David Adelman Reacts to Nuggets’ Travel Nightmare in Memphis

Before the Denver Nuggets took on their latest game against the Detroit Pistons, a matchup they would fall just short in 107-109, the team's roster and staff would be stuck in the midst of some travel chaos coming out of Memphis, Tennessee just over 24 hours prior.

As a result of the raging snowstorm and inclement weather stretching across most of the country, the Nuggets, who had a weekend road matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies canceled due to weather conditions, would turn out to be stuck in the city and unable to fly out for a three-night span.

Those three nights would then be followed up by a delayed plane flight the day before their matchup in Denver against the Pistons––one that included a multiple-hour holdoff due to de-icing their team plane––before inevitably returning home Monday night to prep for their next regular season game.

When asking Nuggets head coach David Adelman about the events that took place over the weekend, the takeaway was clear: it was a long few days spent in Memphis.

"Yeah, it was a long couple of days," Adelman said. "I guess in a weird way, for staff and players, it was just you hanging out together. So, a little bit of a bubble feel. It was unfortunate we went there, but it’s good to be home."

David Adelman Reacts to Nuggets' Travel Woes

The one silver lining that was in play for the Nuggets amid their travel issues was that it allowed everyone on the roster, whether they were injured or healthy, a bit of time to rest and recover over the weekend––especially in the wake of the game that was canceled against Memphis.

Mentally, such a delay away from home might be a bit tiresome, but overall, that rest was a noteworthy positive for Adelman.

"Yeah, you were on that plane yesterday. It’s one of those things where you’re off... But it was good for them to be off their feet, there’s no question about that. I just think the mental part of it was really hard because we kept giving the updates. We were going to leave, and then that update would turn into an hour later, a day later, an hour later, and on and on and on. So, it was just one of those things."

"There’s a lot of people across the country dealing with it. That city and the South, the infrastructure isn’t, and it makes sense. Why would they be ready for a snow storm or an ice storm? It just was one of those things you’ll remember about the NBA years from now. But yeah, rest is a good thing. It probably adds a back-to-back, which we already have a million of them, so we can add another."