Renck: David Adelman’s X-factor is slowing Nuggets’ offense, moving on from Russell Westbrook

On the first day of the rest of his life David Adelman dressed like David Duchovny and took questions The dark coat white dress shirt and black tie did not seem like a coincidence Before he thanked all the essential people in his life from family to former high school coaches Adelman navigated six weeks as the interim his sanity preserved during the playoffs by watching the X-Files with his young son and daughter It made Wednesday make sense The suit The confidence Adelman is taking over the Nuggets as Agent Fox Mulder a believer in the truth and the passionate pursuit of answers For this experiment to work a first-time head coach leading a company with championship expectations it will not be because of the paranormal statistics of Nikola Jokic but rather Adelman s ability to make the Nuggets an anomaly This is a franchise that seems determined to produce another No single by keeping the band together even as all signs scream for change age injuries a top-heavy payroll But within the introductory news conference a limited nuggets emerged from Adelman about how the Nuggets could return to prominence Adelman s fast track to Denver success involves tapping the brakes And that requires based on the fit saying goodbye to Russell Westbrook More on that in a moment Seated next to Adelman boss Josh Kroenke s echoed multiple of his thoughts last week challenging players to improve over the summer with no cultural reset needed meaning in-house candidate Ben Tenzer is the favorite to become the general manager During this PowerPoint-like alphabet soup Adelman offered a new wrinkle about the offense We were top five in the league But it presented in the OKC series that our execution has to get better Our transition challenge was very impactful throughout the season but specific of that doesn t translate to the playoffs Adelman declared That is a major goal for us We have to get back to being an execution-based unit If that takes away from our pace or whatever the analytics say I think that s OK if that wins you a match in May Here is why this matters and proof that Westbrook demands to go Slowing the tempo is invaluable in the non-Jokic minutes The reason the Nuggets are not still playing goes straight to their bench Related Articles How does coach David Adelman factor into Nuggets GM search Josh Kroenke This organization does not need a cultural reset Keeler Nuggets coach David Adelman can t let Jamal Murray push him around Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook undergoes surgery on right hand to repair multiple ligament tears Nuggets Journal How close was Denver to Thunder s championship level Josh Kroenke weighs in Grading The Week Michael Malone owes Nuggets fans an apology But not for his Jokic-SGA MVP take A quip TNT s Kenny Smith made about the Knicks Tom Thibodeau applied to Michael Malone He wouldn t play nine guys if he were the manager of a baseball squad Adelman must employ nine maybe in the regular season and trust eight in the playoffs or OKC and Minnesota will crush their dreams again How does Adelman assimilate more players while trying to win The first move is the Nuggets need Westbrook to move on declining his participant option It is not unthinkable with needy teams like Brooklyn needing a jolt from a big name This is not personal Watching Westbrook requires a seatbelt He is unpredictable and reckless yet he practically won the Clippers series with his clutch performances at Ball Arena But Adelman cannot be charged with doing right by Jokic and holding Jamal Murray accountable it was a good sign Murray attended the presser while treating Westbrook with the respect worthy of a former MVP Westbrook takes up too much oxygen in the room He has value But not on this club not the way Adelman wants to tweak the style of play and make things fresh for long-tenured Nuggets Adelman aims to decaffeinate the offense Westbrook is a human Red Bull And when appealed about the unit s biggest need he reported without hesitation consistent shooting These are not Westbrook s strengths He filled a role sometimes in fantastic fashion but Denver requirements to go forward without him There is a premium on shot-making Adelman stated So here is a suggestion While the Nuggets insist the majority solutions lie inside their walls they could use an external option Tyus Jones a backup point guard works as a mid-level exemption They need a rim-protecting center too But one thing at a time Before you say it Jones is not Jalen Pickett He is a better -point shooter and brings experience The Nuggets plans will stress quality over quantity And someone like Jones protects the ball and frees Murray to play off screens with the second unit If Kroenke really wants to give Adelman a fair shake they have to get a competitor like this and give Westbrook his parting gifts Use the reserves as a way to toy with opponents drain the clock and log fewer possessions with Jokic off the floor This creates an avenue to provide Julian Strawther Peyton Watson and DaRon Holmes II more run without consistently sacrificing outcomes When Adelman discussed the reserves it represented a contradiction He stressed the importance of a fast start to allow for roster maintenance leading into the playoffs while emphasizing the need to use more players Not sure the Red Panda halftime acrobat can pull off this balancing act Regardless Adelman is back even if he never really went anywhere He has a template that could work The challenge is not to expose cover-ups But to cover up weaknesses And forget about Area just make sure those around Area are dramatically improved Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis