George Karl has more important things to worry about than the Denver Nuggets front office situation. The man just returned to eating solid foods and he wants to have his cancer far enough in the rearview mirror that he can be on the Nuggets bench when the season starts.
But when contacted by the Denver Post to talk about the changes, Karl said all the right things. With a tinge of regret.
“I have a lot of love and friendship with (former vice pesident of basketball operations) Mark (Warkentien). Over the last few years, we pulled off some incredible personnel moves, Mark and I work very well as a team, but I also respect Stan (Kroenke) and the organization. ... I respect his decision and I respect that we will move hopefully in a direction that will somehow, someway, be better. But Mark, to me, is a very, very first-class personnel guy.”
“As a coach, there’s always frustrating moments with personnel. Always moments that we disagree. But Mark and I, in the last 20 years, worked together probably 10 of those years. We can fight with each other, hang up on each other, and we still work together. That’s an asset. In the same sense, Stan is very capable and interesting and kind of eccentric owner in a lot of ways.
Karl added he expects to have input on the new hire.
Warkentien, the 2009 NBA executive of the year, will likely have suitors coming to him, as well. That could include the New York Knicks, according to Marc Berman in the New York Post.