The Carmelo Anthony vs. George Karl Era is upon us...

by Andrew Feinstein on Jun 22, 2008 8:01 PM MDT Comment 21 comments

All Denver sports fans remember this famous Sports Illustrated cover from 1993 featuring John Elway vs. Dan Reeves and the era that led up to it: in spite of multiple Super Bowl appearances, the star player butted heads with the old-school coach, the coach wanted say over personnel decisions and tried to oust the player, but ultimately management/ownership sided with the player and fired the coach.

This experience should have prepared us for the Carmelo Anthony vs. George Karl Era, which technically kicked off when Melo yelled "just don't sit there!" at Karl for all within earshot to hear during the Nuggets Game 3 blowout loss at home to the Lakers, and Melo's postgame assertion that the coaches - and the players - quit during the game. But now, with ESPN.com reporting that Karl is ready to trade Anthony, their alleged "feud" will be the topic of conversation until one of them is gone. And like the Elway vs. Reeves situation, according to several reports Denver Nuggets management is not only keeping Carmelo Anthony, they are assuring his agent Calvin Andrews on Monday that the future of the team will be built around Anthony.

Wow.

First of all, add this to the list of examples where Karl and the Nuggets management troika of Mark Warkentien, Bret Bearup and Rex Chapman have differed on player personnel decisions (like the non-Ron Artest trade). And so much for Karl's prior claims that the Nuggets brass supports him and they're all on the same page. If Karl does indeed want Anthony out of Denver as ESPN.com reported (and given that Karl has not once emphatically said that he wants Melo back next season, there's no reason to believe otherwise), this is a slap in the face by management.

Secondly, it's the right decision. As I said when setting the record straight on the Melo trade debate, if the Nuggets trade Melo just to pacify Karl, it would be the biggest travesty for a franchise littered with historical travesties. Such a stupid decision would rival the Warriors trade of Chris Webber because head coach Don Nelson didn't want to deal with him. This doesn't mean Melo is untradeable per se, it just means you don't trade him on Karl's behalf. Only three or four coaches in the entire NBA have earned the right to decide what players should come and go, and Karl's 3-16 playoff record as the Nuggets' headmaster puts him far, far away from that short list.

Thirdly, this sets up the biggest soap opera in the NBA going into the 2008-09 season. I thought Karl could have salvaged the situation by being the bigger man (figuratively, of course) and standing up for Anthony this offseason as Melo has had to endure the aftermath of a terrible postseason, the DUI debacle and the never ending trade rumors. Instead, Karl has given us classic, unsupportive Karl quotes such as: "We’re going to keep all windows of opportunity and windows of advancement and betterment…open."

Therefore, don't be surprised if Karl mails in another season as he continues to dare management to fire him for keeping players on the roster that he's either a) not capable of coaching or b) has no desire to coach.

Hey, at least Dan Reeves knew how to coach defense!

0 recs | Comment 21 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

When will the management wake up to the disarray this team is in and get rid of Karl? Supposedly its his team, but none of the players want to listen to him. So you can either blow up the team and build it so Karl is pacified, or you can fire Karl and get a coach that will actually COACH with the talent we currently have. I am not saying that our players all mesh real well, but Karl is the main problem. We can get better players or get rid of whoever and get someone else in, but nobody is going to listen to Karl. He was a moron when he was an announcer prior to his coaching stint here in denver, so I never figured out why we picked him up in the first place. Complete waste of the last few years having him as our coach.

by Anonymous on Jun 22, 2008 8:24 PM MDT reply actions

Please tell me that's a real SI cover!

by Eric on Jun 22, 2008 10:46 PM MDT reply actions

Hey Eric -

It's a mockup of a real SI cover that featured John Elway vs. Dan Reeves in 1993. I also linked to this in my post:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/9392/index.htm

-Andrew

by denverstiffs@gmail.com on Jun 22, 2008 10:51 PM MDT reply actions

How much more proof does the Nuggets' management want? George Karl is a [expletive] moron. Just because he can't coach Carmelo Anthony, it doesn't mean that Melo has to be traded. If you can't coach him, just leave already. Tell the management it's you, and not the team, and just go. I'm so sick of reading all of these articles. If George Karl thinks this will inspire Melo to play better, (like the Dwight Howard situation this past season) then he's an idiot. It's just causing a whole lot more drama. I can't wait for everything that's going to happen next season between Karl and Melo/the rest of the team. Allen Iverson had something to say about Karl this postseason, but who is next. Someone please slap some sense into the Nuggets' management so they get rid of Karl. He doesn't deserve to coach a talented team, because he can't do ANYTHING.

by nataly on Jun 22, 2008 11:11 PM MDT reply actions

Hi Nataly, can you give me some more info on what AI said about GK?

I've been preaching about the problems at the top since last season and I want to know if the players are starting to notice the problem.

Thanks!

by NoYPi on Jun 22, 2008 11:41 PM MDT reply actions

To Noypi:

I was referring to what Allen Iverson said about George Karl when Karl pulled him out of Game Three against the Lakers during the fourth quarter. Iverson said he didn't understand why Karl pulled him out, and obviously he was frustrated with Karl's decision.

by nataly on Jun 22, 2008 11:59 PM MDT reply actions

oh ok! Thanks Nataly. I didn't see or hear about that because everytime I had my machine record the game I deleted it once I heard they lost. he he..

Thanks again. =)

by NoYPi on Jun 23, 2008 12:01 AM MDT reply actions

andrew! you gotta change this website back to www.firegeorgekarl.com

there is no reason in the world why he shouldn't be fired! just cos management said he'd be fired!

it's as if you and all of us actually fine that he's still coaching here! - WHICH WE AIN'T !

by andrew fisher on Jun 23, 2008 1:10 AM MDT reply actions

said that he won't be fired*

by andrew fisher on Jun 23, 2008 1:11 AM MDT reply actions

"George Karl is a [expletive] moron".

Couldn't agree more, Nataly. But I think you shouldn't shy from writing what he actually is: a FUCKING moron.

by Catalan on Jun 23, 2008 6:27 AM MDT reply actions

I wonder what aging veteran we'll trade Carmelo for next year.

Remember, Karl "couldn't get along" with Ray Allen in Milwaukee either. The 28 year old Allen, in the prime of his career, was traded for a 34 year old Gary Payton.

Who is turning 35 soon? Ooooh maybe we'll send Carmelo to the Mavericks for Kidd!

I hate you, George Karl.

by Chris C. on Jun 23, 2008 7:08 AM MDT reply actions

With all due respect, what you write here is ridiculous.

It is fairly common knowledge that on the way out the door, Dunlap and Moe were much
more outspoken and critical of Anthony than Karl has been. Even his enablers in management
won't say that Anthony deserves a guarantee of any kind...hell, even Anthony's own agent
supports them on this point!

You can believe, as you obviously do, that Karl is incompetent, but there isn't a self-respecting
coach who would handle this situation any differently. Except that some (Jeff Bzdelik, Hubie
Brown) would be even more scathing in their criticism.

As for Reeves, he was termed "the idiot" by the great Joe Collier for his occasional attempts
to present himself as someone who knew anything about defensive football and/or personnel.

Of course, the most idiotic notion offered up involves ANY comparison between John Elway
and Carmelo Anthony!!!

by Anonymous on Jun 23, 2008 10:15 AM MDT reply actions

To the last commenter:

Doug Moe is a tool anyway, how many championship teams has he coached? Not a very good example. His teams play shitty defense and all offense and get blown out in the playoffs.

by Anonymous on Jun 23, 2008 10:31 AM MDT reply actions

I am really ready to see some changes with this team if that means that Melo is getting shiped then so be it. I doubt Karl makes it through this season as he has said that coaching isnt everything and he hasnt been real clear about how long he will stay. I would prefer the coach pack it in and we move on but it also looks as though AI will be either traded this year or we will just let him expire. I am itching to see JR play more and would love to see us build a young team around Melo and JR but what ever we do something has to change.

by nickademus on Jun 23, 2008 10:52 AM MDT reply actions

If we really want Karl to be fired then we should pray the nuggets start next season 3-15. Then We can let Adrian Dantley coach us for the rest of the season.

by Zachm219 on Jun 23, 2008 10:55 AM MDT reply actions

Just read that Denver management nixed a Billups/Prince for Melo deal this weekend. Your team is retarded. The only downside for you on this deal is that you lose scoring and you get older. You would have upgraded your weakest spot on the floor, pg, 10 fold, gained leadership, gotten rid of a headache and seen your defense improve astronomically.

Seriously, you turn down a swap of two Olympic team small forwards and you get a finals MVP pg that still has 2-3 years left? I don’t get it. Prince is a better defender, better on the glass, and has better character than Melo. Prince can also create his own shot in the post and could score 20 per game if necessary—he just hasn’t had to on the Pistons. I know I’m a huge Tayshaun fan and maybe I’m overrating him a bit, but still….

You mean to tell me a lineup of Billups, AI, Prince, Martin and Camby with LK, Nene, Najera and whoever you draft couldn’t compete with the Lakers? That’s a veteran team hungry for a championship that makes a run for the next 2 years. Moreover, I guarantee that Karl starts coaching again with that lineup because it’s so much less of a headache. If you don’t make it, then Billups, AI and Martin all start coming off the books at the same time and you’ll have cap space at the end of the run to start over.

I’m still trying to figure out the deal from the Pistons end. I know they feel they have to shake things up and they think they can move Billups because of Stuckey, but Melo and Sheed on the same team with a young coach is a disaster waiting to happen.

by Brother Steven on Jun 23, 2008 11:47 AM MDT reply actions

I think Coach K and Jim Boeheim are self-respecting coaches, and both of them think the world of Melo. Hey, no one's saying he's an easy man to deal with, but if we dump Melo now we're starting over, and we're going to be looking up at everyone else in the division. Unless we get a good combination of solid young talent, we cannot trade Melo.

If we trade Melo for Billups and Prince or for something of that ilk, this franchise is going right down the shitter.

by Kieran on Jun 23, 2008 1:02 PM MDT reply actions

Tayshaun Prince is so overrated it's not even funny.

Much like Ben Wallace, he's only good in the Detroit system. He only gets the love because of the EPIC block of Reggie a couple years ago, and the championship run the Pistons went on.

And Billups, while good, is aging.

AT BEST, it's a lateral move, with no real improvement to the team.

At worst, it just sets us back years and years.

by Chris C. on Jun 23, 2008 2:32 PM MDT reply actions

It sure is going to be one helluva dramatic ass season isn't it!

Now let's get on to the draft speculation...

Again, DJ White or DeAndre Jordan, in that order.

DJ White is a big bodied banger in the Charles Oakley mold. Where did I research that? I didn't. I'm just throwin it out there, outta my ass. Discuss amongst yourselves.

by Eric on Jun 23, 2008 2:40 PM MDT reply actions

Hey Guys -

I know a lot of you are anxious to get to the draft coverage. I am, too, but had to address the Melo news first. I'm aiming to post draft stuff beginning later this evening.

All best,

Andrew

by denverstiffs@gmail.com on Jun 23, 2008 2:47 PM MDT reply actions

Great point Andrew about Karl not sticking up for Melo at all. That is a dick by Karl but no suprise there. Real quick to all you people still living in the roster shake up world, wake up and step into reality. The real name of this blog is firegeorgekarl. Trades will just further fuck up this team and Karl will most likely be gone next year anyway so getting rid of Melo after one disappointing season would be like Andrew said a travesty. As for the draft we have got to snag CDR if we get the chance. I guarantee he will be an allstar. If not DJ White and the center for Kansas are lookin good.

by goldennugget on Jun 23, 2008 9:38 PM MDT reply actions

Comments For This Post Are Closed

Search

The STIFF LIST (as of 8/30 by Andrew)

STIFF #1: J.R. SMITH
Remember when I wrote that J.R.'s "nine lives may be up"? Well, that was last January. With Denver police looking closely at J.R. allegedly attacking former 14er Damien Lolar at a recent Pepsi Center shoot-around, it's clear that J.R. will never mature and it's time to move him.

STIFF #2: LEON ROSE AND WORLDWIDE WES
After commandeering LeBron's departure from Cleveland, Rose and Wes are allegedly working to move Melo out of Denver. Let's hope the Nuggets do what's best for Denver and not these two franchise-destroyers.

STIFF #3: RIC BUCHER
The man who once guaranteed that Kobe Bryant had played his last game in a Lakers uniform has been gravy-training on other reporters' Melo-related stories all summer long. Who does Bucher think he is, a sports blogger?

STIFF #4: MARCUS JORDAN
Like father, like son. Last week, His Airness's 19-year-old son tweeted about dropping $50k at the Aria casino in Las Vegas prompting an investigation.

STIFF #5: INDIANA PACERS
Brandon Rush has been suspended five games for violating the NBA's drug policy and 2010 draftee Lance Stephenson was recently arrested on assault charges. Larry Bird sure is doing a great job re-shaping the Pacers' already shoddy image.

Denver Stiffs: An SB Nation Community

Network Bar

Denver Stiffs -