{"id":140971,"date":"2025-05-22T17:17:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T21:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=140971"},"modified":"2025-05-22T17:17:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T21:17:20","slug":"david-adelman-follows-fathers-footsteps-with-nuggets-hc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/22\/david-adelman-follows-fathers-footsteps-with-nuggets-hc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"David Adelman Follows Father\u2019s Footsteps With Nuggets HC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Denver Nuggets<\/a> have officially named David Adelman as their head coach, removing the interim label after a promising playoff run. This move marks a significant moment in Adelman\u2019s career and continues a family legacy that began with his father, Rick Adelman, a former NBA coach and player. The announcement signals a new direction for the Nuggets, who made a bold decision in parting ways with Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth just days before the playoffs.<\/p>\n

David Adelman Follows Father\u2019s Footsteps With Nuggets Head Coach News<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Adelman Makes His Mark in the Playoffs<\/h3>\n

Adelman took over the Nuggets with just three games remaining in the regular season. Despite the abrupt transition, he immediately led the team<\/a> to three straight wins. The Nuggets entered the playoffs as underdogs and stunned many by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> 4-3 in the first round.<\/p>\n

That momentum carried over into the Western Conference semifinals, where Denver pushed the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> to a thrilling seven-game series. The Thunder, widely considered title favorites, struggled to put the Nuggets away. Adelman\u2019s tactical adjustments and calm leadership helped the team nearly pull off a major upset. Though they ultimately fell short, Denver\u2019s performance under Adelman caught national attention.<\/p>\n

A Coaching Pedigree Rooted in NBA History<\/h3>\n
\"David
Sep 11, 2021; Springfield, MA, USA; Class of 2021 inductee Rick Adelman speaks alongside presenters Vlade Divac and Jack Sikma during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement at MassMutual Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adelman isn\u2019t new to the game. He\u2019s the son of Rick Adelman, who coached in the NBA for over two decades and led the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> to two Western Conference Championships. Rick also played for the Blazers in the early 1970s and held several assistant coaching roles before becoming a respected head coach. He won over 1,000 games (1,042) with a 58.2% winning percentage. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.<\/p>\n

David has followed a similar trajectory. He worked as an assistant with the Orlando Magic<\/a> and Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> before joining the Nuggets in 2017. Over the years, he earned the trust of the organization and built strong relationships with the players. That long-term investment paid off when he stepped in as interim coach.<\/p>\n

Kroenke Cites Relationship With Players as Key<\/h3>\n

During Thursday\u2019s press conference, Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke emphasized Adelman\u2019s deep connection with the roster. \u201cHe knows what makes them tick,\u201d Kroenke said<\/a>. \u201cHe understands them as people, not just as players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kroenke admitted he initially considered hiring from outside the organization but changed course after witnessing the team\u2019s unity under Adelman. The decision to promote David Adelman to Nuggets Head Coach stemmed from both performance and chemistry.<\/p>\n

Turmoil Before Turnaround<\/h3>\n

The decision to fire<\/a> both Michael Malone and Calvin Booth raised eyebrows around the league. With Denver sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference and just two years removed from a championship, the timing seemed unusual. However, behind-the-scenes tensions reportedly made the shake-up inevitable.<\/p>\n

Despite the chaos,\u00a0Adelman stepped in and restored stability. His success as interim coach made it difficult for the front office to look elsewhere. The decision to install him as the full-time Nuggets Head Coach feels earned, not forced.<\/p>\n

The Road Ahead for David Adelman and the Nuggets<\/h3>\n

Now that the Nuggets have filled the coaching vacancy, their focus shifts to hiring a new general manager. Adelman, however, will lead the basketball side of the organization. As the new Nuggets Head Coach, David Adelman will try to build on this year\u2019s playoff success.<\/p>\n

Denver\u2019s performance under Adelman suggests that the franchise may have found the right leader for the next chapter. Promoting Adelman to Nuggets Head Coach wasn\u2019t just a sentimental choice. It was a calculated decision based on merit and continuity. His playoff run showed he could lead under pressure. His relationships with the players proved invaluable.<\/p>\n

Now, like his father before him, Adelman has the opportunity to shape a franchise. He\u2019ll aim to take the Nuggets back to championship contention, and possibly beyond.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Denver Nuggets have officially named David Adelman as their head coach, removing the interim label after a promising playoff run. This move marks a significant moment in Adelman\u2019s career and continues a family legacy that began with his father, Rick Adelman, a former NBA coach and player. The announcement signals a new direction for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":140980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,20,3],"tags":[49979,50041,49472,49164,49613,1230,50135],"class_list":["post-140971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-nuggets","category-news","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-2025-nba-playoffs","tag-calvin-booth","tag-david-adelman","tag-josh-kroenke","tag-michael-malone","tag-rick-adelman"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140971"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140981,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140971\/revisions\/140981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}