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“Why did you feel like Jonas Valanciunas was the right fit?” David Adelman: “You can play through him. I said this the other day — and I really meant it — I thought people forget how good DeMarcus Cousins was for us that second half of that season. Jonas is a guy you can post up against smaller lineups. He’s a proficient player down there, very good dribble handoff player, you can play him off the elbows. He’s a guy those guards can play through. And when Jok doesn’t play, you have a legitimate starting center that we just happen to be lucky enough to have as our backup. So we’re super blessed to get him. Cannot wait for him to get to the United States — get to Denver. We’re so excited to have him.”
“When it comes to the last couple weeks for you, what went into the assembly of this roster?” David Adelman: “Yeah, I mean it was a lot of conversations with Ben and John and Josh. I think we were trying to find pieces that fit — not just names that people knew. We feel like all these guys do complement the group that’s been here, the group that’s accomplished so much over all these years in Denver. And I can tell you right now just from my messaging with Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic — those guys are excited. And that brings something new for us. They feel like a new gym is going to be there. And for those guys who have been around for so long, sometimes you need that. You need a little bit of change, and this change is a good change.”
On whether the Nuggets have a minutes benchmark they want to keep Nikola Jokic under after he was fourth in minutes per game last season: “We know that one of the most important things we have to do next season is take care of him, and make sure that he is the best version of himself if we’re lucky enough to get to that playoff spot. So yeah, it’s a concern. But it needs to be talked about. It needs to be done the right way. That’s what we’re gonna do.”
“He’s a bona fide, big-time center over the last decade who you can put in a bunch of different spots all over the floor,” Adelman told The Post. “And when I say ‘point center,’ I mean someone you can play through in the half-court. I don’t envision him getting a rebound and pushing the ball up. I do think some of the things we already do (work with him): playing five-out with back-side dribble handoffs, playing off the elbows, posting him up against smaller lineups, his ability to make others better. “It’s not the assist numbers that matter to me. It’s his ability to start ball movement through the impact of who he is. So he’s an enormous get. I’m super excited about getting him here, getting him acclimated.”
“Those guys have to compete for spots. That’s new guys included. They all know that,” he said. “We’re very excited about some of the things those guys have done through their careers. We expect them to come to compete like they’ve done, and there’s a reason they’ve all played in rotations across the league. But this is going to be an open competition. I hope our young guys understand that. … And all those guys will complement Jonas. It’s gonna be the guys who earn these spots that get to play with him.”
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Nuggets hiring Jared Dudley as top assistant coach
Shams Charania: Dallas Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley is finalizing a deal to become the top assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets under David Adelman, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports tells ESPN. Dudley has been on Mavs' staff since 2021 after a 14-year NBA career.
Marc Stein: Jason Kidd will now have two former NBA head coaches on his Mavs staff next season: Frank Vogel and Jay Triano. Vogel still has three seasons left on his Suns HC deal. Denver is in advanced talks to hire Dallas' Jared Dudley to be No. 1 assistant to Nuggets coach David Adelman.
Pelicans denied Nuggets permission to interview James Borrego
Marc Stein: League sources say Denver recently sought permission to interview James Borrego for the top spot on David Adelman’s bench. That request was denied since such a move was deemed “lateral.” The Pelicans naturally granted New York permission to interview Borrego for its HC vacancy.
Michael Scotto: Just In: Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman will add Rodney Billups as an assistant coach, Klutch Sports Group agent Andy Miller told @hoopshype. Billups was a scout for the Brooklyn Nets this season. Before that, he was an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Marc Stein: As covered here Saturday: Denver is making a strong push to hire Dallas’ Jared Dudley to fill a lead role on David Adelman’s first coaching staff and the Nuggets have already secured longtime Mavericks fan favorite JJ Barea to join Adelman’s bench.
JJ Barea joining Nuggets as assistant coach under David Adelman
Shams Charania: JJ Barea, a 2011 NBA champion with the Dallas Mavericks, has agreed to join the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach under David Adelman, sources tell ESPN. Barea will be on the front of the Nuggets coaching bench.
How do you compartmentalize the loyalty you have for Coach Malone—he brought you here—to what happened that day and now you’re taking his job? How difficult is that? David Adelman: It’s difficult. But like I said, I think we all know that as you move up in this league, you’re taking somebody’s job one way or the other. What he did here is never going to be forgotten. He’s the greatest coach in the history of this franchise—it's not even close. His leadership ability, the staff that he brought in, the ability to develop the players—those things are incredible positives. You feel mixed feelings because you feel proud that you were a part of it with him, and then you feel proud that you made progression as a coach because of him. So it’s a weird feeling. You think about him and his family. And then there’s this flip side of you that goes: I can’t thank him enough—for one, the opportunity to come here; but two, to be ready to take this job—it’s because of him.
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