There’s an old adage in sports that says teams tend to take on the personality of their head coach. It’s not always the case, of course, but it does happen… a lot. Has that happened with the Denver Nuggets? Have they taken on David Adelman’s personality? With Malone gone, are they too relaxed and even-keeled?
No one in their right sports mind would question young Adelman’s basketball acumen. The man knows the game inside and out – his limited playing career notwithstanding. He’s a “student of the game,” as they say, and whether he’s “been there, done that” as a player or not has been overtaken by his mastery of the analytics of the game he loves. And his game – like all other pro sports – loves analytics. Nerds rule, right?
Adelman was elevated to the head coaching gig when Michael Malone was fired just short of one year ago. It was a move made to help calm the waters behind the scenes at Ball Arena (they also fired then-GM Calvin Booth, remember?), bringing in a head coach with far less volatility and more of a “players’ coach.” All that sounded fine at the time.
But is it? Is it possible that when he left the arena, Malone took the Nuggets’ edge with him?
Malone was something of a taskmaster. Never satisfied, constantly unhappy with his team’s performance, even in some of their victories. He grated on some of the players. A few of them had reportedly begun to tune him out.
That’s not all that unusual in sports. Disliking the coach or manager isn’t uncommon. In fact, it’s probably more common than not.
But when you replace that hard-edged, tough-to-please head man with a guy who’s a lot like your big brother, you can lose something important. Being more comfortable isn’t always the best way to get the most out of your team.
Let’s face it, even though the Nuggets are in the thick of the playoff race in the rugged Western Conference, this team has underachieved to this point. Yes, even through all the injuries, and even after somehow winning 10 of 16 while their most important player was out with an injury, this team has not consistently played the way they’re capable of playing.
The glut of sloppy turnovers, the late-game failures on both defense and offense; these Nuggets don’t look like the same team they were under Malone. They look a little less motivated. The fact that they’re so far underwater in what’s now being termed “clutch” moments late in games puts their shortcomings on full display. And it’s not just the questionable late-game coaching decisions from the still-inexperienced Adelman and his staff that bothers fans… but the inconsistent effort overall.
Of course, everything will be just fine if the Nuggets close the regular season strong and earn a top-four playoff seeding. But what if they’re one-and-done in the playoffs? Or what if they get bounced in the second round again… with a roster that was upgraded significantly after last season’s second-round exit. What then? Is Adelman himself one-and-done?
There are a lot of very bright young head coaches in the NBA. There are also a lot of experienced hands guiding title-contending teams. While Adelman fits the bill as a bright young coach, perhaps his lack of experience in the lead chair is a problem? Perhaps he’s more like Wade Phillips than he is like Mike Shanahan? Perhaps a more veteran coach would be getting more out of this roster?
We’ve got a handful of winnable games left to find out.
