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Denver Nuggets: A look at Kiki Vandeweghe’s Nuggets career

By Mathew Huff

DENVER - JUNE 27: Denver Nuggets General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe and draft pick Carmelo Anthony walk together to a press conference at the Pepsi Center on June 27, 2003 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER - JUNE 27: Denver Nuggets General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe and draft pick Carmelo Anthony walk together to a press conference at the Pepsi Center on June 27, 2003 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Kiki Vandeweghe is one of the lesser known Denver Nuggets greats and it is time for that to change.

Kiki Vandeweghe was one of the first stars the Denver Nuggets organization ever possessed. He even formed an overlooked big three in the early 1980’s with two of the greatest Nuggets of all time in Dan Issel and Alex English.

It is a pity that squad did not go further. If all three of those players’ primes would have linked up at the same time, Denver might already boast a Larry O’Brien trophy as of right now. What’s done is done though.

Vandeweghe actually started his career off averaging a field goal percentage of only 42.6%. However, he just got better and better after his rookie year. The peak of his career came in the 1983-84 season when he put up impressive numbers of 29.4 points per game, an effective field goal percentage of 56.2% and a three point percentage of 36.7%.

People simply do not realize how versatile this guy was throughout his Denver Nuggets tenure. He would eventually move on and finish his career with stints with the division rival Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks and finally the Los Angeles Clippers, but where he left his mark was in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado.

Everyone knows about his tenure with the Denver Nuggets as a GM. But really, everyone should remember what he brought to the table as a player and a Denver Nuggets legend. He was one of the most underrated players. Not just in the decade of the 1980’s, but of all time. It is too bad he did not get a ring. A statement we seem to say too much when discussing a former Denver Nuggets player.

Next: Denver's top 10 disappointments this season

If only he hadn’t moved on to Portland before Lever and English got the Nuggets to a Western Conference Finals in the 1985-86 season. Just maybe, Denver might have a trophy of their own.

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