The Denver Nuggets fired coach Jeff Bzdelik today while in the midst of a six game losing streak and having lost eight of their last 10. The team was expected to be a contender in the NBA's strong Western Conference. Assistant Coach Michael Cooper was named as interim coach.

The Nuggets have struggled with injuries this season but have a wealth of talent. At present, they are 13-15 on the season despite having stars like Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony and Andre Miller on their roster. Due to injuries, the Nuggets have already used 10 starting lineups in their first 28 games this season.

General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe said it was just time for a change for his club. 'Right now, I really felt the team needed a change,' Vandeweghe said. 'Sometimes it's nothing the head coach is doing wrong. It's just that a change of voice sometimes is the positive.'

Many of the team's performances have been lackluster and it seemed the team lacked a spark. A 19 point loss to Cleveland on December 3rd on national television was the lowpoint for the Nuggets.

'I didn't feel like the team was responding the way we had hoped,' Vandeweghe said. 'These things don't happen overnight, it's an evolution. I can't pinpoint when this trend started, but it started a while ago.'

Cooper, who played on the Lakers championship teams of the 80s with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, faces the difficult task of saving the Nuggets season. 'This is tough, but my goal now is to get us playing a little better,' Cooper told reporters. 'We'll concentrate on defense and just try to continue the winning ways this team ended last season and sort of started with at the beginning of the season.'