Former Denver Nuggets coach George Karl isn't holding back in his upcoming autobiography Furious George.
Karl comes out swinging at two of the highest profile players during his nine year run in Denver: Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith.
On Anthony:
Carmelo was a true conundrum for me in the six years I had him,” Karl wrote. “He was the best offensive player I ever coached. He was also a user of people, addicted to the spotlight and very unhappy when he had to share it. He really lit my fuse with his low demand of himself on defense. He had no commitment to the hard, dirty work of stopping the other guy ... Coaching him meant working around his defense and compensating for his attitude.”Karl also called Anthony’s trade to the Knicks “a sweet release for the coach and the team, like popping a blister.’’
On Smith:
Karl claims J.R.'s dad Earl "urged his son to shoot the ball and keep shooting it from the very moment I put him in the game." "[Smith] had a huge sense of entitlement, a distracting posse, his eye always on the next contract and some really unbelievable shot selection."Karl may catch some heat for that "posse" comment.
He also wrote this about Anthony and enigmatic power forward Kenyon Martin.
"Kenyon and Carmelo carried two big burdens: all that money and no father to show them how to act like a man."What do you think of his criticisms?
Update: Martin calls Karl a "terrible person," "awful coach" and a "coward" for bringing his lack of dad into it.
Anthony's staying mum so far:
Carmelo Anthony said "no way" when reporters asked him to discuss comments George Karl made about him in his book.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 22, 2016