Marc J. Spears of the Denver Post reports: When the Wednesday afternoon news conference announcing him as the Denver Nuggets' head coach ended, Jeff Bzdelik yearned to exchange his blue suit and dress shoes for a Nuggets' T-shirt and shorts and basketball sneakers.
"I want to get out of this suit and get on the court," Bzdelik said. "I am more at ease in the gym anyway. But I think when I get there it will be too late."

It was too late. Ninety minutes later, Bzdelik was still suited and answering questions, the players long gone from the Pepsi Center practice facility.

Bzdelik, however, will have many more opportunities to coach the players that now are officially his as he signed a contract believed to be three years for an undisclosed amount. The 14-year NBA coaching and scouting veteran becomes Denver's first permanent head coach since Dan Issel resigned on Dec. 26.

Bzdelik, 49, led the franchise's summer league team to a 6-0 mark at the Rocky Mountain Revue in July. Nuggets officials reached a consensus a week ago that Bzdelik was the guy to hire, despite his lack of head coaching experience.

"(Bzdelik) deserves the chance to be our head coach," general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "He is extremely well-qualified for the job. As a matter of fact, I talked to (Miami coach) Pat Riley (on Wednesday) morning and he said, 'Kiki, you got a great man there.'"