Scott Brooks doesn’t know what to expect from his two-game relief stint of suspended coach George Karl when the Nuggets tip off the season next week. He knows just enough to realize endless hours of preparation can only go so far the first time a coach has 20 seconds to draw up a last-second, game- winning play.
“As a player you can shoot one thousand free throws, and most players do,” he said. “All summer long they’re shooting hundreds and hundreds a day. But if you have 20,000 people yelling at you and you have to make that one with two seconds to go, you can never simulate that.”
Brooks, 40, will have to draw from two NBA summer leagues, a one-year stint in charge of the ABA Southern California Surf and a pair of preseason games this month, the second of which takes place tonight at Utah.
But the third-year assistant said he feels better knowing he has Karl and the rest of the Nuggets’ staff in his corner.
Asked how nervous he felt these days, Brooks replied, “The butterflies will always be there. Coach (Karl) has had 1,500 games, and he gets nervous. Nervous is a good emotion. It means you’re passionate about what you’re doing, you care about the results, and I do.”
Karl can’t attend the two games, Tuesday in San Antonio and Wednesday in Denver against the Los Angeles Lakers, but he said he feels confident in Brooks.
“Being a point guard, I’m sure he’s a guy that wants more responsibility,” Karl said. “It comes in a small dose.
“But I hope he understands that those two games are just as valuable as the 80 that I coach. I don’t know what would be acceptable, but I hope the team plays the right way, plays hard for him.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked Brooks would probably come to the season opener wearing headphones.
“I’m going to pat Scott Brooks down because he’s probably going to have George talking to him every other play to do this or do that,” he joked. “What I remember about Scottie playing, he’ll be just as competitive as George would be, just as fiery or more so. Just demanding.”
From the start of his pro career, which saw him stick with six teams from 1988 to 1999, Brooks knew he wanted to coach. He cultivated wisdom from older players such as Maurice Cheeks, then a Philadelphia 76ers guard and now their head coach.
“A 5-11, non-athletic point guard, you don’t think you’re going to get 11 years in the league,” he said. “You’re always looking for your next career move.”
Footnotes
The Nuggets cut forwards Mark Pope and Theron Smith and centers Nigel Dixon and Eric Chenowith on Thursday, putting their roster at the regular-season maximum of 15 players. General manager Kiki Vandeweghe said he expects to talk with Bryon Russell’s agent to determine the swingman’s future with the team. Russell was expected to undergo right knee surgery Thursday.
Karl called Pope, who spent parts of the past two seasons with Denver, a “tough cut.” Pope, who plans on entering medical school next fall, could return to the team if the need arises. “He’s a great man. He’s a great person,” Karl said. “He’s not a great player, but he’s a guy that helps your team exist. Being a good teammate is highly underrated. Mark Pope is the best teammate I’ve ever coached.” …
Marcus Camby participated in most of Thursday’s practice a day after his first game. He missed five preseason games with a left foot injury.
Staff writer Marc J. Spears contributed to this report.
Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
