The rumors surrounding George Karl's uncertain future with the Denver Nuggets have been swirling for weeks. After Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri left for the Toronto Rapturs, it was reported that Karl might not remain in Denver. Yahoo! Sports now confirms that Karl will not be back for another season with the Nuggets.
Karl was entering the final year of his contract with Denver and wanted to sign an extension prior to the 2013 season beginning. The Nuggets turned down the request, deciding to hand the reigning Coach of the Year his pink slip instead. Karl had been with the Nuggets since 2005.
Karl is coming off a season where he helped lead the Nuggets to a 57-win regular season. The team earned the third seed in the Western Conference, but were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. Poor postseason play has haunted Denver in recent years. The team has only advanced past the first round of the playoffs once in the past 10 season. This likely played a large part in the release of Karl.
With Karl now on the open market, the Los Angeles Clippers are expected to come in and try to sweep him away. The team had initial conversations with Denver about the status of Karl. Now that he is a free man, the Clippers are free to pursue the coach without any restrictions. Karl has reportedly been on the top of the Clippers' coaching list since the team fired Vinny Del Negro.
Los Angeles is in search of a big name that will be attractive for free agent Chris Paul. They have been looking for someone with a proven track record of success. The team targeted Jeff Van Gundy first, but was turned down by the current NBA analyst. They have also reached out to Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott. Karl is easily the biggest name of those candidates and could persuade star Paul to re-sign.
The Clippers front office is stressing that Paul will have no say on who the team hires as coach, but after hinting that the point guard played a role in the firing of Del Negro, they will seek his stamp of approval.
The Brooklyn Nets will likely be the other team in play for Karl. They too are searching for a big name to bring in to lead the growing franchise. Nets' owners are prepared to make any future coach one of the highest paid in the league and will battle the Clippers for the best contract offered. Karl can expect to not be unemployed for long.