Nuggets hire David Adelman as head coach after playoff run as interim coach, source says
David Adelman has shaken himself free of the interim label The Nuggets are hiring Adelman to replace Michael Malone full-time as their head coach a squad source stated The Denver Post Adelman has been on the coaching staff since and took over the interim position with three games left in the - regular season after Malone was fired Denver won those last three games prevailed in a first-round playoff series then pushed the -win Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games under Adelman s impromptu leadership Multiple starters shared their hope that he would get the full-time job after the club s season-ending loss I don t see this as an audition Adelman revealed after receiving the temporary promotion in April I see this as This franchise this organization already has given me a chance right here I owe them that Adelman previously was an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves In his eight seasons under Malone he was tasked with designing Denver s offense around center Nikola Jokic who has won three league MVP trophies and an NBA Finals MVP As that offense thrived in modern years Adelman received attention as a head coach candidate around the league interviewing with the Hornets Cavaliers and Lakers in Before arriving in the NBA he coached Lincoln High School in Portland Oregon his home state from to He is the son of Naismith Hall of Famer Rick Adelman who coached the Trail Blazers Warriors Kings Rockets and Timberwolves between and Adelman is the rd head coach of the Nuggets succeeding the winningest coach in franchise history Malone won regular-season games and more in the playoffs during a -year tenure that included the association s first NBA championship Only six Nuggets coaches have won games As Adelman prepares for his first season at the helm he ll already have a head start thanks to his - record at the tail end of last season Related Articles Nuggets offseason preview Will Denver make arrangement First gang necessities new GM Nuggets general manager search Candidates Denver could consider to run basketball operations Nuggets Podcast What s next after Denver is eliminated by Oklahoma City Thunder Nikola Jokic misses out on th MVP voted runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Keeler Nikola Jokic s championship window with Nuggets George Karl s got plan to save it Man I think somebody else should answer that if they re going to hire me he stated reporters not long ago when sought why he feels well suited for the full-time role Then he tried to humbly make his pitch I imagine experience helps Confidence comes from experience And I ve had a lot of it even as a kid growing up in locker rooms and all those things But in this situation presumably just the relaxed feeling between me and the players We ve known each other for a long time Especially the core guys And then having a solid relationship with several of the newer guys because that was my job as the lead assistant coach Leading them hasn t felt any different Behind closed doors I ve ran a lot of the things in practice with Coach Malone s blessing pregame walk-throughs and all those things so I would say of what I m doing I already was doing And the other I m learning on the fly So you can t learn anything unless you genuinely go do it So I m doing the best I can I m trying to learn minute by minute Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis
