After the Denver Nuggets' stunning firings of head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth just days before the end of the regular season last week, reports emerged that Russell Westbrook was a contentious issue among Malone, Booth and the locker room.

The Athletic reported last week that Malone and Booth disagreed over the usage of Westbrook. Booth reportedly wanted the team to use their younger players more, while Malone opted to utilize Westbrook over Jalen Pickett multiple times in the games leading up to their firings. This especially proved costly in the Nuggets' overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Westbrook was responsible for a couple mistakes that led to the loss. The Athletic also said that Malone's defense and leniency toward Westbrook was off-putting to several players in the locker room, including multiple of the team's younger players.

During a press conference on Monday ahead of the playoffs, Nuggets president and CEO Josh Kroenke denied the reports suggesting Westbrook was an issue for the team, and added that Westbrook has only been a positive since joining Denver last summer.

“I can’t say enough good things about my experience with Russ," Kroenke told reporters. "When it first became a possibility to have that guy on our team and he and I started talking, I was just like, 'I just am happy to have you in the locker room because now I know you won't be breaking our back anymore' with some of the plays that he's made over the years."

Kroenke continued: "To actually answer your question, no. Russ has been nothing but a positive for this group. ... Russ was a very spicy ingredient for us to add, and we needed it. We needed it. I thought we needed some spice this year. He's one of the most competitive people and players out there. I think as long as we're channeling that in the right direction, Russ's heart is 100% always in the right place. We do have some young guys [in our locker room]. I don't know if this is true or not, but I'm sure they grew up looking at Russell Westbrook as one of their idols in a lot of ways. The cool thing about Russ is that, one that competitive fire gets him going, but at this stage, who he is as a person, I think he understands the impact he can have across the board. ... He's an unbelievable teammate, unbelievable person, and we're lucky to have him."

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nuggets President Addresses Reports of Russell Westbrook Being a Problem.

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