Former NBA coach George Karl didn’t hold back when he called out JR Smith, who said the Denver Nuggets did not have a single out-of-bounds play, earning the wrath of his ex-coach.
I’m happy for @TheRealJRSmith these days with his education, golf, etc,” Karl tweeted. “And he’s the second-best athlete I coached after Shawn! Re out-of-bounds plays, I’m sure JR was smoking weed when we practiced them but it’s 15 years ago so let’s just celebrate and move forward!”
I’m happy for @TheRealJRSmith these days with his education, golf etc. And he’s the second best athlete I coached after Shawn!
Re out of bounds plays, I’m sure JR was smoking weed when we practiced them but it’s 15 years ago so let’s just celebrate and move forward! https://t.co/pa6vR5z8x4
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) May 17, 2023
This came on the back of Smith who, while talking to JJ Redick on The Old Man & the Three podcast called Karl’s plans into question.
“Seriously, we didn’t have one out-of-bounds play my whole time playing for this man,” Smith said. “If you go back to [Game 3 of the 2009 Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers], we lose on three out-of-bounds plays. Trevor Ariza steals all of them and we lose.”
Despite the back and forth, it’s worth noting that JR Smith had some of his best runs when he was with the Nuggets, averaging 13.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in the 372 games he played for the side.
Karl has an impressive resume as a coach as well. He was with the Nuggets for nine seasons with a 423-257 record in the 680 games he coached for the franchise. Under his run, the five teams he coached made the postseason 22 times. While Karl and JR may have a bit of beef going on, there’s no doubt that they made a terrific pair during their time on the floor.
George Karl Rattled Off Against Philadelphia 76ers Star Joel Embiid Earlier This Season
Karl may have retired from coaching, but he wasn’t one to watch when he saw players flounder. Earlier, he called out Joel Embiid calling his body language lazy.
“I don’t want to bad mouth Embiid, because I think he’s really, really good,” George Karl said. “A lot of my assistant coaches were with him in Philadelphia when he was younger. And they said he’s gonna be the best big guy to ever play the game.
“I see him moving in that direction, but I don’t know, he takes too many possessions off. He has lazy body language. He gets angry at things that we don’t understand why… I can only like one big guy and I’m taking Jokic over Embiid.”
While dishing out a compliment, Karl also made sure he gave the MVP a dose of what he could do better. And for good measure, Embiid could perhaps take the advice under consideration, given it’s come from one of the most illustrious coaches to have been associated with the league.
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