You guys can say what you want, but Malone was fired because he refused to be their lap dog. The man had class and integrity, and I think not many people stand up to Vivek and say "No, I refuse to go along with this" multiple times. Not only did he not go along with it, but he went in the opposite direction, playing defense and doing it his way. He made mistakes that I jumped all over at the time, but his team was following him through thick and thin.
It may be true that they didn't like Malone's approach and thought they could do better, but I don't think it was the primary reason for termination. Otherwise, they would have fired him earlier in the season or in the offseason, but how do you justify it after a 5-1 start? You can't. So they waited until we had a losing record, thinking everyone would agree and say "yes, that makes sense." Only no one did. We had more attention this season than in a long time, so people knew Cousins wasn't playing, which is what the media used like an axe against PDA (deservedly so). I think Vivek realized that he had hired a man that put up with no bullpoopoo, including Vivek's, so he had to go. Vivek doesn't surround himself with folks smarter than he is (no one is smarter), he surrounds himself with people that do what he says (yes men), because it's always worked for him. Except now, because he does not know basketball. Only he doesn't know that yet.
Malone's days were most likely numbered from the first time he disagreed with Vivek. In this entire mess, this is the most pressing issue. An all too eager owner thinking he is doing a great job and already has a great team (he doesn't), when all he has accomplished thus far is hiring and firing the coach that had us off to our best start in years in an entirely unprofessional manner. The media destroyed us in this mess, continue to ridicule us, and now once again we are front and center for all the wrong reasons.
