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George Karl accepts an award from Samuel L. Jackson at this year's ESPYs.
AP
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A daily recap of the Dan Patrick Show
Q&A with George Karl
DP: How did you find out about the cancer?
GK: I switched doctors, [from a] personal doctor to a family doctor. He was going through an exam, and he found a lump on my neck. I had probably recognized that I had a lump there, but I thought it was just some fatty tissue on a fatty guy. He said we better get that checked. We went around and checked with a neck specialist and he said you better go see an oncologist. So we did. It's been an exploding new cancer caused by the herpes virus, they think.
DP: Were you more nervous about that or prostate cancer?
GK: I would say this one is a little more dangerous than prostate cancer, but the treatment has been very good. The treatments are in the 85 to 90 [percent] area if they find it early. Right now, everything looks great. I haven't had my PET scan yet, but that'll happen in a couple of weeks. With cancer, I think everything is about a five-year process, where you have to clear all the tests for about five years. Right now, it looks like I'm going to be OK and I'll be ready to coach come October.
DP: When did the coaching withdrawals start?
GK: The first road trip that I didn't go on—which I think was only a one- or two-game road trip—knowing that I was slowly going to fade out, I knew that I would miss it. My team is not easy to watch some nights, either. So sometimes I was glad I wasn't there.
DP: Have you committed to coaching next year?
GK: I've committed, but it's not a guarantee. Up until Oct. 1, if the doctors call me in and recommend against it, I probably wouldn't coach. That has not been the case. I have three different doctors that I go talk to. From what they see and from what they feel and what they examine, you're in the curve and in the right place, and hopefully we can continue that with some good tests coming in August and September.
DP: Can you yell?
GK: Probably, but it would hurt a little bit. Your voice box and your taste buds probably come back last. I've been eating some foods, but I still feed myself on some softies, some smoothies and some milkshakes along the way to make sure I get enough calories every day.
DP: Where do the Nuggets stand with Carmelo Anthony and his future?
GK: I still think Carmelo is on his honeymoon. The last contact we had with him was the day after his wedding. [Nuggets owner] Mr. [Stan] Kroenke, Kenyon Martin and I think a couple of other guys were at his wedding. The feedback I get from Chauncey [Billups] and some of those guys is that he'll sign and that he's just taking care of being a newlywed and taking care of the honeymoon.
DP: Is it a three-year deal, or are you trying to get more years out of him?
GK: We're trying to extend him. He can become a free agent next summer. He can opt out. We want to sign him. I think it's three years. I don't know the exact dollars, but I think it's pretty big.
DP: What did you get Carmelo for his wedding?
GK: I haven't gotten him anything yet. I was looking through some magazines—you know, some of expensive magazines you get in the mail?—trying to find out what I should get him. Someone told me you have a year to get him something for his wedding, so I'm going to try to come up with something that he hasn't gotten and doesn't have, which is probably impossible.
DP: What did you think of LeBron leaving Cleveland?
GK: I can't deny that the night it happened, it didn't have a good feel to me. Some of the things, I would have advised him not to do. As you said before I got on here, this is a different world a little bit. We are redefining what is NBA free agency, and I think the collective bargaining agreement will go even further. I think the next couple of years will be very, very interesting. For me, I'm so old that after I look at and examine in, I say, “Hey, it's going to be fun to go to Miami, man.” That'll be a hell of a game, and it'll be a great opportunity to try to beat another great team in the league.
DP: Best team in the league right now?
GK: I still have to go with the Lakers. They have some great players, too. Pau [Gasol], Kobe [Bryant] and [Lamar] Odom. [Derek] Fisher plays like a veteran, championship guy. He doesn't let that team lose. I'd still give the edge to the Lakers, and it'll be fun to see how the Eastern Conference responds to LeBron and Dwayne and Bosh. I think we all know that a team wins championships, not talent.
DP: Have you been around a situation like that where you had to keep all three guys happy?
GK: The one thing I will give all three of those guys is that they like to play the game unselfishly. There's the ego of stats, and the ego of All-Stars and the ego of who's the man every night. You've got 100 games, and I think you can distribute them fairly evenly. Maybe not equally, but I feel like you've got enough there to make all the egos feel like they're a part of the championship and the reason to win a championship. It'll be interesting. I think we're all going to observe it and have a magnifying glass on it, and when the crack happens, there are going to be 29 teams trying to make that crack a bigger crack. They definitely have the target on their chests. They say they like that now. I wonder what they're going to say come April 1.
DP: As a coach, do you have a guy on your team who you always tell your team you want taking the last shot?
GK: It's not always necessarily the last shot. It's making the last decision. I think LeBron makes great decisions at the end of games. As much as he makes shots, I think he makes great decisions. I think Wade makes great shots. He can score at the end of the game. It's always a positive ability to throw the ball into the low post. The low-post game is still probably the easiest game to read the defense from. I think they have a lot of options. Early in the season, Dwayne Wade will probably have the ball in those situations. By the end of the season, they probably will be compromising and helping one another feel good about everything.
Will Cavs retire LeBron's number?
Heated debate on the show today about whether they will hang No. 23 in Cleveland. Lots of folks think they will, but I find it hard to believe that will happen while Dan Gilbert owns the team. Share your thoughts below in the "Comments" section ...
Bigger issues in Dallas
FOX's Howie Long said Dez Bryant refusing to carry Roy Williams pads is not necessarily a problem in itself for the Dallas Cowboys. Long isn't sure the team has the right kind of leadership to help young, talented players: "Their best players are their hardest working players in Dallas. I don't think you can really put your finger on a guy that says hey enough of that crap, let's go. I don't think there's anybody grabbing anyone by a face mask right now."
Still no one can explain Phillies moves
Add Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci to the list of people who don't understand why the Phillies didn't try to keep Cliff Lee in the offseason. Now they're pursuing Roy Oswalt, and Verducci thinks Philly is the leading candidate to get the Astros pitcher. Verducci also pointed out they could have gotten more in return for the ace: "I'm right there with you in the completely baffled department. The thing I didn't like about it is they didn't shop Cliff Lee. He wanted to get the deal done with [Roy] Halladay knowing that the deal with Lee was already done. I still think they could have created an environment where Lee is on the block, give me your best offer, and that didn't happen."
From the Locker Room
Join the debate in the DanPatrick.com chat room ...
I think T.O. realizes he's coming to the end of his career. Think playing in Buffalo taught him some humility. | don Poky Cyclones shafer
Rather see Pujols break Bonds record, 5 yrs younger than A-Rod...On same pace | vndinbg
I wonder if the Vikings and Packers can make the playoffs without the easiest schedules in the league this year. | tjnight
I'm originally from Cleveland and the feeling is that Lebron leaving was very acrimonious...the though being, when you have a divorce you dont go hanging up pictures of your ex in your house...so no jersey is going up. | LegalEagles |
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DP Show Daily: Nuggets' Karl fighting cancer, but will return
George Karl accepts an award from Samuel L. Jackson at this year's ESPYs.
AP
A daily recap of the Dan Patrick Show
Q&A with George Karl
DP: How did you find out about the cancer?
GK: I switched doctors, [from a] personal doctor to a family doctor. He was going through an exam, and he found a lump on my neck. I had probably recognized that I had a lump there, but I thought it was just some fatty tissue on a fatty guy. He said we better get that checked. We went around and checked with a neck specialist and he said you better go see an oncologist. So we did. It's been an exploding new cancer caused by the herpes virus, they think.
DP: Were you more nervous about that or prostate cancer?
GK: I would say this one is a little more dangerous than prostate cancer, but the treatment has been very good. The treatments are in the 85 to 90 [percent] area if they find it early. Right now, everything looks great. I haven't had my PET scan yet, but that'll happen in a couple of weeks. With cancer, I think everything is about a five-year process, where you have to clear all the tests for about five years. Right now, it looks like I'm going to be OK and I'll be ready to coach come October.
DP: When did the coaching withdrawals start?
GK: The first road trip that I didn't go on—which I think was only a one- or two-game road trip—knowing that I was slowly going to fade out, I knew that I would miss it. My team is not easy to watch some nights, either. So sometimes I was glad I wasn't there.
DP: Have you committed to coaching next year?
GK: I've committed, but it's not a guarantee. Up until Oct. 1, if the doctors call me in and recommend against it, I probably wouldn't coach. That has not been the case. I have three different doctors that I go talk to. From what they see and from what they feel and what they examine, you're in the curve and in the right place, and hopefully we can continue that with some good tests coming in August and September.
DP: Can you yell?
GK: Probably, but it would hurt a little bit. Your voice box and your taste buds probably come back last. I've been eating some foods, but I still feed myself on some softies, some smoothies and some milkshakes along the way to make sure I get enough calories every day.
DP: Where do the Nuggets stand with Carmelo Anthony and his future?
GK: I still think Carmelo is on his honeymoon. The last contact we had with him was the day after his wedding. [Nuggets owner] Mr. [Stan] Kroenke, Kenyon Martin and I think a couple of other guys were at his wedding. The feedback I get from Chauncey [Billups] and some of those guys is that he'll sign and that he's just taking care of being a newlywed and taking care of the honeymoon.
DP: Is it a three-year deal, or are you trying to get more years out of him?
GK: We're trying to extend him. He can become a free agent next summer. He can opt out. We want to sign him. I think it's three years. I don't know the exact dollars, but I think it's pretty big.
DP: What did you get Carmelo for his wedding?
GK: I haven't gotten him anything yet. I was looking through some magazines—you know, some of expensive magazines you get in the mail?—trying to find out what I should get him. Someone told me you have a year to get him something for his wedding, so I'm going to try to come up with something that he hasn't gotten and doesn't have, which is probably impossible.
DP: What did you think of LeBron leaving Cleveland?
GK: I can't deny that the night it happened, it didn't have a good feel to me. Some of the things, I would have advised him not to do. As you said before I got on here, this is a different world a little bit. We are redefining what is NBA free agency, and I think the collective bargaining agreement will go even further. I think the next couple of years will be very, very interesting. For me, I'm so old that after I look at and examine in, I say, “Hey, it's going to be fun to go to Miami, man.” That'll be a hell of a game, and it'll be a great opportunity to try to beat another great team in the league.
DP: Best team in the league right now?
GK: I still have to go with the Lakers. They have some great players, too. Pau [Gasol], Kobe [Bryant] and [Lamar] Odom. [Derek] Fisher plays like a veteran, championship guy. He doesn't let that team lose. I'd still give the edge to the Lakers, and it'll be fun to see how the Eastern Conference responds to LeBron and Dwayne and Bosh. I think we all know that a team wins championships, not talent.
DP: Have you been around a situation like that where you had to keep all three guys happy?
GK: The one thing I will give all three of those guys is that they like to play the game unselfishly. There's the ego of stats, and the ego of All-Stars and the ego of who's the man every night. You've got 100 games, and I think you can distribute them fairly evenly. Maybe not equally, but I feel like you've got enough there to make all the egos feel like they're a part of the championship and the reason to win a championship. It'll be interesting. I think we're all going to observe it and have a magnifying glass on it, and when the crack happens, there are going to be 29 teams trying to make that crack a bigger crack. They definitely have the target on their chests. They say they like that now. I wonder what they're going to say come April 1.
DP: As a coach, do you have a guy on your team who you always tell your team you want taking the last shot?
GK: It's not always necessarily the last shot. It's making the last decision. I think LeBron makes great decisions at the end of games. As much as he makes shots, I think he makes great decisions. I think Wade makes great shots. He can score at the end of the game. It's always a positive ability to throw the ball into the low post. The low-post game is still probably the easiest game to read the defense from. I think they have a lot of options. Early in the season, Dwayne Wade will probably have the ball in those situations. By the end of the season, they probably will be compromising and helping one another feel good about everything.
Will Cavs retire LeBron's number?
Heated debate on the show today about whether they will hang No. 23 in Cleveland. Lots of folks think they will, but I find it hard to believe that will happen while Dan Gilbert owns the team. Share your thoughts below in the "Comments" section ...
Bigger issues in Dallas
FOX's Howie Long said Dez Bryant refusing to carry Roy Williams pads is not necessarily a problem in itself for the Dallas Cowboys. Long isn't sure the team has the right kind of leadership to help young, talented players: "Their best players are their hardest working players in Dallas. I don't think you can really put your finger on a guy that says hey enough of that crap, let's go. I don't think there's anybody grabbing anyone by a face mask right now."
Still no one can explain Phillies moves
Add Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci to the list of people who don't understand why the Phillies didn't try to keep Cliff Lee in the offseason. Now they're pursuing Roy Oswalt, and Verducci thinks Philly is the leading candidate to get the Astros pitcher. Verducci also pointed out they could have gotten more in return for the ace: "I'm right there with you in the completely baffled department. The thing I didn't like about it is they didn't shop Cliff Lee. He wanted to get the deal done with [Roy] Halladay knowing that the deal with Lee was already done. I still think they could have created an environment where Lee is on the block, give me your best offer, and that didn't happen."
From the Locker Room
Join the debate in the DanPatrick.com chat room ...
I think T.O. realizes he's coming to the end of his career. Think playing in Buffalo taught him some humility. | don Poky Cyclones shafer
Rather see Pujols break Bonds record, 5 yrs younger than A-Rod...On same pace | vndinbg
I wonder if the Vikings and Packers can make the playoffs without the easiest schedules in the league this year. | tjnight
I'm originally from Cleveland and the feeling is that Lebron leaving was very acrimonious...the though being, when you have a divorce you dont go hanging up pictures of your ex in your house...so no jersey is going up. | LegalEagles