George Karl Fired By the Denver Nuggets

NBA coaches often joke that they hate the idea of winning Coach the Year honors, since that usually means doom the following the season. For George Karl, this year’s winner of the COY award, he didn’t have to wait until the 2013-’14 campaign to learn of his fate. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Denver Nuggets have fired Karl because they didn’t want to grant him a contract extension (Karl was unhappy with the departure of GM Masai Ujiri.) The Nuggets have confirmed the shocking move: “Denver has parted ways with coach George Karl, league source says … Karl will not be brought back for the final year of his contract. He was informed this morning. In final year of deal, Karl was pushing for a contract extension, and ownership wasn’t prepared to give it to him, source says … Denver believes it can attract an elite coach with its roster; simply didn’t want to deal with an unhappy Karl in final year of contract.’ […] “Coach George Karl will not return for the final year of his contract in 2013-14, Denver Nuggets President Josh Kroenke announced today. Hired on Jan. 27, 2005, Karl orchestrated one of the most successful eras in Nuggets history. He guided Denver to nine consecutive playoff appearances and a regular-season record of 423-257. His victories rank second in franchise history to Doug Moe (432). ‘George has been an instrumental part of our success over the past decade, and we appreciate everything he did to keep us among the top teams in the Western Conference,” Kroenke said. “He is a Hall of Fame coach whose legacy in Denver will last for years to come. George is a legend in the game of basketball and I could not have more respect for him as a person and coach.'”