Kiki gets canned

[CUBuffman08]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2435011

The Denver Nuggets will not extend general manager Kiki Vandeweghe's contract, the team's ownership told The Denver Post on Friday afternoon.

Vandeweghe, hired before the 2001-02 season, led the Nuggets back to the playoffs after an eight-year drought. But the team did not advance past the first round and this season was eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in five games.

"After meeting with Kiki today, we agreed his contract will not be extended," team owner Stan Kroenke said in a prepared statement. "We appreciate the time he spent with the Nuggets and wish him good luck as he seeks out his next challenge."

"I am truly grateful to Mr. Kroenke for the opportunity he gave me and for everything I have learned from this experience," Vandeweghe said in the same statement. "I am excited about moving in a new direction."

[Ballhawk]

Bad move by the Nuggs

[CUBuffman08]

Bad move by the Nuggs
I disagree, I think this club was turned around as much by Stan as Kiki. Stan has openly admitted he is more of a basketball fan than a hockey fan, and commits much more time to the Nuggets. I like the move since Kiki hasn't been able to bring in the right players to surround Melo/Camby

[RhymesayersDU]

I can already see what the job posting will look like:

The Denver Nuggets are seeking a person to be the GM of our organization. Only requirement is that you bring players who can shoot the ball outside of 15 feet.

[RhymesayersDU]

Oh yeah, and good move by the Nuggs.

[Clockwork Orange]

You could see the writing on the wall when Kroenke bypassed Kiki and hired George Karl.

I can see both sides of this. Kiki did a great job getting this team out of the cellar, but things have stagnated since and he hasn't addressed the most glaring needs of the team over the past couple of years. It'll be interesting to see who they bring in for the job.

Thanks and good luck, Kiki.

[scorpio]

Glad they got rid of Kiki and not Karl

[CUBuffman08]

Glad they got rid of Kiki and not Karl
Karl's not going anywhere unless he decides to leave. Stan loves him

[Jens1893]

Who´s out there for the Nuggets to hire?

[Clockwork Orange]

Who´s out there for the Nuggets to hire?

With Kroenke being as hands on as he is, I wouldn't expect them to go after any big name GM's.

[Dudeskey]

Oh yeah, and good move by the Nuggs.

Oh yeah, I appreciate what he's done so far w/ the team but he's done **** to bring in a decent SG...™

[GonzoLays]

Why was is so hard for Kiki to bring in shooters or a decent big man? The team was comprised of point guards, power forwards, and small forwards; No shooting guards or centers on the team. What a weird way to develop a team.

[Clockwork Orange]

Why was is so hard for Kiki to bring in shooters or a decent big man? The team was comprised of point guards, power forwards, and small forwards; No shooting guards or centers on the team. What a weird way to develop a team.

Many of us have been screaming about the lack of shooters on this team for three years and nothing has ever been done about it. Perhaps the Nuggets next GM will address the issue.

[footstepsfrom#27]

Who´s out there for the Nuggets to hire?
I'm available.;D

[footstepsfrom#27]

Many of us have been screaming about the lack of shooters on this team for three years and nothing has ever been done about it. Perhaps the Nuggets next GM will address the issue.
How 'bout little earl? He shoots plenty...:rofl:

[Clockwork Orange]

Let's look at the good and bad of the Kiki era. I'll leave out the smaller, negilgible moves.

Good

Trading Nick "The Quit" Van Exel, Stif Lafrentz, Tariq Abdul Wahad and Avery Johnson for Juwon Howard and Donnell Harvey. Got rid of a lot of bad contracts and cleared a ton of cap space with this move.

Trading Antonio McDyess for Marcus Camby and the draft rights to Nene. Highway robbery.

Signing Andre Miller. I don't care what people say, Andre Miller is as solid as they come at the PG position. For some reason, people expect him to be a shooter and criticize him for not being one. 14 points and 8 assists per game is fine with me.

Trading Skita & Rodney White for Eduardo Najera and a future 1st rounder. Gave up a pair of bums and got a useful energy player in return.

Signing Wes Person last season. For a brief, fleeting moment I thought that Kiki finally realized how much a shooter or two could impact this lineup. Of course he loses points for not bringing him back and not replacing him with another shooter.

Bad

Not ever truly addressing the lack of outside shooting on this team. This is the most inexplicable of all.

Trading 3 1st round picks for Kenyon Martin. Not much explanation needed really. Seemed like a good addition at the time, but this one really blew up in Kiki's face.

Drafting Skita with the 5th overall pick. One of Kiki's weaknesses is his love for European projects. Skita was a Euro-Stiff and a bust to near Efthimis Rentzias proportions.

Signing Earl Watson. The Nuggets were starved for someone, anyone who could shoot and Kiki spends the full mid-level exception on a 3rd point guard.

Not trading Nene when his value was at it's peak. He could have landed Michael Redd had he been willing to part with Nene last year and now the Nuggets are faced with the decision to either overpay him or let him walk for nothing.

You'll notice that I didn't include the drafting of Carmelo Anthony. I'm doing Kiki a favor by leaving that out. It's well known that the guy that Kiki wanted (other than Lebron James, obviously) was Darko Milicic. Had the Nuggets landed the #2 pick instead of the #3, Darko would have been a Nugget and they would have remained a lottery team. Kiki's drafts were mostly awful and they would have been awful across the board had Darko been on the board at #3.

Again, I don't have any real ill will towards Kiki. He did plenty of good here, but he did his fair share of bad as well.

[Bronco X]

I disagree, I think this club was turned around as much by Stan as Kiki. Stan has openly admitted he is more of a basketball fan than a hockey fan, and commits much more time to the Nuggets. I like the move since Kiki hasn't been able to bring in the right players to surround Melo/Camby

If Stan gets as much credit for turning the club around, doesn't he deserve some blame for their implosion? He signed off on the Kmart deal, don't forget. He says almost nothing publicly but he was there at the press conference saying this move made the Nuggets one of the top WC teams...

[freak6]

I think Kiki did a decent job assembling this team, but I think the biggest mistake was not going after Gilbert Arenas, and settling for Andre Miller. At the time I think they said it was because they felf there were some big name FAs coming out the next season they wanted...yeah, well anyway Arenas is an All-Star in the East, Kenyon is a disgruntled broken dunker...wooo.

[Ballhawk]

Bad

Not ever truly addressing the lack of outside shooting on this team. This is the most inexplicable of all.

I think about every team in the league wants this. It really has become a lost art on the college level which is why so many teams are looking towards europe.

Trading 3 1st round picks for Kenyon Martin. Not much explanation needed really. Seemed like a good addition at the time, but this one really blew up in Kiki's face.

That a tough one to hang on him because he was the hot commodity and a big time acquisition. No one could have predicted the way he would turn out. He was suppose to bring a toughness to the team and did at the beginning.





Everything else is fairly dead on

[Clockwork Orange]

I think Kiki did a decent job assembling this team, but I think the biggest mistake was not going after Gilbert Arenas

Nuggets4 has posted a link to an article before that states that signing Miller over Arenas was Kroenke's call, not Kiki's. I'd have listed that under Kiki's blunders if not for that reason.

[Tombstone RJ]

Why was is so hard for Kiki to bring in shooters or a decent big man? The team was comprised of point guards, power forwards, and small forwards; No shooting guards or centers on the team. What a weird way to develop a team.

I think Kiki did a good job, a very good job considering the team he was given. People here think putting an NBA team together is just a matter of plug and play. Its a helluva alot harder than that to get a winning team together.

Just look at the Knicks.:thumbsup:

[Clockwork Orange]

I think about every team in the league wants this. It really has become a lost art on the college level which is why so many teams are looking towards europe.

True, but the Nuggets are the worst shooting team in the NBA. The absolute worst. Most teams have at least one or two shooters (and some have even more), the Nuggets managed to have none.

That a tough one to hang on him because he was the hot commodity and a big time acquisition. No one could have predicted the way he would turn out. He was suppose to bring a toughness to the team and did at the beginning.

I agree to a point, that's why I said that it seemed like a good idea at the time. But he could have traded Nene straight across for Kenyon instead of the 3 1st rounders and he refused. Also, no matter how good a move seemed at the time, GM's are judged on results and the results from this deal have been borderline disasterous.

I'm not throwing Kiki under the bus here. I've given him credit for his role in ridding this franchise of the "Basketball Siberia" label and I'll always be grateful to him for that.

[Paladin]

Whom do you think Karl would like in that position?

[bombay]

I don't think they'll bring in a 'real' GM. Just a manager type, because I think George will pretty much control player acquisition.

[Nuggets4]

I think we're going to learn over the next few years that most of the "negatives" were Kroenke, not Kiki.

This is going to bite us in the ass.

[Jori]

That's what I'm afraid of...they'll hire some puppet to the GM in name only and Karl and Stan will be pulling the strings. If that happens, this disaster will only get worse. The only thing that has saved the Avs is that Stan knows s**t about hockey and lets Pierre run things...Stan just signs the checks. Yet, Stan is a basketball man and you can see his finger prints all over the place when it comes to the Nuggets. He owns the team, he can do what he wants. I don't mind letting Kiki go, he's done some good things, but right now some of his moves have the Nuggets stuck in a rut. I'm just afraid that Karl as GM/coach (if they decide to go in that direction) will only make things worse.

[Nuggets4]

BTW, to those saying "Thank God it's Kiki instead of Karl", I have to ask if you watched the last playoff series. Karl got SERIOUSLY outcoached. And while Dunleavy is an ok coach, he's hardly Phil Jackson.

Either we have the dumbest team in America, or Karl gave up on the team this series. I'm not saying he was helping Kiki out the door, but he certainly wasn't helping him.

/Tinfoil Hat Theory

[GonzoLays]

Well I think part of the blame has to go to the "brain doc" Joe Neindenagal. He is that supposed scout guru who can tell if a player is going to be worth a damn in about five minutes after watching tape. He got Kiki hook, line, and sinker with his player acquisitions. I know that he is a paid consultant for not only the Nuggests, but the Timberwolves and my beloved Celtics as well. He is like the Rasputin of the NBA. He has too much influence for being such a borderline quack.

[GonzoLays]

"Mind Games"
New York Post - June 30, 2002



Before the 1997 NBA Draft, he said that Tracy McGrady had the ideal brain type to be an NBA superstar. Two days ago he said that Yao Ming did not. This is what Jonathan Niednagel does.

"A lot of athletes are 6-7 with a 35-inch vertical jump. But one guy could be a top player and the other could be a bust," says Niednagel, a.k.a. the brain doctor. "Through watching [players'] motor skills, I can see how their brain works."

It's called brain typing. And it's the latest sports technology phenomenon, one that is revolutionizing talent evaluation and earning Niednagel (pronounced "Need-noggle") a reputation as one of the brightest innovators in sports.

His staggering accuracy and early predictions of stardom for athletes like McGrady and Mike Bibby have led to a flood of offers from teams looking for unique insight into potential draft picks or free agents. Timberwolves V.P. of Operations Kevin McHale and former Suns coach Danny Ainge are just two sports honchos who swear by the brain doctor. Orlando Magic GM John Gabriel adds simply, "I believe in what he does."

Having studied brain types for more than 30 years (he's the founder of Brain Type Institute in Notting Hill, Mo.) Niednagel has created a unique method of breaking down an athlete's brain to determine his future prospects for success. How precise is he?

Let's put it this way - he could speak to you for five minutes and tell you what you had for breakfast.

"He's phenomenally accurate," says Denver Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe, who hired Niednagel to help with last Wednesday's NBA Draft. "When you're risking millions of dollars on athletes, you want all the information you can get. And his information is extremely accurate."

Rasputin strikes again! First the Romanovs, now Kiki!

[yavoon]

Everything else is fairly dead on

there are plenty of shooters available. the only thing that decreases their numbers is that so many of them are incapable of athletically competing at an nba level.

[yavoon]

BTW, to those saying "Thank God it's Kiki instead of Karl", I have to ask if you watched the last playoff series. Karl got SERIOUSLY outcoached. And while Dunleavy is an ok coach, he's hardly Phil Jackson.

Either we have the dumbest team in America, or Karl gave up on the team this series. I'm not saying he was helping Kiki out the door, but he certainly wasn't helping him.

/Tinfoil Hat Theory

I think george karl is an ok coach. his run style worries me about his real playoff capability. just like don nelson is a good coach but his lack of any defensive emphasis worries me about his real playoff capability.

[GonzoLays]

I think george karl is an ok coach. his run style worries me about his real playoff capability. just like don nelson is a good coach but his lack of any defensive emphasis worries me about his real playoff capability.

Actually, Karl is damn fine defensive coach who like to fastbreak. I don't see how that is a liablility in the playoffs. He simply played the hand he was dealt. Its not his fault that his roster does not have a single legit shooting guard or center. Besides, Karl has been to numerous conference finals and even the NBA finals. His coaching style works. The simple fact of the matter is the NBA is a players league and Karl did not have enough frontline talent to win a championship or make a dent in the playoffs.

[montrose]

Nuggets parting ways with GM Kiki Vandeweghe

DENVER -- Kiki Vandeweghe won't be the one fixing the Denver Nuggets this summer. Team owner Stan Kroenke said Friday that he's not going to extend his general manager's contract.

Vandeweghe reshaped the Nuggets and returned them to respectability after taking over as GM on Aug. 9, 2001, but speculation about his future ran rampant all season as Kroenke stayed silent regarding an extension.

The 47-year-old Vandeweghe met with Kroenke on Friday, four days after the Nuggets bowed out of the playoffs in the first round for the third straight season.

"After meeting with Kiki today, we agreed his contract will not be extended. We appreciate the time he spent with the Nuggets and wish him good luck as he seeks out his next challenge," Kroenke said in a statement. "We remain focused on attaining our goal of establishing a team that consistently competes at the highest levels and will make every effort to achieve that goal."

Kroenke didn't say if he had anyone in mind to replace Vandeweghe.

Although there's no real urgency to get a personnel man in place because the Nuggets don't own a first-round selection in the June 28 draft, there are many issues confronting the club this offseason.

Star Carmelo Anthony is eligible for a contract extension of some $80 million and there's the question of what to do with fiery forward Kenyon Martin, who was suspended in the playoffs for insubordination.

Coach George Karl also issued a plea this week for more shooters after the Nuggets' dismal performance in the playoffs, although his wish list didn't stop there.

"How about four?" he said. "Can we get a big man who can make a shot? Can we get a true shooter on a 3-point line? Maybe a scorer and a shooter? A penetrator?"

Vandeweghe didn't answer a phone call from The Associated Press on Friday, but in a statement released by the team, he said: "I am truly grateful to Mr. Kroenke for the opportunity he gave me and for everything I have learned from this experience. I am excited about moving in a new direction."

Vandeweghe began his 13-year NBA playing career in Denver in 1980 after leading UCLA to the national championship game as a senior. Vandeweghe, a two-time All-Star, averaged 23.3 points in 293 games for the Nuggets.

Denver was expected to jump into the elite echelon of the Western Conference this season but injuries and inconsistencies did them in. Although the Nuggets won their first divisional title in 18 seasons, they were bounced from the playoffs in five games by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Afterward, Vandeweghe said he would go to work as usual even though his contract was set to expire Aug. 1 and there were no signs Kroenke wanted him to stick around.

"The first thing is to get over this loss and get our team healthy," he said Tuesday. "After that, I'm sure we'll sit down at some point to discuss my situation. That's all I can do."

Vandeweghe reshaped the Nuggets during his tenure, changing them from a perennial lottery team to one that won its first division title since 1988 despite injuries to forwards Nene and Martin and center Marcus Camby, among others.

He got Nene and Camby in a draft-day deal from the New York Knicks in 2002. But his best move came a year later, when he selected Anthony with the third pick in the 2003 draft, and the Nuggets improved their win total by 26 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

He acquired Martin in 2004 from the New Jersey Nets for three first-round draft picks, which he had stockpiled through a series of deals, and Karl came aboard midway through last season and led Denver to the playoffs again.

This season began with high expectations but Nene went down in the opener with a torn knee ligament that sidelined him all season, and the team never found a rhythm on the court or chemistry in the locker room.

Vandeweghe was the first to pay the price.

[Orange_Beard]

Someone had to go. Glad it was kiki.
Joe Dumars saved his job by drafting Dirko Milck.

[Tredici]

So which one of Karl's cronies needs a job?

[BroncoBuff]

It's not Kiki's fault, but bad chemistry is bad chemistry, and these Nuggets have it in spades. They look completely uncomfortable with one another on the floor. But I don't think you know how chemistry between guys is gonna work until you try it ... Kiki made some pretty damned good deals. Sure, he didn't land a shooter, but he made runs at Bonzi Wells, Michael Finley, even Iverson.

I think George Karl botched the whole Kenyon thing ... he shouldda started the disciplinary process months sooner instead of waiting 'til the verge of another "one and out" playoff series loss to invoke capital punishment.

[BroncoBuff]

Was it really three #1s for Kenyon?

[Jori]

Was it really three #1s for Kenyon?
Unfortunately...yes

[KipCorrington25]

I'm guessing they promote from within

[BroncoBuff]

Unfortunately...yes
Holy maroley .... *sigh*

[BroncoBuff]

I'm guessing they promote from within
Doug Moe? Why not?

[maven]

Glad they got rid of Kiki and not Karl

Would've actually preferred it the other way. Now you're going to see Karl blow the team up & really suck. Both have to go. But, when Karl was hired Kiki was instantly out the door. Now who knows, maybe Kiki would've picked up better players instead of the **** deal Karl brought in(Evans, Patterson). Tough call between the two. But, I would've gone with Kiki instead of Karl.

[Bronco X]

While Karl has been getting some heat from fans, the guy who is flying completely unscathed is Stan Kroenke. We know that he was 100% in support of the Kmart deal. It may have not been his idea, but it was his money and he had the final say. Then there were the reports that he balked at Arenas' asking price and that's why the Nuggets went after Miller instead. If that's true, Kroenke could be as responsible for the Nuggets roster woes as anyone. Keep in mind that he is a "basketball guy" or at least he thinks he is. With his other teams he lets the GM do their thing and stays out of the way, but Kroenke has his fingerprints all over the Nuggets. And it's going to stay that way.

[montrose]

I still believe Kiki's constant refusal to bring in a pure shooter was his demise.

[KipCorrington25]

Doug Moe? Why not?

Don't they have like 3 "assistant" GMs on the payroll already? I'm guessing one of these guys gets the bump up in title but Karl will really run the ship from behind with Stan in his hip pocket.

Not that I'm against that, I like Karl, he's a tough S.O.B. and I like that.

[bombay]

Bearup is Stanley's boy.

[Al Wilson]

Kiki isn't a good GM. Good move.

Replacement... ?

[anon]

Kiki's two (or the Nuggets') biggest mistakes were drafting Skita and not bringing in Arenas instead of Miller. What's sorely lacking in the half-court offense is another player (aside from Melo) who is able to create his own shot and breakdown the defense to create opportunities for other players...

I give him a pass on the whole Kmart/Nene thing. I thought it was a good move at the time and if it wasn't for Kmart's injuries and Nene's freak accident, we would be looking pretty good on the frontline AND have even better trade value this off-season.

Like others, I don't give him credit for drafting Melo because he had to do it by default.

I don't think Karl, as a control-freak type personality, should be given GM powers, though. He seems like the type of person who takes things way too personally and would move a player because of some personality clash even to the detriment of the team. A better NBA-level coach (Phil Jackson) would think first about the betterment of the team and adjust his approach to deal with potential headaches (Kobe).

[Nuggets4]

Bearup is Stanley's boy.

Bearup is an incredibly shady character too.

[CUBuffman08]

Bearup is an incredibly shady character too.
Really? why?

[Nuggets4]

Really? why?

http://espn.go.com/ncb/columns/forde_pat/491024.html

[bombay]

http://espn.go.com/ncb/columns/forde_pat/491024.html

Interesting. Sounds like he operates in a gray area, to say the least. Having powerful connections to players might not be all bad for the organization, though.

[B-Love]

Does this mean the gay looking "Kiki @ UCLA" uniforms will be gone?

Hope so; tried to like the unis but they were pretty soft.

[rubaiyat]

Why was is so hard for Kiki to bring in shooters or a decent big man? The team was comprised of point guards, power forwards, and small forwards; No shooting guards or centers on the team. What a weird way to develop a team.

Camby is alright at Center.

Elson was serviceable given he was making less than a million.

I do believe it was said 2 years ago that Kiki thought the Nuggets got decent too fast. He had a 5 year plan that got exploded when they made the playoffs in year 2...take that as you will...

[rubaiyat]

Nuggets4 has posted a link to an article before that states that signing Miller over Arenas was Kroenke's call, not Kiki's. I'd have listed that under Kiki's blunders if not for that reason.

Kroenke has gone on record several times saying he doesn't want to pay luxury tax. That likely factored into the thinking, especially giving a quarter of your cap to a guy just coming off a 2nd round contract.

And remember, Arenas was hurt his first year in Washington. It might be different with lowered expectations back then...but I see the same fans howling for Martin's head to be fairly pissed that our 10-11 million per year PG is out for much of the season.

He would have redeemed himself the next year, or he might not depending on how vocal the local fans were.

[rubaiyat]

Was it really three #1s for Kenyon?

Admittedly likely to be low picks, but yes.

[Nuggets4]

I posted this on the Nuggpuppy board, but figured I should post it here too.

http://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nuggets_blog_offseason_050606.html

The Nugs are telling us that they are professionals and to just trust them and not the evil media. They also directly attack the Arenas was supposed to be a Nug report.

Seriously, maybe it's just because my tinfoil hat is in the shop, but am I the only one scared ****less about the direction of this franchise? It almost feels like the Nugs are building a front office full of yes men, who will kiss Kroenke and Karl's ass. Now they're trying to portray the media as evil (at least they didn't accuse them of being liberal).

Like I said, maybe I just need my tinfoil hat back.

[Clockwork Orange]

I posted this on the Nuggpuppy board, but figured I should post it here too.

http://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nuggets_blog_offseason_050606.html

The Nugs are telling us that they are professionals and to just trust them and not the evil media. They also directly attack the Arenas was supposed to be a Nug report.

Seriously, maybe it's just because my tinfoil hat is in the shop, but am I the only one scared ****less about the direction of this franchise? It almost feels like the Nugs are building a front office full of yes men, who will kiss Kroenke and Karl's ass. Now they're trying to portray the media as evil (at least they didn't accuse them of being liberal).

Like I said, maybe I just need my tinfoil hat back.

Nice to see that the focus of the franchise is in the right place. ::)

Here I was thinking that the locker room and front office were a mess and the organization is kind enough to start a blog to let me know that their #1 concern is the media. Thanks guys, I feel a lot better about things now.

[Nuggets4]

Curse of Big Jane....

[Nuggets4]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23972_4714121,00.html