DENVER – Had a call two summers ago been placed a few weeks earlier, Kiki Vandeweghe might have been sitting on the Nets’ bench last night instead of behind Denver’s.

After Rod Thorn hired Byron Scott to be the Nets head coach in June 2000, he sought Vandeweghe, regarded as a master skills teacher, as an assistant coach.

“I had a good situation in Dallas, but New Jersey was really intriguing,” said Vandeweghe, now the Nuggets’ GM. “I had a lot of confidence in Byron, whom I’ve known for years, and I’m good friends with Rod. New Jersey hadn’t been doing well. It was very late in the summer when I got the call and I had committed to a lot of things in Dallas already. It was hard to get out of those commitments. [Owner] Mark Cuban made it an unbelievable situation. I worked with players on and off the court. I did front-office duties, working trade scenarios.”

So instead of joining Ed Jordan and Mike O’Koren on Scott’s staff, Vandeweghe stayed in Dallas and eventually came here as general manager. When he looks at the Nets, he sees a young, exciting team, much like what he’s trying to build in Denver.

“They are young and really talented,” Vandeweghe said of the Nets. “With Jason Kidd, one of those few players in the league who really makes other guys a lot better, you can see they’re enjoying the game, having fun.”