Kenyon Martin Says 'F--k George Karl' Amid Ex-Nuggets HC's Beef with Carmelo Anthony
The cliché about time healing all wounds hasn't yet applied to retired NBA star Kenyon Martin and former head coach George Karl.
Appearing on Gil's Arena, the show hosted by three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas, Martin took exception to Karl's recent needling of Carmelo Anthony.
"First and foremost, f--k George Karl. F--k him and the horse he rode in on," he said at one point.
Martin asserted the Denver Nuggets were a playoff mainstay in spite of Karl and would've been a title-winner with a different head coach (warning: video contains profanity).
Earlier this month, Karl reacted to a clip from Anthony's 7PM in Brooklyn series in which the six-time All-NBA honoree recounted the coach telling him he was "overrated" after taking the Nuggets job in 2005. He also said while making his first impression 'Melo could occupy a role similar to how he used Detlef Schrempf with the Seattle SuperSonics.
"You're telling stories that are 20 years old. Let's move fwd," Karl said in his post. "And u were overrated and u wish your game was as efficient as Detlef's."
He elaborated on his thoughts in a follow-up message:
Days later, the Hall of Fame coach made a point to celebrate Nikola Jokić's birthday and described the two-time MVP as "the greatest player to wear #15 in Denver hoops history." As if the implication was unclear, Karl made sure to tag Anthony's X account in the post.
Karl may not have been the easiest coach to play for. His 2017 memoir, Furious George, provided a peek into some the discord between him and key members of the Nuggets during his nine years in the Mile High City.
A .622 winning percentage and a trip to the 2009 Western Conference Finals speak for themselves in terms of the success he helped deliver.
Maybe the Nuggets could've achieved more, but Anthony's fortunes didn't improve after he was traded to the New York Knicks. And it wasn't until Jokić's emergence as an elite talent that Denver once again became a perennial postseason contender.
