NBA: Coach of the Year Karl won't return to Nuggets

NBA Coach of the Year George Karl won’t return next season to guide the Denver Nuggets, the team said Thursday.

Karl, who had one year remaining on his contract, led the Nuggets to a team-record 57 wins, a league-best 38-3 mark at home and the third seed in the Western Conference.

But the Nuggets fell to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

“I want to thank Nuggets fans for their support over the past 8 yrs,” Karl wrote on Twitter. “The karma on the street was incredible. Denver will always be home.”

“George has been an instrumental part of our success over the past decade, and we appreciate everything he did to keep us among the top teams in the Western Conference,” Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said in a statement.

“He is a Hall of Fame coach whose legacy in Denver will last for years to come. George is a legend in the game of basketball and I could not have more respect for him as a person and coach.”

There had been speculation that the 62-year-old Karl wanted an extension that the Nuggets didn’t want to provide.

Karl may not be out of a job for long. The New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers are among the teams seeking coaches, as are Philadelphia and Detroit.

Karl is the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history with 1,131 career victories. His streak of 21 consecutive non-losing seasons ties him with Phil Jackson for the longest such run.

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