This year’s MVP race had the hoop community divided. Some favored Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for his elite scoring and winningest team record, whereas others wanted to see Nikola Jokić lift the trophy for the fourth time after he became the first Center in history to average a triple-double. Amid this buzzing debate, former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone sparked major controversy on Tuesday by seemingly revealing his pick for MVP on Live TV.

“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he showed why he’s the MVP,” Malone said, following the Thunder star’s 31-point performance to beat the Wolves in the West Finals opener. He added, “He took over in the second half. Did so in a very efficient manner, and he put the team on his back.” Obviously, Nuggets fans were not pleased with Malone’s comments because they hinted that he was not backing Jokic for MVP despite having coached him for nearly a decade. The 53-year-old faced major backlash on social media and in Denver.

So, when the veteran coach returned on ESPN tonight for his new analyst gig during the ongoing Conference Finals, he tried to make things right by clarifying his stance on Tuesday’s comments, “I did vote for him (Jokic) again this year, if I had a vote. I wanna make sure the people in Denver know that because right now, I’m getting a lot of heat back home.” Yes, Malone claimed that he would have picked Joker to win MVP if he had a vote.

However, he is powerless in this situation because he most likely did not have a vote, especially after he got fired by Josh Kroenke last month. Well, a media panel of 100 people gets the honor and privilege to vote and determine the MVP every year. Out of them, 71 picked SGA to win while only 29 voted for Jokic. A landslide victory for the Thunder star indeed. And Malone had no say in it. Just like Jokic had no say in his firing.

Nikola Jokić was informed beforehand about Michael Malone’s firing, but was NOT part of the decision

When Kroenke fired Mike last month, with just three regular-season games remaining, everyone was shocked. Per veteran insider Brian Windhorst, even the head coach’s reaction was “not calm.” But turns out, Jokic was informed “a little bit before everybody” by Josh, obviously because he is the face of the franchise. However, the three-time MVP was never part of the decision-making process. “(Josh) told me ‘We made a decision,’ so it was not a discussion. It was a decision. He told me why, and I accepted it. I’m not gonna say what he told me. I’m going to keep that private,” Jokic remarked.

The 30-year-old deemed it a “heavy day for everybody” but understood that the move was strictly business. Well, Kroenke let go of Malone and GM Calvin Booth because of the escalating tensions between the two, leading to a toxic atmosphere in the organization. “I can see certain trends behind the scenes with the group. And those were worrisome… I was really feeling like things weren’t headed in the right direction,” Kroenke remarked. He even apologized to both because of how abruptly their tenure ended, “To be frank, neither of them deserved it. And so, for that, I apologize.”

It’s clear that the firing of Malone and Booth was Kroenke’s call, and Jokic had no part to play in it. That means the relationship between the three-time MVP and the former head coach is still likely intact, which could be the reason Malone felt the need to clarify his stance about his Shai comment during tonight’s broadcast. Hopefully, it will calm down the Nuggets fans now. Thoughts?