Nuggets head coach Michael Malone not pleased about latest MPJ report

There was a buzz in Nuggets Nation on Sunday night when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a “Woj Bomb” about Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

Porter is likely to be cleared for on-court contact within the next week and could return at some point in March, according to Wojnarowski. The young star had back surgery in late November.

Woj’s report came shortly before Nuggets head coach Michael Malone met with the media pregame in Portland, and the Nuggets’ leader was not happy about it.

“I would say don’t listen to those reports,” a perturbed Malone said before pausing. “They didn’t come from me, they didn’t come from (Nuggets President) Tim Connelly. They didn’t come from anybody within the Denver Nuggets, so I would say be careful what you listen to and what you read.”

While Woj does do a lot of reporting by citing anonymous sources, in this case he named his source. The leak was Porter’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports. 

Whether Malone simply wants to control the narrative around Porter or has legitimate beef with Bartelstein is unclear, but he clearly did not appreciate a player’s agent breaking this news. 

Porter figures to be a key piece of the Nuggets down the stretch, along with the potential return of Jamal Murray from an ACL tear. In just nine games this season, Porter is averaging only 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds, but was clearly bothered by the injury before undergoing his third back surgery in the last five years.

The Nuggets are 36-25 so far this season and currently tied for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

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