These George Karl Book Quotes on Melo Sure Are Something

George Karl’s autobiography drops next month, and we’ve reached the point where juicy tidbits are beginning to emerge. In quotes highlighted by Marc Berman of the New York Post, Karl really went after his former Denver Nuggets players Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, and J.R. Smith. On Melo, he wrote:

"“Carmelo was a true conundrum for me in the six years I had him,” Karl wrote. “He was the best offensive player I ever coached. He was also a user of people, addicted to the spotlight and very unhappy when he had to share it. “He really lit my fuse with his low demand of himself on defense. He had no commitment to the hard, dirty work of stopping the other guy. My ideal — probably every coach’s ideal — is when your best player is also your leader. But since Carmelo only played hard on one side of the ball, he made it plain he couldn’t lead the Nuggets, even though he said he wanted to. Coaching him meant working around his defense and compensating for his attitude.”"

This is a quote that will presumably draw a lot of reaction:

"“Kenyon and Carmelo carried two big burdens: all that money and no father to show them how to act like a man,” Karl wrote."

Karl also called Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony, and J.R. Smith “AAU babies,: analogizing them to “spoiled brats you see in junior golf and junior tennis.’’

It’s safe to say we haven’t heard the end of this.