When George Karl was first fired from an NBA job, he received a call from fellow coach Don Nelson, who was sipping from a half-full glass: “They just saved you 25 losses, 25 days of misery!”
Karl’s anecdote was timely Sunday, when winless Lawrence Frank was fired by the Nets. Frank, who famously began his NBA career with 13 wins for New Jersey, saw his team start 0-16 this season, including two losses to Denver.
“It’s difficult — his hand was difficult. Losing an all-star point guard (in Devin Harris) and with changing their roster,” Karl said before Sunday’s game against the Timberwolves, a Nets-like franchise. “It was a difficult place for everybody. But Lawrence is a good coach. He’ll be back on the sideline as a first assistant or a head coach very quickly.”
It’s possible that New Jersey will cost-cut and name general manager Kiki Vandeweghe as interim coach. Vandeweghe, of course, played for Denver and also was its general manager.
“Kiki has a good basketball mind,” Karl said. “I don’t know how much he’s sat in that chair. It will be a new experience for him. A decision that takes two minutes to make in the stands is different than when you have 20 seconds to make them on the sidelines.”
Keep on preaching.
Last season, the Nuggets played great defense and, ultimately, played in the Western Conference finals. Karl was still disappointed with his team’s defense in Friday’s win against New York, and then the Nuggets let Minnesota creep back into Sunday’s game after the Wolves trailed by 14 at the half.
“My big thing is, I’d like our defensive habits to be more consistent,” Karl said. “If we make it an angry defensive game, our offense will figure its way out.”
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
