Nuggets coach George Karl underwent successful prostate surgery Thursday at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, according to the team. Dr. Robert Stephenson performed the five-hour procedure.
Karl is expected to make a full recovery and should be released from the hospital Sunday. Karl’s girlfriend, Kim Van Deraa, and close friend and former University of Utah coach Rick Majerus were among those in the waiting room during the surgery.
“George’s surgery was very successful, and he expects a full recovery,” Majerus said in a statement released by the Nuggets. “We anticipate he will be enthused and excited and able to conduct a terrific training camp.”
Karl will go to Boise, Idaho, to recover.
“Obviously, we’re happy his operation was successful,” Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said.
Rose Medical Center urologist Dr. Jeffrey A. Snider said after typical prostate surgery, samples are sent to a lab for examination to make sure the cancer is confined to the prostate and that the lymph nodes are cancer-free. If the exam determines the patient is free of disease, there is typically a three- to six-week recovery from the surgery.
The Nuggets open training camp Oct. 3, a little more than nine weeks from now.
Preseason schedule set
The Nuggets’ preseason schedule includes only two home games: Oct. 13 vs. New Orleans and Oct. 26 vs. Milwaukee. Denver plays two games in Los Angeles, on Oct. 20 vs. the Lakers and Oct. 21 against either Washington or Charlotte. The Nuggets also play Portland in El Paso on Oct. 15, at Sacramento on Oct. 18, at New Orleans on Oct. 24 and at Utah on Oct. 28. The NBA 2005-06 regular-season schedule is expected to be released Aug. 8.
Footnotes
The much-delayed NBA free-agency signing period is expected to begin Tuesday after the new collective bargaining agreement is set. … Vandeweghe left for Los Angeles on Thursday to visit with several free agents. Free-agent shooting guards with agents in Los Angeles include Marko Jaric (Bill Duffy), Flip Murray (Thaddeus Foucher) and Nuggets’ Greg Buckner (Steve Kaufmann) and DerMarr Johnson (Dan Fegan).
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
