Nuggets interim boss David Adelman says team can’t point finger at who’s gone

Denver Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman held his first press conference on since the team shockingly fired Michael Malone.

And he’s sending a clear message to his team in terms of who’s to blame for how the last couple of days have gone down.

Adelman met with the media ahead of the Nuggets taking on the Sacramento Kings and said the finger can’t be pointed at Malone and fired GM Calvin Booth. It’s up to the guys who are still here, which is all of the assistant coaches and all of the players, to fix it.

David Adelman says everyone plays a role in blame for the Nuggets struggles and that finger shouldn’t be pointed at who isn’t with the Nuggets anymore. Everyone has been best in their new roles to get the Nuggets back on track.

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) April 10, 2025

Adelman also added that the Nuggets communication must improve. It’s clear to anyone who’s watched this team most of the year, particularly in the last week, that something is off.

“I think there’s got to be a better way to communicate with our group, and that I think will lead to better play. It happens, it’s a group of people, it’s like being in a huge marriage. You’re around each other so much, so this stuff happens,” Adelman said.

But the interim boss also isn’t sugar-coating things. This is professional  basketball, and the Nuggets need to wake up fast if they want to salvage this season.

“Pro sports keep going. You can put all the shows on TV you want, it’s going to move on to the next thing all the time. Right now, we are that thing,” Adelman said. “It’s tough, but as a kid that grew up in this that’s just the way it is. And we’re going to do our best to salvage this thing and get it going.”

At the start of the night, the Nuggets were the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a 47-32 record. The crazy thing is the No. 4 Clippers, No. 6 Warriors and No. 7 Grizzlies were also all 47-32. Denver can finish as high as the No. 3 seed, or as low as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with three games to go.

But one thing is clear, Adelman thinks something special can still happen this season. Now it’s up to him and the Nuggets players to make it happen on the court.

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