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Barack Obama: the Jeff Bzdelik of US Presidents?...

In the Spring of 2002, the Denver Nuggets missed the NBA Playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, and for the 10th time in 12 seasons. Going back to 1990, the franchise had been run by a slew of incompetent, greedy, self-serving and lazy individuals who never took the time to understand the salary cap, scout international and high school players, or formulate worthwhile deals that paid off in the long run. On the floor and in the locker room, the coaches during this period were equally incompetent and/or lazy. They didn't demand nightly excellence and effort from the players, often didn't show up on time (or at all in some cases) to practices and even enabled a player mutiny at one point.

From 1990 through 2002, the Denver Nuggets franchise was in total disarray: they never won more than 42 games, won only one playoff series, and had four seasons in which they couldn't do better than 21 wins (including one in which they won just 11 games, tying the NBA's second worst all-time record). For a franchise that had only missed the postseason twice in 23 previous seasons, professional basketball in Denver had become a running joke.

And then change we could believe in came along in the summer of 2002 when a man with little experience and a funny name took over the coaching ranks for the team.

His name was Jeff Bzdelik.

Entering the 2002-03 season, Bzdelik inherited the worst roster in modern NBA history. In order to move "toxic assets" off the books, then-Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe had pillaged the roster of what little talent it had remaining, and left Bzdelik with a roster of no-names such as Chris Andersen (who made the team after an open tryout...unheard of in the modern NBA), Mark Blount, Rodney White, Donnell Harvey, Junior Harrington, Vincent Yarbrough, Chris Whitney, Shammond Williams, Ryan Bowen, Kenny Satterfield and Predrag Savovic (who? He played 27 games that season!) and two teenage rookies with even funnier sounding names than Bzdelik: Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Maybyner "Nene" Hilario.

Under Bzdelik's tutelage, 2002-03 was a dreadful season record-wise. The Nuggets won just 17 games, the third worst outing in franchise history, and were routinely clobbered by their opposition. They averaged 84.2 points per game (29th out of 29 NBA teams) and their attendance ranked 25th. In one game they put up just 53 points. A mere 58 in another. They scored in the mid-to-low 60s on three other occasions and managed less than 80 points a total of 30 times, more than a third of their games.

And yet if you watched this team play each game as I did, you'd never have guessed they were a 17-win team. In fact, you could argue (as I have on numerous occasions), that they won 17 more games than they ever should have.

Jeff Bzdelik changed the culture of professional basketball in Denver. The Nuggets may have suffered from years of ineptitude beforehand, had no money to work with, and an all-time worst roster to boot - i.e. the perfect storm for what should have turned into the fewest wins in NBA history - but Bzdelik never used any of this as an excuse. Under Bzdelik, the Nuggets players were going to out-hustle and outwork their opponents virtually every night. They would play unselfishly and commit to defense, or they wouldn't get back on the floor.

After one season with Bzdelik at the helm, playing in Denver no longer seemed like a death sentence to NBA players. Thanks to good fortune with the draft, a few of Vandeweghe's trades panning out and - most importantly - the atmosphere of effort, selflessness and confidence built from the ground up by Bzdelik - the Nuggets were able to build off of Bzdelik's energy and return to the playoffs the following season. Six seasons later, the Nuggets are one of just three teams in the Western Conference to have appeared in the postseason for five consecutive seasons.

Watching Barack Obama sworn in as our 44th President today, I couldn't help but think back to 2002 (yes, I'm that pathetic of a Nuggets fan that I'm actually drawing a connection between the two, but please bear with me). Like the Nuggets that year, our country has also succumbed to a slew of incompetent, greedy, self-serving and lazy individuals - both Republican and Democrat - who failed to understand our financial system, deal appropriately with the world around them and the problems at home, or formulate worthwhile plans and programs that could pay off in the long run.

Like the Denver Nuggets of 2002, the United States of America is badly in need of a culture change and I believe Barack Obama could be our country's Jeff Bzdelik.

In fact, I see Obama's first year in office being similar to that 2002-03 Denver Nuggets season. We may not see a lot of immediate progress and a lot of mistakes will be made, but if President Obama can - at a minimum - establish an atmosphere of effort, selflessness and confidence (mentioned in today's inaugural address, by the way) and catch a few lucky breaks along the way, I believe we can get through the various monstrous problems before us and come out much better on the other side.

So here's wishing President Obama the best of luck (I know my stock portfolio needs it...yeeesh). May he do for our nation what Jeff Bzdelik did for Nuggets Nation.

Now that's what I call the audacity of hope.

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haha i see the connection. makes alot of sense. but hopefully obama doesn't do too bad in his first season :P

by andrew fisher on Jan 21, 2009 12:44 AM MST reply actions  

I have a feeling Obama is going to do a whole lot. I am a huge supporter of Obama primarily for his demeanor and character, and his love for Basketball, yeah! But seriously, it is obvious the guy has common sense, I don't think there is any debating that, and in the times we are in that is really the most important thing we need to assess all of the rediculous problems the good ol' boy, George, got us into. But enough with politics, I like taking about them but most of America gets their pantie's all in a bundle when discussing them so I will leave it at that. The game tonight was great, I like to see the new style of play we are getting into which is still to enforce defense yet get out on the fastbreak once we get the ball. I think that is a very smart move by Karl (suprisingly) and it can really work to our advantage at our altitue and even when on the road because we can always outrun people at a lower altitue. I have said it before and I will say it again, why is it that Balkman's minutes are so inconsistant? He does everything that George ephasises and he does it the best out of anybody on the team and yet he is the one getting the inconsistant time. Like a lot of things with Karl, it really doesn't make any sense. JR is playing really good lately taking on a bit more of a PG roll as he is the one a lot of the times starting the fastbreak and making great passes, I like it. And I like when Kleiza gets to the rim, plain and simple. He is probably the best cutter on the team and he knows how to finish around the rim as well. And I think the Anthony Carter hate has got to end on this blog, the guy is one of the best backup PGs in the league no doubt about it and he gives it his all every second of every minute he is on the floor. Next to Neil Everett I think I am the biggest Carter supporter out there because he is the kind of guy you know when he steps on the floor that you are going to get solid production from no matter what. And Andrew, I suggets you make some sort of a "non-stiffs" list, like the reverse stiffs list to reward those who are doing good for our team and around the league, just an idea.

by Goldennugget on Jan 21, 2009 12:45 AM MST reply actions  

And one more thing, I hate George Karl interviews.

by Goldennugget on Jan 21, 2009 12:48 AM MST reply actions  

it would be nice to get the whole team into the rotation. it looks like we traded atkins (bench) to get petro (bench). at least we knew atkins could play. it looks like petro has no one's confidence. this is another way of saying the nuggs have to play against the opposing team; the referees; AND the front office. the hope of getting martin and nene a breather has turned into a fantasy. if we had kept samb we would have had a shot blocker on the floor. i mean, karl didn't play petro until 7:57 left in the fourth. that's pathetic. he should have at least started the 4th quarter.

for this team to compete on a higher level, does it need an effective big (petro?) in the rotation? sure. why not. makes sense. can't prove it, so i'll say we do like i know what i am talking about.

seems to me the front office makes great decisions (cb) and bad decisions (petro). but, i am of the opinion that teams live and die by these decisions.

play petro. either he can hack it or he can't. but play him. give our big guys a break.

after all... the front office liked the guy enough to trade for him. put up... play him.

by Anonymous on Jan 21, 2009 8:36 AM MST reply actions  

I'd compare him to George Karl. When Karl first got here, everyone absolutely LOVED him. I remember he got a standing ovation from the home crowd when he would just walk out from the locker room. The Nuggets started 19-1 at home under Karl. Everyone thought he was the greatest coach in Nuggets history. Now, a few playoff series later, and people hate him so much that they launch a firegeorgekarl web page and they hate him so much that some comments even accuse Karl of having a man-crush on one of his players! Now you hear a lot more boos than cheers for Karl at the home games. Everyone always loves the new guy. You get a free ride for a few months and then bam, everyone hates you.

by Anonymous on Jan 21, 2009 8:37 AM MST reply actions  

Nice of Anonymous to compare George Karl to Obama. Let us know who you are before you make ridiculous statements. How about if you let Obama be in office for more than one day before you declair him a failure? Bush is the one who had unprecedented goodwill and squandered it on failed policies, bad decisions, and general ineptitude. I would compare Karl to George Bush, but that would be unfair to Karl. The nuggets have at least had a good record, if not success in the playoffs. I'm hoping that Obana will bail out the nuggets and bring in a new coach!

Watching last the last two games, it is clear that Petro is not an NBA center. I was pleasantly surprised to see Balkman in the starting lineup until they revealed it was because of the Jones injury. The only way Balkman gets in is if no one else is available. We better hope Anthony comes back soon and fully healthy. Did anyone else notice the nuggets are undefeated when Balkman starts and 18-7 in games when he plays?

Man was the beginning of that game scary. Started off 7-4 nuggets, then a huge run by Sacremento in which coach "Bush" sat on his ass as usual. Any competent team would have beat the nuggets last night.

by KarlSucks on Jan 21, 2009 9:07 AM MST reply actions  

Did anyone else watch Bush during the innaugeration speech? He looked like Karl on the sidelines during a game. I think it's the first time in 8 years he heard someone criticize the things he's done. One can only hope the full scale of his failures will sink in with him now that he doesn't have a staff kissing up to his every moeve.

by KarlSucks on Jan 21, 2009 9:12 AM MST reply actions  

Yeah, Karl is pretty much the anti-Obama. He acts all excited and giddy and hopeful about the new president, just like he was all excited and giddy and hopeful about getting the Denver job, bringing in Chauncey, etc.. but he rests on his laurels (whatever they are) and vegetates on the sideline. Obama will get sh*t done. Karl is a washed up hippie generic type liberal that just complains about things without offering solutions.. in basketball and in politics and life.

by My name is Luke. on Jan 21, 2009 9:36 AM MST reply actions  

Not to dismiss the political angle, but I never quite understood why Jeff B. was given the heave-ho. Sure the team was young, but the man never got a chance to drive the car he had personally restored! He did the work, then the keys were handed over to someone else (Karl). The big issue at the time appearred to be "who's team is this", primarily between Melo & Andre. Finally, they got rid of Andre when the coaching change failed to correct those questions. In any case, lets hope Barack gets this thing back on track. The best part is that we all know he's capable, & thats not something we were sure of with Bush. Godspeed, Mr. President.

by KaiserSoze on Jan 21, 2009 11:32 AM MST reply actions  

Anonymous 1, they traded Chucky for petro to get under the luxury tax genious. Not to mention petro is a expiring contract after this season. He is simply an insurance policy and with stephen hunter returning after the all star break he is never going to play.( 1 of them very likely could be traded hunter is more desirable to trade obviously.) And you guys can trash kalr all you want, But so far the improvements i've seen from him as a coach this season have been huge, I loved how he stuck up for JR against Cuban, and he's getting technicals every other game for standing up for his players. This team is going to have a sense of family by the end of the season and no (minus the lakers ) in the western conference is going to want to have to face us.

by Anonymous on Jan 21, 2009 11:33 AM MST reply actions  

Is anonymous right about Karl's technicals? The official stats show 47 techs called on Denver (vs. 37 on opponents). Of that, 28 appear to have been called on players, including traded players. That leaves 19, or about 1 every two to three games. That must include illegal defense and coaches technicals. I couldn't find any stats about either. I can only remember Karl getting 1 or 2 this season. I think someone said he had 3 all of last season.

by KarlSucks on Jan 21, 2009 12:26 PM MST reply actions  

Hey Goldennugget, Anthony Carter really has the big head today.

by samiam on Jan 21, 2009 3:12 PM MST reply actions  

To be fair, Karl has done a few good things this year. In particular, his role in the development of Dahntay Jones until injury and the recent attacking the basket trend. But this doesn´t hide the fact that he is a flawed coach. When things get tough, he seems lost and never makes adjustments. The examples are endless. To me, the improvment this team has made is due to the influence of Billups and the winning attitude/leadership he brings. Nene´s been great too. I hope Im wrong and these guys can make the next step by beating the elite teams when it counts, despite Karl. I suppoort this team 100% and these are good times for the Nuggets and the fans. But lets be real, Karl is nowhere near the level of Popovich, Sloan or Jackson and thats who the Nugs will see in the playoffs. Yes we can? I hope so.

by go nugs on Jan 21, 2009 8:38 PM MST reply actions  

So this is something that has been bothering me ever since Monday, a post above me says no team except the Lakers wants to see the Nuggets come playoff time, but what about the rockets? I think the game on Monday showed we have absolutely no answer for Yao, and with Artest and Battier the Rockets have the perimeter defenders to match our perimeter scorers. Who cares what T-mac does because the rockets will just run the same low-post play to Yao like they did on monday. We run into similar problems against the Lakers with Pau and Bynum (just put up 42 pts last night on his own) I think we can beat any other team, even SA in the playoffs but the Lakers and Rockets have me scared

by Zachm219 on Jan 22, 2009 9:22 AM MST reply actions  

Good article. I was one of the 50 people in the stands back in those days. I can't help myself...Go Nuggets!

I don't like to get political, especially when it comes to something more important that politics; i.e. hoops. However I will say this much:
George Karl Wins: 907
George Bush Wins: 2
Tough to compare those two in that light.

Last comment to Zachm219; we have beat Houston this year. True Yao is a big guy but when K-mart tries, he steals the ball from Yao like 100 times per quarter.

by Anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 9:36 AM MST reply actions  

Yao will be injured again just wait.

by Anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 10:48 AM MST reply actions  

I just hope Obama can get us some playoff wins.

by Denverson on Jan 22, 2009 1:00 PM MST reply actions  

I didn't get a chance to post recently, so this is a little dated, but the game on Monday afternoon vs. the Rockets was absolutely one of the best offensive games i've ever seen. I was really impressed by how the Nuggets offense was clicking, Nene and JR are so amazingly talented!

That being said, Chauncey killed us that game. Consistently he tried to draw fouls on opposing players rather than just trying to score the basketball. AI used to get into that mode sometimes too, when he would be trying to get the foul call rather than trying to score.

by John on Jan 22, 2009 3:18 PM MST reply actions  

Its true we did beat Houston early this season, but we have dropped the last two and in the three games we've played against Houston Yao has averaged 27 ppg, I dunno, I just don't like how we match up against them

by Zachm219 on Jan 23, 2009 7:02 PM MST reply actions  

Excuse me while I rain on everyone's parade . . . . .

Is Obama going to get fired after partway through his third year after a 17-25 start and losing the ear of his players (It took Karl way longer to do that).

As much as I like Bzdelik and think he's a good college coach, he wasn't responsible for the culture change in Denver. I watched that 2002 team, they were clearly dumping salaries and hoping to get a golden ticket to the Lebron James party.

That being said, Carmelo Anthony's presence, and (GULP, I hate to say it) Kiki Vandeweghe's personnel moves made the biggest difference. Carmelo is the biggest star this team has drafted in the post-Michael Jordan Era of the NBA.

Before Carmelo arrived, players like Marcus Camby were begging to be traded, and the general consensus of in the league was to avoid Denver like the plague.

Now as far as the Obama comparison goes, I think he will do a good job and he has my vote of confidence, but the jury is out on whether he will truly be a good president. He's not any more a savior then any other president who has entered in the White House. He's only been in office a couple of days. Let's not get carried away.

by Jon-Michael on Jan 24, 2009 9:15 AM MST reply actions  

Is Obama really change or the continuation of Bush; albeit with intellectual curiosity, flowing rhetoric, and cheering crowds of faithful admirers?

by Anonymous on Jan 25, 2009 8:43 PM MST reply actions  

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