George Karl’s upcoming book already has caused quite the controversy. But apparently that’s just the toned-down version.
Several critical passages in the former NBA head coach’s book — titled “Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection” — have been removed from the book’s final version, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears and Marc Stein reported Saturday, citing league sources.
According to Spears and Stein, those passages include some of Karl’s “unflattering views” of the Sacramento Kings, especially center DeMarcus Cousins, general manager Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive. Karl coached the Kings for part of two seasons before being fired after the 2015-2016 season.
Per ESPN.com, Karl agreed to “(refrain) from critical commentary” of the Kings as part of his settlement with the team.
Karl drew the ire of several former Denver Nuggets players, notably Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, for making disparaging remarks about them in his book. Karl wrote of Martin and Anthony that they had “no father to show them how to act like a man,” prompting an angry Twitter rant from Martin on Thursday.
Karl also had a rocky tenure in Sacramento, often clashing with Cousins and the Kings’ front office. One of the passages omitted from the book, per ESPN.com, involves Karl’s memory of Kings forward Rudy Gay telling him, “Welcome to basketball hell” when Karl arrived in February 2015.
Karl’s book goes public on Jan. 10, 2017, so don’t expect any this controversy to die down anytime soon.
Here’s how Anthony responded to Karl’s remarks >>
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
