NBA A-Z: George Karl says Carmelo trade helped Nuggets

Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

Denver Nuggets coach George Karl wouldn't admit it at first, but it was official by the end of an interview with USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday: he's having a blast.

The sixth-winningest coach of all-time, this 61-year-old who spent recent years fighting off cancer (twice) and enduring the Melo-drama that led to Carmelo Anthony being traded to New York back in 2011, is having fun again with a team that embodies all that is good about one of the game's great coaches. While the Miami Heat have extended their winning streak to 24 games in what is the second-longest in league history, Karl's Nuggets (47-22) have quietly won 13 straight and set a new franchise mark for the Nuggets' NBA era that started in 1976. Their latest win came on Tuesday night, as they won 114-104 at Oklahoma City.

The Nuggets are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference, pushing to secure the home-court advantage in the playoffs that would be key considering they're 30-3 at the Pepsi Center this season and on pace to best the team record of 36-5 at home (set in 1976-77). Point guard Ty Lawson (16.9 points a game) and small forward Danilo Gallinari (16.3) are sharing the lead scoring duties, but six players average double figures in scoring and the defense that has been the fifth-best in the league during the streak is headed by new addition Andre Iguodala (who was traded to Denver from the Philadelphia 76ers last summer as part of the Dwight Howard deal that sent him from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers). Karl's system — player politics be darned — is the sort of meritocracy that is rarely seen in today's professional sports landscape.

Karl, who is hopeful that this group can deliver the championship that has eluded him in 25 years as a head coach in Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Milwaukee and Denver, took some time to discuss these Nuggets and his career.

Q. So you having fun yet?

A. You know, in coaching you don't ever really have that joyful fun, but there's no question that it's enjoyable. It's winning. And when you win and you've lost, what, four games in 60 days or something like that, it's nice not having the headache of that day of losing. In the NBA, you win, and you think you're going to win tomorrow. But as soon as you lose, you don't think you're ever going to win again.

Q. Are you as surprised as most people are with how quickly your franchise recovered from the Anthony deal?

A. I definitely think that the speed that we've built ourselves back into being a contender in the Western Conference has surprised me. We have one player on the team that played with Melo. The Melo trade was, what, two years ago in February? And you have to remember that one of those years was a lockout year. So probably the team has only played together less than 100 games … And then you had the Nene trade last year. Nene was another piece that we changed up. That was kind of the final addition that "we're going to go with young players." During the year, we played Kosta (Koufos) and Timo (Timofey Mosgov) a lot more than we played Bird (Chris Andersen) and Nene. We turned it over to all the young guys. The team has evolved. It's worked hard. It has stayed focused … My team even last year always thought they could play with the big boys. Now that they have the consistency to play an 82-game season together and show that they're good enough, that's what we're doing this year.

Q. You've had to massage a lot of situations here. I talked to Andre (Miller) earlier this season and he was clearly uneasy with his playing time then, and young guys like JaVale (McGee) are always going to want more time (he's averaging 18.4 minutes per game). Dissect that a little bit for me. How have you been able to get most out of this group and keep some of these situations from turning into negatives?

A. The two keys that, I think, have really made this thing work — well, there's really three — is my bench is really good. The bench puts a lot of pressure on the starters to play really good, because they know that I will go to my bench as quick as any coach in the NBA. The second thing is Andre (Miller) and Ty (Lawson). You've got two point guards who can give you 10 assists on any given night, and can orchestrate a team in a different way, and sometimes do it together. It just brings the pass, and the importance of the pass, the demand that we pass the ball because that's what I like, that's what I think wins championships, and we have two guys who do it. The third thing is that our big guys get no credit. The big guys are kind of low maintenance, no-nonsense players, but they do the job almost every night. I can't tell you who that's going to be — who's going to be the A player tomorrow. It might be Kosta, it might be JaVale, it might be Kenneth (Faried). We might play two big guys.

The one thing is that we have the versatility if we play the Lakers. When you match (Pau) Gasol, and we have three big guys. Timo (Mosgov) doesn't play much, but Timo can play. I think we're better when we're going small rather than those 10 minutes or five minutes that I give to somebody — maybe Gallo, or Wilson (Chandler) — if I have to give them to Timo I'll give them to Timo. And I'll be honest with you — Anthony Randolph is not bad either. Wilson might miss a game or two (because of a joint separation in his left shoulder). It might be Anthony Randolph tomorrow.

Q. But when you're running a team like that, players today typically don't take to it.

A. But again, I think so much of why we work is the competition for minutes. Every player has a competition for minutes. I think everybody knows their time. (Andre) Iguodala and Gallo are probably going to get 30-35 (minutes) every night. But for them to get 40, or 38, they've got to play good. And I have no problem finishing any way I think I can win. Sometimes that ruffles the feathers a little bit of my players. But Corey Brewer is the guy who I think has played well enough to finish a lot of games. I don't do it all the time, and when I don't do it I think it's unfair to Corey, because even though Iguodala and Gallo are the high-paid dudes, sometimes Corey is the better basketball player. It's not right that we always give it to the guy who gets paid the most money. There should not be an entitlement that because you get paid the most money, that you should finish every game. But if you don't do it, then the agents are going to call and the players are going to mope and so you negotiate that. It's a compromise as a coach.

I've seen Pop (San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) sit (point guard Tony) Parker when it counted. I've seen Pop sit some of his A players when it counted, and I think that's probably the way it should be and it's probably the way most coaches would like it to be. But I think it's easier to maybe not do it that way. For me, I think everybody knows in that locker room that I want to win. I want to play winning (basketball) and I want to play the right way. The guys who do that for me on that given night are going to get the benefit of the doubt, most of the time.

Q. Has your longevity and success allowed you to have a wall up between you and the fires that coaches are always putting out or is that still always there?

A. I don't think there's any question that I don't think young coaches can maybe take the risks that I take. But in the same sense, I think my staff and I work very hard on explaining what we're doing. And we have no problem with a player wanting to play, and we have no problem answering a question of why you're not playing — in fact we encourage it, we like it, we want players to want to play, we want them to be angry when they're not playing, but we don't want them to degrade the team or negate the team (with) a negative attitude during the game or during practice or in the locker room. Do that one on one with me, do that one on one with (general manager) Masai (Ujiri), do that one on one with my assistants, and let's talk this through. I try to tell players all the time — I'm 61 years old. It's not personal man. I mean this is not personal. I'm past the time when I'm making a personal decision. I'm making a basketball decision based on who is playing well, who is playing hard, and who is more focused and more disciplined on that given night.

Q. That's a good place to be. Tell me, as far as this season goes, was (beating Oklahoma City on Tuesday) the best win of the season?

A. We've had so many good ones. You know, in the month of February and March, I've just been so satisfied walking out after games. There's no question (the win over the Thunder) was impressive, but we've beaten the Lakers, we've beaten San Antonio. Both those games were on our home court, and I think we have a six-game winning streak on the road, and I can't don't care what you say — everybody knows you've got to play a little better, a little more together, a little more focused, to win on the road. And to win the six in a row (on the road) has shown this team has really kind of come along and grown up. But I really respect Oklahoma City. I really think they're good. And not only did we win, but we took control of the game and never gave it back to them on their court. I mean they got it down to five, and I don't think they had a shot to get it to three. But having a five and 10-point lead in the second half on their court, and not letting them have their momentum swing go back against you, I can't deny that there were a lot of positives. It was just the approach to the game, with Andre (Miller) talking to the team before the game, getting serious about "don't give in to the schedule because it's a back-to-back and you got in at 2:30 in the morning." And then you really don't play well early in the game, they have a 10-point lead, they look faster than we do and quicker than we do. And then to come out and put our heads together to defend early in the game. I think we held them to 16 points in the third quarter, and that was the thing that turned it. I said at halftime, I said, "The team that's going to turn up the defense is going to win this game," and we chose to do that.

Q. You mentioned Andre (Miller) talking to the team. Is the off the court side of your team the same as on the floor in terms of a new guy playing that leadership role all the time or who is holding that torch?

A. No, I think Andre is the pro in our locker room. I think Iguodala will get there. I think Ty is coming there. I think Gallo (Gallinari) — I always think it's a little harder for a European player to take that responsibility, but I think Gallo has that personality and mind to do that. And our bench has a unity. Our practices are pretty good because the bench goes after the first unit. I mean, right now the bench is mad because I'm not letting Andre Miller practice much and so they're not getting their leader. There's a lot of trash talking in our practices in our practices about who wins the practices. You don't win a lot of practices, but that's all good stuff.

Q. You mentioned getting better on the road, but the chance to get home court (in the playoffs) is obviously huge considering you guys are 30-3 there. Are your guys talking about that goal or is it pretty much obvious what you're trying to get done here?

A. I think the whole season was to get home court … I just want to be realistic. If come the last 10 games of the season, that's a possibility, then that's cool. But right now, we're going to stay focused on the cliché of taking one game at a time, and also realizing that the home court is reachable and we don't have total control. We don't play Memphis or the Clippers anymore. All we've got to do is put a big number up (wins-wise), and if they catch it or beat it — if it's a high number in the mid-50s, then we've got to shake their hands and say congratulations and still be ready to play in the playoffs. But home court is something that, being a young team and having that in our back pocket (would be big). Most series, everybody wins on each other's home court. But to win twice here would be — not many people have that much of a chance.

Q. That record is good enough at this point to have your group be in the discussion about title contention. I know that's not where your head is at this point, but how do you see this idea that this deep and balanced group can take it to that level?

A. My first step is to get this team to win in the first round. And then, once you win in the first round, there's confidence. Coach (Tim) Grgurich (formerly a longtime Seattle SuperSonics and Denver assistant) and I have talked about how this team reminds me a little of my first full year in Seattle (in 1992-93). I think we played Utah in the first round, beat them in a Game 5 in the first round. We were down 2-1 in that series, and could've lost in Utah in Game 4. But we won Game 4 — that made us grow up. We won Game 5 in a really crazy game. I think it's actually a record, where in the same game we had the lowest scoring half and the highest scoring half for a SuperSonic basketball team (the Sonics scored 30 points in the first half and 70 in the second half) … And that whole momentum of learning to win in that series, and then we took Houston to a seven-game series and beat them in overtime (in Game 7). It was really one of those weird series, where we won at home easy and they won at home easy and Game 7 was an overtime game. We won that game, and then we play Phoenix and we're growing up right in front of ourselves (the Sonics lost to the Suns in seven games in the Western Conference Finals). You could see the confidence happen.

Now can we do that this year with this group? I think we can. I hope we can. I really think we can. That's where I want to put this team. I want to put them in that place, the best chance possible to win a first round (series), and then see where our confidence goes from there.

Q. This would have been the first question a couple of years ago, and it's a good sign in that regard that it's not, but how is your health?

A. I'm doing good. My voice, earlier in the year, was kind of in a little bit of a weakened state. I don't know what it was, but I've gotten some treatments that worked out really well. The schedule the first two months were the hardest part of the schedule. Now there's more of a home-tilted schedule, which means you get more rest and you have more days off and then of course my staff does a great job.

I only coach five on five basketball. All those maintenance days, and all those shooting days and those drill days, I'm basically the Principal that walks in the back of the room and sits down and observes. And we have a great young staff. We've kind of fallen into a rhythm that I think everybody enjoys. The scouts do their jobs, and then my top assistants take over and then they bring it to me and then I coach the games.

Q. When you've gone through what you've gone through, does it make all of this gravy at this point?

A. I don't know if it's gravy. I still get nervous. I still have my fears and my moments of paranoia that all coaches go through. I think the best word for me to use is "balanced." It's much more balanced. If I feel like I'm out of balance, then I always go to my health and my family now more than in the past. When it started and was swirling out of control, I usually panicked and just coached harder and spent more time on basketball and trying to understand and figure it out. But I still love the chess match of the games. I love the enjoyment of motivating and mentoring a team and persevering through tough schedules in November and December. And now, it's actually pretty much fun watching them grow up, watching them do it, watching them take more responsibility.

Q. You looking ahead at all these days in terms of possible retirement? Any plan there?

A. Well, I've got one year left on my deal here (after this season), with a three-year option (if the Nuggets pick up the option, Karl is essentially on board for an additional three seasons). I don't think I think about retirement, but I don't think about the rat race of what's my next job going to be. It's not in the back of my mind, other than I'm going to probably finish my career — hopefully I finish my career here in Denver. That gives me, again, more balance and probably a more secure perspective on coaching than most coaches have in this business because I think all coaches are always worried about their job a little bit.

POWER UP: One man's take on NBA power rankings

Here are my votes for team, MVP and rookie in USA TODAY Sports' NBA power rankings:

Top five teams

Miami Heat San Antonio Spurs Oklahoma City Thunder Denver Nuggets Memphis Grizzlies

Top five MVP candidates

LeBron James, Miami Heat Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Top three rookies

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Read the NBA A-Z insider column from USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt at nba.usatoday.com. Send the guys feedback and ideas to @Sam_Amick and @JeffZillgitt.