George Karl Enjoying Life in Denver Post-Carmelo Anthony

So far, the Denver Nuggets look like the big winners following last season’s blockbuster trade of Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. According to Nuggets coach George Karl, his team is in a much better place these days, with far less drama to deal with. From the NY Daily News: “The Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire duo isn’t panning out the way Jim Dolan expected. Garden chairman Jim Dolan can finally look out on his basketball court on Saturday night and see that he’s built himself a winner. Unfortunately for Dolan, it won’t be the NBA team he owns. In fairness, the Denver Nuggets were a playoff team long before Dolan orchestrated the Carmelo Anthony trade. But since the team’s owner ordered Donnie Walsh to gut the Knicks to bring Anthony to the Garden, the Nuggets have continued on an upward trajectory, while the Knicks find themselves these days with ‘Melo often grinding the offense to a halt and Amar’e Stoudemire very likely longing for the days he was king of New York. ‘Where we are now, I think it’s a positive place for us,’’ said Denver coach George Karl the other night in Philadelphia, before the Nuggets sent the Sixers to their first home loss of the season. That raised Denver’s record to 10-5 and their overall regular-season record to 28-12 since the blockbuster deal. ‘What happened with ‘Melo last season, that got old,’ Karl admitted long after his team’s overtime victory. ‘That got old fast.’ As his team was enveloped in the daily ‘Melo drama, Karl, a cancer survivor, did his best to keep the troops together. Relief finally came when Dolan made his signature move, a pratfall. Since dealing Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov, Dolan has seen his ranks go 20-22, including a 6-8 mark this season. The depth, three-point shooting, ball movement and chemistry went west with Stoudemire’s supporting cast. ‘I think both organizations probably have at least one more move, or two moves, that they’re going to make to get where they want to go,’ Karl told several reporters. ‘I think they’re feeling good about some of their pieces. I think we’re feeling good about some of our pieces.’ Then Karl turned to an old acquaintance and said, ‘Pretty diplomatic, huh?’”