sorry if already posted, i've been out for a while cause a lot of work, but will now be able to regulary post again and try to help offsetting brigg's pessimism




Are teams cooling on international teens?

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

Darko Milicic sits at the end of the bench in Detroit twiddling his thumbs, waiting for head coach Larry Brown to call his name. He may hear it tonight – if the Pistons are up by 20 points with two minutes to go in the game.

Otherwise, he's out of luck. He's also not alone.

The international revolution in the NBA draft began two summers ago, when a record eight foreign players were taken in the first round. This summer, the numbers slipped a little bit, but another six international players went in the first round.

What do those fourteen players all have in common? Lots of "DNP – coach's decisions." Of the international players taken in the 2003 draft, only three – Boris Diaw, Zoran Planinic and Carlos Delfino– are getting regular minutes. This year's class? Only Beno Udrih, who was the 28th player selected in the draft, is playing meaningful minutes.

That's 4-for-14, not what you'd call an impressive track record.

NBA GMs who were predicting an international explosion just two years ago are backing off now. A backlash appears to be brewing despite the claim by several top international scouts that this year's draft crop is the deepest they've ever seen.

Many GMs no longer want to hear it.

Says one top international scout: "They're still sending me overseas, but the interest isn't really there. I'm collecting reports, getting them information, but the feedback has dwindled to nothing. I think my bosses have lost interest until someone finds the next Nowitzki or Gasol."

Great fundamentals, killer outside shots and long legs haven't translated into big numbers for the last two crops of international players. No one knows this more than Milicic, who wears the burden of being drafted ahead of Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade like a millstone around his neck.


The Darko Side
Pistons coach Larry Brown still cannot take his eyes off Darko. In training camp this fall, Darko is still the focal point of much of Brown's attention in practice.

"I think he's much further along than he was last year, but I still don't know that he's going to break into this lineup," Brown said.

"I'm happy with his improvement. I think he's only going to get better because of his surroundings. He tries. He's in a situation now, though, where he's playing on a veteran team, and he's just 19 years old. He should be a sophomore in college this year."


Darko Milicic is doing what he can to reflect the Pistons' confidence in him.
The excuses are all reasonable. The Pistons are the champs – a veteran team that has little use for a 19-year-old unproven big man. They have one of, if not the deepest front lines in the league. Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess would start ahead of him, no matter what team he's on. Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman are more questionable, but each player has experience that Darko can't touch.

But the perception that Milicic is a bust lingers. The praise for him was so high among scouts, executives and Insider before the draft that folks struggle to understand why his talent has not elevated him above the log jams in Detroit. LeBron James, Anthony and Wade likely would have done so in Detroit.

"Its a great luxury to be sitting here as the World Champions and have a young, talented player like Darko waiting in the wings," Pistons president Joe Dumars told Insider. "We've always viewed Darko being a big part of our future and nothing has changed.

"We've said from Day 1 that we're never going to rush Darko out on the floor, because we were lucky enough to be a title contender and get the number two pick in the '03 draft. We feel it's the best of both worlds."

The Pistons can afford to be patient. They don't need him and think that the daily beatings he takes at the hands of Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace every day are enough for right now. Both Wallaces had high praise for Darko when Insider talked to them in October, predicting that he would be a star in the league someday, in part, because of the education he was getting on the practice floor each day.

"Darko comes to practice everyday and has to battle and learn from Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Elden Campbell; we see that as a tremendous plus for Darko and the Pistons," Dumars said.

That may not be exactly what Darko wants to hear. But it's the reality in Detroit. A reality his agent, Marc Cornstein, said he's dealing with.

"As his agent, my concern is for Darko, not the Pistons, so of course I'm not happy that he doesn't play," Cornstein told Insider. "However, I also recognize that he's in a great situation for the long term. The improvement has been remarkable. If Darko can remain patient, he's going to come out of this situation as a better player. I think he understands that."

Unfortunately for needier teams that take kids like this in the lottery – patience is a luxury they just no longer have.


The Darko Backlash
Darko isn't the first 19 year old to see most of his game action passing out towels. The NBA has been drafting teenagers for years. While there are success stories here and there (like LeBron James or Amare Stoudemire), in most cases it has taken the teenagers several years to develop.

"People want to see their team's rookies come in and perform right away, but that's not the norm," Dumars said. "Usually you have to wait and be patient with a lot of the young guys coming into the league now."


Even the Bobcats' Primo Brezec (left with ball) took a while to warrant playing time.
Dumars then rattles off some the names of players who did nothing in their first few years in the league. High school kids like Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal. College players like Zach Randolph, Corey Maggette and Chauncey Billups.

We're still waiting on some young Americans like Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Jonathan Bender.

International teenagers are proving to be not so different from their American counterparts. Players like Dirk Nowitzki and most recently, Primoz Brezec, took several years before they took off.

Still, a number of GMs Insider spoke with are concerned. For years, the conventional wisdom of drafting international players was that what they lacked in athleticism or flash, they made up for in fundamentals and experience.

Many of the top international players have been playing pro ball since they were 16 years old. A number of them played for the top teams in Europe. Compared to the Americans coming out of high school or leaving college early, they were veterans.

Now, that's not the case. Players like Nowitzki, Vladimir Radmanovic, Hedo Turkoglu, Andrei Kirilenko, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Nenad Krstic and Pavel Podkolzine were drafted sight unseen. They were young and unproven. Their virtues and flaws were no different that what the American high school kids brought to the table.

"It's our own fault," one NBA GM said. "We keep taking kids younger and younger and expect more and more for them. We strip-mined college basketball, and now we're doing it internationally. The fact that these kids aren't ready shouldn't be a surprise. At their age, and with their lack of experience, they shouldn't be ready."


Three years after drafting a teenaged Kwame Brown No. 1 overall, the Wizards are still waiting for payback.
They haven't been for the most part, and that's caused numerous GMs to balk at making the plunge. Last year a record 38 international underclassmen declared for the draft and a shocking 30 of them pulled out of it when they found out that teams no longer were hungry for unproven international teenagers with no playing experience.

Players like Peja Samardziski, Martynas Andriuskevicius, Kosta Perovic, Damir Omerhodzic and Johan Petro would have had great shots at the lottery in previous years but could no longer get teams to guarantee them that status in the 2004 draft.

Teams have to have the appetite to draft kids who aren't ready right away. Many teams no longer do. Not at least for the moment anyway.

Of the 15 GMs Insider talked to researching the piece, only six of them said that all things being equal, they'd take a talented international player over a talented American one.

"If there was a clear difference, maybe," one GM said. "But people thought there was a clear difference between Darko and everyone else not named LeBron. I'd hate to be the guy who, in a rebuilding situation, passed on a Wade or a Carmelo for a project, no matter what the long-term upside might be. It's just easier to get a better handle on what the American kids can be. The system is more familiar and we have an easier time putting together a track record."

That seems to be the dominant theme as teams gear up for this year's draft. But like most draft trends, things eventually will change.

"These things go in cycles," one veteran NBA scout told Insider. "Our bosses are smart guys, but they like to play the trends. They look at what worked last year and tell us to go find one, too. Two years ago they wanted us to find the next Nowitzki. Then it was the next LeBron. Now it's the next Dwyane Wade. If an international player has a breakout year, they'll be interested in those guys again."


The Top of the Mountain
The dilemma with Darko hasn't scared everyone away from top international players. However, the teams that are still interested happen to be teams like the Pistons, Spurs, Nets, Mavs and Jazz – teams that have had success picking off talented players later in the draft.

That doesn't bode well for this year's international class, despite the fact that a number of NBA scouts claim that it is the most talented and deepest international draft class ever.

There are currently 14 prospects projected by scouts as possible first-round picks next year. Nemanja Aleksandrov (18), Martynas Andruiskevicius (18), Peja Samardzski (18), Oleksiy Pecherov (18), Uros Tripkovic (18), Sergio Rodriguez (18), Rudy Fernandez (19), Tiago Splitter (19), Kosta Perovic (19), Johan Petro (19), Andrea Bargnani (19) and Damir Omerhodzic (19) are all under 20 years old. Only Roko Ukic (20), Fran Vasquez (21) and Mile Ilic (20) break the barrier.

The nature of the draft is continuing to evolve. Ten years ago, the lottery was meant to restock bad teams with good players who could come in and immediately turn around fortunes. Now, it's only a matter of time before KinderCare jumps aboard as the official sponsor of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Ironically, it's been the teams that often reach for the less proven prospect that end up reaping the greatest rewards. LeBron, despite the hype, didn't have the track record of Carmelo. Dwight Howard didn't have the pedigree of Emeka Okafor.

If you can put your team in a position where you can be patient, the reward could be very, very high this year. This is the thing with the cyclical thinking in the draft. Most teams are followers, trying to duplicate what the innovators have achieved. By the time they are on the bandwagon, it can get awfully crowded.

It's the teams that aren't afraid to set the curve – the Pistons, Spurs and Mavs of the world – who keep consistently scoring draft night coups.

There's an old Zen proverb that states: "You will find no reasonable men on the tops of great mountains."

Reason begs for the familiar, safest route. Greatness demands that you move past the charted waters into open sea.

Which path do you want your team on?

Insider Special: Coaches Responsibilities

Key to coaching lies in organization

By George Karl
ESPN Insider

As the NBA evolves into more of a player's league, the role of a coach has become increasingly precarious. In fact, a coach's job is more difficult today than ever, even as coaches have become more expendable to teams.

The difficulty of the job starts in training camp. There seems to be a softness in camp, causing a disruption in the way teams prepare for the season. Players have always disliked training camp and the physical preparation of getting ready for the season, but it was needed.

Coaches seem to have conceded that camp won't be difficult physically, but instead a time to manage and try to get the team mentally ready. Very seldom can a coach successfully prepare a team for a season that way.


As a VP and head coach, Gregg Popovich has an ideal situation in San Antonio.
Also, some NBA coaches just go through the motions and try to avoid injuries in the exhibition season, mimicking their NFL counterparts. Gone is the aggression that properly prepared teams for an 82-game grind. The result is some teams that aren't fully ready until 10-15 games into the regular season.

Also factoring into the difficulty of the job is the tremendous roster turnover in the NBA. When you combine the immense and constant changing of players from team to team with a soft preseason, it's easy to see why teams don't get better immediately at the beginning of a season. Change impedes progress because teams and players have to start to get acclimated to different situations.

Some coaches can overcome that faster than others, but there's no question that it takes more time when there's a change in roster or a philosophy change caused by a new coach. When that happens, a team must build a new atmosphere to improve every day.

Another threat to the authority of coaches is the power of the guaranteed contract and the sense of entitlement for players. The power players receive from that contract takes away from the coach's territory. It enables the player to counter the authority of the coach and to question his tactics.

A team can't function without an authority figure. But now the old theory that a team can only have one chief is starting to deteriorate. There are more and more organizations that want to have four or five chiefs. Some of those are players and some of them are general managers and/or player personnel directors.

Now the old theory that a team can only have one chief is starting to deteriorate. There are more organizations that want to have four or five chiefs.

The three best organizations in basketball are the San Antonio Spurs, the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers. It's amazing that organizations around the league don't learn from them. Those organizations are successful because they have cohesive teamwork and chemistry, on and off the court.

The perceived harmony of those organizations is what sets them apart. Don't get me wrong – those organizations probably have as much inner-turmoil, conflict and controversy as the others, but you don't hear about it. They work as a team and don't air their dirty laundry. There are too many organizations that don't develop that type of chemistry and, in the end, its the coach who suffers.

Ultimately, the coach is supposed to be held responsible for the X's and O's of the game. But now coaches are being held responsible for the failure of personnel decisions, contractual decisions and luxury-tax decisions. The public believes the coach is expected to manage all of that, when – in most cases – those aren't his responsibilities.

Because of that disconnect, I believe organizations are best run when they have a democracy that includes the coach. There should be a sharing of ideas between the coach and the general manager.

Personally, I like the organizations that give the coach the entire say over personnel and on-court moves, because they function the best. But those don't exist as much anymore. Short of that, there should at least be a process in which the coach, GM and ownership each have veto power over ideas.

If I've made coaching seem like a crazy, difficult and complicated job, that's because it is. But I'd coach again in a heartbeat. Truth be told, I'm waiting for a phone call that puts me back as a coach.

The high and the power of winning compensates for the misery that all coaches go through. When a coach gets it right and everything begins to work, it's a remarkable sensation. Believe me, there is no ride in sports as exhilarating as feeling the juice of being pulled towards a championship – that makes all the craziness worthwhile.

George Karl, an NBA analyst for ESPN and former NBA coach, is a regular contributor to Insider.

Insider Rumours....

Raptors reportedly asking too much

WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Vince Carter
Raptors
Blazers
Grizzlies Nov. 22 - The Portland Oregonian reports the chances of the Blazers acquiring Carter are growing slim. A Blazers source told the paper he is doubtful the trade will go down, and a source with the Raptors said Toronto has upped its demands to the Blazers.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune suggests the Memphis Grizzlies are in the hunt for Carter, too, possibly in exchange for Bonzi Wells and Mike Miller.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported last week that Toronto and Portland were discussing a seven-player trade that would send Carter to Portland with Jalen Rose and two other unnamed players in exchange for forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, center Vladimir Stepania and guard Derek Anderson.

The Toronto Star reported the talks focused mainly on making a Carter-for-Abdur-Rahim swap, something that cannot happen without the inclusion of a low-wage earner or two to make the salaries work. At $14.7 million annually, Abdur-Rahim makes about $2.2 million more than Carter.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Jason Kidd
Nets
Timberwolves
Mavericks
Nuggets Nov. 22 - The Chicago Tribune lists the Mavericks, Wolves and Nuggets as potential suitors for Kidd once he returns from the injured list and provided his knee proves sound. Dallas has long courted Kidd, and Minnesota could use some help for an aging Sam Cassell. The Nuggets could reunite Kidd with Kenyon Martin and employ more of the open-court game under which Martin thrived in New Jersey.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Eddy Curry
Bulls
Warriors?
Knicks?
Nov. 22 - The Warriors are the latest team to consider dealing for Curry, according to the Chicago Tribune, which suggests the Warriors would be willing to deal Mike Dunleavy and proposes a three-team trade that would send Dunleavy to the Clippers, Chris Wilcox to Chicago and Curry to Golden State.
Previously, the paper indicated the Knicks had strengthened their offer for Curry, reportedly dangling second-year forward Michael Sweetney. The former Georgetown star previously had been considered off limits by Knicks president Isiah Thomas. The Bulls balked at taking center Nazr Mohammed.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Marcus Haislip

Nets
Knicks
Pacers? Nov. 22 - Haislip, cut by the Bucks earlier this month, worked out for the Nets recently, and the team reportedly was impressed with the 6-foot-10 forward's athleticism, Insider's Chad Ford reports. Haislip has been mentioned as someone the Pacers could look at as a temporary replacement for suspended Jermaine O'Neal and injured Jonathan Bender. Haislip also reportedly showed up the Knicks' radar after Eddie Robinson failed his physical.
Haislip, the 13th overall pick in the 2002 draft out of Tennessee, averaged 10 minutes per game in 70 games over the last two seasons for Milwaukee.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Keon Clark

Knicks
Pacers? Nov. 22 - The Knicks reportedly offered Clark $1.3 million, the remainder of their mid-level exception, over the summer but never heard back from the veteran center, Insider's Chad Ford reports. Now Clark could be a possibility for the Pacers, who have $2.7 million left on their mid-level exception and have their full $1.6 million exception, should they want to replace their suspended players.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Troy Bell

Nets
Celtics
Nuggets
Hawks Nov. 22 - Since being cut by the Grizzlies in training camp, Bell has worked out for a number of teams, including the Nuggets and Nets, and has received interest from others, including the Celtics and Hawks, Insider's Chad Ford reports. The Pacers also could be interested in the wake of recent suspensions. Bell was the 16th pick of the 2003 draft by the Grizzlies, but he played in only six games last season as a rookie.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Glenn Robinson
Sixers
Hornets?
Nov. 22 - Talks between the Sixers and Hornets could be resurrected now that Robinson has reiterated his dissatisfaction with remaining in Philadelphia as a reserve, Insider's Chad Ford reports. He also has indicated he won't take less than the full $12 million he is owed in a buyout. "I think being a 20-point scorer for 11 years, I think that's good enough," said Robinson, a two-time All-Star."If somebody's interested, then so be it. I just wish somebody would make their mind up."


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Gary Payton
Celtics
Sonics?
Warriors?
Nov. 22 - Payton, whom the Sonics traded before the 2002-03 season in part because of Seattle's unwillingness to sign him to the lucrative, long-term extension, told the Seattle Times he'd like to finish his playing career in Sonics colors.
"I wish I could have stayed in Seattle, and I wish I can go back and finish my career there," said Payton, who reported to the Celtics this fall reluctantly after the Lakers stunned him with the trade. "It could happen and it couldn't. But I think it could."

The Oakland native, 36, also said he'd like to play for his hometown Warriors, but the Sonics would be his first choice. But there is a condition. When asked if he would serve as backup to Sonics' starting point guard Luke Ridnour, Payton told the Times he "can't see that happening."



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Peja Stojakovic
Kings
Bulls?
Nov. 17 - Stojakovic has not backed off his stance that he'd like to be traded. But he's not pressing the issue, either.
In the Nov. 17 Sacramento Bee, Stojakovic tried to clarify that he has no stated interest in playing for the Bulls, either. Last August, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Stojakovic was supposedly interested in the Bulls because of Chicago's Serbian and Greek populations (he's Serbian, his wife is Greek) and his relationship with Bulls coach Scott Skiles. Stojakovic played for Skiles when each was in Europe in 1998.

But he refutes the Sun-Times claim that the Bulls are "one of the teams he'd love to play for". Said Stojakovic in the Bee: "I never said that, but they wrote that. They figure just by having lot of Serbian people living in Chicago, a lot of Greeks, what does that mean? I never picked any cities or teams. I don't have anything against Chicago, but I never said the names of the cities or names of the teams. I said change could make a difference, for me and for the (Kings)."



WHO INJURY THE SKINNY

Eddie Robinson

? Nov. 12 - Robinson's season is over before it began. According to the New York Post, the would-be Knick will have season-ending surgery to repair a fracture under his left big toe.
The 6-foot-9 swingman, who had been bought out of this Bulls' contract earlier this month, was set to join the Knicks on a one-year, $1.3 million contract. The contingency: Robinson had to pass the Knicks' physical.

Even though the Bulls deemed Robinson physically capable of playing, new Knicks' team doctor Lisa Callahan, determined Robinson's left foot might cause him pain 10-15 games into the season and might aggravate the injury. A second opinion determined Robinson's fracture is congenital, one reason he's had the pain since 2001.

Robinson will have surgery, miss this season and re-enter the free agent market. The Knicks, meanwhile, might be interested in Glenn Robinson, if the Sixers waive him, or former Bucks' center Marcus Haislip, the Post reports.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Karl Malone
Lakers
Retirement?
Lakers
Nov. 6 - Malone is still edging toward a full recovery from knee surgery, the Los Angeles Times reports. He should be ready to play within a few weeks. But will he play?
"Karl's still looking at his options, his agent, Dwight Manley, told the Times on Nov. 5. Malone is still undecided about returning for a 20th pro season or opting for retirement. If Malone opts to play, he's believed to be committed to the Lakers.

Last month, the Times reported that Malone might take a front office position with the Lakers if he opts to retire as a player.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Casey Jacobsen
Suns
Nuggets Nov. 5 - The Nuggets and Suns haven't had substantial talks concerning Casey Jacobsen, a league source told ESPN Insider Chad Ford. But there remains interest from both sides on making a deal happen.
To get the numbers to work, the Suns would have to send Jacobsen and second-year forward Zarko Carbarkapa to the Nuggets in return for Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

The Nuggets are in desperate need of a "2" after Voshon Lenard suffered a season ending injury in the regular-season opener. The Suns have had their eye on Tskitishvili since draft night. Their head coach, Mike D'Antoni, used to coach Skita in Italy and is a big fan. We can't report that a deal is close, but it sure makes a lot of sense for both teams.

Insider Special: Coaches on the Hot Seat

Job security concerns in N.Y., Denver, elsewhere

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

Chat wrap with Chad Ford from Thursday

The NBA season has already given us a nice series of surprises to start off the season.

Here's another one.

We're now into the third week of the season, and we've yet to see a head coach fired.

Last year's unprecedented purge saw 13 head coaches lose or quit their jobs between the start of last season and the beginning of this one.

Has the madness finally stopped or are we just in the calm before the storm?

"There are so many new coaches," one NBA GM told Insider, "that you'd like to think we'd actually give them a chance to fix whatever they were hired to fix. But the reality is that patience isn't much of a virtue in this business. Some coaches are going to lose their jobs soon. That's just life in the NBA."

The question is who and how many?

There are already rumblings of unhappiness in New York, Denver and Sacramento. More problem spots will appear as we head further into the season, though the body count won't be nearly as high as it was last season.

Here's Insider's look at a number of coaches with the job security of Ashlee Simpson's voice coach.


SKATING ON THIN ICE
Lenny Wilkens, Knicks

Isiah Thomas' decision to hire Wilkens last year got its share of raised eyebrows. Wilkens was coming off a disastrous stint in Toronto where he clearly lost control of his team. To make matters worse, he was essentially the same coach as the guy who just got fired, Don Chaney. Both Chaney and Wilkens are affable, laid-back coaches who rely – in part – on their cordial relationship with players to get results on the floor.


How long will Marbury (left), remain a supporter of Wilkens?
Wilkens did a good job last year, helping a team that looked destined for the lottery into the last playoff spot in the East. But there are already numerous signs of fracture this season.

After an embarrassing home opener blowout loss to the Celtics, Thomas stepped in and suggested that Wilkens let go long-time lead assistant Dick Helm. According to various reports, when Wilkens refused Thomas did more than insist. Helm left the team the next day, citing personal issues.

Thomas then replaced Helm with his right hand man, Brendan Suhr, who was serving as the Knicks director of player personnel. Wilkens has said all the right things about Thomas, Helm and Suhr, but it's obvious that there's increasing tension there.

To make matters worse, his players are starting to complain. Stephon Marbury, who was Wilken's biggest supporter when he was hired, blew his stack after Tuesday night's loss to the Spurs. He accused his teammates of breaking plays. That in and of itself isn't an indictment of Wilkens, who calls the plays but can't execute them. But it's the same type of stuff we heard in Toronto before things fell apart. If players are no longer listening to the coach and if the coach isn't disciplining players who ignore him, we're not that far from disaster.

Thomas doesn't want to get there. He's promised Knicks fans a contender and a 2-4 start isn't exactly what he had in mind. Factor in brutal road games against the Rockets and Mavs and then a home game against the surging Cavs and it's conceivable that the team is going to start 2-7 before getting some relief in the form of a four-game stretch against the Hawks and Raptors.

If the Knicks keep stumbling over that stretch … Wilkens will be gone. Who will replace him? The speculation has been intense since Thomas took the front office job that he'd ultimately also would coach the Knicks. He has publicly denied that he'll take over on the bench on several occasions this year.

Phil Jackson's name comes up as a candidate because he's available and he's said he'd always like to coach the Knicks. However, we don't think he's specifically talking about Isiah's version of the Knicks when he mentioned his interest. The truth is that Phil likes control and wouldn't get it from Isiah.

Without any other big names out there, the duties could fall on Suhr, a Thomas loyalist who would allow Thomas to have a major say on who plays and how they play without physically sitting on the bench.

Jeff Bzdelik, Nuggets

Expectations can be a killer and Jeff Bzdelik really has no one to blame but himself. Without a long-term contract extension, Bzdelik threw the rebuilding plans out the window, stuck with his veterans and guided the Nuggets to an improbable playoff berth last season.

His reward? The Nuggets stiff-armed him in contract extension talks this summer and, when the season ends, Bzdelik will be a free agent. If, that is, he lasts that long.

GM Kiki Vandeweghe was upset last season that Bzdelik didn't spend more time developing some of the team's young players like Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Rodney White. While he was happy with the Nuggets' play on the floor, Vandeweghe felt the approach was short sighted.


Is Bzdelik (right) sitting next to his successor, Cooper?
Kiki isn't trying to build a playoff team. He's trying to build a championship one. With expectations mile high after last season, the Nuggets' front office shifted gears and tried to add a piece or two that would give them a big boost in the West. The Nuggets ended up settling on Kenyon Martin, hoping that the combo of Martin, Nene and Marcus Camby would give them one of the strongest front lines in the league.

On paper it all looked great. So far, on the court, the results have been much less impressive. Injuries have been the Nuggets' biggest problem. Voshon Lenard, their only real perimeter threat, is done for the season. Nene's played in just one game. Camby already is having injury trouble.

The Nuggets have a great starting five, but they have a thin bench and it's showing. Bzdelik can't be blamed for any of that. However, the Nuggets who are healthy haven't played with the same passion they've shown the past two years. They've sleepwalked through several games and, at times, appeared to have tuned out their coach.

That's what's raised the red flags in Denver. While the team is both publicly and privately supporting Bzdelik, the writing's on the wall. To stick with this team, the Nuggets had to be great this year. They're falling far short and Bzdelik's hand-picked successor, Michael Cooper, is waiting in the wings.

Watch this next stretch closely. The Nuggets play eight of their next nine games at home, where they've been, historically, dominant. Many of their opponents during that stretch – Chicago, New Jersey, New Orleans, Cleveland and Orlando – are teams the Nuggets should be beat at home.

If they keep stumbling against teams like that at home, look for Kiki to kick Bzdelik to the curb before a brutal seven-game road trip starts in December.


DON'T UNPACK YOUR BAGS JUST YET
Rick Adelman, Kings

Adelman has never gotten the credit he deserves for an impressive Kings' run the past five years. On his watch the Kings have turned themselves from an NBA joke into one of the most exciting and successful teams in the league. Arco Arena is the loudest stadium in the NBA. And the Kings have gotten a high amount of exposure despite being in such a small market.

Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie and Bobby Jackson have all played a big part in the success, but give Adelman his due. He let his guys get out there and play their style of basketball and it was fun to watch and, most nights, it worked.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to end sooner or later. Teams get old. Chemistry changes. Coaches' voices fade into the background. Has that time come in Sacramento?

It's still too early to tell for sure, but there are signs that things might not turn out as well this year. The chemistry that has been so stellar these past five years has taken a well-documented hit. The King's depth, once a trademark of the team, has dwindled. And the early results of the team are … mixed.

After an 0-3 start that appeared to doom the team, the Kings have bounced back, winning four of their last five. Stojakovic, after a very rocky start, has started to find his shooting range. Early-season player complaints have faded. Take a deep breath, Kings fans. Maybe everything is going to be OK.

However, if the discouraging signs from the start of the season start to reappear, it will be Adelman who might have to suffer the consequences. Trading the players is too hard. Webber's contract can't be moved. So far they've shown no signs of wanting to trade Bibby, Stojakovic or Miller. If the players' faces don't change, the coach's will.

Scott Skiles, Bulls

Skiles seems like a good coach and a good fit for what GM John Paxson is trying to do in Chicago. After years of terrible, lackluster play, Paxson wanted a stern, no-nonsense head coach who could get maximum effort out of his players every night.

Skiles has the pedigree. He did something similar in Phoenix before flaming out. He certainly played that way during his career.

Paxson has given him more tools to get the job done. Out are Jamal Crawford, Marcus Fizer and Eddie Robinson – guys whom the Bulls believed had become so tainted by the team's losing atmosphere that there was no turning back.

In are players like Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon – tough, talented players from great programs with winning pedigrees.

The result? The Bulls are absolutely playing harder and with more purpose. But there's a good chance they could return from their current brutal road trip 0-11. If they do, Skiles' job is going to be questioned regardless of what kind of job he's doing.

Talking to Bulls sources the past few weeks, I expect that Paxson will try to make more personnel moves before he'd ever looking at dumping Skiles. Too many holdovers from the dark days – read Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler – are still on the squad. They might all have to be purged before the dark cloud lifts.

But at the end of the day, if that's not enough … Skiles is toast. The Bulls can't afford to keep taking steps back at this point. Something has to change. The players will go first. But the coach won't be far behind if this continues.

Nate McMillan, Sonics


McMillan (right), teaching Nick Collison here, cannot afford another collapse after a great start.
I know it's blasphemy to put the name of a head coach on this list whose team currently owns the best record in the league. The Sonics, whom most of us predicted would finish dead last in the West, are 8-1 and are playing the most inspired basketball of McMillan's tenure there.

But let's look at the facts before we just hand the championship over to them. There's a history here.

The Sonics began last season 6-2 before going 32-40 the rest of the way. In 2002 it was even better. The team got off to an 8-2 start before winning just 31 games the rest of the way.

They've fooled us before. They could still do it again. Rashard Lewis, too, has a history of hot starts before cooling off a month into the season. Realistically, Ray Allen isn't going to be shooting 60-plus percent from beyond the arc all year. And how long will Luke Ridnour, who's been very solid at point guard, hold up with the style of basketball he plays?

They're all legit questions on a team that has done nothing in the past few seasons to inspire a modicum of confidence.

McMillan happens to be an excellent coach who has never been given the tough, blue-collar players who really flow with his style of coaching. This year, he's inspired guys like Lewis, Allen and Ridnour to go the extra mile. History says that it won't continue.

If it doesn't, McMillan, whose contract expires at the end of the year anyway, will be gone. If it does continue, he'll be the number one candidate for Coach of the Year.

How weird is this league?


WATCH AND WAIT
Hubie Brown, Grizzlies If it's blasphemy to include a coach who has the best record in the league, what's the offense for putting a guy on this list who's a coaching legend and the most recent recipient of the Coach of the Year honor?

Regardless of what you're reading in the national media, there is no rift between Brown and team president Jerry West. Unlike some of the other coaches here, his job is his as long as he wants it.

Hubie's brilliant and everyone, including Hubie, knows it. There's another reason that he's on this list. He's 71 years old. He's slowing down physically. The rough and tumble world of NBA coaching has worn him down considerably the last few years. While he remains as sharp as ever mentally, his body is tired.

That has led him to delegate more this year … something that hasn't always gone over well with the players. Hubie has the ultimate respect, it appears, of all of his players. His staff however, doesn't receive the same automatic deference.

When Jason Williams snapped at Hubie's son, assistant coach Brendan Brown, for his play calling in the fourth quarter of a game, the first evidence of discord bubbled to the surface.

Williams has apologized and Brown has excused the whole incident to frustration, but the truth appears to be on the court. The Grizzlies aren't off to a great start and have a tough schedule coming up.

Brown told Insider last year that he was coaching from day-to-day. The Grizzlies had signed him to a three-year deal (which expires this year) but his agreement with West was that he would take it one day at time. For their part, the Grizzlies feel that this isn't a big issue. They've seen nothing, sources inside the Grizzlies tell Insider, that suggests Hubie will retire this season.

The Grizzlies always will benefit from Brown's presence, but if he felt he wasn't able to give it his all anymore, he might just walk away and take with him … much of the hope that has been fostered in Memphis these past two seasons.


Around the League


Why was Vince Carter benched for significant time in the fourth quarter twice this week? A Raptors' source told Insider that the new head coach Sam Mitchell has become increasingly perplexed with Carter's refusal to take the ball the basket.
Eighty percent of Carter's shots this year are jump shots according to the stat gurus at 82Games.com. Just 2-percent are dunks. And he's only drawing fouls 5.2-percent of the time. When you factor in that he's shooting 38 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range, you can understand why Mitchell is frustrated. Carter's -20.1 plus/minus stat is second-lowest on the team behind only Jalen Rose.

"You've got to be unselfish, you've got to play hard, and you've got to play together," Mitchell said this week. "If I'm wrong with those three things ... then I don't want to coach anymore."

Mitchell has the full support of new GM Rob Babcock. Carter, for the most part, has deflected questions about the issue. But Rose, who has also felt his coach's wrath, has been more outspoken about his coach's brash style.

"Anytime you say it's your way or the highway you know that draws a flat line," Rose said. "(There's no room for error, there's no room for judgment, there's no room for change. He's doing this for the first time."

Asked to elaborate later, Rose said: "Nobody's way is always the only way."

The Raptors have lost four out of their last five. It looks like things could start getting ugly in Toronto.


Eddy Curry has been solid in his last two outings (not taking into account last night's stinker), prompting teams to increase their offers to Bulls GM John Paxson. The Knicks have been pursuing Curry the most aggressively. Their initial offer of Nazr Mohammed was laughed at by the Bulls. Their second offer of Michael Sweetney will be taken more seriously. Sweetney has shown some real promise this season and adding him to the mix would allow the Bulls to move Tyson Chandler to center.
Still, the Bulls are holding out for more right now. Paxson would like to get something done with the Nuggets. In a perfect world, a Curry and Eric Piatkowski for Nene and Voshon Lenard swap would give the Bulls exactly what they want -- another young big man with more toughness and a better work ethic.

Why would the Nuggets consider the deal? First, Curry is a much better offensive player than Nene, he's more of a true center, and the team has two big defenders, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, to help them out. With Lenard out for the season, the Nuggets also need perimeter shooting -- something Piatkowski can still provide.

Other players the Bulls would consider swapping Curry for include Bucks guard Michael Redd and Clippers forward Chris Wilcox.


Insider got a number of angry phone calls from player agents after we ran a story last Friday on the ongoing CBA negotiations. While none of them were complaining about the content of the story, they are angry that the players aren't taking a harder line with the owners.
“ The Warriors didn't need to sign those players to $130 million worth of contracts. They had their restricted rights next year. To sign a guy of your own free will and then ask the players to protect you from yourself is nuts. Why should the players compromise? ”
— One agent on the CBA dispute

Said one agent: "The owners really got just about everything they asked for last time and when you look at revenues, BRI (Basketball-Related Income) and the like, it's working. It boggles the mind that they are coming back and claiming the system is broke. The only reason that the there are problems with the CBA is that owners themselves keep finding loopholes. No one is putting a gun to their head.

"The Warriors didn't need to sign those players to $130 million worth of contracts. They had their restricted rights next year. To sign a guy of your own free will and then ask the players to protect you from yourself is nuts. Why should the players compromise?"

Another agent was more succinct.

"I've been in this business a long time. I'm always amazed at what owners agree to even when we have little or no leverage," he said.

"Let's just put it this way. If I was an owner, many of the deals that my clients have signed over the past few years would've never happened. We'll take the money. But the way they hand it out is not the fault of the CBA. It's their own doing."

The agents have a point. Not only are owners sometimes out of control, but their spending habits rarely make much sense.

The Pistons won the championship last season with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. Ditto for the Spurs two years ago. Teams that are spending a fortune like the Knicks, Blazers and Mavericks haven't been to their own conference championship rounds for years.

Agents are urging the players to get take a harder stance and get the message out there that it's not the greed of players fueling the coming labor war -- it's the fiscal irresponsibility of certain NBA owners.

They're probably fighting a losing battle, however. There wouldn't be a salary cap, period, if owners exercised good business judgment.

The last CBA had the same goal -- protecting owners from themselves. The fact that they want more protections from their increasingly bizarre behavior is a surprise to no one.

Owners typically own teams (Donald Sterling is exempted) not to make a huge profit, but to win a championship. Left on their own, most would spend whatever it takes to win one.

However, that's not in the league's best interest, which is why Stern continues to try and level the playing field for small-market teams.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

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