| | DENVER -- Mike D'Antoni's dream of coaching an NBA team
abruptly turned into a nightmare when Denver Nuggets general
manager Dan Issel took over the job in a move that D'Antoni said
blindsided him.
Issel, who resigned his first stint as Nuggets coach in 1995,
announced Tuesday that he would return to courtside in addition to
working in the front office. The former Nuggets player and NBA Hall
of Famer insisted that D'Antoni didn't do a bad job in the
strike-shortened 1998-99 season.
"Mike didn't have a chance to do a bad job," Issel said during
a news conference.
D'Antoni, in the second year of a three-year contract, said he
didn't see his firing coming. He said he felt blindsided and was
"ticked off," but blamed himself for being naive.
"I think the team was improved this year and I was looking
forward to trying to win as many games as we could and see if we
could go from there," he said. "You learn a lot, that's for sure.
About people and loyalty and different things."
The team went 14-36 in D'Antoni's only season as coach. The
Nuggets, which have a new owner, have struggled since Issel led
them to the Western Conference semifinals in 1994. Issel will be
the team's sixth coach in five seasons.
D'Antoni said he found out he was being fired during the team's
workout Tuesday morning when Issel called him into his office.
"As soon as you walk in, you know that the deal is. He's
sitting there and Ron Sally, the lawyer, is sitting right beside
him. I don't think I've got any violations around the city, so I'm
thinking I could be in a little trouble here.
"It was just real short, real nothing and just out of there,"
D'Antoni said.
The timing is bad for him because basketball coaching vacancies
are usually filled in the summer.
The Nuggets owe D'Antoni $850,000 for this season and $950,00
for next season. But he doesn't plan to sit around.
"I'm going to stay in basketball," he said. "I'm going to try
to get some place and coach as soon as I can because it'll drive me
crazy if I don't."
D'Antoni said he would consider a return to Europe, where he
coached six seasons, but he prefers to stay in the United States.
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