Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post reports that more than anything Antonio McDyess wants to win. In 1999, McDyess and Jason Kidd dreamed about leading the Phoenix Suns to the title. That dream was shattered when McDyess signed a free agent contract with Denver. Now after watching Kidd lead his Nets to the NBA finals, McDyess is getting restless.

"Man, things have turned out great for him," McDyess said nearly two months ago, on the eve of Denver's final regular-season game. "(Kidd) has made the Nets a winner."

The Nuggets have just finished a 27-win season with McDyess injured for much of the year. If the Nets can turn around from a 26-win season to the NBA Finals, maybe there is hope for the Nuggets. But McDyess is not willing to wait much longer for fate to cut Denver a break.

McDyess can opt out of his contract after next season and if the Nuggets don?t show some improvement, he could and would force Denver to trade him before walking away. "I ain't getting any younger," the 27-year-old McDyess warned, when Denver missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. "I'm looking now to win."

Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe has positioned the Nuggets such that they will have some cap room before the 2003 season. But so will a few other teams. And what good is having a bundle of money if nobody wants to suffer losing in Denver?

But the reality is: To keep McDyess from leaving, Vandeweghe cannot waste another year. The business of saving this franchise needs to begin immediately. The next 50 days will go a long way toward showing if Vandeweghe has the right stuff. Kiszla gives his recipe for the Nuggets? turnaround.