't a problem. The Denver Nuggets went against this mentality when they fired Mike Malone, who not only brought them a title two years ago, but is also the winningest coach in franchise history.

It's already been discussed how, even if a coach has proven his worth, he could get the axe should the team make no progress. Taylor Jenkins' firing not too long ago was shocking enough, but Malone?!

While at first, it felt like Malone was the scapegoat, the firings didn't stop there for Denver.

Denver's entitled to run things however they want it, but the Jazz should definitely learn from this.

The Jazz shouldn't fire a head coach who had clearly proven himself

It is a tale as old as time that when an NBA team that was previously among the best of the best fires their coach whenever things start to go awry. So, it's not like Denver did anything that everyone hasn't seen before.

At the same time, while the Nuggets have taken a step back, it seemed like firing Malone was looking through the wrong end of the telescope. It wasn't his fault the Nuggets didn't try to keep their contender together. While the team may not have wanted to be in the NBA's second tax apron, they really want to blame Malone for why they've gotten worse since losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope?

It's a fool's errand to fire someone who's gotten his team results in the past when that same team's recent struggles have not been because of him. Malone will be scooped up immediately this offseason, and the Nuggets will still have all the questions they did before they fired him.

Denver is likely to regret this in the long run, which is why Utah can't afford to make the same mistake. While Will Hardy hasn't won many games for the Jazz over the past three years, no one would blame him for that.

He's shown his promise, as evidenced by Utah winning more games than many expected from 2022 to 2024. Because of that, Hardy is in a no-pressure environment. It's true that no one will know what he's made of until the Jazz start trying, but if they enter the contender conversation, and there might be a hiccup every here or there, they should think twice before making a change on the sidelines,

This goes beyond what the Nuggets just did. The Suns thought making a change like this when they went from Frank Vogel to Mike Budenholzer, and not only did that not change anything, their team outlook is so much worse.

A lot of ingredients go into making a contending team. The Nuggets got rid of one with Malone. Hardy has shown he has the promise of being that ingredient, so unless he proves otherwise, it's in the Jazz's best interest to not mess up what they have with him.