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Denver Post: Vandeweghe, Nuggets face tough decisions
By Adam Thompson
Denver Post Sports Writer
AP / Andy King
Marcus Camby, shown dunking on Minnesota's Michael Olowokandi in the fifth game of their playoff series, plans to become a free agent.
During the Nuggets' season-ending loss to Minnesota in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series, center Marcus Camby kept up the same refrain as Denver trimmed the Timberwolves' lead from 26 points to six: "We ain't going away!"
Whether Camby or the team's seven other potential free agents feel the same way this summer is one of many difficult questions general manager Kiki Vandeweghe must deal with.
He also must compile a list of eight players to protect by June 12 for the June 22 expansion draft, figure out whom he wants with the 20th pick in the NBA draft June 24 and woo other teams' free agents, as well as his own. Furthermore, the Nuggets must decide if they will retain head coach Jeff Bzdelik, whose future remains uncertain despite Denver's 26-win improvement from 2002-03.
"Just making the playoffs has never been a goal of mine. I'm proud we did it, but that's what we intend to do," Vandeweghe said, later adding, "We've got a lot of tough decisions to make, and are they all going to be easy decisions? No. There's going to be some very tough calls, maybe some calls that'll be controversial. I don't know. What I can pledge is that we won't get outworked."
Though the Nuggets overhauled their roster just last year, small forward Carmelo Anthony said he is mentally prepared for more turnover.
"From what I am hearing, there are going to be a lot of changes. I don't know what's going on. But that's what I'm hearing," he said.
When Camby, who plans to opt out of his contract and become a free agent, discussed the $20 million the Nuggets have to spend on new players this summer, he did so using "we" instead of "they."
He also called Denver his "first, second and third options" and said he would like to settle on a new deal before the expansion draft. Still, he has held off on buying a new house in the area until he knows he will remain here.
"This is where I want to be, so hopefully things work out," he added. "But I've been in this league a long time. I understand it's a business and everything."
Vandeweghe admitted that reaching a deal with Camby before free agency begins July 1 will be tough, because "Marcus is going to be highly coveted. There's no question about that. To land him in a trade in the first place is, I think, a coup, and to keep him will be the same way."
Vandeweghe said his earliest priorities are figuring out which assistants and support staffers will return - assistant general manager Jeff Weltman, for one, is up for Toronto's GM vacancy - and retaining some of his own team's free agents. One storyline to follow will be that of reserve small forward Rodney White.
"I like Rodney very much," Vandeweghe said. "We'll do everything within the concepts of improving the team to keep him."
White said he plans on being back, but added, "I got to see if a better situation presents itself. At the end of the day, I would have to hop on that. But if we can make it a good situation in Denver, that will work."
The Nuggets likely will pursue a free-agent shooting guard, but Vandeweghe said that would not automatically preclude the returns of Voshon Lenard, who has a team option in his contract this summer, and Jon Barry, a free agent. Barry said he has "no idea" if he will return but repeatedly has said he would like to.
Francisco Elson and Ryan Bowen also are waiting to see if Denver will pick up options on them, while Michael Doleac is a free agent and Chris Andersen is a restricted free agent. Both say they want to be back.
Denver's other top priority during free agency will be to import another big man into the rotation.
"It is true it would help to have a low-post presence, where we can throw the ball down there and get a bucket a little easier than we are right now," Bzdelik said. "We need to improve our perimeter defense, and that can come a couple of ways - through acquiring a player that can be a defensive stopper on the perimeter and also improving our defense of the players that we do have."
The Nuggets' surprise playoff appearance guaranteed Bzdelik $1.5 million to coach next season. With all the personnel decisions he must make in the coming weeks, Vandeweghe said Bzdelik's status is not on the team's front burner.
Asked if it would be hard to keep Bzdelik without giving him security beyond next year, the GM replied, "That's a question you've got to ask about half the league, because most of their coaches have one year left on their contracts."
Bzdelik continued to plead ignorance Saturday over his future with the team.
"I have no control over what decisions will be made, and whatever decisions we do make, I'll respect that," he said.
The Nuggets still under contract will spread out around the country and the world in the coming days.
Power forward Nene plans to attend an Adidas promotional event in Berlin, help with an NBA clinic and his own camp in his native Brazil and also shuttle to the United States to train. Meanwhile, point guard Earl Boykins said he looks forward to sitting on his couch in Cleveland, watching soap operas and playing pick-up games all summer.
Andersen said he would train in Denver part of the summer, as will Anthony and Nikoloz Tskitishvili, among others. Andersen plans to improve his midrange jumper.
"I'd be way dangerous if I was able to hit that," he said. "That way I could pump-fake and fly to the basket. That's if they run plays for me."
The players agreed that their five playoff games - for many their first in the NBA - can only help them next season. Point guard Andre Miller said he would spend time while at home in Sacramento going to Kings playoff games to learn more about what it takes to win them.
As for the most valuable lesson learned this year, Boykins said: "The most important thing was the intensity of the games, how every possession is important. Also, the fundamentals, that was the biggest thing we learned this year. There were times during the year we just didn't play with fundamentals. Those games hurt us."
Indeed, the Nuggets would not have had to sweat the final days of the regular season if they had taken care of subpar teams such as Boston, Atlanta and Toronto at home during earlier losses. They still managed to win 43 games, and their swoon in February and March set up their late surge, punctuated by Anthony's 30-point showing in a late comeback April 10 over Portland to help earn them extra games.
"We didn't have any hard heads," Miller said of his team's success. "The attitude of working hard in practice carried over to games and we made the playoffs, which is something a lot of people thought we couldn't do."
Bzdelik added: "We feel great pride in what was accomplished. We'll strive to make next year even better."
The players gathered a final time Saturday to divvy up playoff shares - a first in Denver since 1995 - and hold exit interviews with Vandeweghe. While they waited, a few ambled onto the Pepsi Center floor, which had been converted for a Colorado Crush game, to horse around with a football.
Anthony ended the season with one final athletic feat, though only a few witnesses took it in. Standing on one of the Crush's goal lines, he winged the ball through the narrow uprights at the arena's other end, a throw of a good 70 yards. Lenard connected for a touchdown with Miller, who was clearly happy to relive his high school football days.
"Last year we weren't like this," White said as he watched, comparing the end of this season to the last. "Everybody's enjoying themselves."
Players also loitered near their locker room, playing pool, foosball and video games. It was as if they had another practice to return to today.
Key questions
Will coach Jeff Bzdelik return?
The biggest question is the toughest to answer. Making the playoffs certainly aided his cause. It guaranteed his contract for next season and also helped him on the PR front. It will be interesting to see if the Nuggets try to keep him without offering him an extension.
Will the Nuggets re-sign veteran center Marcus Camby?
It's not a bad sign how publicly he has talked up Denver. Still, Camby has been around the block enough to know how this business works, and he knows there are other teams out there that want him - Phoenix and New York are likely examples. The burden falls on GM Kiki Vandeweghe to construct a bid that satisfies Camby without putting the franchise at too much risk for a player with a history of injuries.
Which big-name free agents will the Nuggets pursue?
To put it concisely, almost all of them. The Nuggets have $20 million to spend and are one of the few NBA teams with any salary cap flexibility. The biggest fish are Kobe Bryant, Rasheed Wallace and Kenyon Martin.
Whether those three will seriously entertain an offer from Denver is anyone's guess. Some of the other at least somewhat feasible names include guards Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson, Brent Barry, Darius Miles, Trenton Hassell, Stephen Jackson and Jamal Crawford, and forwards Erick Dampier, Mehmet Okur and Adonal Foyle.
With expectations mounting,
it's wait till next season
Player, position 2003-04 statistics Contract status Comment
Chris Andersen, F 3.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg Rest. free agent - Could be expansion-draft bait
Carmelo Anthony, F 21.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg - Signed Locked in, just needs to expand his game
Jon Barry, G 6.2 ppg, 2.6 apg - Free agent Could return, but most likely won't
Ryan Bowen, F 0.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg - Team option Another expansion-draft candidate
Earl Boykins, G 10.2 ppg, 3.6 apg Signed - For once, his summer won't include a job search
Marcus Camby, F-C 8.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg *Player option - Much of team's makeup leans on him
Michael Doleac, F-C 4.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg Free agent - He likes Nuggets, they like him - might be back
Francisco Elson, F-C 3.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg Team option - A bargain, his drama last week notwithstanding
Voshon Lenard, G 14.2 ppg, 36.7 3-FG% Team option - Should return, depens on team's free-agent haul
Andre Miller, G 14.8 ppg, 6.1 apg Signed - Stability of six-year contract suits him fine
Nene, F 11.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg Signed - Needs to keep polishing his game
Mark Pope, F 0.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg Free agent - Admits his days in the NBA could be numbered
Jeff Trepagnier, G 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg Rest. free agent - Not a priority, but no harm having him around
Nikoloz Tskitishvili, F 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg Signed - His work this summer will be crucial
Rodney White, F 7.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg Free agent - In terms of returning, the biggest question mark
* Camby said he will opt out of his contract
By Adam Thompson
Denver Post Sports Writer
AP / Andy King
Marcus Camby, shown dunking on Minnesota's Michael Olowokandi in the fifth game of their playoff series, plans to become a free agent.
During the Nuggets' season-ending loss to Minnesota in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series, center Marcus Camby kept up the same refrain as Denver trimmed the Timberwolves' lead from 26 points to six: "We ain't going away!"
Whether Camby or the team's seven other potential free agents feel the same way this summer is one of many difficult questions general manager Kiki Vandeweghe must deal with.
He also must compile a list of eight players to protect by June 12 for the June 22 expansion draft, figure out whom he wants with the 20th pick in the NBA draft June 24 and woo other teams' free agents, as well as his own. Furthermore, the Nuggets must decide if they will retain head coach Jeff Bzdelik, whose future remains uncertain despite Denver's 26-win improvement from 2002-03.
"Just making the playoffs has never been a goal of mine. I'm proud we did it, but that's what we intend to do," Vandeweghe said, later adding, "We've got a lot of tough decisions to make, and are they all going to be easy decisions? No. There's going to be some very tough calls, maybe some calls that'll be controversial. I don't know. What I can pledge is that we won't get outworked."
Though the Nuggets overhauled their roster just last year, small forward Carmelo Anthony said he is mentally prepared for more turnover.
"From what I am hearing, there are going to be a lot of changes. I don't know what's going on. But that's what I'm hearing," he said.
When Camby, who plans to opt out of his contract and become a free agent, discussed the $20 million the Nuggets have to spend on new players this summer, he did so using "we" instead of "they."
He also called Denver his "first, second and third options" and said he would like to settle on a new deal before the expansion draft. Still, he has held off on buying a new house in the area until he knows he will remain here.
"This is where I want to be, so hopefully things work out," he added. "But I've been in this league a long time. I understand it's a business and everything."
Vandeweghe admitted that reaching a deal with Camby before free agency begins July 1 will be tough, because "Marcus is going to be highly coveted. There's no question about that. To land him in a trade in the first place is, I think, a coup, and to keep him will be the same way."
Vandeweghe said his earliest priorities are figuring out which assistants and support staffers will return - assistant general manager Jeff Weltman, for one, is up for Toronto's GM vacancy - and retaining some of his own team's free agents. One storyline to follow will be that of reserve small forward Rodney White.
"I like Rodney very much," Vandeweghe said. "We'll do everything within the concepts of improving the team to keep him."
White said he plans on being back, but added, "I got to see if a better situation presents itself. At the end of the day, I would have to hop on that. But if we can make it a good situation in Denver, that will work."
The Nuggets likely will pursue a free-agent shooting guard, but Vandeweghe said that would not automatically preclude the returns of Voshon Lenard, who has a team option in his contract this summer, and Jon Barry, a free agent. Barry said he has "no idea" if he will return but repeatedly has said he would like to.
Francisco Elson and Ryan Bowen also are waiting to see if Denver will pick up options on them, while Michael Doleac is a free agent and Chris Andersen is a restricted free agent. Both say they want to be back.
Denver's other top priority during free agency will be to import another big man into the rotation.
"It is true it would help to have a low-post presence, where we can throw the ball down there and get a bucket a little easier than we are right now," Bzdelik said. "We need to improve our perimeter defense, and that can come a couple of ways - through acquiring a player that can be a defensive stopper on the perimeter and also improving our defense of the players that we do have."
The Nuggets' surprise playoff appearance guaranteed Bzdelik $1.5 million to coach next season. With all the personnel decisions he must make in the coming weeks, Vandeweghe said Bzdelik's status is not on the team's front burner.
Asked if it would be hard to keep Bzdelik without giving him security beyond next year, the GM replied, "That's a question you've got to ask about half the league, because most of their coaches have one year left on their contracts."
Bzdelik continued to plead ignorance Saturday over his future with the team.
"I have no control over what decisions will be made, and whatever decisions we do make, I'll respect that," he said.
The Nuggets still under contract will spread out around the country and the world in the coming days.
Power forward Nene plans to attend an Adidas promotional event in Berlin, help with an NBA clinic and his own camp in his native Brazil and also shuttle to the United States to train. Meanwhile, point guard Earl Boykins said he looks forward to sitting on his couch in Cleveland, watching soap operas and playing pick-up games all summer.
Andersen said he would train in Denver part of the summer, as will Anthony and Nikoloz Tskitishvili, among others. Andersen plans to improve his midrange jumper.
"I'd be way dangerous if I was able to hit that," he said. "That way I could pump-fake and fly to the basket. That's if they run plays for me."
The players agreed that their five playoff games - for many their first in the NBA - can only help them next season. Point guard Andre Miller said he would spend time while at home in Sacramento going to Kings playoff games to learn more about what it takes to win them.
As for the most valuable lesson learned this year, Boykins said: "The most important thing was the intensity of the games, how every possession is important. Also, the fundamentals, that was the biggest thing we learned this year. There were times during the year we just didn't play with fundamentals. Those games hurt us."
Indeed, the Nuggets would not have had to sweat the final days of the regular season if they had taken care of subpar teams such as Boston, Atlanta and Toronto at home during earlier losses. They still managed to win 43 games, and their swoon in February and March set up their late surge, punctuated by Anthony's 30-point showing in a late comeback April 10 over Portland to help earn them extra games.
"We didn't have any hard heads," Miller said of his team's success. "The attitude of working hard in practice carried over to games and we made the playoffs, which is something a lot of people thought we couldn't do."
Bzdelik added: "We feel great pride in what was accomplished. We'll strive to make next year even better."
The players gathered a final time Saturday to divvy up playoff shares - a first in Denver since 1995 - and hold exit interviews with Vandeweghe. While they waited, a few ambled onto the Pepsi Center floor, which had been converted for a Colorado Crush game, to horse around with a football.
Anthony ended the season with one final athletic feat, though only a few witnesses took it in. Standing on one of the Crush's goal lines, he winged the ball through the narrow uprights at the arena's other end, a throw of a good 70 yards. Lenard connected for a touchdown with Miller, who was clearly happy to relive his high school football days.
"Last year we weren't like this," White said as he watched, comparing the end of this season to the last. "Everybody's enjoying themselves."
Players also loitered near their locker room, playing pool, foosball and video games. It was as if they had another practice to return to today.
Key questions
Will coach Jeff Bzdelik return?
The biggest question is the toughest to answer. Making the playoffs certainly aided his cause. It guaranteed his contract for next season and also helped him on the PR front. It will be interesting to see if the Nuggets try to keep him without offering him an extension.
Will the Nuggets re-sign veteran center Marcus Camby?
It's not a bad sign how publicly he has talked up Denver. Still, Camby has been around the block enough to know how this business works, and he knows there are other teams out there that want him - Phoenix and New York are likely examples. The burden falls on GM Kiki Vandeweghe to construct a bid that satisfies Camby without putting the franchise at too much risk for a player with a history of injuries.
Which big-name free agents will the Nuggets pursue?
To put it concisely, almost all of them. The Nuggets have $20 million to spend and are one of the few NBA teams with any salary cap flexibility. The biggest fish are Kobe Bryant, Rasheed Wallace and Kenyon Martin.
Whether those three will seriously entertain an offer from Denver is anyone's guess. Some of the other at least somewhat feasible names include guards Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson, Brent Barry, Darius Miles, Trenton Hassell, Stephen Jackson and Jamal Crawford, and forwards Erick Dampier, Mehmet Okur and Adonal Foyle.
With expectations mounting,
it's wait till next season
Player, position 2003-04 statistics Contract status Comment
Chris Andersen, F 3.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg Rest. free agent - Could be expansion-draft bait
Carmelo Anthony, F 21.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg - Signed Locked in, just needs to expand his game
Jon Barry, G 6.2 ppg, 2.6 apg - Free agent Could return, but most likely won't
Ryan Bowen, F 0.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg - Team option Another expansion-draft candidate
Earl Boykins, G 10.2 ppg, 3.6 apg Signed - For once, his summer won't include a job search
Marcus Camby, F-C 8.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg *Player option - Much of team's makeup leans on him
Michael Doleac, F-C 4.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg Free agent - He likes Nuggets, they like him - might be back
Francisco Elson, F-C 3.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg Team option - A bargain, his drama last week notwithstanding
Voshon Lenard, G 14.2 ppg, 36.7 3-FG% Team option - Should return, depens on team's free-agent haul
Andre Miller, G 14.8 ppg, 6.1 apg Signed - Stability of six-year contract suits him fine
Nene, F 11.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg Signed - Needs to keep polishing his game
Mark Pope, F 0.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg Free agent - Admits his days in the NBA could be numbered
Jeff Trepagnier, G 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg Rest. free agent - Not a priority, but no harm having him around
Nikoloz Tskitishvili, F 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg Signed - His work this summer will be crucial
Rodney White, F 7.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg Free agent - In terms of returning, the biggest question mark
* Camby said he will opt out of his contract
