ESPN’s Shams Charania broke news on Tuesday that the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone. The 53-year-old was in his 10th season with Denver.
Along with Malone, the Nuggets fired general manager Calvin Booth. Denver is hitting a clean sweep this offseason. The firings come at a peculiar time. There are just three games left in the regular season for the Nuggets. Assistant coach David Adelman has been promoted to interim head coach for the rest of 2024-25. That includes the playoffs. How far can Adelman take Denver in the 2025 postseason?
David Adelman is the interim head coach for the Nuggets
“You’re asking for huge production from a guy who’s never done it before at this level.”@windhorstESPN on the Nuggets’ interim head coach David Adelman and their potential playoff picture. pic.twitter.com/PxDg0uxQLr
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 8, 2025
Besides Nuggets fans and NBA junkies, not many people know who David Adelman is. The 43-year-old is the son of NBA Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman. His father played seven seasons professionally and was a head coach in the NBA for 23 seasons. Rick Adelman last coached in 2013-14 for the Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s where his son David Adelman got his start in the NBA.
David Adelman started on his father’s coaching staff for player development in 2011-12. For the last 13 seasons, Adelman has been an assistant coach in the NBA. He spent four seasons with Minnesota and one with Orlando. Ahead of the 2017-18 season, Adelman was hired by Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Adelman has spent the last seven seasons with Denver. For the past few years, Adelman has been Malone’s top assistant.
On Tuesday, Malone was fired by Denver, and David Adelman was named interim head coach. The Nuggets have three games left before the 2025 payoffs begin. Asking Adelman to take over at this point in the season is an incredibly hard task. ESPN’s Brian Windhosrt mentioned how David Adelman has interviewed for head coaching vacancies in the past. However, stepping in and taking over this late in the season is a challenge. How far can David Adelman take the Nuggets after Michael Malone was fired?
