George Karl has 900 more coaching victories than I do...

by Andrew Feinstein on Jan 1, 2009 11:48 AM MST

I'm pleasantly surprised to find good internet access where I'm spending New Year's. So while I wasn't able to watch the Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors last night, thus giving head coach George Karl his 900th regular season victory, at least I can write about it.

Just like I won't kick a man while he's down (hence taking Mike Shanahan off the Stiff List after he got fired), I won't kick a man while he's up.

Karl's 900th victory puts him in some elite company. In the entire history of professional basketball, only nine other head coaches have reached the 900 regular season wins mark.

And Karl, with a career .590 regular season winning percentage, has done it respectably. Among the other 900+ winners, Karl ranks fifth in winning percentage behind Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, Pat Riley and Jerry Sloan, and ahead of Don Nelson, (former Nuggets coach) Larry Brown, Lenny Wilkens, (former Nuggets coach) Dick Motta and Bill Fitch. And of course Karl joins Sloan and Nelson as the only members of the 900 club to not have won a championship, with Nelson being the lone member never to have appeared in an NBA Finals as a head coach.

A lot of pundits will argue that these all-time coaching victory lists are more a tribute to longevity than good coaching. But good coaching, at least for the majority of one's career, begets longevity. With the exception of Motta and Fitch, every name in the 900 club had a winning record over the course of their career. And Motta and Fitch delivered championships and multiple NBA Finals appearances during their once respectable careers.

While 900 regular season victories and a .590 winning percentage is commendable, like any sport it comes down to what you do in the postseason. Karl might be in the top 10 of regular season victories, but he's thirteenth in playoff victories and having won just 42.8% of his playoff games, Karl doesn't even crack the top 20 (minimum of 25 playoff games coached) in all-time playoff winning percentage. Nevermind that he's presided over some epic playoff choke jobs, most notably in 1994 when our 8th-seeded Nuggets beat his 1st-seeded Supersonics even though the Sonics had won 21 more regular season games. And with the Nuggets his playoff record is a putrid, unacceptable 3-16.

How will NBA history judge George Karl as a head coach when all is said and done? I believe it will say he was a very good regular season coach and a below mediocre - but not awful - postseason coach.

So let's congratulate Karl on the rare and significant achievement of winning his 900th regular season game. And let's hope - for his sake and ours - that he ups that playoff winning percentage significantly before this Nuggets season comes to an end.

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I will congratulate him when he gets us out of the 1st round in the playoffs.

by Kohaku on Jan 1, 2009 3:13 PM MST reply actions

You hit the head of the nail Andrew. Karl is one of the worst posteason coaches in the history of the game. You know all those great Sonics teams in the 90's? Well only once did he reach the Finals (where he lost) and only one other time did he even make it to the Conference Finals where he also lost. He had a 63 and 57 win seasons where he lost in the first round and a 61 and 57 win season where he didn't even make it to the conference finals. Not only this but in Milwuakee he had some epic collapses as well. Remember when he was winning the East in January only to then collapse and not even make the playoffs? Now he has moved on and taken his loosing philosophies to our team where we are currently on our 4th straight first round exit. Of all this I have yet to even mention that he has been fired roughly 8 different times and handed our Olympic team some of the most embarrasing losses ever. Come on, are you really that impressed?

by Goldennugget on Jan 1, 2009 3:20 PM MST reply actions

Where do you draw the line between "below mediocre" and awful?

by Eric K on Jan 1, 2009 4:47 PM MST reply actions

I'm a vocal critic of Karl, but he gets credit for the Wednesday game. He actually did his job and coached. He called at least two timeouts in the first quarter, and relatively quick timeouts, to keep the game from getting to far out of hand. How much credit do you get for doing your job properly? For Karl, quite a bit, because it is in such sharp contrast to his norm. Hopefully this is not an aberation

by KarlSucks on Jan 2, 2009 8:10 AM MST reply actions

Maybe George Karl has 900 more coaching victories than you, Andrew, but at least you guys have the same number of championship rings.

by Matthew on Jan 2, 2009 10:55 AM MST reply actions

C. Billups 120
N. Hilario 105
J. Smith 74
K. Martin 74
C. Anthony 56
R. Balkman 40
A. Carter 39
C. Andersen 21
L. Kleiza 15
C. Atkins 3
A. Iverson 3
J. Howard 1
C. Samb 0
D. Jones -26

Current Nuggets Plus/Minus Stats. Pretty much answers the question about whether D. Jones should start. Start Smtih and bring Balkman off the bench instead of the stupid 3 guard lineup.

by KarlSucks on Jan 2, 2009 11:07 AM MST reply actions

Also, Balkmans Plus/Minus comes with about half as many minutes as Jones. Balkman actually has the highest plus minus per minute of any player on the team. Carmelo is 4th, just above Carter and Kleiza.

by KarlSucks on Jan 2, 2009 11:12 AM MST reply actions

It's surprising the position of the Birdman in that ranking.

by Lucas Navarrete on Jan 2, 2009 2:20 PM MST reply actions

Watching this game between OKC and the Nuggets. The Nuggets are down 97 to l02 something like that. The substitution is made bringing in AC. If you need points why AC and not CA. Thats one of the reasons I say George Karl isn't commited to winning. Why don't the Nuggets have any inside out plays or plays for Nene.
FIRE GEORGE KARL'S SORRY ASS.

by samiam on Jan 2, 2009 8:18 PM MST reply actions

Nuggs won buddy and that's why you my friend are no coach!! LOL

by Anonymous on Jan 3, 2009 12:44 AM MST reply actions

Nuggets won, and?
They shouldn't have been in that position to lose.
Some of you free pass givers are satisfied with mediocrity, that DA isn't going to win you a championship. Keep on putting up with the complaisant manner in which the team is being coach but don't come crying when we don't make the playoffs and that my friend is why you are a DA

by samiam on Jan 3, 2009 10:39 AM MST reply actions

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STIFF LIST (as of 4/26 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. METTA WORLD PEACE

Metta resorted back to Ron Ron last Sunday by clubbing James Hardenwith an "inadvertent celebratory elbow", landing him a 7-game suspension. Apparently, changing his name didn't prevent NBA commissioner David Stern from overlooking Metta's past behavior problems.

2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

The 'Cats are on the verge of securing the worst winning percentage in NBA history. Given that the guy who runs the team - Michael Jordan - had previously drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison, should this really be a shock?

3. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The team that was supposedly built to overcome the lockout-shortened season managed to lose 7 of its last 14 games, ceding the Western Conference's 1-seed to the Spurs in the process. Their reward might be a first round matchup with defending champion Dallas.

4. BILLY HUNTER AND DEREK FISHER

With report after report coming out about NBPA union head Hunter's shady, nepotistic dealings and questions arising about Fisher's own role in dealing with NBA owners behind Hunter's back during the lockout, this off-the-court scandal could prove to be more exciting than the playoffs themselves!

5. STEVE NASH AND THE PHOENIX SUNS
The Suns are on this list for squandering the last few great seasons from Nash. Nash is on this list for his stupidly stubborn loyalty to a franchise as awful as the Suns.