The Nuggets became the talk of the NBA on Tuesday morning when they shockingly cleaned house with just four days left in the regular season, firing head coach Michael Malone and relieving GM Calvin Booth of his duties (his contract was set to expire at the end of the season).
Clearly, the vibes have been off, but this is absolutely stunning as the team has just three games remaining. The team doesn’t have to rush to find a replacement for Booth, but somebody does have to coach the team as they hope to embark on a long playoff run later this month.
Still hoping to turn things around and salvage this season, the Nuggets will turn to longtime assistant David Adelman as the new interim head coach. In a statement, the owners said that championship expectations remain in place for this season and those expectations now fall at the feet of Adelman.
Denver Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke: “While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship level standards and…
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 8, 2025
David Adelman’s coaching resume
Adelman joined the Nuggets as an assistant to Michael Malone before the 2017-18 season and has remained in the position ever since. He has received interest from multiple teams in recent hiring cycles, but this will be his first time serving as an NBA head coach.
But Adelman has plenty of coaching experience, dating all the way back to 2002 when he was fresh out of high school and served as a volunteer assistant for several years. He became the head coach of Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon, leading them to three city championships while still in his 20s.
In 2011, Adelman became a player development coach with the Timberwolves and stayed with the team through 2016, including serving as head coach of the Summer League team for three seasons. From there he became an assistant to Frank Vogel in Orlando. After one season with the Magic, Adelman found his way to Denver where he’s been ever since.
Adelman learned from Hall of Fame father Rick Adelman
But Adelman’s experience goes far beyond his resume as he’s the son of Hall of Fame legend, Rick Adelman. Rick played in the NBA for seven seasons then served as a coach starting in 1983 when he became an assistant for the Blazers.
He became head coach of the Blazers in 1989 and served as a head coach in the league for 25 years with successful stints in Portland, Sacramento, Houston, and Minnesota, where he retired in 2014 with his son David remaining on the staff.
David also has three siblings who have been prominent coaches at varying levels. He clearly has the experience, the pedigree, and the DNA, now we’ll see if he can put it all together. At just 43 years old, there’s no reason to think Adelman doesn’t have a legitimate shot to land this job if he can go out and earn it.
This is a critical inflection point for the Nuggets as a franchise. The next moves need to be carefully made and they need to be correct. Who knows how many more years in his prime Jokic has and how long he will have the patience to play for a non-contending team? Hopefully, Adelman can hit the ground running, and prove to be the next great NBA coach.