In a surprising turn of events, Nuggets coach David Adelman has been fined $35,000 after being ejected during a game against the Houston Rockets. The NBA announced this fine following Adelman's use of inappropriate language directed at officials and his failure to exit the court promptly after his ejection.
During the match, with about 8:40 left on the clock in what ended as a 115-101 defeat for Denver, referee Tyler Ricks handed Adelman his second technical foul for disputing calls. An automatic ejection follows a second technical foul, yet Adelman attempted to further engage with Ricks at midcourt, requiring intervention to restrain him. As he made his way to the locker room, the crowd at Ball Arena applauded the first-year head coach.
This marked the first time in his career that Adelman was ejected as an NBA head coach. After the game, he humorously commented on the situation, saying, "Honestly, I was confused, and so I was just looking for answers. I went out there to find them, and it turns out I had to leave. Sometimes, confusion can lead to destructive things. You’ve gotta think things through yourself sometimes. You go to other people, and sometimes they just don’t want to hear you."
Adelman's $35,000 fine caps off a costly week for coaches in the Western Conference. Notably, Ime Udoka of the Rockets was fined $25,000 for derogatory remarks about the referees following a loss to the Nuggets earlier in the week. Additionally, Chris Finch from Minnesota also faced a $35,000 fine over a recent ejection during a game against Oklahoma City. The NBA's explanation for Adelman's fine mirrored the language used in Finch’s case.
At 44 years old, Adelman stepped into the coaching role for the Nuggets as an interim head coach just three games before last season's playoffs, and he was officially promoted to the head coach position in May.
Following the recent loss, Nuggets players Nikola Jokic and Bruce Brown expressed their support for Adelman, appreciating his willingness to stand up for the team by accepting technical fouls. Brown remarked, "It was a tough night. We didn’t get a lot of calls. So he was just trying to give us some energy, give us some life."
In other news, Peyton Watson is dealing with a minor injury that has kept him out of two consecutive games, although he described it as "nothing major." Heading into Monday's game against the Utah Jazz, Watson remained questionable due to ongoing pain from a right trunk injury sustained during practice last Wednesday. He stated, "Nothing wrong with it structurally. But it’s just something day by day, up to my tolerance of the pain."
Before the game against the Rockets, Watson had only a “50-50” chance of participating but ultimately did not play. Had he been cleared, he would have started and played his usual minutes. In Watson's absence, Adelman utilized Bruce Brown as the starting two-guard initially, then brought Tim Hardaway Jr. into the lineup for Saturday's game. Watson had previously stepped in as a starter himself while Christian Braun was sidelined with an ankle injury for the past month.
Julian Strawther, another player who has faced injury setbacks this season, was cleared to return to play last week but only participated in the rotation during the first half of one out of three games. The 23-year-old had been inactive for twelve straight games due to back pain. Upon his return in a victory against Orlando, he logged six minutes, marking a significant gap of 33 days without game action.
Adelman reflected positively on Strawther's return, stating, "The best thing to happen to Julian, I thought, was he scored right away and fell. I really mean that. Just to see where he’s at. It’s one thing for us, our coaches, to push him around and see where he’s at physically. He played some three-on-three, some four-on-four in the practice gym. But to get out there and feel it and have a hand on his body, and for him to hit the ground and pop right up says a lot about where his back is."
While Strawther did not feature in either game against the Rockets, he was part of a third unit that provided a momentary scare for the Rockets late in the fourth quarter on Saturday. This season, his role has diminished, especially with the addition of Hardaway, which has limited his opportunities within the second unit. So far, he has only played more than ten minutes in three games this season.
Looking ahead, Adelman mentioned the importance of Strawther regaining his comfort within the team. He noted, "Going forward, I think it’s just him getting back to being comfortable with us. And Jules has such a good attitude; nightly, I’ll probably play different people at the end of that rotation. It could be Jalen (Pickett). It could be him. It could be Zeke (Nnaji). When we get healthy, it’ll be like that, too. … So far, he’s done such a good job of that."
For those eager to stay informed about the Nuggets' developments, signing up for the Nuggets Insider is a great way to keep up with comprehensive NBA analysis.
