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KRIEGER: Karl likely casualty if Nuggets fail

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 27, 2008 at 6:34 p.m.

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George Karl knows how these things work. He can hear the hounds baying.

He is coaching an $80 million basketball team and sweating to make the playoffs. Three days after a stirring home victory over the Celtics, it surrendered to the Bulls and Bucks, a pair of Eastern also-rans. Sometimes his team shows up and sometimes it doesn't. When you pull up the usual suspects for that, the coach is at the top of the list.

"There's no question that our team's up and down performance frustrates a coach," he said the other day.

"The frustration of the same problems over a two-year period or a three-year period bothers people. When you're losing for doing the same things, sometimes 'stupid' comes to be the word that you evaluate yourself as. But I think if you're going to label us stupid, you'd better label us better, too."

He is comparing the record to last season at this point, which is fair enough. On the other hand, when Karl first showed up a little more than three years ago, he took over a 17-25 team and coached it up to 32-8 the rest of the way, finishing with 49 wins. The Nuggets haven't reached that total since, even after acquiring Allen Iverson to play with Carmelo Anthony.

For most of his coaching career, Karl has been criticized for being too explosive, getting on his players too much and too publicly. Suddenly, at 56, the question is whether he puts up with too much.

"The only thing I want my team to realize is what they can be and who they can be," he said. "If I go negative, they're never going to realize who they can be. If I go negative, we're just going to fight each other and beat each other up. Now, am I as tough? There's a change in me, but I don't go crazy in front of the camera because I don't want to. That's not who I want to be.

"In the locker room, though, I think I've been pretty crazy a couple of times. Now, how many times can you go crazy? This team pushes the limit. I shouldn't have to go in the locker room as many times as I go in the locker room to go crazy. They should have more maturity, to understand that they've got to do this on their own. I can't do it for them."

The late Jack McMahon once told Karl a coach can go off on his team no more than six times a year. More than that is counterproductive, he said.

By his own count, Karl has exceeded that number already this season. "And most of the time, it has worked," he said.

"But beating up your team doesn't work all the time. And sometimes there's a negative flow to the players of today. There's a reaction. Ten years ago, 15 years ago, I don't think there was as much reaction to a coach being angry. Now, sometimes you've got to evaluate what you're going to get."

In part, the focus of the Nuggets' failures falls on Karl because you can't fire the players, and in part because it's difficult to assign responsibility in the organization's three-headed front office. Who decided they couldn't afford to bring back point guard Steve Blake? Was it vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien? Was it vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman? Was it adviser Bret Bearup? Or was it owner Silent Stanley Kroenke himself, putting his foot down on a payroll already well into luxury tax territory?

Who decided all the money should be at the front of the roster, leaving such a short bench?

"I don't know of any other coach who could get through to these guys as much as I'm getting through to them," Karl insisted. "They're not the easiest bunch of guys to motivate or coach and fit together. You're playing with two scorers without a point guard a lot of the time. You're playing with big guys that are really talented and really good, but sometimes we don't fit them into the puzzle well.

"There's just a kind of dichotomy of talent. But when it works it's really fun and really powerful. And I think it's more powerful than it's ever been. Now, it's also ugly at times. There's also points where, wow, what the hell's going on out there?"

The Nuggets still have a chance to get it right in time for the postseason, but time is growing short. If they continue playing only when they feel like it, their coach will take much of the blame.

At the executive level, that's how the game is played, even if your coach has more than 800 career wins and his last losing season was 20 years ago. It's in the players' hands now. If they want to threaten Karl's job, all they have to do is keep doing what they're doing.

Comments

  • February 28, 2008

    7:24 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    r8rh8r writes:

    I've never been a huge George Karl fan; his style of play is very effective against lesser opponents but isn't defensive minded enough for a team that plays well in a set offense and plays great defense.

    In his defense, the culpability for the Nuggets failures rests mostly on management. Nene and K-Mart are two of the most overpaid players in the league. No team is capable of winning an NBA championship with Allen Iverson taking 20 shots per game. AI and Melo are both ranked 21st in total shooting percentage--which factors in 3's and free throws--AT THEIR POSITIONS (both have a TS% of roughly 54%). When you face a team that is getting 20 shots a game out of a guy that is shooting in the low 60's, you lose unless (1) you play great defense, which they don't or (2) you take care of the ball (rebounds and turnovers). The Nuggets are a good rebounding team but they aren't impressively efficient.

    Hiring George Karl was another mistake by management because his coaching style exposes rather than compensates for these weaknesses.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: enjoy having circus acts like AI in town while they're here and keep your expectations low. Until Denver unloads three big mistakes (AI, K-Mart, and Nene), we aren't contenders. Who are we fooling?

  • February 28, 2008

    8:03 a.m.

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    r3dgraphix writes:

    They just don't bring the intensity every night they need to win, especially against inferior opponents. Also Nene being out has hurt them. He is a force in the middle when he is right. They can still go a ways in the playoffs, if they get there as long as they can get all players back with a little time to gel.

  • February 28, 2008

    9:57 a.m.

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    Spider writes:

    Is Kenyon Martin over paid because he has been injured for so much of his tenure with Denver? If he hadn't been hurt and was able to have played at the level he is currently playing I doubt if anyone would be making those statements. Give him time and he'll more than make up for the lost time.

  • February 28, 2008

    11:50 a.m.

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    vinnyg79 writes:

    I believe that George Karl is not the coach who can lead this team to where we need to be. This team is too inconsistant, which leads right back to the head coach. I'm tired of winning one playoff game each year then losing the next four. Karl must go unless we go deep into the playoffs.

  • February 28, 2008

    1:46 p.m.

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    afeinst writes:

    It's a never good sign when your coach sounds like a fan with comments like: "There's also points where, wow, what the hell's going on out there?"

    I encourage you all to read more about the potential coaching change at www.firegeorgekarl.com - thanks!

  • February 28, 2008

    6:20 p.m.

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    Civility writes:

    I enjoy watching the Nuggets and their style of play. I also enjoy the broadcasting jobs done on Altitude. I think that Mr. Krieger is trying to stir the pot so that he can sell newspapers.

    K-Mart has been playing very well now that he is healthy. Carmelo is young and will continue to get better. AI works hard every night and Camby brings it every night. I think that George Karl and the whole team is on the fringe of putting it all together.

    The problem is that the Nuggets are in Denver and so heavy money is never on them so that they don't get the "Vegas" calls from the refs.

  • February 28, 2008

    10:42 p.m.

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    anugsfan writes:

    This article only repeats facts that any Nuggets fan who has watched even a handful of the games this year already knew : This team has no easy answers.

    George Karl. Management. Players. None by themselves is entirely the problem. None by themselves is the solution.

    The organization as a whole needs to get it together. It lacks consistency on all levels, way beyond players.

    I've always liked Dave Krieger. He was right in his article 2 weeks ago about the Nuggets not needing a trade. And thank the Lord Ron Artest is not a Nugget today, the organization would be even more upside down.

    But he's way off in this article. Karl shouldn't be fired for what's happening in the organization. Blame Kroenke. Blame Chapman. Blame Melo. Blame Stephen Hunter. Blame Nene. Blame Nuggets fans.

    Don't write an article just to kick up dirt Dave. You're a better columnist than that, and George Karl deserves better. Yes he also deserves some blame for inconsistencies of his own. But clearly he gave you answers you were after - you could've done him better justice than to hammer he alone for a coalition of ineptitude.

    As a Nuggets fan I'm learning to just deal with it and be happy with what they've got. Who knows, maybe next year if they can finally stop pushing the red button whenever it seems like fun, the organization will start moving closer to what we all hope for - a championship. Until then, let's just hope they all get better at their jobs, and we can all become more tolerant fans - especially idiots who feel the urge to create websites in favor of firing their favorite teams coach. (keep it by the water cooler - you're friends aren't impressed and nobody else cares either)

    Final thought is back to the top - not completely sold on Karl either but I'm not sold on anything in this organization. Show some purpose, a plan, and some direction forward into the next step, and I'll be first on board.

  • February 29, 2008

    2:41 a.m.

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    stewie_08 writes:

    Funny that if the Nuggets had the same record and were in the East, instead of looking for whose to blame, everybody would be wondering who to give the credit to for such a breakout season.

  • February 29, 2008

    10:47 p.m.

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    Butters writes:

    For anyone who thinks Karl is actually coaching this team. Take a look at the bench of any team we play and you'll notice something very distinct. The other teams' coach is up and talking to his players the entire game whilst Karl sits next to Moe and chews mints until it's time to standup for a timeout.

    That's not coaching, that's being a spectator.

  • March 1, 2008

    1:29 p.m.

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    r8rh8r writes:

    I agree with angusfan; I have a lot of fun watching this team albeit my expectations for them are very low. For all the criticism Nuggets fans (me included) lob at management, they sure have put together a team thats fun to watch. All the baby blue fans that jumped on the Melo bandwagon like they'd been there for decades are spoiled rotten: outside of a great playoff upset (hmm... of a GEORGE KARL team??) in 1995, the Nuggets have been a pitiful team to watch since Alex English left town. I'm a whole lot happier than I've been in years. I think this team represents a huge stepping stone for the franchise; however, we just aren't championship material in this league.

  • March 3, 2008

    2:18 p.m.

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    mark79trans writes:

    Sounds pretty stupid to blame a coach for injuries and personnel issues. First things first, there is no way the Nuggets will ever be contenders without a point guard. Second, they will never be contenders with their power forwards injured. This will be the third lost year by Nene (he is a waist of roster and salary cap)...he started to play somewhat well at the end of last year...now he is gone again. Martin was gone for a couple years. They have way too many small forwards, and they have very little perimeter shooting. They have an extremely expensive payroll with little productivity from two of the money men (well, three). Although Camby can block shots, he gives them no post presence at all. The front three is pretty anemic if you ask me. Anthony can dazzle a crowd but doesn't give the team what it needs night in and out. I think Karl is doing well given the cards he has been dealt by the Nuggets organization. They would be a strong team in the East, but not a championship team; they don't have all the pieces to be a championship team. However, they are fun to watch.