Former Nuggets coach Mike Malone takes indirect shot at Nikola Jokic while praising Gilgeous-Alexander

This year's MVP race is pretty much a two-man race, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are the expected top-two finishers in the award's voting. Gilgeous-Alexander's breakout season has helped lead the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals, but Jokic is looking for his third MVP in four years after carrying a flawed Nuggets team as far as he did.

Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder defeated Jokic's Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, meaning the guard is still playing and has a chance to lead Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals. However, Jokic had to carry a much more flawed Denver team as far as he could, a sign of his greatness and a potential proof of his MVP candidacy. 

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While anyone associated with Jokic this year would likely believe that he is the MVP, that apparently isn't the case. Mike Malone, the Nuggets former head coach, whom the team fired in April, gave a surprising Shai Gilgeous-Alexander take that may have been an indirect shot at Jokic.

Here is what Malone said about the MVP race.

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What did Mike Malone say about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

Mike Malone has free time during the playoffs for the first time since the Nuggets hired him in 2015, and he is helping ESPN with the network's coverage of the Western Conference Finals. Malone was in Oklahoma City for Game 1, and he gave some interesting comments regarding who should win this year's MVP award.

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"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he showed why he's the MVP," Malone said after the Thunder's Game 1 win overt the Timberwolves. "He took over in the second half and did so in a very efficient manner, and put the team on his back when they needed him to do so."

Those comments may seem harmless initially, but they are notable because Gilgeous-Alexander's primary competition for MVP is Nikola Jokic, whom Malone used to coach. Since Denver abruptly fired Malone before the playoffs began, the former coach's opinion on who should win MVP is notable due to his proximity to the race earlier this year.

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Why was Mike Malone fired by Nuggets?

The Nuggets fired both Malone and general manager Calvin Booth in April due to a reported disconnect between the two over the last few seasons. According to reports, Malone and Booth frequently disagreed over roster construction, which put a cloud over the organization.

However, Malone also reportedly wore out his welcome in Denver himself. A Denver Post report claims that Nuggets players grew tired of Malone's coaching style, as the veteran coach had been with the organization for a decade.

In the end, the Nuggets were going to fire Malone and Booth after the season, then made the decision to do it during the year to try and spark the team.

"They felt like the signs were there that this season was not going to end well," ESPN's Shams Charania reported.

Under interim head coach David Adelman, the Nuggets made it all the way to Game 7 of the second round against the Nuggets before getting eliminated from the playoffs.