BREAKING: Nuggets make final decision on David Adelman after Game 7 loss
The Nuggets have agreed to a contract with interim head coach David Adelman to make him the franchise's new head coach.
The Denver Nuggets and David Adelman have agreed on a contract to make Adelman the franchise's next head coach, the team announced on Wednesday.
Adelman, 44, took over as the Nuggets interim head coach for the final three games of the regular season after the team decided to fire 2023 championship head coach Michael Malone. In these three games as the interim head coach of the Nuggets, Adelman led the team to a 3-0 record and the 4-seed in the Western Conference.
Denver went on to win their first-round playoff series in seven games against the LA Clippers before falling in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.
On Thursday while speaking with reporters, Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke confirmed Adelman's return as the full-time head coach of the time, citing that he is looking forward to the growth of the team.
“We are really excited about him, both with what he's shown over the last six weeks and then having a full summer, full training camp, and a full year to get things under his belt before we go after it again around this time next year,” Kroenke said. “There's an urgency to improve the team and organization everywhere… Anything outside of a championship is not acceptable.”
Why Nuggets wanted to keep David Adelman
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The Kroenke family and the Nuggets as a whole have long held high respect for Adelman. As Malone's assistant coach, Adelman had been targeted as a potential head coaching candidate for several teams in recent seasons. Although he did not leave Denver for another opportunity, the Nuggets did not want to flirt with the idea of losing Adelman.
As a result of his relationships with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and those running the organization, Adelman was the team's obvious choice to take over the sidelines when a decision was made to move on from Malone near the end of the regular season. The franchise has long viewed him as Malone's eventual successor.
The Nuggets still have a hole to fill following their playoff exit, as GM Calvin Booth was fired at the same time as Malone. Sorting through decisions in their front office will be Denver's next order of business after acting quickly to secure a future with Adelman.