George Karl on the verge of a landmark 1000th win on Tuesday against the Bobcats
Right now, six coaches in NBA history have notched up 1000 or more wins but soon that will be seven.
With an overall coaching record of 999-677, Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl stands just one regular season win away from 1,000 for his career as he marshals his team to the Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday to face off against the Charlotte Bobcats.
With a win Karl will join Brown, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson as members of the NBA’s most exclusive coaching club. Compared to the first six members of the 1000 Club, Karl is on pace to require the fourth fewest total
games to reach 1,000 wins and in doing so he will become the third youngest coach in NBA history to win his 1,000th career game.
There was a time when many thought Karl wouldn't even make it to three wins. It was the worst nightmare any young coach could have. A guy, who started 2-19 with his first NBA head coaching gig, bounced around between franchises.
Yet, he still had the guts and the belief to fight back, to excel in the face of adversity, and to prove his detractors wrong.
The same man is now on the cusp of making history as he visits the home turf of a good friend and the last man to enter the elite fraternity, Bobcats coach Larry Brown. The Charlotte in- charge for once will not be haranguing an opponent even if he loses
on Tuesday.
The man testament to all the struggles Karl has endured over the years to reach the pinnacle, every NBA coach dreams of, was all praise for his fellow coach.
"He’s a terrific coach", Brown said. "He’s overcome a lot. I think we’re all proud of what he’s accomplished, and I think he’s going to win a lot more games before he hangs it up".
Although the 59-year old veteran coach has, as he has always done in his career, placed his team’s interest before his and wants to join the club at the earliest as possible for practical reasons as much as sentimental ones.
"It’s been an incredible run and I do appreciate all the good players and I appreciate my time here in Denver and I’m very humbled by my opportunity to win 1000", Karl said after Denver extended its winning streak to seven Sunday night. "But, I’d like to
get out of the spotlight and get it over with and continue to try to build this team into the best team we could have in Denver".
NBA coaching legend George Karl was introduced as the 19th head coach in Nuggets history on 27th January, 2005 and under his reign the Nuggets soared to new heights.
In his first season in Denver, 2004-05, Karl engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history. When assuming head coaching duties in January, the Nuggets were 17-25 and stood in 11th place in the Western Conference – a full six games out of the
playoffs. Karl led the Nuggets to a 32-8 (.800) record and a seventh seed in the postseason, while that winning percentage still remains the best in NBA history for a midseason coaching replacement that coached at least 20 games.
He has overseen one of the most successful eras in team history and in just five-plus seasons, Karl’s 291 wins are already the second-most by a coach in Denver’s NBA history, while his .620 winning percentage is unmatched.
This past season was one of highs and lows for Karl. He helped lead Denver to an overall record of 53-29, earning the Nuggets their second-straight Northwest Division title and their third-straight 50-win campaign. In the process, Karl became the first coach
in the team’s NBA history to post consecutive 50-win seasons.
Karl’s season was cut short though as he missed the last two months of last season while undergoing treatment for throat and neck cancer just a few years after beating prostate cancer.
His fight continues on though as he has returned this season to continue, guiding the Nuggets to a 13-6 start to the season.
The down to earth legend of the game, who has achieved what others yearn all their lives for, still thinks he doesn’t belong there.
“There’s no question I’m going to stick out in that group”, Karl said…. “(People might say), ‘Karl, how’d he get there? Did they give him a couple of hundred wins or something”?
However, looking forward to the soothing prospect he added.
"The six before me are special, special coaches. Some of them are friends. Someday it'll be fun maybe if they all get together to yell at each other".
Tags: