Former Nuggets trainer Michael Malone says Gilgeous-Alexander must be MVP

Former Denver Nuggets head trainer Michael Malone has modified his track on who he thinks must win this 12 months’s NBA MVP award.

Back in March, when he used to be nonetheless head trainer of the Nuggets, Malone went on a passionate rant about why Denver celebrity Nikola Jokic must win his fourth MVP award this season regardless of a stellar season from Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Shai is a great player. And if he wins his first MVP, he’s deserving of that,” Malone advised journalists on March 10 after the Nuggets beat the Thunder 140-127. “My thing is this: If you didn’t know that Nikola won three MVPs, and I put Player A and Player B on paper, and you had no idea that the guy who’s averaging a triple-double, the guy who’s top-three in the major statistical categories (had already won three) … he wins the MVP 10 times out of 10. And if you don’t think so, I think you guys are all full of (expletive).”

One month later, the Nuggets despatched a surprise wave throughout the NBA panorama once they fired Malone with every week left within the common season and the workforce’s document at 47-32.

Now with some loose time on his fingers, Malone joined ESPN as an analyst for the NBA Playoffs. And after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, apparently his MVP allegiances have switched.

“Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he’s the MVP,” Malone stated after the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in Game 1.

The Thunder celebrity took over Game 1 in the second one part and completed with 31 issues, 9 assists and 5 rebounds in a dominant win.

However, it is arduous to consider that may’ve been sufficient to sway Malone’s thoughts if he had been nonetheless hired through the Nuggets.