George Karl also came to the defense of his former player Carmelo Anthony, following the Denver Nuggets' not-so-subtle dig against him on Friday.
The former Nuggets head coach reacted to the apparent disrespectful graphic shared by the Nuggets on social media, which boldly left out Melo from their All-Time list.
George Karl took to Twitter to note the amazing career Anthony had in the Mile High City.
Facts:
Carmelo is one of the best scorers in the history of the game.
He is one the best players the Denver Nuggets ever had.
His jersey should hang in the rafters in Denver.
And he should be celebrated in the Hall of Fame when he is done.
Debate everything else.
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) October 17, 2020
Carmelo Anthony was selected third overall by the Nuggets in that historic 2003 draft. The sweet-shooting forward out of Syracuse provided immediate impact for Denver and turned them into contenders throughout his eight-year tenure with the team from 2003-11.
In fact, Anthony is still the franchise's third-leading scorer behind Alex English and Dan Issel, racking up 13,970 points.
George Karl had a front-row seat to Melo's greatness, as he coached him from '05 until his final year in Denver. The Nuggets made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2009 — their first since 1985.
As terrific as Melo was during his time in Denver, the Nuggets still can't forget the drama that unfolded during his final years with the team. Anthony was vocal about his desire to exit the franchise and move to a bigger market team. He got his wish in 2011 when the Nuggets traded him to the New York Knicks.
Anthony, who played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season, has been open about the possibility of re-joining the Knicks. However, it seems that his relationship with the first NBA franchise is irreparable at this moment.
While Anthony and Karl didn't always see eye-to-eye during their partnership, it's nice to see the revered tactician pay homage to one of his best players of all-time.
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