While the Nuggets are examining David Adelman closely, Adelman is trying to stay focused on examining the Clippers.
The subtext of this playoff series is inescapable. The individual stakes are undeniable. Adelman is finishing out the season as interim head coach of the Nuggets, and after that, his role with the team is up in the air. Will the Kroenkes decide he is the man to replace Michael Malone full-time, or will he have to venture elsewhere for his first head coaching gig?
“You’re going to think I’m lying, but I haven’t thought about that,” Adelman said Wednesday when asked if he feels like the playoffs are an audition. “This thing has happened so fast, and my No. 1 concern was getting this team, this group of people (into) the playoffs. And I think you saw with the game last night with Golden State and Memphis — pretty paramount not to be in that game. I mean, that game was absolutely crazy. And (Ja) Morant sprains his ankle. And Steph (Curry) was beat up. And Jimmy (Butler) is playing hurt. That’s the thing about getting in and getting these days to get yourself right.”
Adelman, 43, took over with a week left in the regular season and led the Nuggets into the playoffs on a three-game win streak. They secured the No. 4 seed and a first-round series against the Clippers in their final game, on a day they could have slipped as far as the Play-In Tournament and into Adelman’s aforementioned Tuesday showdown between Golden State and Memphis. (The Warriors prevailed to earn the No. 7 seed.)
His point about health is relevant not just generically, but to the Nuggets specifically. Jamal Murray missed six games late in the regular season with a hamstring injury, coinciding with the team’s four-game skid that ended in Michael Malone’s firing. The star point guard was able to suit up for Denver’s last two games, but he averaged only 15.5 points on 39.3% shooting.
“We know what Jamal is in the playoffs. He’s one of the all-time greats. … Very excited to get him back out there healthy,” Adelman said after the Nuggets practiced at Ball Arena. “And it’s been great to see him the last two days, the way he’s moving. Because that’s what we need if we’re going to win four games in a series.”
The Nuggets will host Los Angeles for Game 1 on Saturday (1:30 p.m. MT) at Ball Arena. It’ll be Adelman’s first playoff game as an NBA head coach, interim or otherwise. His own high school basketball coach was in the gym Wednesday to take in the scene, as Adelman led a practice that would have been someone else’s to lead just eight days earlier.
Team president and governor Josh Kroenke expressed confidence in him this Monday, saying in a news conference that “he’s more than ready for it.”
But Adelman? “I don’t see this as an audition,” he said. “I see this as: This franchise, this organization already has given me a chance right here. I owe them that.”
He understands you still might think he’s lying.
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