fevertrees
11-29-2013, 10:38 PM
http://www.noladefender.com/content/george-karl-pelicans-should-be-playing-better
:wakeup:wakeup
George Karl: Pelicans 'Should Be Playing Better'
George Karl, looking at New Orleans?
Former Denver Nuggets coach George Karl concluded a startlingly honest interview with longtime Denver sportswriter Dave Krieger by musing on our very own Pelicans:
The team I like a lot and it bothers me, is New Orleans. That Davis kid is coming and their three guys out front, Holiday and Gordon and Evans, can get to the rim, and they can score. Gordon can be a great shooter. And then they’ve got the Ryan Anderson kid who’s the best shooting four in basketball.
[...] I think they should be playing better. But I’m still on record that I like ‘em a lot. I like them because Anthony Davis is a basketball player. He’s not a big man. He’s a basketball player that’s seven feet tall. And I just think the game is about basketball players, not necessarily position players.
As one of only seven coaches to have amassed 1,000 career wins, Karl’s confidence in Davis and the other young pieces assembled by Dell Demps is quite reassuring.
It must be noted, however, that Karl intimates a desire to coach again earlier in the interview. The 62-year-old coach has never been known for his tact, and Pelicans fans couldn’t be blamed for believing he’s shamelessly jockeying for a job here.
While Monty Wiliams still carries high esteem around the league, the team’s poor performance is increasingly placing the coach on the hot seat. December’s schedule will be much tougher than November’s. Should the team continue to falter as fellow Western Conference playoff contenders exceed expectations, it’s not unthinkable that the young coach could be on the way out.
With a resume 20 times the size of Monty’s and a strong track record of player development, Karl would certainly make a compelling candidate to replace him. One really has to admire the shrewdness of Karl’s salesmanship and timing, however overt he may be.
Of course, he may have merely been offering his honest assessment.
Karl won his first Coach of the Year award on the heels of the Nuggets’ 57 wins last season. The coach was nonetheless fired after the team suffered a first-wound exit to the Golden State Warriors.
:wakeup:wakeup
George Karl: Pelicans 'Should Be Playing Better'
George Karl, looking at New Orleans?
Former Denver Nuggets coach George Karl concluded a startlingly honest interview with longtime Denver sportswriter Dave Krieger by musing on our very own Pelicans:
The team I like a lot and it bothers me, is New Orleans. That Davis kid is coming and their three guys out front, Holiday and Gordon and Evans, can get to the rim, and they can score. Gordon can be a great shooter. And then they’ve got the Ryan Anderson kid who’s the best shooting four in basketball.
[...] I think they should be playing better. But I’m still on record that I like ‘em a lot. I like them because Anthony Davis is a basketball player. He’s not a big man. He’s a basketball player that’s seven feet tall. And I just think the game is about basketball players, not necessarily position players.
As one of only seven coaches to have amassed 1,000 career wins, Karl’s confidence in Davis and the other young pieces assembled by Dell Demps is quite reassuring.
It must be noted, however, that Karl intimates a desire to coach again earlier in the interview. The 62-year-old coach has never been known for his tact, and Pelicans fans couldn’t be blamed for believing he’s shamelessly jockeying for a job here.
While Monty Wiliams still carries high esteem around the league, the team’s poor performance is increasingly placing the coach on the hot seat. December’s schedule will be much tougher than November’s. Should the team continue to falter as fellow Western Conference playoff contenders exceed expectations, it’s not unthinkable that the young coach could be on the way out.
With a resume 20 times the size of Monty’s and a strong track record of player development, Karl would certainly make a compelling candidate to replace him. One really has to admire the shrewdness of Karl’s salesmanship and timing, however overt he may be.
Of course, he may have merely been offering his honest assessment.
Karl won his first Coach of the Year award on the heels of the Nuggets’ 57 wins last season. The coach was nonetheless fired after the team suffered a first-wound exit to the Golden State Warriors.