George Karl Has Right to Bash Denver Nuggets After Firing

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist
Follow Michael on Twitter: @michaelmoraitis

It came as quite a shock when the Denver Nuggets decided to part ways with head coach George Karl at the end of their 2012-13 campaign, and it's safe to say Karl might have been shocked as well.

Here is what Karl had to say about his firing, per Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post:

On his conversation with team president Josh Kroenke upon being fired: "Josh was nice and complimentary, said he'd honor my contract and the coaches. The conversation was on the decision, and I said, 'I think I should tell you, I think it's very stupid.' And since then, I don't understand it."

I think most of us, if not all of us will agree with Karl on the ultimate intelligence of such a decision made by management.


After all, Karl did a lot of great things for the team including leading the Nuggets to its best regular season record in team history with a 57-25 mark, good enough for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. That accomplishment landed him NBA Coach of the Year honors, also.


The only sour note for the season was the fact that the Nuggets got bounced from the playoffs in the first round by the Golden State Warriors who were the No. 6 seed, but it can't be overlooked that the Warriors played a great series and even took the Western Conference representatives (San Antonio Spurs) to six games in the second round.

Aside from that, Denver wasn't dealing with a totally healthy roster and guys like Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson were both dealing with injuries while Danilo Gallinari didn't log a single minute in the playoffs thanks to a torn ACL suffered in April.



Karl's offensive-friendly system that often allowed for a run-and-gun style of play was also perfect for the roster Denver was sporting this past season and it proved to be a major benefit for the team's offensive prowess after the Nuggets finished No. 1 in scoring the basketball.

In the same report, Karl also shot back at critics who say he didn't play enough young players. To quote the former Nuggets coach again, a comment like that can be considered, "very stupid."

Karl did play guys like Faried, Lawson, Gallinari, Kostas Koufos and Evan Fournier as he mentioned in one of his quotes, so the idea that he didn't play younger players just because JaVale McGee didn't play consistently (who is often considered a knucklehead on the floor) is just foolish altogether.

The Nuggets' brass will be hard-pressed to find another coach who can do as much if not more than what Karl was able to accomplish during his time in Denver. Karl not only helped the organization survive after the departure of Carmelo Anthony, but he also helped turn the Nuggets into an even bigger powerhouse without their former star.

If all of those impressive feats aren't enough for Karl to keep his job or at least play out the last year of his contract, quite frankly I have no idea what is.