When Josh Kroenke abruptly fired Michael Malone last month, the entire hoop community was shocked. Why would you fire the winningest coach in franchise history with the playoffs right around the corner? Everyone wondered. Even Malone was taken aback by the decision and per veteran insider Brian Windhorst, his reaction was “not calm, which is not a surprise.”
Kroenke later revealed that it was a move he had been considering for quite some time because of the escalating tensions between Malone and GM Calvin Booth, another Nuggets member who got booted. “I was really feeling like things weren’t headed in the right direction.” Josh remarked. Amid all the chaos, the Nuggets had a bigger concern in mind – winning the championship. So, they put David Adelman in charge as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Many speculated there to be animosity between Malone and Adelman because the former assistant coach took Mike’s spot. But turns out, that’s not the case. During tonight’s Timberwolves vs Thunder West Finals opener, Malone made his ESPN debut as an analyst. As he dove into the specifics of the matchup, he highlighted the amazing job Adelman did against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. in the previous series, “In the last series, David Adelman did a hell of a job with Denver utilizing a zone defense and it gave the OKC Thunder a lot of trouble at times.”
Although the Nuggets couldn’t get past the Thunder, they pushed them to the limit in the seven-game thriller. And massive credit goes to Adelman’s incredible coaching, which even Malone seems impressed by. That shows he might not have any bad blood with his former colleague. Well, David spent nearly eight years working under Mike as an assistant coach and they share a solid bond. Following the praise for Adelman, the former Nuggets head coach even advised Chris Finch to take a page out of his book to gain an edge against OKC, “Expect to see Chris Finch to use the zone tonight to try to slow down the Thunder.” It’s clear that Malone admires Adelman’s coaching, but what about the Nuggets players?
Nikola Jokic and other Nuggets stars make feelings clear about David Adelman amid job uncertainty
Now that the Denver team’s season is over, the big question is – Will they bring Adelman back as the permanent head coach? Well, Nikola Jokic certainly thinks he deserves a shot, as he revealed David’s impact in a recent interview, “You had three games to change something. 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.”
Apr 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Even his teammate, Aaron Gordon shared a similar sentiment, “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.” Following Malone’s firing, Adelman was suddenly handed a massive responsibility of leading a title contending team in the playoffs with no preparation time as his first head coaching gig. Despite the multiple challenges, he did an incredible job, winning all three regular season games and making it to the West Semis. If given more time and job security, Adelman has the potential to do wonders with this Denver team and hopefully achieve the same success Malone had during his tenure. Do you think Kroenke should hire Adelman as Nuggets’ permanent head coach?
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