The Push For George Karl [Merged]
Posted: Fri Feb 6, 2015 6:30 pm
Coaching Mentality:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW84HI_u1Yg[/youtube]
Key Points: Believes 1 1/2 - 2 hours is the "efficient" amount of time for actual practice, and then does drills "with a lot of running up and down the court" afterwards.
In practice, likes to do 7 second shot clock; Believes heavily on shot clock limitations. ; a lot of 3 on 3; a lot of passing and fast break drills;
Interesting: About 4 years ago, he used to dominate entire practices, but since his throat cancer, he's backed off, and only is 100% in control during 5 on 5 scrimmages. The rest of the practice, he lets his assistants work the players in groups, and Karl observes. Believes assistant coaches are a big part of the team.
Offensive Schemes:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCeOIcfDOG0[/youtube]
Karl's Reactions to the Orlando HC opening:
[tweet]https://twitter.com/CoachKarl22/status/563488711279538177[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/CoachKarl22/status/563534531114725376[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/FadeMartins/status/563705122300391424[/tweet]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW84HI_u1Yg[/youtube]
Key Points: Believes 1 1/2 - 2 hours is the "efficient" amount of time for actual practice, and then does drills "with a lot of running up and down the court" afterwards.
In practice, likes to do 7 second shot clock; Believes heavily on shot clock limitations. ; a lot of 3 on 3; a lot of passing and fast break drills;
Interesting: About 4 years ago, he used to dominate entire practices, but since his throat cancer, he's backed off, and only is 100% in control during 5 on 5 scrimmages. The rest of the practice, he lets his assistants work the players in groups, and Karl observes. Believes assistant coaches are a big part of the team.
Is he an emotional leader or a tactician?
Karl's tactics require so much passion to properly execute that it's difficult to distinguish what he does strategically from his motivational leadership. Karl preaches the gospel of fast basketball and wants his players to constantly push the pace and attack the rim with the dribble, while also moving the ball as rapidly as possible. A lot of players would say that’s how they like to play, but it takes excellent conditioning and tons of work to actually pull it off possession after possession. Karl doesn’t like to "coach effort" and often butts heads with players he feels don’t prepare to give it their all. He is not a strict tactician on defense, either, and uses loose principles (example: always push pick-and-rolls away from the middle of the court) bolstered by maximum effort. To Karl, it’s more important for his players to give “multiple contests” on defense than to be in perfect position at all times.
Offensive Schemes:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCeOIcfDOG0[/youtube]
Does he rely on systems, or does he coach ad hoc to his personnel?
Karl’s philosophy, dubbed “Random Basketball,” is really an ad hoc system. There aren’t intricate rules, per se, but there are fixed guidelines and easily understood goals. Karl wants 30 free throws, 30 layups and 30 assists every game, which reflects his core beliefs in ball movement, pushing the ball quickly up court and driving to the rim. The only real restrictions on offense: Don’t hold the ball and don’t take 2-point jump shots. That system works for the young, fast team he has in Denver. Last season, the Nuggets led the league in layups, took the fewest long 2s, and were second in free throw rate. As a result, they had the league’s best offense.
In Seattle, Karl was known as a defensive-minded coach, and with Milwaukee he was sometimes criticized for being too focused on offense. The various perceptions of him and his teams speak to his impressive adaptability. He has a talent for developing players and finding ways to get the most out of a player; thus, his teams are defined by the types of players he has.
Are there any unique strategies that he particularly likes?
One quirk is that, except in extreme circumstances, Karl forbids his players to shot-fake -- it’s too slow! The only options are move the ball, shoot it or drive to the rim. Strangely, Karl doesn’t have hard-and-fast rules for how his team guards ball screens, beyond influencing the ball away from the middle. He prefers to let individual players choose how they want to defend; for instance, Kenyon Martin would play for the switch while JaVale McGee prefers the more conventional show-and-recover. This means that big men must communicate really well when a guard is being screened, and that Denver’s opponents are constantly getting different looks from the Nuggets’ defense.
Does he prefer the explosive scorer or the lockdown defender?
Karl’s Sonics were nasty defensive teams, but over the course of his career he’s had more outstanding offensive teams. Still, his heart will always be with players who emulate his own ethic of toughness and pride on the defensive end.
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... eorge-karl
Karl's Reactions to the Orlando HC opening:
[tweet]https://twitter.com/CoachKarl22/status/563488711279538177[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/CoachKarl22/status/563534531114725376[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/FadeMartins/status/563705122300391424[/tweet]
