Nuggets assistant coach Doug Moe no longer worries about the big picture. A frame-by-frame focus is just fine.
Moe, one of the most recognizable and best-loved members of the Nuggets’ organization, remains on the bench. But that could be nearing an end. He said from here on out he will evaluate his situation annually.
“At my age. I just go year to year,” the 69-year-old Moe said. “I’m happy to be here. Fortunately, we’ve got so many guys who are doing a terrific job, I don’t have to do a whole lot. But you get up at this age and you try not to look too far ahead. You just enjoy the moment.”
This is Moe’s fourth season as an assistant coach on head coach George Karl’s staff. Overall, Moe is in his 16th year of association with the Nuggets’ organization. He spent 10 seasons as head coach and two as an assistant under Larry Brown when the Nuggets were part of the ABA.
A lot has changed from his ranting and raving days as a head coach. Moe has mellowed, and it has been noticed by those who know him best.
“I watch them on TV all the time and I see Doug Moe sitting on the bench and I’ll oftentimes recollect back to some of the things he used to say to us when he was coaching,” former Nuggets guard Michael Adams said, grinning. “Now I see that he’s all cool, calm and collected over there. I wish he was that way when he coached me, but he’s a fun-loving guy.”
Said Moe: “When you’re younger, you’re into it and so a lot of it is about yourself as well as the team and stuff. This is different for me. As I get older, I get more enjoyment out of seeing George do good and the team do good. The enjoyment I get is watching them get enjoyment out of it.”
Comfort zone. Allen Iverson says being with the Nuggets from the first day of training camp provided the star guard a sense of ease as the team opened the season Wednesday against Seattle.
“I feel a lot more comfortable,” Iverson said. “Just knowing the system, knowing how we’re going to play, I’m not trying to play catchup with everybody else. So that’s been good for me, just being on the same page as everybody else. I think that’s going to make us that much better.”
Karl connection. Karl was a proud papa watching his son, Coby, play in his first NBA game Tuesday with the Los Angeles Lakers. “Just seeing him in uniform is very, very special,” Karl said. “The phone’s ringing – his mother, my daughter. And then when he gets in the game everybody calls again, because he didn’t expect to dress. He thought he’d be inactive.”
