Inside The Nuggets

Nuggets Championship Coach is Candidate to be New Lakers or Cavaliers Head Coach

David Adelman has met with the Los Angeles Lakers and will meet with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Joey Linn|
Mar 10, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone with assistant coach David Adelman in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone with assistant coach David Adelman in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports | Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

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Denver NuggetsLos Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers

It was reported on Tuesday by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been granted permission to interview Denver Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman for their head coaching vacancy. According to Wojnarowski, Adelman also met with the Los Angeles Lakers for their head coaching opening.

Adelman has been with the Nuggets since 2017, winning a championship last season. With a lot of coaching expereince, Adelman is one of the league's top assistants, and would be a great hire for either Los Angeles or Cleveland.

This is a unique offseason for NBA coaches, because there are multiple head coaching vacancies around the league, and others that could open up. Organizations often select their next head coach from a pool of top assistants, and that is what Adelman is. This is a big reason why both the Cavaliers and Lakers are considering the Nuggets assistant as a potential candidate for their respective head coaching openings.

As previously mentioned, Adelman was on the bench last postseason when the Nuggets won it all, which is certainly a resume builder. While it seems the Lakers are leaning towards hiring former NBA guard JJ Redick, perhaps Adelman could land the Cavaliers job. 

Cleveland is in an interesting spot, because while they have some major questions to answer this offseason, it seems there is a real chance Donovan Mitchell commits to a long-term extension to remain a Cavalier. This would make the job a lot more attractive for a new head coach, as they would at least have a franchise star under contract for several years.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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