Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe has been nothing but a breath of fresh air for the Mile High city franchise since his hiring in August of 2001.  

 In his three-plus seasons on the job, Vandeweghe has been able to transform the Nuggets from a salary capped-out doormat to one of the Association?s up-and-coming teams.  Denver, mainly - if not solely - because of Vandeweghe, is now regarded as one of the NBA?s most desired cities to play in.

 However, Vandeweghe, despite all his greatness, missed the boat in his decision to relieve head coach Jeff Bzdelik of his duties Tuesday after a disappointing 13-15 start.  

 There was no question Bzdelik, who last season led Denver to its first playoff appearance in a decade, was on the hot seat, so it comes to no one?s surprise, really, that he in fact was the NBA?s first coaching casualty this season after the Nuggets struggled out of the gate so miserably.  

 What's surprising, though, is why Vandeweghe even bothered to keep Bzdelik to start the year in the first place when it was blatantly obvious Bzdelik was never Kiki?s long-term coaching solution.  

 Granted, there likely would have been major backlash from media, fans and season ticket holders had Vandeweghe not kept the bench boss who led the Nuggets to a 26-game turnaround last season - best in franchise history and sixth-best in NBA history - after a putrid 17-win campaign in ?02-?03.  Bzdelik - and why not? - was worthy of another year, especially when the Nuggets were everyone?s sexy pre-season pick to win it all after the acquisition of All-Star power forward Kenyon Martin over the summer figured to bolster an already potent young nucleus.  

 But nevertheless, Vandeweghe?s refusal to sign Bzdelik to a long-term extension should have served as writing on the wall for - if no one else - Vandeweghe himself.  Why keep someone around whom you know you?re going to kick to the curb anyway?  Especially when assistant coach Michael Cooper - who was named interim head coach the minute Bzdelik was canned - was hired in the off-season to be groomed as the team?s next head coach.  

 Perhaps Cooper just needed 28 games to get acclimatized to his new role.

 ?I really felt the team needed a change,? Vandeweghe said during Tuesday?s press conference.  ?Sometimes it?s nothing the head coach is doing wrong.  Sometimes it?s a change of voice that?s necessary.?

 ?I want to thank Jeff for all the hard work.  He?s a big part in turning this around.  But we want to build to the next level, and the team wasn?t going in the right direction.  Sometimes, you can use a change or a new voice.?

 What really could have been used in this instance was some closure from the front office long before now.  Bzdelik, though I am a fan of his (if you watched the young Nuggets play last season, you would have seen just how well-coached they really are), should never have started the season on the sidelines.  Bzdelik?s lame-duck status entering the season only undermined his authority and gave players an excuse to tune him out (not that players ever need an excuse to tune out a head coach).

 In pro sports, it?s always the coach who gets the boot before his players.  Besides, it?s always easier to fire a coach than an entire team of underachievers, is it not, Kenyon Martin?

 ?That?s the messed up thing.  He?s not out there playing,? said Martin, who is averaging just over 15 points and 8 rebounds this season.  ?He?s the head coach and he?s got to take the blame.  I?m sure if they could fire us, they probably would.?

 Instead of playing the role of team diplomat, Martin and his mates should now concern themselves on making a second-half playoff run if they expect to get back in the race.  As of Dec. 29, Denver currently sits fourth in the Northwest Division and tied with another disappointing outfit, the Houston Rockets, for ninth in the conference, one game behind the Portland Trailblazers.  

 With Bzdelik now gone by the wayside, there are no more excuses.  Despite the rash of injuries - most notably to franchise swingman Carmelo Anthony, center Marcus Camby and sharpshooter Voshon Lenard - it?s put up or shut up time.  

 ?At the end of the day, I take full responsibility for everything that goes on here and I have to make those decisions that aren?t necessarily easy to make,? Vandeweghe added.  

 Well, Vandeweghe has no choice but to take the heat because it was his hesitance in the end to pull the trigger on Bzdelik that is in large part to blame for Denver?s early-season woes.  The former Nugget and UCLA product learned his lesson the hard way.

 As for Bzdelik, his 73-119 record in two-plus seasons as Nuggets coach may not be head-turning, but he nevertheless deserves a second shot at a head coaching gig because he is a good coach who especially works well with young players.  

 Jeff Bzdelik may not have been the guy to ultimately lead the Nuggets to the Promised Land, but look for him to resurface somewhere else real soon.