By Heath Copps

Why Kiki Vandeweghe's Likeness Will Be Carved Onto Some Rocky Mountain Cliff

Initially writing this pre-draft, I had some excellent suggestions to help Kiki Vandeweghe continue to move the Nuggets in the right direction. They included drafting Caron Butler and Juan Dixon, and getting a couple of free agents this summer, and trying to entice Antonio McDyess to stay. But, procrastination got the best of me and the piece didn't make it to print (can you say that about an online pub?) on time.

Kiki didn't have a chance to read my sage advice -- except for the bit about buying out Tim Hardaway and the chip on his shoulder for being shipped from contender to the dump -- and went down a whole different path. So, I've got to roll with the whole international thing, the no Dice thing, and more cap room to play with thing.

Let the record show I'm not unhappy with the way it transpired. Kiki has marked his territory -- this is now absolutely his team, and he's going to be heroicized or vilified based on the performance of two young, untested, unknown (in real competition) upsiders (am I sick of this term yet, or is it almost funny like pop diva music). It's a ballsy move that could pay big, and because there's no deadline on my Nuggets fandom, I can wait.

In fact, I bleed the colors of all the horrible Nuggets uniforms of the past 26 years, so whatever it takes to get that O'Brien trophy -- I shall endure. Of course, I still think Butler instead of Nikoloz Tskitishvili is a stronger draft and less risky, and a bit more instant gratification. Butler's going to avg. 15 pts., 7 rebs, 3 assists and play great D for Riley, while Skits is going to eat a lot, lift a lot and do pirouettes after each of the team's dozen wins this coming season.

Anyway, I'm not quite sold on this upside, could develop into the next (insert a recent league MVP here)...mentality that's completely infiltrated the NBA, but, hey, the Nuggets are now the poster children of the movement so let's work with it.

But first a little history, so you know your shit when they start talking incessantly about the new champs from the mile high city in the next coupla four years...Gotta believe baby, gotta believe.

Nugget History

For the people of Denver the good basketball memories are fading: successful ABA and NBA teams, when Spencer Haywood, Larry Brown, David Thompson, Bobby Jones, Dan Issel, Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe graced the hardwood, are ancient history.

The 50+ wins in the 80s, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals, have all but faded out of the minds of even the most diehard fans. It's been all downhill since. In 1993-94, there was a glimmer when they became the first 8th seed to knock off a #1 seed (Seattle) in the NBA playoffs, but that mediocre season came to a halt in the following round against the Jazz.

After a quick first round exit in 1994-95, the Nuggets haven't been to the playoffs since.

Actually, Denver was primed for another 8th seed in the 2001-02 campaign even against a tremendously tough Western Conference, but the wheels came off when McDyess went down with a knee injury that kept him out of all but 10 meaningless games.

When the smoke cleared, the Nuggets had less trade bait, a disgruntled super star and absolutely no respect in the league.

So Whadda They Do?

In reality, Kiki's been trimming dead wood since he held the press conference announcing Dan Issel's resignation after the heckler episode. I'm still wondering if the whole incident wasn't staged to expedite the process.

Issel was a tremendous player for the Nuggets and I probably still have my Dan Fan t-shirt from the night he barreled down the lane for his 20,000th professional point, but he screwed up the organization as GM and as coach, or at least maintained the screwed-like predisposition of the team.

You just get the feeling Vandeweghe knows what he's doing. Let him go, just like he did when he was pouring in 20 a night back in the day, and this franchise turns it around. In February of last year, he unloaded a lot of Issel's mess including an unruly player in Nick Van Exel and a good but inconsistent player in Raef LaFrentz. And two unruly contracts belonging to Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson.

So, with all of the positive moves, why does Kiki need counsel? Well, this is the Nuggets for christsake, and as recently as 1997-98 they were challenging for the worst record in league history (finished at a ravishing 11-71). So, even a demigod could use a little help from his friends.

The Coach

Eddie Jordan, Alex English, Donn Nelson, Del Harris, Bob Huggins, Clyde Drexler, Terry Stotts, Phil Johnson, Tubby Smith, interim Mike Evans and my mother are all being considered for the slot left open by Issel's departure. Tough choice on who should be the sacrificial rebuilding lamb (no wonder they had no problem drafting these 19-year-olds -- there was no coach to clear his throat and say, "hey, I don't want to go down in history for coaching the 8-74 jugger-not that becomes a means to an end.").

Big Strategy Question

All right, pre-draft I was arguing for working with what they had and making the place free agent friendly. Of course, McDyess wasn't warming up to the plan, and Vandeweghe pulled the trigger, using the "remember when we lost Dikembe Mutombo to the Hawks for nada" fiasco, as justification.

Kiki has chosen to start from scratch. A new beginning. The ol' tabula rasa. That's the strategy. The long view which comes together in 3-4 years -- coinciding nicely with O'Neal retiring 'cause his arthritic toe can't handle 360 pounds of daily torture any more. The championship will be up for grabs, and the Nuggets will be primed to alpha dog it to the winner's circle.

Could happen. It's the same window all dynasties leave open at some point, and most recently it's the window the Spurs jumped through in 1998-99 to win it all with a lock-out shortened season asterisk. Wait a minute, 3-4 years. Seven-peat just doesn't sound right, but maybe I should apply for the trademark before Pat Riley and his people scoop it up like they did, "three-peat."

The Draft and the Trade

Coming into the draft, the Nuggets needed a little bit of everything except for power forward. I thought the draft was so deep that they could come out of it straight up (5th, 25th and 33rd picks) with players that could contribute.

Kiki had other plans, and they come out of it with...

Mark Jackson, 37, played with Bill Russell after Cousy retired and should be bought out of his contract and put into a home at the first chance.

Marcus Camby, 28, is very fragile, but can be remembered (if your an ever-optimistic Nuggets fan) as playing out of his head during the Knicks playoff run in 1999, when Ewing was hurt and they lost to the Spurs in the Finals. I mean he was good. He can run the floor better than any big man, he's a great leaper, can block shots, and has a nice mid-range offensive game when his skinny little butt isn't gingerly riding the IL pine. All I ask is participation in 63 games this season -- his career average -- okay 70.

Brazilian forward Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, 19, is going to be a flat out monster inside presence -- blocking shots, playing D, rebounding and dunking. Give him two years.

Tskitishvili, 19, sounds amazing with his ability to play, count 'em, four positions. He's got a feathery shooting touch -- amazed scouts with 10 NBA threes in a row in workouts -- and a smooth cross over dribble as a 7-footer. He could be great. Of course, he never even played with his Italian team 'cause of some seniority deal they have over there. Give him three years.

Vincent Yarbrough, 21, 33rd pick, who Vandeweghe considers a steal and I don't think that's all spin -- this kid is going to get PT at small forward in a year or two with his all-round offensive game. And where's the potential in that you ask. Well, to prove Kiki a genius, Skits must become unstoppable -- deadly from three, slashing drives to the basket, and thunderous finishes -- an All Star and the best at his position (you pick). From what everybody says it's a possibility, and that's all you can ask.

Nene, on the other hand, must become Dennis Rodman or Ben Wallace in a bigger body with a bit more low post game. Ten points, 15 boards, three blocks and stifling defense on the league's power forwards, and he makes us believe the hype.

Camby takes a miracle drug and averages 75 games a season, peaking in three or four years at the age of 31 or 32. Runs the floor, blocks a ton of shots, and throws down four or five acrobat dunks a game.

This is the potential and to it you add a point guard, who relentlessly pushes the ball up the floor ('cause this team can run), breaks down his man off the dribble, finds the open shooter, and hits a clutch shot here and there, ala John Stockton in his prime or Jason Kidd now.

At shooting guard you need someone like Ray Allen with a sweet jumper from 15 feet out, who can play hellacious Doug Christie defense.

Yeah right you say. I just described an NBA All-Star team with chemistry. Ain't gonna happen. Good point, but give me two players who are the best in the league at their position and some guys that know exactly how to play their role, and the rings are within shooting distance.

Skits has the potential to fill the Kobe or Pippen slot. Now all they need is his superstar partner. Hilario's one of the indispensable role players you've got to have, but he's not a superstar unless his offense just explodes. That's where free agency in the summer of 2003 comes in or possibly next year's draft (can anyone say LeBron James).

Free Agents

McDyess' departure freed up some money, and Juwan Howard's balloon payment of $20 million blows the Nuggets a new one this season, but will be off the books just in time for summer.

So the Nuggets want to save up and get two to three maximum level players from the bumper crop of free agents next summer. However they must keep in mind that they have to field a somewhat competitive team this year to make big time talent believe they're the missing piece/s.

They need to get one guy this summer.

The Nuggets definitely need a point guard, and Minnesota's Chauncey Billups is a Denver native and an unrestricted free agent, but it's looking like he'll go to Detroit. Chicago's Travis Best may also be considered at point, while either Milwaukee's Michael Redd or Golden State outcast Larry Hughes would be an awesome addition at shooting guard.

The Lineup

So, for those of you keeping score at home and watching history in the making, the 2002-03 line up looks like this:

PG -- ?/Kenny Satterfield
SG -- Calbert Cheaney/George McCloud
SF -- James Posey/ Tskitishvili
PF -- Howard/Donnell Harvey
C -- Camby/ Hilario

Cheaney found a little bit of that college player of the year form this past season. Howard is a legit 20-10 man on a bad team and 16-7 on this projected decent squad. Posey could have a break out type year -- he's been teetering. Harvey could be the gem of the blockbuster Van Exel-LaFrentz trade (you watch he'll bang, get rebounds and play solid minutes). Add a hustle guy in Ryan Bowen and a versatile veteran presence in George McCloud and you have a team that wins 25-30 games.

Then it's all about next year's draft, and Kiki's ability to sell the free agents on his vision. Jason Kidd and Tim Duncan? Probably not, but isn't that how this plan is supposed to work?

Hell, I'll let Kiki think about that -- the foundation has been laid.

Heath Copps gets sports visions while eating slightly fermented mangoes. E-mail him at gowiggle@qwest.net.