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The Cleveland Cavaliers' patient and pragmatic approach to their head coaching search might soon end. Sources confirm that the Cavs will interview Denver Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman soon for their head coaching opening.
“David is a head coach in waiting,” Nuggets head coach Mike Malone said. “There are jobs that are open right now, and he’s being mentioned for some of those jobs. I don’t know what else David Adelman can do to show people that he’s deserving of a head-coaching opportunity. He knows the game. He grew up in a gym, high IQ, and his ability to relate to the players is second to none.”
While Adelman joins a field of contenders, including former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson and New York Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, he might not have to sweat who he is competing with. That's because out of all the candidates Cleveland has and will speak with, no one can hold a candle to what Adelman can bring to the Cavs. He's by far the best head coaching candidate available for Cleveland and should be the coach of the Cavs next season.
David Adelman is Cavaliers' best choice
In his 13 years in the league, Adelman has developed a reputation for player development. A team as young as the Cavs needs a player development specialist to maximize the potential of this up-and-coming group. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Isaac Okoro are all former top-five picks who have plateaued developmentally, and Adelman could be the solution for the trio.
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In his time with the Nuggets, Adelman has worked extensively with guard Jamal Murray since Murray's sophomore season and helped him ascend into stardom. While Murray and Garland aren't the same player skillset-wise, Adelman can work similar magic with Cleveland's franchise point guard, helping Garland regain his All-Star form and make it a more consistent part of his game. The same can happen for Okoro, who has struggled to find offensive consistency four seasons into his NBA career.
While developing Garland into a consistent star and finding offensive stability for Okoro will be two projects Adelman could undertake, nothing would compare to what could be his magnum opus in Mobley. During his time in Denver, Adelman has become a key reason why superstar big man Nikola Jokic is one of the best players in the world and why the Nuggets are so lethal behind Jokic on offense. Constant ball movement surrounds and supports Jokic, with Adelman’s scheme forcing opposing defenses to break down to find the most efficient basket. It’s what helped Jokic win league MVP three times in the last four years and Denver's first NBA Championship in 2022.
While Jokic and Mobley aren't the same beast, there are some similarities in terms of passing and three-point shooting. If Adelman were to install his read-and-react offense with Mobley as the centerpiece, with Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, and other shooting threats moving around Mobley, then the Cavs would be seemingly impossible to contain. Mobley has all the potential in the world to be on the same level as Jokic, and if Cleveland were to bring in Adelman to spearhead Mobley's development, with a system built entirely around the gifted big man, then that potential could soon become a reality.
More importantly, Adelman also knows what it takes to win an NBA title. So, while he would have a lasting impact on the future of the Cavs, Adelman can also push Cleveland in the postseason, scheming and building his playoff-tested offense to ensure that the Cavs are always in a position for success. That's what makes Adelman such an intriguing candidate for Cleveland and why he's the best possible fit as the team's next head coach.
