NEW ORLEANS – In the wake of Thursday night’s Halloween embarrassment, Nuggets coach Michael Malone unloaded on his team.
First he began on a micro level, assailing his team’s effort in transition. Their abysmal effort led to 37 points on the break for the Pelicans en route to the 122-107 pounding. Throughout New Orleans’ four games – all losses – they’d averaged just 16 points in that fashion.
The gap between the Pelicans’ true identity as opposed to the team the Nuggets let them become was due to effort, Malone asserted.
“I’m embarrassed. … You can give all the transition defense rules that you want, to me, transition defense boils down to one thing – effort,” he said.