Nearly seven months after his death, that tight circle who got to see R.J.’s wry grin, got to hear him sneak a zinger out of the side of his mouth, got to sit and talk ball or politics or music are still reeling from the loss of the person they would always turn to in times of trial, the quiet one who always knew just what to say or just what to write to boost their spirits. “In a weird way I don’t think I have processed it,” said David Adelman, R.J.’s younger brother and an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets. “For all of us in our family, it’s just a hole. It’s a feel-it-everyday kind of thing. A part of you that you were a part of. That’s what I felt right away and that’s what I feel now. Just a loss of yourself a little bit.”
NBA Rumor: RJ Adelman Death
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R.J. had dealt with some alcohol issues, but David Adelman says police told the family there was no alcohol in his system at the time of the accident. The woman was not charged in what appears to be a freak accident. “I think we’re all still broken up,” Kathy said. “Still, at times, I’m about to call him. I’ll be doing something and say, ‘I should call R.J.’ And then it will hit me that I can’t call him. It’s an ongoing process. I don’t think we’ve figured it out.” “I loved R.J. I love their family,” Spoelstra said. “Your mind can’t accept when a good man goes too early.”
Kerry Eggers: Terry Stotts began his pregame press briefing with comment on the death of RJ Adelman, 44, son of Rick Adelman: “I’d like to send out my sincere condolences to Coach Adelman and his family for the tragedy of losing their son. It took everybody by surprise. It’s an emotional day.”
Adam Wexler: Statement from the #Rockets on passing of R.J. Adelman: The Rockets organization is deeply saddened to hear the passing of former assistant coach R.J. Adelman. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rick, Mary Kay, and the entire Adelman family during this very difficult time.
Sam Amick: Having a hard time caring much about these moves after hearing about the passing of RJ Adelman. Just awful. Thoughts and prayers to the whole family. He was a great guy. Houston PD confirming TMZ report about Feb. 2 accident.
August 11, 2022 | 7:20 pm EDT Update
Kevin Durant trying to lower Nets asking price?
There is a growing belief among rival teams that Durant knew when he issued that me-or-them ultimatum that Tsai had no intention of yielding to the request and firing Marks and Nash. One resultant theory that the Durant/Tsai meeting spawned is the idea KD has begun trying to manufacture as much behind-the-scenes discord as he can in hopes that it will lead the Nets to lower their asking price and trade him out of exasperation.
Michael Singer: News: #Nuggets scouting coordinator Jon Wallace is headed to Minnesota, per source. He’ll be the director of player personnel for the Timberwolves and the GM of the Iowa Wolves.
Appearing on The Scoop podcast with Darren Wolfson of SKOR North and 5 Eyewitness News, Glen Taylor said new Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly had his eye on multiple impact trade targets, but Gobert was his “number one option.” The input of head coach Chris Finch, who expressed confidence in his ability to use Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, was also a key factor in Minnesota’s decision to pull the trigger on the blockbuster deal. “What I did when Tim and Chris talked to me about this trade is to ask (Finch) is there a system that he knows how to utilize these players,” Taylor said. “And he was very confident that he did understand how to utilize their skill sets, being two big guys. We talked about a lot, so he convinced me that this is something that is going to take us to a winning situation, and gave us the go-ahead to make the trade.”
Asked if he’d like to see D’Angelo Russell sign an extension before the season begins, Taylor said it might benefit both sides to hold off and see how the 2022/23 season goes. “(Finch) believes that with the new lineup, and with Russell in that lineup, that he’ll have a much better year just because of the way we’re going to play,” Taylor said. “He says he thinks there’s a big upside for Russell with this group of (players). That’s to his advantage and to our advantage if it works out.”
The plan remains for Taylor to hand over control of the franchise to incoming owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez in a little over a year. The Wolves’ longtime owner said he’s not having any regrets about giving up control of the team as it becomes a more legitimate contender. “No, I don’t have any second thoughts. I think it’s the right thing to do,” Taylor said. “We’ve left some options open that I’ll continue to be involved if I want to be involved, and that suits me just fine.”
“My favorite NBA player to watch besides Steph is Luka,” Green said on the latest edition of his eponymous podcast. “Luka different. I mean, the way he sees the floor, scores the basketball, gets to his spot, his pace. It’s Luka for sure.”
August 11, 2022 | 5:46 pm EDT Update
Cavs to hold voluntary workouts without Collin Sexton
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be gathering in Los Angeles for voluntary, player-led pre-training camp workouts next week, sources tell cleveland.com. All-Star point guard Darius Garland and Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley — two guys who spend time on the West Coast during the offseason — are helping organize the workouts.
