bigbendbruisebrother
04-20-2005, 03:44 PM
I hadn't seen this article posted or discussed yet:
Buck Harvey: Pressure of being Karl: The words of the psyched-out
When George Karl arrives in a few days, he will have something to say. He always does.
But for now his message comes through others, from other newspapers, and it's a familiar theme.
It's about the pressure that comes with being favored. "We can live with losing in the first round," Karl said of his Nuggets last week before he knew the playoff match-ups. "I don't know if Phoenix or San Antonio can."
Karl has a point. If Denver wins this series, no one in the Spurs organization will want to live within a zip code of Gregg Popovich.
But why did Karl go out of his way to frame the expectations before the regular season was even over? Why, while coaching the league's hottest team, did Karl announce it's OK if the winning stops?
Is Karl trying to psyche out the Spurs? Or is he telling himself to relax, because he's felt the pressure before?
Karl, after all, is the one still living with a few things.
Karl will say more as the series goes along. He once challenged a star player to a game of "Scrabble" just to prove who was smarter, and he challenges everyone else with his presence and knowledge of the game.
It's earned him huge contracts, as well as considerable respect. Little wonder Doug Moe joined his former Spurs assistant on the bench, and Rick Majerus will be a playoff consultant. Karl talks the game with the best of them.
He's also had to deal with the worst, beginning with his infamous moment. His top-seeded Sonics lost to, coincidentally, Denver in 1994, and it's the NBA standard by which all other upsets are judged.
But Karl has had to live with more. The same personality that can be both playful and demanding in a locker room is the same personality that can irritate everyone. After all, how many coaches could average 59 wins over six full seasons — as Karl did in Seattle — and have to leave?
Milwaukee didn't care about the details. At Majerus' recommendation, the Bucks gave Karl a then-record $7 million annual salary, and Karl rewarded the franchise with some winning seasons.
But Karl, again, had a few things to say. He moaned to Esquire magazine about the "anointments of the young Afro-American coach," suggesting white assistants were being passed over, and he warred with his players.
The Bucks followed with an epic collapse, losing 14 of their final 19 games in 2002. The Bucks became the first team in league history to fail to make the playoffs when leading its division after the ides of March.
And if that wasn't enough to live with: Karl coached the United States to a sixth-place finish in the 2002 World Championships.
He says he's learned a few things from his failures, but some in the league wonder. After all, Karl hasn't had enough time to mess up things in Denver, has he?
Besides, after Jeff Bzdelik lost the Nuggets, Karl found rare talent. Kenyon Martin was once a first overall draft pick, Marcus Camby a second and Carmelo Anthony a third.
Andre Miller and Nene? Merely a seven and an eight.
The Spurs don't have this kind of pedigree. Karl simply had to plug in his intensity and direction, and the talent emerged.
Does that make Karl the coach of the year? Ask Milwaukee, a franchise still affected by its former coach. Karl gave away Ray Allen, as well as a lot of money. The Bucks are still paying Jason Caffey and Anthony Mason about $10 million combined.
That doesn't take away Karl's impact in Denver, nor does it minimize the Nuggets' chances in the first round. The Spurs can lose this series, especially if Tim Duncan's ankle bends again.
If that happens, it will be a first for Popovich. He's lost badly in the playoffs before, but he's never really been upset. Losing to the Lakers doesn't qualify, especially when a couple of championships are mixed in to the equation.
So should the thought of losing this series haunt Popovich? Or Duncan or Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker, all of whom have rings? Or should the thought of losing haunt the last coach to post the best record after the All-Star break and lose in the first round?
That would be Karl.
Buck Harvey: Pressure of being Karl: The words of the psyched-out
When George Karl arrives in a few days, he will have something to say. He always does.
But for now his message comes through others, from other newspapers, and it's a familiar theme.
It's about the pressure that comes with being favored. "We can live with losing in the first round," Karl said of his Nuggets last week before he knew the playoff match-ups. "I don't know if Phoenix or San Antonio can."
Karl has a point. If Denver wins this series, no one in the Spurs organization will want to live within a zip code of Gregg Popovich.
But why did Karl go out of his way to frame the expectations before the regular season was even over? Why, while coaching the league's hottest team, did Karl announce it's OK if the winning stops?
Is Karl trying to psyche out the Spurs? Or is he telling himself to relax, because he's felt the pressure before?
Karl, after all, is the one still living with a few things.
Karl will say more as the series goes along. He once challenged a star player to a game of "Scrabble" just to prove who was smarter, and he challenges everyone else with his presence and knowledge of the game.
It's earned him huge contracts, as well as considerable respect. Little wonder Doug Moe joined his former Spurs assistant on the bench, and Rick Majerus will be a playoff consultant. Karl talks the game with the best of them.
He's also had to deal with the worst, beginning with his infamous moment. His top-seeded Sonics lost to, coincidentally, Denver in 1994, and it's the NBA standard by which all other upsets are judged.
But Karl has had to live with more. The same personality that can be both playful and demanding in a locker room is the same personality that can irritate everyone. After all, how many coaches could average 59 wins over six full seasons — as Karl did in Seattle — and have to leave?
Milwaukee didn't care about the details. At Majerus' recommendation, the Bucks gave Karl a then-record $7 million annual salary, and Karl rewarded the franchise with some winning seasons.
But Karl, again, had a few things to say. He moaned to Esquire magazine about the "anointments of the young Afro-American coach," suggesting white assistants were being passed over, and he warred with his players.
The Bucks followed with an epic collapse, losing 14 of their final 19 games in 2002. The Bucks became the first team in league history to fail to make the playoffs when leading its division after the ides of March.
And if that wasn't enough to live with: Karl coached the United States to a sixth-place finish in the 2002 World Championships.
He says he's learned a few things from his failures, but some in the league wonder. After all, Karl hasn't had enough time to mess up things in Denver, has he?
Besides, after Jeff Bzdelik lost the Nuggets, Karl found rare talent. Kenyon Martin was once a first overall draft pick, Marcus Camby a second and Carmelo Anthony a third.
Andre Miller and Nene? Merely a seven and an eight.
The Spurs don't have this kind of pedigree. Karl simply had to plug in his intensity and direction, and the talent emerged.
Does that make Karl the coach of the year? Ask Milwaukee, a franchise still affected by its former coach. Karl gave away Ray Allen, as well as a lot of money. The Bucks are still paying Jason Caffey and Anthony Mason about $10 million combined.
That doesn't take away Karl's impact in Denver, nor does it minimize the Nuggets' chances in the first round. The Spurs can lose this series, especially if Tim Duncan's ankle bends again.
If that happens, it will be a first for Popovich. He's lost badly in the playoffs before, but he's never really been upset. Losing to the Lakers doesn't qualify, especially when a couple of championships are mixed in to the equation.
So should the thought of losing this series haunt Popovich? Or Duncan or Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker, all of whom have rings? Or should the thought of losing haunt the last coach to post the best record after the All-Star break and lose in the first round?
That would be Karl.