George Karl

Odds & Ends: Collins, Nuggets, Warriors

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

  • Doug Collins tells the Sporting News that he wants to coach four or five more years for the Sixers.
  • Derek Page of HoopsWorld has some thoughts from Nuggets coach George Karl, who is pleased with the moves Masai Ujiri's staff has made this summer, most notably the trade for Andre Iguodala.
  • The Warriors' plan to build a new arena in San Francisco is progressing. According to a team press release, they have chosen an architectural firm to begin construction on the new facility.

Iguodala On Future, Denver, George Karl

Earlier today, we relayed a report that the Nuggets plan to explore a long-term deal to keep Andre Iguodala in Denver.The 6'6 guard/forward is slated to have a player option after the end of this year, but during his introduction as a new member of the Nuggets, Iguodala was pretty clear on where he stands regarding his future. In addition to our earlier post, we were able to gather more noteworthy quotes from the former 76ers swingman (via Bill Ingram from HoopsWorld):

"We’re definitely already looking ahead and seeing how we can go forward and this not being just a quick stop for me, knowing this is a great organization. I got a lot of feedback from a lot of different guys, current players, former players, even other trainers about the organization, that this would be a great place for me to have some great years ahead of me and possibly ending my career here."

Iguodala also mentioned that he spoke to Carmelo Anthony about what playing in Denver would be like: 

"(Anthony) said you would be a perfect fit for Coach Karl, you two would really gel with one another. Just small things like that. It got me thinking once the trade went through on a long flight back, looking at the team we have and how I can help the young guys grow. And, having some of my best years with Andre Miller is really one of the best opportunities that I’ve had the opportunity to take advantage of. I’m looking forward to it."

He added that he has been studying the Nuggets offense and has spoken with head coach George Karl about the expectations for the upcoming season:

"It was a really good conversation when we first spoke five or six days ago. The first thing when we spoke he spoke about what I needed to work on, which was great…he went straight to the things he thought I needed to do in order to get the most out of myself and help the team. Free throws was one thing, getting to the free throw line was another. Just being aggressive. That was something I took out of the conversation that I think will help us a lot, being up front and getting the most from each other."


Odds & Ends: Magic, Randolph, Kings, Irving

Earlier this evening, an ESPN report (via the Associated Press) indicated that Stan Van Gundy is prepared to handle the rest of the season and playoffs without Dwight Howard. To make matter worse, forward Glen Davis hyper-extended his right knee today during the first quarter against the Cavaliers and did not return for the rest of the game. Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweeted that Davis is unsure about when he'll be able to play again this year, which currently leaves Daniel Orton as the only true big man on the Magic roster. It should be noted that if the Magic decide to find replacements for their big man rotation through free agency, the only playoff-eligible players at this point are those who have not already played in an NBA game this year. You can find tonight's other significant stories here: