The Nuggets made a shocking decision before the NBA playoffs, firing head coach Mike Malone and general manager Calvin Booth less than a week before the regular season ended.
That meant that Denver was entering the postseason with an interim head coach as they tried to make a deep playoff run. The Nuggets named assistant David Adelman as Malone's interim replacement, even though Adelman had never been a full-time head coach before.
Adelman's crew was unsuccessful in making it far in the postseason, losing in the second round of the playoffs at the hands of the Thunder. However, after the exit, Denver made the decision to give Adelman the promotion to full-time head coach.
With Adelman now at the helm, here's what you need to know about the young coach.
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Who is David Adelman?
David Adelman is a 43-year-old Nuggets assistant coach who has been with the team since 2017.
Adelman began his coaching career out of college, as he coached Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, from 2002-06, then Lincoln High School in Portland from 2006-11.
Adelman got his first NBA job in 2011 with the Timberwolves as an assistant, and he spent 2011-16 in Minnesota. After a brief stop with the Magic for a year, Adelman was hired by the Nuggets in 2017.
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As the top assistant to Mike Malone, Adelman became a valuable part of the coaching staff, which allowed him to fill in for Malone when the head coach couldn't coach Denver in a particular game. In January 2023, Adelman was the interim head coach for a few games when Malone had COVID.
Early shower for Coach Adelman 🚿
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 18, 2023
CONGRATS COACH 🥳 pic.twitter.com/Xwlt77Afu3
Last year, Adelman interviewed for the Cavaliers' head coaching position in the offseason, a position that ultimately went to Kenny Atkinson.
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Is David Adelman Rick Adelman's son?
Adelman is the son of former NBA player and coach Rick Adelman, who spent seven seasons in the league as a player before transitioning to coach.
Rick was the head coach of the Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings, Rockets and Timberwolves between 1989 and 2014, and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.