George Karl told reporters yesterday that he has been talking with the Grizzlies and Clippers about their head coaching jobs respectively. With that being said, the former Nuggets coach doesn't think that anything will get done by this week – and if it does, he says, it'll involve another head coaching candidate. Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post has other notable comments to share from Karl, of which you can read below:
On his meeting with Josh Kroenke upon being let go:
"Josh was nice and complimentary, said he'd honor my contract and the coaches. The conversation was on the decision, and I said, 'I think I should tell you, I think it's very stupid.' And since then, I don't understand it."
"I stopped myself — I could've rambled for two hours. I didn't want that argument. Basically I've had two meetings with Josh Kroenke. We met on Sunday (before the firing), and it lasted about an hour and I thought it was a positive meeting, very constructive, a lot of thoughts…I agree with them 100 percent that losing in the playoffs was disappointing and I could've done a better job. But Kenneth Faried (being hurt), he was never Faried the whole (playoff) series."
On the notion that he demanded a contract extension:
"I didn't demand an extension — I said to Josh, 'I will coach this team next year, I'm excited about coaching this team next year, but in the last year of a contract, there are things that could happen. I didn't say they would happen, I said they could happen. I said I didn't think I deserved a three-year extension, but it's a signed contract (with an option), so let's compromise. I don't think I deserved to get my option picked up, even if we won in the first round (of the playoffs), but there's a middle ground."
On the argument that he didn't play young players:
"…It shouldn't be that I didn't play young players, it's I didn't play young players enough, because we played a lot of young players — Kenneth Faried, Kosta Koufos, Evan Fournier at the end of the year, Ty Lawson…
"I think all of our young players are in a good place except for maybe Jordan Hamilton. He's the only guy I can say, 'OK, he might have should've been given more minutes.'
On not playing Javale McGee more and his lack of fit with Faried:
"I'm sorry, I've never had management tell me that money's important (for playing time). Every team I've ever coached, it was, 'It's your job to distribute minutes.' I think JaVale built a foundation that next year is going to be very good with him. I don't think our relationship was in a bad place. It wasn't in a great place, but it wasn't in a bad place. … I felt pretty good that JaVale, with a good summer with us, probably would have been the starter next year. But in the same sense, I don't think JaVale and Kenneth fit. They have similar limitations. I still think having a passing point guard for JaVale, like Andre Miller, is an asset."
Thoughts on the Nuggets' season:
"We won 57 wins and are in a great place. Continuity, consistency, togetherness all are so much more valuable than they have on their priority list than playing JaVale McGee or the young players…And I never had a meeting where that disappointment (on not playing young players) was voiced to me. I never had that meeting. I heard through whispers. I'm sorry that 57 wins doesn't make you happy."
"I think it was a special season because of the connection this team has with each other and with the coaching staff and with the city. The fans like this team. The staff likes each other. And to blow up that connection is, in my opinion, extremely disrespectful to coaching."