George Karl Wants to Coach Next Season

Karl tells the Denver Post that his goal is to once again stalk the Nuggets’ sideline once the following season begins: “After surviving throat and neck cancer this spring — and a blood clot scare in recent weeks — Karl is feeling better and plans to return to coaching next season. ‘I’ll be excited to be back on the bench. That’s what I do, that’s the dream,’ Karl said Thursday in an interview at his home. Asked if there’s any chance he won’t return as coach, Karl said, ‘I don’t see that happening, but I am going to put my health first, and come next fall, if the doctors don’t feel it’s a wise thing and I don’t think it’s a wise thing, (then we’ll re-evaluate). But my feeling is the exact opposite. We’re in a good place, the steps have been good, the tests have been good and I’ve just got to keep plugging away every day.’ Karl, who turned 59 on Wednesday, is still battling the aftereffects of intense radiation and chemotherapy treatments, notably fatigue. He has lost about 10 percent of his weight and continues to feed himself through a tube, a scoop of ice cream or a slice of peach notwithstanding. The coach continues to deal with excessive mucus in his mouth, takes numerous medicines, attends weekly doctor appointments and has biweekly blood tests. But, in the past week, he’s made it out in public, joining his family at restaurants, while also visiting Nuggets coaches at the Pepsi Center.”