Kiki is Lacking a Follow-Through

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Evidently, Kiki Vandeweghe's tight personal relationship with Michael Finley wasn't enough to get the Nuggets an invitation to Chicago, where the veteran shooting guard is granting audiences with selected supplicants, sort of like the pope.

Having been guaranteed $50 million not to play for the Dallas Mavericks, Finley is now taking bids from other teams for an additional salary to resume his career elsewhere.

The Nuggets, who hoarded their cash to get in on this auction, don't even have a paddle. This is disappointing on at least three levels:

? Kiki, a former player-development guy in Dallas who worked with Finley, was supposed to have an inside lane based on this relationship and a "cred" with players that is much alleged and seldom proved.

? The Nuggets, on the strength of their second-half run under George Karl last season, were supposed to be considered a contender and therefore a credible option for free agents wanting to hook on with a winner. If national reports are to be believed, Minnesota, which didn't make the playoffs last season, is higher on Finley's list than Denver.

? Kiki seemed as surprised as anyone by his inability to finagle a seat in Finley's waiting room, allowing a host of shooting-guard candidates to parade past while he waited by the mailbox for his invitation.

As charming as Vandeweghe is, it might be time to recognize that there are no signs of the Merlin magic his cult following keeps anticipating from him.

Finley's cold shoulder is the climax of an off-season in which Vandeweghe might as well have taken a leave of absence. The Nuggets appear content to report to training camp with the same group that finished last season, which is not what you'd call taking the bull by the horns.

Consider Miami. The Heat got within one game of the NBA Finals last season, then went out and tried to get better, orchestrating a five-team, 13-player trade.

Frankly, I'm not sure if the self-absorbed Jason Williams and Antoine Walker will help or hurt the Heat, but you've got to admire Pat Riley's ambition.

And, given Riley's r?sum?, you have to figure he has a better idea of what it takes to climb the mountain than Vandeweghe does.

Last spring, you might recall, on the heels of the miraculous turnaround that followed Karl's arrival, the Nuggets headed into the playoffs very excited about themselves. They could play with anybody. They had proved that, hadn't they?

Well, no, actually. They had proved they could play with San Antonio without Tim Duncan. They had most decidedly not proved they could play with Houston or Phoenix. Nevertheless, Karl's confidence was high as the playoffs began. They would have to beat the Spurs sometime; might as well be right away.

A week or two after the eventual champs spanked the Nuggets in five games, I asked Karl if the second-half run convinced him his team was better than it really was. He acknowledged this might have been the case.

After all, the Nuggets had a gaping hole at shooting guard the Spurs exploited at will. Greg Buckner was a gritty stopper but such a minor offensive threat his man became a roving double-teamer; DerMarr Johnson and Wesley Person were defensive liabilities that turned the series over to Manu Ginobili.

This handicap at 2-guard proved insurmountable. With the exception of the Nuggets' lone victory, in which Andre Miller starred, the Spurs' backcourt dominated the Nuggets' backcourt, and this lopsided matchup decided the series. </div>

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I'm surprised they have not resigned DeMarr Johnson yet. He played well for them last season and is a nice change up from Voshon Lenard. He isn't drawing much interest, so he should be available for cheap.

Flip Murray or Damon Jones would be nice fits as well. I think the Nuggets could get away with a backcourt of Miller and Jones.