Carmelo Anthony-George Karl beef history: Revisiting former Nuggets coach's 'overrated' comment amid Melo's latest revelations

Known as one of the best small forwards to have played in the history of the NBA, Carmelo Anthony first made his mark in the league when he played for the Denver Nuggets.

However, Anthony spoke on his "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast with Kid Mero about a controversial remark by former Nuggets coach George Karl. The renowned coach called Anthony "overrated" during their first interaction together.

Karl was first brought in as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets during the second half of the 2004-05 season. He lasted until 2011 with the team and had a 423-257 record. Be that as it may, Anthony's first impression of Karl did not get off to a good start.

"We get to Milwaukee after shootaround, called me to his room and tell me, 'Hey man, like I think you're overrated. We have a lot of work to do,'" Anthony said. "I know I got a long way to go in this league but ... you just got here."

During the podcast episode, Anthony revealed that Karl originally saw his role on the team in the same line as Seattle Supersonics legend Detlef Schrempf. He was known for his efficient shotmaking (career 49.1% shooter, including 38.4% from 3-point range).

Given Karl's success with the Seattle Supersonics as the head coach, he wanted to incorporate different roles and styles with Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets. Interestingly, George Karl responded to Anthony's story with strong comments via X.

Karl was not fond of the 10-time NBA All-Star bringing up old stories that happened 20 years ago. However, he backed up his old "overrated" remark by stating that he still sees Anthony that way and even compared his shotmaking efficiency as inferior to what Detlef Schrempf did in his career.

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Looking back on Carmelo Anthony and George Karl's beef history

It's known today that Carmelo Anthony and George Karl aren't exactly on good terms. In Karl's 2017 book "Furious George," he saw Anthony as a challenging player to coach during his tenure with the Denver Nuggets. He praised his offensive capabilities but criticized the lack of effort he gave at the defensive end.

This limited Anthony's leadership responsibilities and forced Karl to adjust defensive schemes around his shortcomings outside of shooting the ball. Interestingly, Karl also had strong comments about Anthony's drive for the spotlight and his disdain for sharing it with his teammates.

Karl also included Kenyon Martin in his book and described the two former Nuggets teammates as immature basketball players brought by the lack of a father figure.

Martin blasted the comments made by Karl in his book as he took his frustration and criticism on his former coach via X. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony argued that other members in the Denver Nuggets organization at that time saw his attitude and the team's mentality differently than the renowned former NBA coach.