George Karl’s Future With Denver Nuggets Uncertain
By Josh Sanchez
The Denver Nuggets are coming off of a season where they won a record number of games at home, but now there are some intriguing story lines surrounding the team and going in to next season. Now that Denver has lost general manager Masai Ujiri to the Toronto Raptors, the future of George Karl is taking an interesting twist.
Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles:
"Denver Nuggets coach George Karl’s status has become “unsettled” following the departure of general manager Masai Ujiri for the Toronto Raptors, two sources close to the situation said late Saturday night.Karl, who was named the NBA’s coach of the year following the Nuggets’ 57-win season, is not in any imminent danger of losing his job, the sources stressed. But Ujiri’s departure, coupled with Denver’s disappointing first-round playoff exit, has shaken things up in Denver to the point that Karl, who is under contract for just one more season, could, incredibly, begin the season on the hot seat after winning the league’s top coaching honor for the first time in his long career, instead of beginning extension talks."
Denver could be clearing the way for Karl to be booted out of town, but he should almost certainly start the season as the team’s head coach.
However, if the Nuggets struggle to start the year after exiting the NBA Playoffs in the first-round this season, it could get pretty ugly quick and they could pull the trigger on a move to look in a different direction.