Nice words for George Karl

Steven A. Smith, the bombastic NBA analyst for ESPN really tore into Denver Nuggets coach George Karl during one of the breaks last night in the network's coverage of the NBA playoffs. Smith said if the Nuggets continue playing like they are against the Lakers, Karl should be toast. "The Nuggets will be looking for a new coach if they get annihilated in Denver," Smith said.

I have always been Karl admirer, especially during his tenure with the Seattle Supersonics, a team he coached to the playoffs all seven seasons he was there, won three division titles and won 50 games all seven seasons. He made it to the league finals once, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, a team coached by Phil Jackson, who is also his coaching opponent in this current series with the Lakers. In 1998, he went to the Milwaukee Bucks and steadily made that team better.

So it was nice to see this story today in the Los Angeles Times, of all places, that had some very nice things to say about Karl.