An upcoming book from former NBA coach George Karl will reportedly take pointed shots at some of his former players, including Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. Reggie Evans finished his career playing for Karl’s Sacramento Kings, but was also a Denver Nuggets teammate of Anthony and Smith when Karl was their head coach.
Evans made it clear in a tweet that he sides with his former teammates.
I had some good Denver Nuggets Teammates. That dude is old and unhappy with himself.
— ReggieEvans30 (@ReggieEvans30) December 22, 2016
Smith also didn’t appreciate Karl’s criticism.
Still trying to be relevant. Sad just sad.
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) December 22, 2016
This is a particularly tricky issue.
In one respect, Karl has a point. He is not the only coach to have problems with Anthony and Smith. So, it’s certainly possible that he’s not the only one with these feelings.
Unfortunately, Karl’s history indicates that he’s not blameless.
Anthony and Smith have had problems with other coaches. That’s unquestionable. But Karl has had issues with different players. Several of Karl’s former players — including but not limited to Anthony and Smith — have implied that Karl is a “snake.”
So, it’s hard to think that Karl is blameless in any of the problems that he’s had with players over the years.