George Karl has won 1,131 games in his NBA coaching career, he was voted Coach of the Year the same year he was fired, he guided a Seattle Sonics team to 50-plus wins every season he was there and took the 1996 version to the NBA Finals before they were promptly Jordan’d, and he was the guy in charge the last time the Milwaukee Bucks were relevant, and Karl also never won the “big one”.
Perhaps that’s why Karl took to Twitter to clear the air about where he’d like to be spending his time at 63 years old — coaching in the NBA, specifically the Orlando Magic.
I wanted to address everyone’s questions & comments in regards to my coaching career. Here is my official statement. pic.twitter.com/i4rN5wjoRh
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) February 6, 2015
On one hand, it’s a bit surprising to see a guy want to jump back into a cold, often unfair, profession like coaching in the NBA. Remember, he was fired after winning 50-plus games in the Western Conference without a superstar. Karl has been a success, for the most part, everywhere he has gone in the Association. If Karl would like to make one last run, why set your sights on a team that’s years away from contending? Why not Oklahoma City? The Washington Wizards? The Chicago Bulls? The point is, there are much better options for a guy with the track record Karl has.
George Karl shouldn’t settle at 63 years old. He should continue to wait for the right situation, not the one most readily available.
(Especially when you look at how the Orlando Magic front office and ownership treated former head coach Jacque Vaughn in the final days of his tenure in Orlando. Karl just went through that in Denver.)
Karl is the free-agent coach that rising contenders should be calling to help get them over the hump, like the Wizards or Thunder, not a lottery-bound team like the Orlando Magic.
Wherever Karl winds up next, it’s fair to assume that’s the last coaching stop for Karl in the NBA. To fully maximize that opportunity, Karl must keep the “itch” to return sooner rather than later at bay and wait for the job that will give him the best shot at winning a championship.
