The Denver Nuggets expect a lot of interim head coach David Adelman this season. Adelman has only three regular season games to prepare for the playoffs after Michael Malone's shocking shooting.
He mostly succeeded. The Nuggets overthrew the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round and then ranked the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. The magic ended there, the Nuggets dropped 125-93 and were eliminated from the playoffs.
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Despite the disappointing ending of the season, Adelman has impressed with the time he ran out of the team for a limited time. After losing in the seventh game, Ademan won a vote of confidence from Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and captain Josh Crohnke.
Gordon was injured in the game, the most complementary one of Adelman, and he said directly that the coach should be brought back next season.
"I hope he's here next year. I hope he's our next coach. I hope he's figured out his philosophy throughout the camp and throughout the offseason. DA is great. He's very good for us and I hope he's here next year."
Jokic said the decision to hire a head coach exceeded his salary rating, but the way Adelman changed the culture and energy of the team in such a short time.
"You have three games to change something," Jokic said. "I think he changed the energy. I think these guys are awakened a little bit. The guys have more energy. He convinced us something, we played well. We played seven series against the best teams in the NBA. We had a chance, we had a chance. I think he did a great job."
Murray seemed to support the idea, saying Adelman did “excellent”.
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Although the players appear to be behind Adelman, Crohnke will make the final decision on the team's next head coach. Kroneke doesn't want to discuss this after the team is eliminated, though praising the way the team rallied in the playoffs.
"This is my most proud of besides the championship because these guys did rallies," Crohnke said after the game.
While Adelman, 44, didn't spend much time as the Nuggets head coach, he is very familiar with the organization. He was in his eighth year as an assistant coach in Denver before advancing late in the season. This promotion marks the first time in his career Adelman has served as head coach.
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Adelman may not have a trail record, but his brief work is impressive. In the regular season under Adelman, the Nuggets scored 3-0 3-0. Although this is not a big sample, these are important games. The Nuggets had not won the playoffs when Adelman was hired, when the team was in a four-game winning streak. While the Nuggets are unlikely to stand out from the playoffs, every win is not counted as a result when he takes on the role of head coach.
When Ademan had a chance, he didn't let him down. This may be enough to convince the Nuggets that he is the right person to lead them forward.