Nuggets head coach George Karl has taken the art of the alibi to a new low.

Karl, who has never taken the Nuggets past the first round of the playoffs, earlier this week threw a fellow coach -- and allegedly a friend -- under the bus, blaming him at least in part for the Nuggets' woes.

Karl's penchant for excuses and predilection for whining has only grown over the years. But it hit new heights this week when took an unbelievable cheap shot at former Nuggets coach and current Colorado boss Jeff Bzdelik on an edition of ESPN's "Outside the Lines.".

In a segment devoted to the possibility of NBA coaches being too close to referees in the league, Karl had this to say:

"There are a couple referees that I think Jeff Bzdelik was very good friends with that we think we have trouble with here in Denver. Jeff Bzdelik has told me about some of his friendships. I'm paranoid of those relationships."

The inference, of course, is that the unnamed referees are somehow extracting some kind of revenge for the Nuggets' firing of Bzdelik.

Ridiculous on the surface, and even more ludicrous when examined closely.

At least Karl got the paranoid part right. It's a wonder he isn't seeing black helicopters in the Pepsi Center rafters and CIA operatives in the concession stands.

Bzdelik, naturally, was incensed when informed of Karl's hallucinations. On an overseas recruiting trip, Bzdelik released this statement on Tuesday in response to Karl's pathetic accusations:

"I have been insulted with a slanderous and untrue statement. I resent his attack on both my integrity and respect for the game."

The sad part is that Karl and Bzdelik are supposed to be friends. But Karl, obviously feeling the heat from his inability to do anything more with the Nuggets than his predecessor, has evidently enlisted Oliver Stone as a confidant. Conspiracies, it seems, abound -- so much so, that Karl felt it necessary to reveal on national television what were obviously private conversations with a friend.In George's world, friends are apparently a necessary sacrifice when it comes to reputation -- and Karl's reputation is taking a beating in Denver.

Bzdelik, you'll remember, managed to take the Nuggets to the first round of the playoffs with rookie Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and not much else.

But Bzdelik was fired early in the following season when it became apparent that Anthony wouldn't play Bzdelik's style. Michael Cooper then lasted only a short while as the interim coach before Karl arrived.

Karl guided the Nuggets into the playoffs, where they lost in the first round. Nevertheless, he was ordained as the Nuggets' savior -- and the savior has been stuck in the same rut ever since, despite the addition of Kenyon Martin and Allen Iverson.

Last year, Karl had two first-team NBA All-Stars (Iverson and Anthony), a former defensive player of the year (Camby) and a healthy Martin.

The result was a broom job at the hands of the Lakers in the first round.

So who's to blame?

Not Melo, not Karl, not Iverson, not Martin and not any of the minions in the Nuggets' front office whose main job it is to trip over themselves trying to kiss the behind of owner Stan Kroenke.

Nope, the culprit behind the Nuggets' woes is ... Jeff Bzdelik?

Under normal circumstances, Karl would be ashamed of such statements.

But there's apparently not much normal in the Delusional World of George.