Dan Issel is relaxing. Hard to picture, isn't it? There are those who swear he's back in Denver, tan and smiling after a couple of weeks chillin' in Tucson, but skepticism is permitted, maybe even warranted. He sounded relaxed over the phone, baritone voice bubbling like some late-night FM disc jockey, but you know how that goes.

Issel lounging poolside in the desert with something tall and cool is as hard to picture as, say, the Denver Nuggets without Issel, powering his way to the hoop in a technicolored jersey or standing courtside in a suit, arms crossed high on his chest, sneering at an official. It was a world-class sneer, dripping with disgust, but nobody did full-throttle rage quite so convincingly -- mug mottled in various shades of red, spittle flying as he vibrated like a struck tuning fork, nose scrunched like a drawn sword and jaw snapping like a bear trap.

You've heard that old saying, "He bit my head off"? Issel perpetuated if not outright inspired it, because that's what he appeared on the verge of doing whenever he went after some poor official.

And, no, that's not a signal that a Mark Cuban rant will be part of this week's column. It could be about where Cuban is potentially headed, I suppose, since the Mavs owner is becoming as inextricably linked with his franchise's image as Issel became with the Nuggets. Issel's advice: Not a good idea.

The general impression is that yelling a racist remark at a Hispanic heckler ultimately cost Issel his job as President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach, but Issel says that's only half right. He was free and clear to resume his duties and continues to do community-service work for the franchise, but the incident convinced him he couldn't run the Nuggets anymore because doing so felt akin to a surgeon operating on himself. The doctor was just a little too close to the patient to think or act rationally under duress.

"Serving my entire adult life with this organization, I had difficulty seeing where the Nuggets ended and I began," he says. "At times I thought I was the Denver Nuggets. If a player was underachieving, I took it personally. When Nick asked to be traded, it was like being kicked in the gut."

That would be Nick Van Exel, who Issel gave, two seasons ago, a seven-year deal potentially worth $77 million. It's probably not coincidental that Issel answered a fan's insult with an insult immediately after a three-point loss to Charlotte and two days after Nick made his trade demand public. Issel concedes that front-office Dan didn't do well by courtside Dan. Imagine working two jobs for a company you see as simply an extension of yourself. Imagine part of you resenting another part because of how you're performing. Housing Sigourney Weaver's Alien for a week, comparatively, would be a treat.

Issel wouldn't offer details, but he's undergoing anger-management therapy. "I am getting some help," he said. "I don't kick my dog or punch the wall, but the anger was coming out way too much." He plans to take the rest of this season off and could be joining ESPN as a basketball analyst when it begins broadcasting NBA games next season. He would like to coach again, though, if for no other reason than he'd like to leave on different terms.

"I feel in my heart I did a good job coaching that team," he says. "I'd like another chance."

Just not in Denver.

AND ONES: The Desert Classic is no more. The pre-draft showcase won't be held this year, supposedly because too few draft-quality players attend to make it worthwhile for the host-team Suns. That leaves the Portsmouth Invitational and the Moody Bible Institute scrimmages in Chicago as the lone pre-draft platforms for lesser names hoping to slip into the first round ... The NBA is planning to construct a media website where officials can put video clips and rule interpretations ...

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com.