Nuggets coach George Karl expects that director of player personnel Mark Warkentien will remain the team's designated negotiator on basketball matters through the 2006-07 season, and the Nuggets' front office will operate as a team as it has since the departure of Kiki Vandeweghe.
"I think it's going to be a team structure," Karl said Saturday about how the Nuggets will run basketball operations. "I think we're all going to do it together."
According to the Rocky Mountain News, shortly after Vandeweghe's contract as general manager was not renewed May 5, the Nuggets instituted a team structure to take them through Wednesday's NBA draft. Warkentien was named to lead the draft and be the team's designated negotiator on basketball matters.
Warkentien is working with assistant general managers David Fredman and Jeff Weltman, although neither is said to be under contract for next season.
The Nuggets apparently have not made a lot of headway toward bringing in any other front-office officials, and those close to the situation don't foresee anything happening until late July at the earliest. But it doesn't appear any executive will be brought in to have a role similar to Vandeweghe's.
"We're going to add some people," Karl said of the front office. "There could be some changes in philosophy, but it's not major changes."