The Denver Nuggets have appointed David Adelman as their head coach, following a successful playoff run in his interim role. Adelman assumed the interim position after the firing of Michael Malone in early April, with just three games left in the regular season. Under his guidance, the Nuggets won their final three games and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. They then challenged the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals, ultimately losing in seven games.
Adelman, 44, joined the Nuggets as an assistant in 2017 and spent eight seasons in that role before his promotion. He is the son of longtime NBA coach Rick Adelman. Before his tenure with the Nuggets, Adelman worked with the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke highlighted Adelman’s deep connection with the team as a significant asset. “Since he arrived here in 2017, he’s been on our staff, he’s grown with the group. He understands their tendencies as players, but I think equally as important now … is he knows them as people, what makes them tick. And I think bringing somebody from the outside, while I was very open-minded to it initially, I saw the cohesiveness of the relationships on the human side. I think that’s a big factor in where we’re heading with this group now, in getting the most out of them.”
The decision to fire both Malone and general manager Calvin Booth so late in the season was surprising, especially for a team that was fourth in the conference standings and had won an NBA championship two years prior. The move is believed to have been influenced by tensions between Malone and Booth.
With the coaching vacancy filled, the Nuggets will now focus on finding a new general manager.