The Denver Nuggets expected a lot of interim head coach David Adelman this season. After the shocking firing of Michael Malone, Adelman had just three regular-season games to prepare the Nuggets for the playoffs.
He mostly succeeded. The Nuggets toppled the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round before taking the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder to a Game 7 in the second round. The magic ended there, as the Nuggets fell 125-93, and were eliminated from the postseason.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, Adelman made quite the impression in the limited time he had running the team. Adelman received votes of confidence from Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and team governor Josh Kroenke after the Game 7 loss.
Gordon — who played in the contest despite a hamstring injury — was the most complimentary of Adelman, outright saying the coach should be brought back next season, per ESPN.
"I hope he's here next year. I hope he's our next coach. I hope he gets an entire training camp and a whole offseason to figure out his philosophy. DA's great. He was excellent for us, and I hope that he's here next year."
Jokic said the decision to hire a head coach was above his pay grade, but was complimentary of the way Adelman changed the team's culture and energy in such a short time.
"You had three games to change something," Jokic said. "I think he changed energy. I think the guys were woken up a little. Guys had more energy. He made us believe something, and we played good. We played a seven-game series against the best team in the NBA. We had opportunity, we had chances. I think he did a really good job."
Murray seemed to support the idea as well, saying Adelman did a "great job."
While the players are seemingly behind Adelman, it will be up to Kroenke to make the final decision on the team's next head coach. Kroneke did not want to discuss the issue following the team's elimination, though praised the way the team rallied in the playoffs.
"Outside of the championship, this is the most proud I've been because these guys have really rallied," Kroenke said after the game.
While Adelman, 44, didn't spend much time as the Nuggets' head coach, he's plenty familiar with the organization. He was in his eighth year as an assistant coach in Denver prior to his late-season promotion. That promotion marked the first time in his career Adelman served as a head coach.
Adelman may not have the track record, but his brief stint was impressive. The Nuggets went 3-0 in the regular season under Adelman. While that's not a huge sample, those were important games. The Nuggets had yet to clinch a playoff spot when Adelman was hired, and the team was on a four-game losing streak at the time. Though it was unlikely the Nuggets would have fallen out of the playoffs, every win counted when he assumed the head-coaching role.
Adelman didn't disappoint when he got his chance. And that might be enough to convince the Nuggets he's the right person to lead them moving forward.
Sign Up
