The Rocky Mountain News' Chris Tomasson wrote about my blog in his column today, and asked George Karl if he's aware of the site, to which the coach replied...
"The longer you're with a team, the more people like you and the more people dislike you," Karl said. "I don't think it's valuable to pay attention to that, to de-energize me and waste my energy right now."
First off, I want to sincerely thank Chris for taking the time to interview me and get my side of the story, and I applaud him for having the guts to bring up this site to the coach directly. That's journalism at its finest!
Secondly, DE-ENERGIZE?!! I don't think this blog could de-energize our coach anymore! After all, he regularly sits through three-and-a-half quarters of every game, doing a poor Phil Jackson impersonation (Phil also sits through three-and-a-half quarters, the big difference is that his Lakers run a complicated offensive scheme throughout the game, whereas the Nuggets run a, well, errr, uh...we're still not sure what they run).
The purpose of this blog is to energize the coach, the players and the entire organization. We as Nuggets fans have suffered for 14 years without winning a playoff series, 23 years since last playing in a Conference Finals and 32 years without appearing in an NBA Finals. So before we fuss over a blog de-energizing anybody, let us not forget the core facts...
-The Nuggets have two of the top-four scorers in the NBA (Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony), who are also having one of their best all-around seasons statistically. And Marcus Camby is currently the NBA's second leading rebounder and leading shot blocker, too.
-Exempting Nene (who we should be used to playing without by now anyway), the Nuggets core players have been remarkably healthy - including Camby, who has missed a career-best three games. And losing Chucky Atkins for most of the season shouldn't be a burden, but a blessing in disguise.
-Not only have the Nuggets dropped 7 games to under .500 teams, but they are 6-11 against current Western Conference playoff teams. You can live with one set of losses, but not both. For example, Utah has dropped 9 games to sub-.500 teams, but is 10-7 against Western Conference playoff teams.
-The Nuggets haven't had this much talent (or this high of a payroll) in team history, and yet they are currently 9th in conference seeding, with even a 7th or 8th seed all-but-guaranteeing a first round exit to the Lakers or Spurs.
-Karl has presided over similar implosions with talented teams in the past. As my friend Zach from Denver reminds me in regards to my never-ending dating problems: "The one constant in all these relationships is YOU!"
Friday, February 29, 2008
George Karl responds to FireGeorgeKarl.com!...
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If George Karl were any less energized he would be a door mat. When was the last time he got a technical. He hardly ever calls a timeout or raises his blood pressure.
Please don't rip on "Amazing Grace and Chuck" in anymore posts. That movie and Ladybugs are two of the most underrated sports movies of all time.
My season tix are close to the Nuggets bench and I am able to observe Karl during timeouts. I do not think it is accurate to say that he lacks energy. At times I wish I were more animated. But to suggest that his demeanor is at the root of the team's often lackluster play is, in my view, excuse-making for players who lack professionalism.
As for GK's quote about your site, what do you want or expect him to say? "Gee, it's a great site, the guy makes a really good case against me." Or how about, "Some losers just don't have anything productive to do with their time." I thought his response was both diplomatic and sensible.
Good for coach Karl to act professionally when he knows someone wants to rip on him. You say this site is to try to energize him; why don't you try to use it to energize the over paid players on his roster? Why don't you use it to try to energize the "higher ups" who make the decisions on who he has on the team. To me it appears that you are taking it on the wrong person.
Did you watch the all-star games? Did you see how disappointing it was to watch two Nuggets look less than average? You keep reminding us of the Nuggets having two of the top scorers, we know that. Keep in mind that this is a team sport and individuals need to play as a team. That should be the most important aspect, not who gets the points. Do you think Tim Duncan is worring about how many points he scores? Probably not, he is worrying about winning. That's what the two allstars need to do. If they were, they would notice that someone is open when there are four guys defending one of them.
And who cares if he sits or stands during the game? Whether he gets a technical or not? Is there a rule I am missing stating how much a coach should stand during a game to show how much they want to win? I don't get it. Do you stand or sit when you draw? Do you do better one way? Nobody tells you how to do your job, maybe you should not tell others.
I also want to point out that I think the Nuggets got coach Karl for a steal. Did you know he is one of the lowest paid coaches in the NBA. What kind of respect is that from management? Compare him to others. Management has seemed to have spent it all on their "superstar" roster that seems to show up when they want. I really don't know why you don't go after some of the players for their lack of effort. If Melo is not playing hard and GK takes him out, the fans go crazy. They just accept that that is how he is going to play and are fine with it as long as he scores. Give me a break. He scores 30 but gives up 35. We'll never win that way. So energize the team to play both ends of the floor.
dude, all star games performances mean nothing, u should know that.
My point is they only play when they think it matters. They bring that same mentality each night. Only, they don't think every game matters and are finding out it might come back to haunt them. Based on the past, they play hard when it comes down to the final games to make it in. They will have to bring that playoff intensity a little bit before playoffs in order to get in. There will be no resting until the last loss of the season.
LOVE THE WEBSITE!! Good Job!! I am a long time season ticket holder who gave up our tics because of 'Coach Caustic'. Long time overdue for him to go - he cannot coach defense, he cannot develop players and he cannot coach in the playoffs.
See ya Georgie Porgie....
Another awful 'win' tonight at Pepsi Center. Blowing a 13 point lead to the lowly Clippers isn't the way to head out on a tough stretch of games. Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, the tools that they are, played to the crowd, as if it was a series clinching game 7 comeback. Still no defensive effort from this 'team'. Who the hell is Al Thornton?
All that matters to most of the blind idiots that come to get fat on Nachos and see what funny antics Rocky is up to is that it's a W. Karl is safe. They won. They stole a game from a horrible team at home. Bravo.
This post is a little dated, but I just discovered this site. Regardless, it still applies.
The 2006-07 Denver Nuggets were composed of many excellent players that
just couldn't get it together. With a roster full of NBA veterans, the only missing ingredient was team leadership and that's what Coach Karl could not provide. I say that George Karl couldn’t do the job because he was not a leader, not a man of conviction and not the guy that those players would follow into battle - what he was and still is, is a democrat. Now before anyone says that the Coach's politics are irrelevant, I would remind them that, George Karl loudly proclaimed his own liberal leanings on the KFAN broadcast of Wednesday, November 8th, 2006. That morning, I purposefully tuned into Sports Radio, in order to avoid listening to any partisan gloating, after the disastrous 2006 Mid-term elections. In an unsolicited remark, the first words out of Karl's mouth were, "Thank g-d that the democrats finally won".
Not only should the Coach have kept his politics to himself, but by revealing who he is 'politically', he gave us all we need to know about why the Nuggets were, at best, mediocre at that time.
Democrats may be capable of leading in peaceful times (i.e. Clinton), but in times of strife, when true leadership is required, a Liberal is a liability. A wishy-washy, politically correct, 'let's all just get along' mentality is a formula for failure. Real men, like the Nuggets players, do not respond well to a leader like Karl, they sense his internal weakness and his lack of personal conviction and fortitude, which is exemplified by his self-proclaimed Liberalism.
It’s not a question of whether I like Karl or not, it’s a question about his ability to be a leader of men during times of adversity. When he first came here in 2006 and they made the second half run, the Nuggets needed a coach who knew basketball and it worked. After adding Iverson, Carter and Smith to a line up of players who already knew basketball, what was lacking was a coach who inspired leadership. Those players wouldn't say it, and perhaps they weren't so politically astute, but in their hearts they sensed Karl's inherent lack of conviction (which was consistent with his liberal leanings) and they did not respond.
It'd be like asking our troops to follow Harry Reid into battle or thinking that Barack Obama would stand up to World opinion, George Karl didn't have the character to command the 'Good Ship Nugget' and its All-Star crew and that's why that 'dream team' couldn't succeed. And the same remains true this season as well.
One need look no further than the Front Page headline of Thursday’s Rocky Mountain News (5/3/07) to see why the Nugs went down in flames; Spurs won, Nuggets done, Karl likes outlook. On the very morning after getting humiliated in Texas, Couch Karl wanted everyone to just “move on”. Forget the fact that, after all the Iverson hoopla, his team barely matched the 2005-06 post-season record. Forget about apologizing to the fans who paid big bucks for tickets, jerseys and gear. Forget about accepting responsibility for letting down the entire Colorado Sports Community, George Karl, just like your garden-variety democrat, was too busy ‘spinning’ to actually deal with the fact that he failed.
Not a day goes by that some prominent democrat isn’t whining about our
involvement in Iraq. “Oh it’s too hard, nobody likes us anymore, (its) an
‘unpopular’ war – we want to get out, boo-hoo, boo-hoo.” And just like
Coach Karl, they don’t want to address the consequences of their actions,
the results of their cowardice and their weakness of purpose; Genocide,
America dishonored, Al Qaeda operating with impunity and enormous oil wealth
out of Iraqi bases and an ever-emboldened Iran.
It no surprise, that back then George Karl “liked the outlook for this 2007-08 season”, when serious sportscasts like Sandy Clough, consistently gave him a big, fat pass and put all the blame on his ‘troops’ for the Nuggets unceremonious exit from the 2007 Play Offs. And by the way, what was with all that metro sexual hugging after losing game five, in round one, last season? Let’s get a coach who prefers shaking an opponent’s hand in victory rather than one who went all mushy, squishy, kissy-soft in defeat and didn’t even feign disappointment much less accept personal responsibility.
The Nuggets will never be winners while their coach is a loser – send George Karl back to Seattle, his latte is getting cold.
shut the fuck up. pollitics have absolutely nothing to do with anything here. Go spew your garbage on the drudge report or some other politically related blog site.
With all due respect to the owner/webmaster of this site.....Are the MAJORITY of the posters here idiots?! I am not a Nuggets fan and I have not really followed the NBA in several years, as I view the majority of the current pro athletes as spoiled cry babies, but I do know the following:
1) George Karl has won everywhere he has coached: Seattle, Milwaukee, etc...In each case he had taken an underachieving team and made them a perennial winner. I am sure if the players ever start playing as a team and not individuals that he will accomplish the same in Denver. And for those of you that same it isn't the palyers, every time I see or hear anything regarding Carmelo it is with regard to why HE isn't keeping up with Lebron as the next greatest player in the NBA. Tell me that won't put pressure on you.
2) Regarding the coaches political affiliation, that is so funny. So he is a Democrat, what does that have to do with coaching a team to the championship? I bet Phil Jackson is probably the biggest liberal coaching in the NBA, and has that stopped him from winning championships?
My suggestion would be to stop and think before you write. Sure there are things that I personally don't like, but at the end of the day you should be proud and responsible for what you say.
QUESTION: I'm a Sixers fan-- watching the Nuggets game tonight. We're up 108-105 with 5 min to go in the game. Who's that guy with the dreadlocks sitting behind George Carl? He seems kind of tense-- he gets upset with every call. I thought he might be the owner of the team, but he doesn't look like it... Any idea? BTW, the Sixers didn't do a ton with Iverson either-- he needs some good role players around him, which (I agree) you do seem to have. Although we did get to the finals in 2001. Later, Brian
The guy behind the bench is Steve Hess, the conditioning coach. Every year his hair gets longer and now he is acting like a mini-coach. A little too tense. Anyway I came to this site to see if it has support. It is a good website, Karl's attorney that popped off is a sign that the site hits a little too close to home to Karl. The Nuggets have the pieces, the injury excuse is B.S., Kenyon has been healthy all year, reigning defensive MVP, a young "franchise" player, a HOF guard, a decent bench and they will miss the playoffs. The blame can only be laid at Karls' feet- defense is a team mindset and he has yet to instill it in 2 1/2 years. And to the blogger that said he won in Seattle and Milwaukee, won what? One trip to the finals? He's gotta go- Kroenke is getting ripped off.
I have one question for all of you. Does the head coach have any input into decisions regarding players?
It seems only logical that the head coach should be consulted when players are considered for the team. I do not believe that this happens within the Nuggets.
So then, who then makes these decisions for the team?
Laying the blame on one person does not make any sense when there is a much bigger problem within the organization.
hmmm. we can talk all we want about ai and melo's individual performances. true, they both have issues on offense and defense. but guess what? the entire squad is NOT responding to George Karl's coaching 'METHOD'. That's the reason, I believe, behind FIREGEORGEKARL dot com. Team lacks discipline..thats the job of the coach and his assistants. team doesn't play consistent defense....that's the job of the coach and his assistants... on and on and on
Hopefully Larry Brown or Jeff Van Gundy will step in, once George is gone. Because, it's not a matter of 'if', it's a matter of 'when' he gets fired.
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