Karl teed off at NBA officials

Coach says league picks on Nuggets, cites suspension

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 02:49 p.m., April 4, 2008
Updated 09:43 p.m., April 4, 2008

Joe Mahoney / The Rocky

Nuggets coach George Karl has only one technical foul this season, but his players have a league-most 50.

They appear to be the Oakland Raiders of the NBA. With 51 technicals this season, the Nuggets are by far the league's most penalized team.

But when technical No. 50 also became a flagrant foul and resulted in a one-game suspension for Kenyon Martin, Nuggets coach George Karl thought it was piling on by the NBA.

"I just think we get picked on," Karl said Friday. "I think there's a harder core judgment to our guys than some other guys."

After a review, the NBA announced Thursday that a Martin technical Tuesday for hitting Phoenix's Boris Diaw in the face also was a flagrant foul 1. That put the Nuggets forward one point over five flagrant foul points for the season, resulting in a suspension he'll serve tonight against Sacramento.

"I think it's wrong and (I'm) shocked," Karl said. "I don't comprehend the decision. . . . I feel there's some hypocrisy."

That isn't all Karl is having a hard time comprehending. He also said Friday officials don't call enough fouls against guard Allen Iverson, and, if they did, the Nuggets would "win a lot more games."

As for Martin's suspension, Karl was "extremely angry" Thursday. He said he had an "aggressive" conversation with Stu Jackson, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations.

"I hate to use the word fair and nonbiased," said Karl, his Nuggets (46-29) in a tight race to make the playoffs. "This is a major decision. It comes at a difficult time. . . . It feels more biased or more prejudice or hypocritical than it probably would have felt in January."

Martin declined comment. An NBA spokesman said Jackson was unavailable Friday, but he did speak Thursday to the Rocky Mountain News.

"We have to administer the rules across the board for all teams and all players as consistently as we can," Jackson said. "It's unfortunate . . . the suspension (of Martin) comes at an inopportune time."

This hardly is the first time Karl has had issues with NBA discipline. He was displeased with a one-game suspension for Martin in December and with three players being suspended a total of 26 games after a December 2006 brawl at New York.

"We're not an All-American team," said Karl, asked why he believes the Nuggets are picked on. "We're an emotional team that plays kind of explosive and then we get angry, and we've shown some emotional frustrations on the court in a negative way at times."

Karl admits the Nuggets can be their own worst enemy. While Karl has only one technical, his players have 50 this season, with Carmelo Anthony (11), Linas Kleiza (10) and Martin (10) the main culprits.

"I've said to the team three or four times that emotionally, I think you should settle down and let me do the work," Karl said. "Referees are human. The more you yell at them, the more they're not going to like you."

Karl doesn't believe officials always give the Nuggets a fair shake.

"It seems like, when some teams play, that every little touch is a whistle," said Karl, who said Denver has sent tapes of incidents to the NBA. "If you gave that whistle to A.I., we'd win a lot more games."

Karl wasn't the only one expressing frustration Friday.

"I don't know about Kenyon's flagrant fouls," Nuggets center Marcus Camby said. "Some of them were probably questionable."

Martin has four flagrant 1s and one flagrant 2, which was changed from a 1 three days after it was committed Dec. 12. In making that determination, the NBA also suspended Martin from the Dec. 15 game at San Antonio.

"Both times, they've taken their time making the decision," said Karl, saying that hampers Denver's preparation.

Another flagrant 1 this season by Martin would result in a one- game suspension and another flagrant 2 a two-game penalty.

"It's hard, because Kenyon's emotional, and he has to play with a chip," Karl said. "Some of the games, he might be tested."

At least Anthony, Kleiza and Martin have some leeway with technicals. A player doesn't get a one-game suspension until he reaches 16.

• April 4, 2008

  3:16 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  kmeissner writes:

  Good for you! Speak up! Tim Duncan can never do anything wrong according to the NBA. I think they need to fire ALL the refs and replace them with non-biased, fresh ones.

• April 4, 2008

  4:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  reddog writes:

  Ditto kmeissner, If they aren't making the wrong call there betting $$ on the game.

• April 4, 2008

  5 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  hlucki writes:

  The Nuggets should not even be in this situation. With the talent they have they should have walked away with their division, but yet the are crying foul. If Anthony would play as hard as Iverson, they would be dangerous, but he is so lazy, they should trade the schmo. As far as the suspension goes, hey if the shoe fits. Playing emotional is one thing, but getting angry and throwing needless fouls because they are a bunch of cry babies. Get a life Nuggets. Take some professional lessons for the Av's.

• April 4, 2008

  5:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Broncos4Life writes:

  I totally agree with hlucki. The Nuggets are very talented, but they lack maturity and desire for the most part. Crying about it does'nt win games, but when the coach does it, do you really wonder why the players do it? It all starts at the top!

• April 4, 2008

  5:57 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Coltgm writes:

  All we ask is a fair decision. In this same game Shak almost pulls Melo's shoulder out holding him and in the previous game he actually loosened two of Yakuba's teeth with an elbow. Just call it even that is all I ask. There are teams and players that are a lot more physical than the Nuggets. I do agree that the Nuggets have put themselves in a bad situation by not giving 100% every night. Do this and there will be no need for elbows and crying from either side. With the talent we have going at 100% every night no game would be close.
  It is great to see JR Smith play he has improved by hard work and goes 100% every night. He is the "Punisher" of Basketball right now and I am proud of him and the turnaround he has made.

• April 4, 2008

  8:04 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BMat writes:

  If Kmart's not collecting tech's he's driving thru Cherry Creek at over 100MPH or getting into nationally televised fights with his head coach.

  Clearly he makes bad decisions on and off the court. You'd have to be a jock sniffing appologist to not see that.

  Karl's a hypocrite. He suspended Martin last year himself b/c of Martin's boorish behaviour. Ohhh, but when the refs have a problem with the same bad behaviour then they're just picking on poe widdow Kmawt?!

  Gimme a break, OK?

• April 5, 2008

  12:14 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  whatev writes:

  The friggen Nuggets lead the league in free throws taken! How many does Karl want? I wonder how far the dribble the ball until you can run into a defender offense will take them in the playoffs.

  How about a pick and roll!

• April 5, 2008

  9:51 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  SunsFan writes:

  For those of you whining about the bad calls, I say "Welcome to the club!" The Nuggets might have lost Mr. Personality for a game, but the Suns lost their best defender during the game because he laughed at something Amare said to him and a sensitive ref decided to throw him out of the game. Denver shot about twice as many free throws during the game and yet the Suns still came close to whipping them on their home court. Get used to the fact that you wont get the calls since you are a small market team. If you were called the LA Nuggets, your sullen forward could foul the C*R*A*P out of anybody he wanted and the league would look the other way. When I heard Karl moaning about how the ref's and the league were not "fair and nonbiased", I just had to comment. I think Karl was handed that game on a silver platter by the ref's. To bitch about the league going back and "fixing" some of the bad calls after the fact is like complaining that you have to pay taxes on the lottery jackpot that you just won.

• April 5, 2008

  10:53 a.m.

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  Cwillyrun1 writes:

  Sunsfan, whipping the Nuggets on their home court? Please, you obviously didn't watch the game. The Suns were lucky more calls weren't made, and especially on Shaq THE hack for purposely trying to injure Melo late in the 4th quarter. Where's the flagrant 2 on that one? Your team ain't all that, and this isn't the NHL so if you want make up calls, go watch the NHL, and your Coyotes get flushed down the toilet like a hard, corn-filled turd. Wasn't it just the night before in Phoenix that the Suns had a disparity in calls in their favor? Yep, but I'm sure you didn't want to bring that up. And if you don't like the fact your player got kicked out, deal with being a small market team (although San Antonio, probably the smallest market of all in the NBA, gets calls, so how do you explain that?). Take your own advice. Anyway, Karl has a good point about the refs and their calls. The refs S U C K! I can bring up so many examples over the season, it's pathetic. I used to think MLB had the worst officiating, but it's all on the NBA now.

• April 5, 2008

  12:28 p.m.

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  TheVentilator writes:

  They took San Antonio all the way to a title last year,; why is anyone surprised? Billy Donovan is their Buddah!

• April 5, 2008

  1:34 p.m.

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  ChipFu writes:

  To SunsFan, I agree that the Suns also don't get any respect from the officials. You would think with Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Shaq that you'd earn some calls, but they really don't.

  But honestly, with the game the Nuggets play, with AI and Melo taking it strong to the rim constantly, they deserve more foul calls. That they get so many free throws only shows you what kind of game they play. I'm trying not to be a total homer, but Melo really does get fouled almost everytime he takes it inside. Take a close look at it sometime. I don't blame him for getting fired up and getting T's.

  The ref's really do hate the Nuggets, and that's just something you have to deal with. I sat right underneath the basket at last season's Spurs/Nuggets playoff series, and it was unreal how bad that game was called. A Thugget (how we're perceived) breathed on a Spur and got whistled. Melo or AI gets punched in the face, and there's no whistle. Most frustrating thing I've seen.

• April 6, 2008

  9:14 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  ShepDog writes:

  hlucki,
  You don't know the game very well if you think Melo is lazy. He works harder than any other player on the team getting rebounds and posting up. He gets hacks constantly and rarely gets a call. Watch the games instead of simply reading the news paper the next morning, then make your comments.