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The X (formerly Twitter) exchange between George Karl and Carmelo Anthony continues to light up social media. Anthony’s re-telling of his first encounter with Karl on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast didn’t sit well with the Hall of Fame coach. “Melo” narrated how the former NBA journeyman called him “overrated.”
A few hours after that episode came out, Karl told the former New York Knicks star to just move forward. The 2013 NBA Coach of the Year told his erstwhile player not to keep recalling stories that are “20 years old” and added:
“And u were overrated and u wish your game was as efficient as Detlef’s [Schrempf].”
Carmelo Anthony couldn’t hold back and replied to George Karl’s post with several laughing emojis. Karl, unwilling to let go, added fuel to the fire:
“We all know you’re passive aggressive Melo so be real. What’s this mean??”
It remains to be seen if the 10x All-Star will keep up the social media feud. The laughing emojis could be in jest toward Karl’s response or he could be derisively laughing at his former coach’s comments.
George Karl arrived in Denver leading into the 2004-05 season, which was Carmelo Anthony’s sophomore year in the NBA. Denver believed it had a budding superstar after Anthony gave LeBron James a decent challenge for Rookie of the Year honors. The Nuggets thought that bringing in a veteran coach with a glittering resume could be what “Melo” needed to fast-track his development.
While the emerging star and coach didn’t always see eye to eye, they were mainly responsible for making the Nuggets relevant in the NBA again. Before Anthony’s arrival, Denver missed the playoffs in nine straight years. The partnership between Anthony and Karl delivered six straight postseason appearances.
The Denver Nuggets, however, didn’t have much success. They were repeatedly eliminated in the first round of the playoffs during that stretch. It was only during the 2008-09 campaign that they went further than that. The Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals but were dispatched in six games by the late Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers.
The following season, Carmelo Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks after forcing his way out of the team. George Karl remained in Denver where he won his only Coach of the Year award in 2013.
George Karl once acknowledged Carmelo Anthony’s role in “saving” pro hoops in Denver
Roughly a month ago, George Karl acknowledged Carmelo nthony’s impact in Denver. As the former Nuggets coach, he knew what the superstar brought to the city and the franchise.
“Melo saved pro hoops in Denver. And he shouldn’t have demanded a trade.”
Karl’s comments came a few days after Anthony called the Nuggets “petty” for giving the No. 15 jersey to reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. He said that the team gave that number to the Serbian to “try and erase what I did.”
George Karl is convinced that the Denver Nuggets could have the No. 15 retired in honor of both Carmelo Anthony and Jokic. After Anthony’s latest back-and-forth with Karl, it remains to be seen if the coach still has the same opinion about “Melo’s” contribution to Denver basketball.
