Inmates Running the Asylums ...

In light of yesterday's firing of Jeff Bzdelik, let's all acknowledge once and for all that being an NBA coach is no picnic. Sure, it's a lucrative job that is coveted by many ... but why? How many other jobs involve managing a group of employees who make much more money than you do? How many other jobs involve trying to motivate a group of employees who know that if the team does not succeed that it will be you - not them - that will pay with his job. Plus, good luck trying to motivate a group of people whose success is more or less a product of pulling a winning ticket in the genetic lottery pool. The only things that give an NBA coach a fighting chance these days is having one or more of the following:

a great NBA playing career - ideally not too long ago and preferably with at least one championship ring

a big fat contract as evidence that management actually might support the coach through tough times

the unqualified support of his best player ... and last but not least

a large physical presence. Remember, the average NBA player today is 6'7" and 225 pounds.

For all these reasons, coaching in the NBA is much tougher than being a manager in the big leagues or a head coach in the NFL. Ever wonder why coaches such as Jeff Bzdelik, Jeff Van Gundy, Stan Van Gundy and Lawrence Frank look so worn out all the time? Because they are! It's amazing that they've gotten as far as they have in this profession, but - regardless of what they accomplish - they'll still never be more than one extended losing streak away from having to wonder about their job security.

Nuggets Fire Bzdelik

Last season, the Denver Nuggets improved by 26 games -- the sixth-best turnaround in NBA history -- to reach the playoffs for the first time in nine years. And they didn't just reach the playoffs, they gave Minnesota all it could handle in a five-game first-round series. But then this season starts out a disappointing 13-15. Sure, Voshon Lenard, the team's only outside shooter blew out his Achilles' in the opener. And sure, Kenyon Martin really is just a good, solid player ... not the $86 million franchise stud Kiki Vandeweghe hoped he would be. And sure, Carmelo Anthony continues to make more headlines for being an immature stoner off the court than he does for being an impact player on the court. Injuries have forced the team to use 10 different starting lineups. So no need to panic yet, right? Wrong! The Nuggets fired coach Jeff Bzdelik because he is obviously to blame for Lenard's injury, Martin's lack of superstar impact and Anthony's immaturity. Wasn't this the same guy that got lots of credit for giving the typically pathetic franchise a hardworking, defensive-minded identity? Did he suddenly forget how to coach? Or did the players begin to believe the hype that they were now an elite team (WRONG!) and that they could win games just by showing up and going through the motions (WRONG!). It's most likely the latter. And while Vandeweghe has done a good job as GM of this team, he overpaid for Martin and does not yet have enough talent on this roster to be a force in the Western Conference. Perhaps the Nuggets will respond better to Bzdelik's replacement, Michael Cooper, who at least has the NBA pedigree that seems almost a prerequisite to command the attention and respect of today's NBA players. At least until that inevitable day when they tune Cooper out as well and he - like Bzdelik - pays for it with his job.