http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article /0,1299,DRMN_20_3507822,00.html By Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News January 29, 2005 With his coach of the future finally in place as coach of the present, Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe once again could focus on his primary job. Building a championship team. One day after signing coach George Karl to a six-year, $20 million contract, Vandeweghe looked relaxed Friday as he turned his attention to the Feb. 24 NBA trade deadline. How the Nuggets respond to Karl in the next four weeks will determine if Vandeweghe stands pat or shakes up the roster. "I'm not looking at any trades," Vandeweghe said. "I like our core group of guys, but you've got to get a feel for who George likes and who he's going to play. Then we can get a better feel for if we should do something. "I've never been one to say that anybody's untouchable. To use an example from the old days, if somebody's going to dangle Larry Bird or Magic Johnson, you've got to look at it." Karl clashed regularly with general manager Ernie Grunfeld when the two worked together with the Milwaukee Bucks, but Vandeweghe said Karl will have plenty of input in shaping the roster. For now, Karl is focusing more on evaluating the talent he has on his roster rather than what he might need to succeed down the road. "I'm not going to worry about personnel," he said. "That's Kiki's job. I think it'd be crazy for me to even have a vote in the decisions on personnel in the next three weeks." That doesn't mean Karl won't be making mental notes about each and every one of his new players. He began the process by meeting with each player in the 24 hours after his hiring, and he made sure to open a clear line of communication with Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. It was something Karl failed to do with All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen in Milwaukee in their final season together. "I don't think I'll make that mistake again," Karl said. "It doesn't guarantee that Carmelo and I will work out, but I think I have a good attitude towards it. I told Carmelo the same thing. "I said, 'Carmelo, as soon as you get a knot in your stomach, don't you dare not come talk to me. Get in that door, tell me what you're feeling.' If we have to work through hard relationships , that's OK, because I'm sure he's feeling stress and pressure." Anthony will not be alone in that regard during the next several weeks as evaluations are made and Karl tries to push the Nuggets out of their first-half abyss. "This is just the beginning of class," Karl said. "Final exams are at least a couple weeks away." CRAM SESSION: In an effort to assemble some semblance of a game plan for his Nuggets debut, Karl conducted a 1-hour, 45-minute film session and shootaround before the Bucks game. The session, which went about an hour longer than a normal shootaround, delayed Kenyon Martin's usual afternoon nap. "I'm supposed to be asleep right now," Martin said. "I don't think I'm going to dream now. REM stage is when you're in that most comfortable sleep and you're dreaming, so my REM is going to be interrupted." Denver's entire schedule has been disrupted by the coaching change. Instead of a day off after back- to-back games, the Nuggets practiced Thursday, and Karl plans to practice Sunday after another back-to-back set caps a five-game, seven-day trip. "That's part of sacrificing and trying to get to a goal, which is getting to the playoffs and winning a championship," Nuggets point guard Andre Miller said. "You can't complain about that." DENVER SEEING REDD? Shooting guard Michael Redd developed his NBA game under Karl in Milwaukee. The Nuggets could benefit from a reunion in Denver. Redd, Milwaukee's leading scorer and three-point shooter, can become a free agent after the season, and Denver probably will be among the leading candidates to land him because of its salary-cap space and Redd's good relationship with Karl. "Each year in the system, I got better," Redd said. "He respects guys that work hard. That's one thing I pride myself on doing." Redd said he will worry about free agency after the season, but Bucks coach Terry Porter said it is natural for players to think about their contract status. "The free-agency year is always a tough year because of everything that's surrounding it," Porter said. "If he wants to go somewhere else, he's going to go somewhere else. If he wants to be a part of this organization and be a cornerstone for us, he's going to stay here. Obviously, from my standpoint, I hope he stays here." --

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