There’s no shortage of people — from players to pundits, fans to front-office types — who feel they know exactly how the Nuggets should proceed in trying to span the gap between the start of the NBA playoffs Saturday and the return of coach George Karl, whenever that might be.
But despite the swelling numbers, there are times when interim head coach Adrian Dantley feels uniquely alone.
“People can give you 1,000 opinions, but you just don’t know what it’s like until you’re there. And you’re not gonna get it until you’re there,” Dantley said. “With me having this experience, if I ever get to be a head coach, it will have helped me tremendously.”
Dantley took over in February, when Karl began treatment for throat and neck cancer. Leading any NBA team, with a locker room full of big egos and daily dramas, is tough. To do so in the midst of one of the most competitive playoff races in league history has been something close to a no-win situation for Dantley. The Nuggets, who were second in the Western Conference when Karl left the team, dropped to the fourth seed and will face No. 5 Utah in the opening round of postseason play.
Much of the blame for their inconsistent play is placed on Dantley, judging by criticism from fans and media. Had the Nuggets maintained their status in the West behind the Los Angeles Lakers as a No. 2 seed? Well, Denver is a championship contender, isn’t it, so who really cares who’s coaching?
“It’s tough,” Nuggets director of player personnel Rex Chapman said. “He’s been thrust into a spot where he’s expected to win, and when you do well, you’re supposed to, and when you don’t, the hammer is going to come down on you — from all angles, internally and externally.”
When point guard Chauncey Billups spoke recently about the need for him to take on more responsibility for righting the team’s wrongs, some took it as a veiled criticism of Dantley and his assistants. But Billups said he was merely trying to find a way to “alleviate some of the stress and pressure our coaching staff has been under.”
He doesn’t blame the coaches for the Nuggets losing a number of what appeared to be winnable games.
“I think a lot of the games we’ve lost, the ones late in games, haven’t been because of A.D. and the staff; it’s been because of a lack of execution on our behalf,” Billups said. “When we lose, everyone looks to him, but that’s just how it is, that’s the coaching profession.”
When Karl began his treatment, the thought was he would be back to coach selected games and return before the start of the playoffs. However, because of complications, including blood clots that necessitated an emergency trip to the hospital, Karl hasn’t been on the sidelines in a month. There’s no certainty he will return at all this postseason should the Nuggets advance.
His prolonged absence has taken its toll.
“We’ve always thrown everything at him, and he decided, and it was always him who talked to the guys during games,” assistant Chad Iske said. “Without him, in a one- or two-game situation, things kind of take care of themselves, but in a 10-, 11-, 12-game situation, there are so many things that you haven’t seen, or things where he hadn’t shown you what to do.”
Complicating Dantley’s life was the loss of defensive stopper Kenyon Martin for 18 games due to injury.
“Having Kenyon gone really hurt too,” Iske said. “George had shown us different rotations to get by when he would be gone for a game or two, but we never had to deal with Kenyon being out for as long as he’s been gone.”
Of all the former NBA greats from the 1980s who tried to make the transition into coaching — a list that includes not only Magic and Bird but also Byron Scott, Reggie Theus and Isiah Thomas — Dantley may be the most unlikely. When he played, Dantley wore a mask of inscrutability, perhaps as a way to show that, despite being an undersized 6-foot-4 power forward, he was as tough as they come.
But even when embroiled in controversies, such as being suspended by the Utah Jazz and fined 30 dimes by then coach Frank Layden, or being traded from a championship Detroit Pistons team just before the playoffs in a deal allegedly orchestrated by Thomas, Dantley rarely let anyone inside his world.
Now he finds himself in the brightest of spotlights. Instead of withering, Dantley appears to welcome scrutiny.
“All throughout my career, I’ve always been courting something,” he said. “But this right here is at the top. Regardless of what happens, this was the best way for it to happen for me; it’s really good for me to be in this position. I’m coaching, and it can’t get no hotter than it is right now.”
Dantley’s introverted personality is in marked contrast to Karl, who’s never had an opinion he was afraid to express. That, along with more than 900 NBA victories, gives Karl an iconic status throughout the league.
“I love George Karl, and I know he’s one of a kind, so I know it’s tough to step into his shoes,” Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. “It’s unfair to A.D. You want to talk about how much George Karl has done for this organization, what he means to this team, that’s great. But don’t try to tear down a guy who’s doing the best job he can under the circumstances.
“Most people aren’t going to give him any due anyway. They’re going to say, ‘Ahhh, he didn’t do this, he didn’t do that, they were already good.’ But he’s done a good job in a challenging and tough situation.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
Supersubs on sidelines
Nuggets interim coach Adrian Dantley is hoping to duplicate the playoff success of Pat Riley, who has twice stepped in during a season and led teams to NBA championships. Here’s a look at some notable replacement coaches and their results:
Year Coach Team Replaced Result
1980 Paul Westhead Lakers Jack McKinney won championship
1982 Pat Riley Lakers Paul Westhead won championship
2005 George Karl Nuggets Michael Cooper made playoffs
2006 Pat Riley Heat Stan Van Gundy won championship
2009 Scott Brooks Thunder P.J. Carlesimo missed playoffs*
* A former Nuggets assistant under Karl, Brooks was 22-47 in his first season at Oklahoma City but led the team to a berth in this season’s playoffs.
