Did Nuggets Signal Bzdeliks Firing?
Yesterday’s firing of Denver Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik came as a surprise to few around the league. In two plus seasons as head coach, Bzdelik compiled a 73-119 record and failed to build on last season’s success despite obtaining all-star forward Kenyon Martin last summer. What drew attention was the way the Nuggets handled their coaching situation leading up to the firing. Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe hired Michael Cooper last July to assist Bzdelik, and now Cooper has replaced Bzdelik in an interim role. NBA coaches typically hire their own assistants; and when they don’t, it is often seen as a signal that the club is preparing to make a coaching change. The Phoenix Suns hired Mike D’Antoni, who had spent most of the past 10 years coaching in Italy, to assist Frank Johnson in June 2002, and NBA sources said that Johnson was initially uncomfortable with the hire. “We have always given a head coach enormous input on how the staff would be made up,” said Suns general manager
