Troy Renck: The outcome formed the opinion. When the Nuggets returned home for Game 5 at Ball Arena, the fans were frothing. They directed their vitriol at David Adelman, loudly booing the coach during introductions. The Nuggets owned a three-game losing streak. And worse, the Timberwolves poked, prodded and punked Denver in Minnesota, making them look weak, slow and passive. The Nuggets’ eventual first-round exit was so disappointing that it created a question of whether Adelman would survive. Last Friday, president Josh Kroenke quelled the notion, saying he has “full faith” in Adelman. After what happened, after how it happened, is Kroenke’s confidence in Adelman misplaced?
Sean Keeler: If Tom Thibodeau is the answer, are we asking the right questions? The Nuggets need to find their Sean Payton. There. I said it. If you can’t make sweeping upgrades to the roster, you have to make upgrades at head coach, someone who raises everybody’s floor. But here’s the catch: The Walton-Penner Group knew they needed a splashy head-coaching hire for the Broncos after the franchise had tried a slew of untested or unworthy options, someone with championship experience, regardless of the cost. Ime Udoka and Joe Mazulla made $11 million. Do you see Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke forking over Payton-like money to replace Adelman with a sexier name? Because I sure as heck don’t.
Troy Renck: I never thought they would fire Adelman because the Nuggets were not going to pay three coaches — Adelman, Michael Malone and a new hire. But the Nuggets were so thoroughly outclassed, it became a worthy talking point. How you lose matters. Fault landed on Adelman’s doorstep for a reason. He deserves to grow on the job, but he should be coaching for his position next season. Here is why. Kroenke gave Adelman too much credit for how he is behind closed doors, for the regular season, specifically the 10-6 record when Nikola Jokic was injured. It was an impressive accomplishment. But it was also a pop quiz. Kroenke admitted that any team with Jokic should win 50 games. He expected 60-to-65 victories if healthy. OK, Adelman gets a A- for the season, but bombed the weighted final, otherwise known as the postseason. That must figure into the evaluation.
Keeler: Bombed it? More like slept through it. It’s not fair for the greatest player in franchise history, and one of the best centers ever, to let months of the prime of his career just fritter away while his head coach “learns on the gig.” I don’t doubt that, given time, Adelman can — and will — improve. To your point, the first-time coach was handed a debut regular season that had about 3.5 years worth of injury disasters, and he still steered that ship to 54 wins. But this is a playoff sport, my friend. November-March is for show. April-June is for dough. And Adelman’s postseason resume looks Pillsbury soft right now.
Renck: Kroenke appeared to let Adelman off the hook because of complacency, injuries and the lack of ball handlers to navigate pressure. Somehow, the latter is the answer to everything because it will allow the Nuggets to initiate their offense earlier, providing an option when the two-man game fizzles. So Adelman is blameless for not trusting his bench earlier, not making offensive adjustments when Rudy Gobert was off the floor or drawing a technical in Game 3 to send a message that the Nuggets were not going to back down? Adelman looks a lot more like a great offensive coordinator than a head coach. He has another season to prove this wrong or it is time to move on.
Keeler: There’s a reason they booed. I respect Adelman’s hoops acumen, but I don’t envy his position, because his record will always be judged relative to Michael Malone’s. You never want to be the guy who follows the guy. If I’m Josh, I challenge Adelman to freshen this thing up even more. At times, his Nuggets looked stale; other times, they looked predictable. Stale, predictable and old, is no way to go through the NBA, son.
