Puttin’ on the notes …
It isn’t every day you win your 800th game as an NBA coach. But that day is coming in a hurry for George Karl.
The Nuggets’ coach has 799 career W’s after Tuesday night’s victory against the Boston Celtics at the Pepsi Center, leaving him one away from becoming the 12th coach to reach the big 8-oh-oh.
The toughest coach he has ever coached against? There’s one who sits atop the list, above Phil Jackson and Larry Brown and all the others.
That would be current Jazz boss Jerry Sloan, who is No. 5 on the all-time list at 1,000-plus. Sloan coached the Chicago Bulls for three seasons, ending in 1982, and has been on the Utah bench from 1988-89 to the present.
“He’s the guy I probably have the most fun coaching against, and who I have trouble coaching against,” Karl said. “I don’t know if he knows me better than somebody else or he has a feel for me, but basically my stuff doesn’t work against him like it works against some other guys.” …
Add Karl: “I’ll be honest with you. When I first coached, I said if I could win 250 games, I’d have a great career. I remember saying that to myself. At the time, 250 was probably in the top 30.” …
At first glance, J.R. Smith looks like the one who will play a lesser role now that the Nuggets have Allen Iverson.
Then again, says Nuggets director of basketball operations Mark Warkentien, “maybe they find some way to take away A.I. and they find a way to take care of (Carmelo Anthony) at the same time. I kind of like my chances with J.R. standing there playing ‘H-O-R-S-E.”‘ …
The Pepsi Center free-throw lines ought to have their own zip codes, because that’s where the Nuggets are living. They went into Tuesday leading the league with 30.5 free-throw attempts per game. And it only figures to go up once Iverson and Melo get on the same court. A.I. was averaging 11-plus free throws per with the Sixers. …
The most disappointing aspect of the Broncos’ season? That they haven’t played better offensively at home. They’re averaging 19.5 points per at Invesco Field at Mile High, 19.8 on the road. That’s down a touchdown per home game from last season. …
Streaking: The Chargers have won seven straight at home, putting them in position to run the table for the first time in franchise history. The Bronx, in case you’re wondering how the West was won, are 4-3 at Invesco. …
The Bears have decided not to waive gun-packing defensive tackle Tank Johnson, having determined that Johnson is stupid until proven guilty. …
NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci, on the playoff logjam: “Every team has to win and let the nuclear engineers figure it out.” …
Suggestion from an ESPN radio listener: Mayor Hick ought to hire Dontrelle Willis, pinched last week in Miami for DUI and urinating in the street, to melt the snow. …
Put a franchise in Los Angeles? How about the NFL putting a pro football team in the Bay Area? Or maybe you haven’t noticed that the Raiders and 49ers, 8-24 last season, are 8-22 going into the final weekend of the season. …
David Letterman, speculating on why no fans got involved in the Knicks-Nuggets brawl at Madison Square Garden: “Nobody wants to throw a $15 beer.” …
Not that the price of pitching has gone through the ozone, but the Cubs gave Jason Marquis three years and $21 million. The same Jason Marquis who lost 16 games with a 6.02 ERA for a World Series champion team. …
Former CU coach Gary Barnett, marveling in the Invesco Field at Mile High press box at former nemesis Vince Young: “They can’t tackle him up here (in the NFL), either.” …
How widely respected is Air Force’s Jeff Bzdelik by his peers in coaching fraternity? The Falcons, ranked 23rd in The Associated Press poll, are 17th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll.
Staff writer Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
