Thread Tools

Display Modes

**Sliccat** · 03-14-2008, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Here's a crazy thought: what if everything that goes wrong in Denver isn't George Karl's fault?

Yes, I know such sentiment isn't popular these days. Instead, it has become fashionable to blame the coach for any problem no matter how big or small. What's funny, though, is the team has a 36-24 record going into play Friday night, which last time I checked isn't too bad. Still, it seems like the vast majority of the NBA is already counting the Nuggets out.

It's important to understand I'm not saying Karl always does a perfect job coaching the team. Certainly there are always things that could be improved upon: half-court offense and team defense are two of the most commonly cited areas by Nugget fans. These are definitely fair criticisms, but you must first consider a couple of things.

First, fans have been screaming for the Nuggets to push the pace offensively for the last three years whether the opponents make or miss. The Nuggets are now doing this consistently. Has their half-court offense -- which admittedly has never been dynamic under Karl -- suffered as a result? Maybe so, but this is a classic case of be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. You can't scream for the Nuggets to push it offensively and then complain about it when they start doing it. Moreover, you could make a very strong argument that Denver's struggles in the half-court have more to do with the lack of a true lead guard on the team than Karl's coaching.

As for Denver's defense, it certainly hasn't been among the league's elite this season. On the plus-side, they get a lot of steal and blocks. However, they also give up a lot of easy baskets when weak-side defenders fail to rotate.

Criticizing Denver's lackadaisical defensive efforts at various points this season is certainly fair. What's not fair, though, is to blame this solely on Karl.

Do you think Karl tells them not to play hard on defense?

Do you think Karl tells the weak-side defender not to rotate?

Do you think Karl tells the players not to get a hand in a shooters face whenever possible?

Point is, Karl has stressed defense this season. I've heard him do it during practice and shootarounds, and I've also had conversations with him about it. Ultimately, the players shoulder the responsibility of implementing what the coaching staff draws up.

Furthermore, there seems to be this mistaken assumption that since Karl rarely gets up and rants and raves on the sidelines when the Nuggets have a defensive breakdown he somehow doesn't care or is not coaching the team. This is just preposterous. You don't have to act like a fool on the sideline to demonstrate you're invested in helping your team win. If you don't believe me, just look at what Tony Dungy has done with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

I've heard coaches use the term "fake hustle" to describe players who dive in the stands for loose balls just to earn the admiration of the fans. Well, ranting and raving on the sidelines is often a perfect example of "fake coaching." Just because Karl sits down and remains calm on the sideline doesn't mean he doesn't care, and it doesn't mean he's not coaching the team.

What's lost in the aforementioned criticisms fans like to fixate on is all of the things Karl has done right this season, perhaps the most important of which is managing all of the personalities on the team. And notice the word I chose here -- managing -- which means not every player is always going to be happy. You could make the argument the Nuggets have more demonstrative and unpredictable personalities than any other team in the league. It's easy for fans to shout that Karl should scream at this player or chastise that player. However, each interaction he engages in with a player will have an effect on the system as a whole. As such, he has to pick his battles.

Sure, you can point to a coach like Gregg Popovich or Jerry Sloan who fight many more battles with players than Karl, but their situations are truly unique. Not everyone can coach a low-maintenance superstar like Tim Duncan who responds to "old school" coaching techniques or coach for an owner who will allow the front office to ship out absolutely anyone who doesn't fit into the coach's system.

Fact is, the Nuggets are still playing together and winning many more basketball games than they're losing. This group could have easily fractured, but it hasn't happened. Karl and his staff deserve far more credit for this than they've been getting of late.

Most people who talk about bringing in a new coach ruminate about X's and O's. While you can have philosophical debates all day long, if the coach can't keep the team together does anything else really matter? And keeping all of the various personalities on this Denver team together is a much more challenging job than most people probably realize.

One NBA executive speaking on the condition of anonymity told me this recently about the Nuggets: "That team would chew up and spit out a young coach or a lesser coach. Okay, so Denver has talent, but trying to get all those guys to play together and stay happy at the same time isn't as easy as people think."

Every NBA coach has a finite lifespan with a team and nobody understands that better than Karl. However, Karl's time has not yet come to an end. Denver is 12 games over .500 and still very much in the playoff mix. How about letting the season play out before concluding whether or not it's time for Karl to go.

And be careful what you wish for, Nugget fans. It's easy to call for the head of the coach. However, it will be much harder for the organization to find a new coach capable of coming in and managing one of the most talented but also one of the most unpredictable rosters in the Association.

A good counter argument.

RoddneyThaRippa · 03-15-2008, 01:37 PM

Moderator, please remove this thread.

**Sliccat** · 03-15-2008, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoddneyThaRippa

Moderator, please remove this thread.

**Timmons** · 03-17-2008, 08:16 AM

So this is the anit firegeorgekarl post? haha.

About the only thing coaches in the NBA can do is motivate guys to play hard every night. Drawing up X's and O's is sort of overrated in my book. Though it's nice to have some plays on offense...

Thread Tools Display Modes

Thread Tools

Display Modes