NBA Rumors: Nuggets assistant coach now a candidate for Lakers opening

As the NBA season creeps toward its conclusion and more teams are eliminated, more coaching vacancies are opening left and right. The yearly coaching carousel is in full swing as teams are firing and hiring constantly.

More rumors come out by the day, as more coaches are named as potential candidates and people to be interviewed. One of the first jobs to open was the Charlotte Hornets’ head gig. The team announced in March that they’d be parting ways with Steve Clifford at the end of the season. 

Charles Lee heading to Charlotte

A list of potential candidates to be interviewed emerged and one notable name was David Adelman, one of Michael Malone’s lead assistants with the Nuggets. But ultimately, Adelman did not get the job as the Hornets announced on Thursday that they are hiring Charles Lee, currently an assistant for the Boston Celtics, to be their next head coach.

While it’s a bullet dodged for the Nuggets, fans can’t celebrate retaining the veteran assistant just yet. According to Marc Stein, Adelman is now a name drawing interest from the Lakers. The Lakers, of course, fired Darvin Ham after a second straight playoff loss to the Nuggets, this time in five games.

David Adelman linked to Lakers job

The Lakers already expressed early interest in Jason Kidd and Ty Lue, but it appears both of those coaches will be staying with their current teams, the Mavericks and Clippers respectively. The other candidates mentioned by name along with Adelman were Lee - who is now off the board - and Kenny Atkinson, currently an assistant with the Warriors.

It’s a tricky spot for Nuggets fans to be in. On the one hand, Adelman has been a great assistant and a guy who is easy to root for. Losing him would be a major blow to Malone’s staff, and seeing him lead the rival Lakers would make it that much worse.

But on the other hand, Adelman is more than deserving of a head coaching job in the league and it doesn’t appear that will happen with the Nuggets any time soon. The big takeaway: enjoy the rest of this playoff run as there may be big changes coming once the season is over in Denver.