DENVER (AP) 鈥� Denver Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman once served as a ball boy for the Portland Trail Blazers. His dad was a successful coach of the Blazers, too.
Now, he'll be making his acting head coaching debut against, as it just so happens, Portland. Adelman slides over a seat to the top spot on the bench Tuesday night with coach Michael Malone sidelined after entering the league's health and safety protocols.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very coincidental. It鈥檚 kind of odd,鈥� Adelman said of facing the Blazers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of cool. ... But the bottom line is whoever we鈥檙e playing tonight, we鈥檙e trying to go get a win. ... I鈥檒l do the best job I can."
Adelman found out before shootaround earlier in the day that he would be stepping in for Malone, who wasn't feeling well, he said. Adelman added Malone will be in contact with the staff 鈥� via cellphone 鈥� and fellow assistant coach Ryan Saunders will serve as Adelman's right-hand adviser.
Last season, Adelman was in line for a similar opportunity when Malone entered health and safety protocols. But then Adelman tested positive.
鈥淭he responsibilities change,鈥� said Adelman, who may coach again Wednesday night against Minnesota. 鈥淏ut like I said, everything remains the same as far as our expectation of how we want to play.鈥�
Adelman's father, Rick, spent six seasons with the Blazers and guided the team to the NBA Finals on two occasions. Rick Adelman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. His 1,042 wins in stints with Portland, Golden State, Sacramento, Houston and Minnesota rank 10th all-time among NBA coaches.
Although David Adelman would like to one day follow in his father's footsteps and be an NBA head coach, his immediate goal remains modest: Keep the Nuggets rolling. Denver entered the night tied with Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want it to feel different because we鈥檝e had such a good run here,鈥� said Adelman, who's in his sixth season as an assistant with Denver. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the No. 1 goal, just to be consistent with what we鈥檝e done. ... We will do the best we can.鈥�
Malone has won 344 games over eight seasons with the Nuggets, which is the third-most in team history. He trails only Doug Moe (432) and George Karl (423). Malone also has a 21-27 postseason mark with Denver.
鈥淓veryone will step up,鈥� Adelman said. 鈥淒ifferent roles, but same expectations as if he鈥檚 here. That鈥檚 where Coach has been so good over the years 鈥� there's an expectation of how we prepare, how we go about our business, and we鈥檒l try to do that for him tonight."
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Pat Graham, The Associated Press
