Nuggets George Karl starts the biggest game of his life neck and throat cancer
After he guided the Western Conference team in 2010 All-Star Game last February, Denver Nuggets head Coach George Karl revealed and shocked the basketball world with his bad news. He was diagnosed with treatable neck and throat cancer. Since then, he started to undergo various medical checkups and chemotherapies. In the middle of March, Karl decided to leave Nuggets and assistant coach Adrian Dantley took over for the rest of the season.
The Nuggets were off to a strong start, posting a 30-17 win-loss record until they collapsed in the climax of the season. Fortunately for them, they were able to get a home court advantage in the first round of playoffs against their division rival Utah Jazz; but then again, they were still outmatched by an injury-depleted lineup of Jazz in six games.
It’s quite difficult for the players to lose their mentor in the mid season because Coach Karl developed a strong relationship with his players. In a matter of just six years, he played a big role of in discovering and exploring potential talents of all his players.
Carmelo Anthony started his career as a pure offensive player but with the guidance of Karl, Anthony became an all-around player on the court. Karl helped Anthony to understand his role to the team even more. Role players like Nene Hilario, who’s been out for a while, has made his presence felt under the basket. J.R Smith, a young player has been recognized as one of the best superb reserves in the recent years. Kenyon Martin, an on-court trouble player in the past was honed even more to be a reliable force inside.
The rising of rookie sensation Ty Lawson who has been effective as a backup point guard to veteran Chaunce Billups is also one of the great works Coach George Karl. Even some old players like Marcus Camby and Dhantay Jones benefited from Karl’s terrific coaching. Camby won Defensive player of the year in 2007 before he transferred to Los Angeles Clippers in 2009. Meanwhile, Jones who was also known in the league by his tenacious defensive style by guarding the best offensive player of the opponent team also benefitted from Karl’s coaching prowess and charisma.
Since Karl was hired by the Nuggets, the team has always qualified in the post season every year. Last year was a remarkable improvement when they acquired Billups in exchange for Allen Iverson. The team became a tougher team on the defensive end and achieved a balance attack on their offense. For the first time in 24 years, they reached the Conference Finals.
But when Karl left the sidelines, the toughness and discipline of his players inside the court went down. In their recent games from the regular season to the playoffs, the Nuggets had lost their composure down the stretch and failed to execute efficiently. Their intensity went down and their defensive strategies that Karl implemented to the team disappeared especially in the playoffs.
They allowed Jazz to score an average of 105 points in the six-game playoff. They were unable to stop Deron Williams to run the show and dominate the series. Williams averaged 26 points per ball game alongside with 10 assists. In that series, they were not able to control Anthony’s fantastic offensive and defensive game.
Although assistant coach Dantley did a good job in helping the team to recover from Karl’s absence; one fact still remains, Karl’s experience is a big loss for the Nuggets. It is quite difficult for an acting coach to lead the way especially with the added pressure that surrounds him. The Nuggets were predicted to reach the conference finals and challenge the defending champion Lakers.
In the end, the recovery of Karl is the most important thing that all players, fellow coaches and even the fans, most especially his family are hoping and praying for.
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