Renck & File: Nuggets players deserve blame for firing of Malone, Booth

Three games left. Two people fired. One fresh start.

The Nuggets want you to believe through a battery of sourced stories that they had no choice but to fire coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth. This was apparently the NBA’s biggest feud since Shaq and Kobe. Apparently, I missed Malone’s diss track.

Even if the timing was brutal, the Kroenkes clearly had their reasons to can them after watching a joyless season dissolve since the All-Star break. But we are also seeing damage control wrapped in shameful denial by the players.

We cannot let them off the hook. They were unhappy with Malone’s criticism, his yelling, his rotations, his preferential treatment of Russell Westbrook (OK, I’ve got their back on that one).

Is that license to throttle down? To play defense like they were in an All-Star game?

Athletes control effort, attitude and conditioning. That is what has made this season so disappointing.

Jamal Murray showed up out of shape after signing a four-year, $208 million max extension. He stank for the first 21 games before finally working himself back into form. But even that proved short-lived. He has missed eight of the past 12 games entering Friday with a hamstring injury.

Michael Porter Jr. continued to show us all who he really is: a medical marvel who is wildly inconsistent from game to game, quarter to quarter and possession to possession. When he is not making 3s, his value is virtually nonexistent.

Nikola Jokic, who is having a historic offensive season, lost interest in defending at the top of the key and stopped committing to his role at the level of the screen.

Aaron Gordon couldn’t shake a calf injury that siphoned half his games this season.

Westbrook played at one speed, and his tired Porsche-in-a-school-zone act deployed airbags multiple times over the last two weeks, making it clear Jalen Pickett should take his minutes in the clutch.

There are numerous examples of why Malone and Booth deserved to be canned. But let’s not forgive the performance of the players. Just because warring factions existed behind the scenes, it does not excuse the lack of effort and communication.

For the Nuggets to go on a magical postseason run, it starts with those in uniform pulling in the same direction, not the schemes of interim coach David Adelman.

Young and restless: Rockies outfielder Zac Veen approaches baseball with a childlike enthusiasm. No need to take the wag out of the puppy’s tail, but it is important as he navigates his call-up to lean on veterans like Ryan McMahon and Kyle Freeland. He has the talent to make it. But he must adopt routines to simplify everything.

Carmelo’s request: Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony wants the Nuggets and Knicks to retire his jersey. No problem. But Denver’s comes with a caveat. His No. 15 goes into the rafters after Jokic’s as a sign of respect for the franchise’s greatest player.

Shedeur’s spot: When it comes to Cleveland, can we believe them? The Browns adding 40-year-old Joe Flacco and failed first-rounder Kenny Pickett suggests that they will pass on Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick. There is growing buzz that they will take CU’s Travis Hunter. If that’s the case, the Saints would be silly not to take Sanders at No. 9, forming an ideal fit with new coach Kellen Moore.