David Adelman wanted to make sure the forgotten team of the ’80s wasn’t forgotten by his team.
After all, Doug Moe’s Nuggets had a lot in common with Adelman’s Nuggets. With Michael Malone’s Nuggets of recent years. The gluttonous scoring, the extravagant passing, the rollercoaster thrill of watching an offense dependent on movement of the ball and the body.
So on a laid-back Wednesday morning, as players trickled back into town from mini-vacations, Adelman — a basketball history romantic as much as he is a contemporary practitioner — wanted to share with them a brief in memoriam for Moe.
“We talked about it as a team today,” Adelman said. “For the younger guys who maybe didn’t know the impact he had on the game, we made sure that was communicated.”
Adelman is the 10th-youngest active head coach in the NBA at 44 years old, but he might also be among the most encyclopedic about past generations. His dad, Hall of Famer Rick Adelman, is one of 11 coaches in league history with 1,000 wins. He was an assistant with the Trail Blazers for most of Moe’s tenure in Denver, which spanned the 1980s.
“Obviously, a Denver sports legend,” Adelman said. “And for somebody like me that grew up around this league and saw the innovation of offense that he brought to the NBA, I think he doesn’t get enough credit for the wide-open freestyle that we play now. I believe he had five straight years as the No. 1 scoring team in the NBA with Kiki (Vandeweghe) and Alex (English), Fat (Lever) and all these guys that played here. TR Dunn. Obviously, Bill Hanzlik. Just such a cool generation.
“And for them to take it all the way to a (Western Conference Finals) series against the Lakers and one of the greatest teams of all time — sometimes those teams get forgotten. But their impact on us as coaches and us as players and what the game has become today, it’s because of people like Coach Moe.”
Moe was cursed by having to coexist with the “Showtime” Lakers. The Nuggets were one of the most consistent teams of the decade, but they never reached the NBA Finals despite nine consecutive playoff appearances under Moe. Adelman understands that perhaps for that reason, the ’80s Nuggets have faded into something more like a footnote in the modern NBA zeitgeist.
“I see his name up in the rafters and all that he’s accomplished. (When) we talk about these people, they’re kind of like the pioneers of our game,” Nuggets wing Cam Johnson said. “People that really pushed the envelope and allowed us to have what we have and protect the league that we have now. So, definitely a very important figure. For us, it’s looking back on him with gratitude.”
Yet even Johnson, who hosts a hoops podcast and is reputed for his IQ, admitted he hadn’t been all that familiar with Moe’s precise significance.
Hence, Adelman’s acknowledgment of a basketball life well lived before the 2026 Nuggets — the NBA’s best offense — practiced on Wednesday.
“It’s sad to hear (about) his passing,” Adelman said. “Very lucky to be in a fraternity of people who can say I got to do the same job as him, because it’s such an honor to do it because of people like him that really did change the game.”
Nuggets injury notes
Only two key rotation players are out for the Nuggets as they return from the All-Star break, as opposed to the longer list of injuries that characterized most of January.
Adelman said that Aaron Gordon participated in portions of practice on Wednesday but was still pretty limited by his hamstring strain. He’s nearing the one-month mark since he last played. Peyton Watson, who’s dealing with the same injury, did not participate at all. The strain is still fresh for him; he suffered it on Feb. 4 in New York.
“Again, it’s one of those fluid situations,” Adelman said. “It’s gonna be day-to-day. I know I’ve said that all year. I’m sure it’s annoying. But it’s just what it is. Some days they look like they could come back tomorrow. Other days, it’s like, no, they’re still a week or 10 days or whatever they’re saying away.”
Roster deadline
The Nuggets are nearing two weeks since they cleared out a second roster spot by trading Hunter Tyson, meaning Thursday is the deadline for them to add a player. All signs point to Spencer Jones, whose contract still hasn’t been converted from a two-way to a standard deal since he reached his games limit early this month.
Denver’s front office was planning to continue contract discussions with Jones and his representation upon arriving in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, Adelman said. Those talks could come down to whether or not there are guarantees on Jones’ contract past this season, if it is more than a one-year agreement. The Nuggets have also been monitoring for players on the buyout market. They’re set to take on the Clippers on Thursday night.
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