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» Wednesday, May 1 2013

Now the pressure is on Karl and his third-seeded Nuggets as they face elimination in Game 5 Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center. "Deep down inside, philosophically, I like having speed and quickness on my side," Karl explains. "Now they're going to add a position [power forward] where they might have speed and quickness on their side. "Do I play with the same guys that we played? Or do we try to match?" Years ago, these questions would have tortured him. He'd have worn everybody out trying to come up with solutions and adjustments. His angst palpable to his team, his grip on everything tightening. It's part of what made him great. The intensity, the intelligence, the fire and the passion. "Furious George," they called him. Affectionately, most of the time. ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Coaching 

There are still vestiges of the old George. Quirky things, like how he hangs his suits up after games, puts a box score in one pocket and his game tie in the other. "I pull out the stat sheet later, and if it's a loss I throw the tie away," he says, laughing at himself. "There's some superstition there, but it's more that I like the tradition. I like taking the walk after shootaround when I'm on the road. I like to take my nap. "I used to have these little sayings -- just things that fell into my life along the way -- during the playoffs." He hasn't done that this year, he says. Nothing has popped into his head. "Except for one thing," Karl says, catching himself. "We had this shirt made up for the guys." He fumbles around his desk looking for it, then realizes it's on his chair. On the front of the shirt is one word: TRUST. ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Coaching 

Ujiri studied Karl's great Seattle teams from the mid-1990s. The type of players he got the most out of. The types who didn't fit. The way he liked to play. "The most impressive thing is his system," Ujiri said. "The way he coaches allows players to be very successful. Role players, star players, all kinds of players -- they all did well for him. "When I came here [Nuggets owner] Josh Kroenke told me that, if Carmelo left, the type of players we wanted to bring in were young and energetic, who would fit with his system." It was a conscious choice to aggregate talent and essentially shun the star-centric system. To prioritize speed, depth, athleticism, defensive ability and hustle over play-making and scoring talent. Or, as Karl puts it, ''Why don't we just go get really good players and try to make 'em great?" ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Coaching, Masai Ujiri, Josh Kroenke 

Denver has won a franchise-record 57 games without a true superstar this season. They go 10- or 11-men deep on any given night, run their opponents off the court, and play the type of unselfish, joyful basketball Karl has always preferred. "This team is fun to coach," he said. "I don't think many coaches use the word 'fun' to describe their teams." He is one of the favorites to win the coach of the year award. And despite his earlier jokes, he would welcome the honor. "It will mean something to me because I have a lot of respect for the coaching business," he said. "I think there's great coaches in this league, and there are great [assistant] coaches sitting next to the great coaches. They don't get the love that they deserve. ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Coaching 

He's changed so much now, you forget there was a time he was considered arrogant and egotistical. When the Bucks paid him $7 million a year starting in 1998-99, it only added to that reputation. That contract made Karl the highest paid coach in any sport. But it wasn't the kind of validation he sought. It wasn't what was going to make him happy. It wasn't him. He says the contract sat on his desk for six months before he finally signed it. "He became, I thought, a really great coach in Seattle," Harris said. "It took getting fired a couple of times to help make him that." Harris chooses his words carefully out of respect for his friend. As it turns out, there's no need. "I needed to be humbled, and I was," Karl said. "I'm sure I was more fiery or confrontational or demanding. I had an insecure ego. I was a young guy. A lot of people thought I could coach, but I didn't know how to handle the responsibility of coaching." ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Coaching 

Taste was the least of his concerns, though. He'd beaten prostate cancer before, in 2005. He didn't want to try his luck with a third round. So he read everything, studied the issues, the biology and chemistry like he would break down film in a playoff series, and came up with a new game plan. "I try and eat real food now," he said. "I eat stuff that's come out of the ground, or was an animal recently." He made smoothies filled with fruits and vegetables. He started walking. He prioritized family time. He slept more. He left his job at the office as much as he could. He told everyone about what he'd learned. He made plans to start a foundation that would promote patient advocacy and cancer research. The George Karl Foundation was founded two years later. "I don't know where it's going to go yet, but so much of my beliefs are that the navigation of the patient needs more attention," Karl said. "The doctors are too busy, the insurance companies are too concerned about getting paid, the pharmaceuticals are into research and making money, the hospitals are trying to find the balance of all this." ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Coaching 

But on this day, the morning after Denver's Game 1 victory, he seems lighter. The flatscreen TV in his office is tuned to the X Games Foz do Iguaçu, in Brazil. He eats chips and freshly made guacamole as a skateboarder flies around an obstacle course. "This is what I don't get," Karl says. "I went into the locker room yesterday and three of my players are watching this skateboard stuff. What in the hell is it? Why? … But I guess they have boards, too. Longboards." ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Coaching 
 

» Tuesday, April 30 2013

Faried, who was raised by lesbian mothers and was an outspoken advocate for Colorado's civil unions bill this year, said he was thrilled to hear Jason Collins' revelation that he's gay. Faried said, "I think more athletes will come out. ... I'm happy for Jason Collins. I'm happy for my mom. I'm going to support every other gay person in this world until I die. " ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, Jason Collins, Kenneth Faried 

Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari is recovering from arthroscopic surgery to repair meniscus damage in his left knee. The procedure was performed Monday at the Steadman Clinic in Vail. After a short-term rehabilitation, a date will be scheduled for Gallinari to undergo surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. NBA.com

Denver Nuggets, Injuries, Danilo Gallinari 
 
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