How George Karl Is Destroying His NBA Reputation

Former NBA head coach George Karl is publishing a new book, and its pages hold a number of biting criticisms for his former coworkers. What damage is Karl doing to himself in the process?

George Karl is one of the most accomplished coaches in NBA history, one of only nine coaches to break 1,000 wins. Twenty-two times he led his team to the playoffs, often with a collection of talent deemed inferior to the teams around them.

Upon retirement, Karl took the route many coaches and players take — he wrote a book. It’s a way to both stay relevant in the NBA world and bring in extra income.

The opportunity to share thoughts and stories that either were not or could not be shared while coaching is often an added bonus.

For George Karl, that opportunity seems to have been the driving force in his book, entitled “Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection.”

In the book Karl unloads on seemingly everyone he worked with in the NBA, including a number of players still in the league.

The retired coach went after former Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, calling him a “conundrum” who refused to play defense and simply craved the spotlight and jacking up as many shots as possible.

He described Anthony as a “user of people” and described how he failed Karl and his teammates by his lack of leadership.

In an interview with New York magazine he stated:

Live Feed George Karl

When talking about the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony to the New York Knicks, Karl wrote that the trade was “a sweet release for the coach and the [Nuggets], like popping a blister.”

Karl didn’t hold any punches for Anthony’s Denver teammates either, calling Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith “AAU babies” and “the spoiled brats you see in junior golf and junior tennis.”

Anthony and Martin “carried two big burdens: all that money and no father to show them how to act like a man.”

Karl went further attacking Smith, stating that the guard had “a huge sense of entitlement, a distracting posse, his eye always on the next contract and some really unbelievable shot selection.”

Carmelo Anthony took the high road in his response, wishing Karl success and quipping that he would have a book called “Stay Melo, Not Furious.” Kenyon Martin fired back more directly, speaking of his anger at hearing about Karl’s attacks and retorting:

Smith has stayed quiet on the issue, simply remarking how sad it is that Karl is fighting this hard to stay relevant.

The former coach has used the spotlight and his book to even go after the league as a whole, accusing players of widespread PED use and referees of cheating and gambling.

Unsatisfied with the former players and coworkers he goes after in his book, Karl has begun expanding his criticism during the many interviews he is conducting in recent days.

When discussing this “new age” of star players and their misplaced focus, he inextricably went after Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard.

Karl stated:

Lillard didn’t immediately address the comments, but Portland head coach Terry Stotts didn’t appreciate the attack on his player, and stood up for his point guard.

Lillard also spoke up, telling ESPN’s Jeff Goodman:

In all likelihood George Karl will continue to stay in the news as long as media outlets continue to interview him. He will poke sleeping dragons, ramp up the vitriol, and do everything he can to stay in the spotlight- – the very thing he criticized Carmelo Anthony and Damian Lillard of doing.