Nuggets.com Q&A: Coby Karl

Karl, who signed with the Nuggets near the end of the 2009-10 season, has been working out at the Pepsi Center since late-May as he prepares to play for Denver’s entry in the Vegas Summer League next month.

After bouncing between the NBA and the NBA Development League last season, Karl hopes to land a spot on the Nuggets roster and ultimately hear his number called during a game by his father, Denver coach George Karl.

Nuggets.com caught up with the younger Karl after a recent workout.

Q: This is your fourth summer as a pro. What’s different from the first three summers?
A: There’s a difference being part of an organization and trying to find a role on this team. I think there’s a lot more pride involved being a Nugget and actually working here all summer. For me it’s exciting because just being part of the team is probably the best part for me. My rookie year, I was with L.A. The second year I went to L.A. again for training camp. Last year I was with Cleveland. But this has always kind of been my home base. My father lives here and I think the organization does a great job of keeping guys in good shape and their games improving.

Q: With so much uncertainty in the NBA, do you allow yourself to think about going to training camp with the Nuggets or do you live in the present?
A: I plan on being here. I don’t know what everyone else is planning. Things don’t always work out how you want them to, but I think you have to maintain a positive mindset and believe that you belong here – and I think I do.

Q: You turn 27 next week (June 8). Does there come a point when NBA coaches and executives start looking at birthdates and wonder when a guy stops becoming a prospect?
A: Yes and no. I think yes because there’s a ‘potential’ factor. But as a player, I don’t think I’ve ever had the ‘potential’ factor necessarily. I’ve always played with my mind and toughness and hard work. And then no, because you look at guys like Grant Hill and Steve Nash – and the older guys on this (Nuggets) team as well – that are doing it at a high level for a long time. So if you take care of your body and keep the right mindset, I don’t think age is too much of a factor.

Q: Is it easy to find motivation for these summer workouts when other NBA players are taking vacations?
A: I’ve heard a couple guys say, ‘You need to get away from basketball for the summer.’ I think it is great to get away from the team and the day-to-day grind, but I like staying on top of my game and staying in shape and getting better because I think the more I get better, the less (other) guys are working. That’s just my mindset. If I’m in the gym every day, I don’t think everyone else is.

Q: Do you ever have those mornings where you just don’t want to get out of bed and do another workout?
A: When you go to (run) Red Rocks on Monday, it’s always tough getting out of bed on Tuesday, but I schedule my summer (in stages). I’ll take a break and then I’ll prepare myself for summer league, and then I’ll probably take another week or two break after that and I’ll prepare for Coach Grg’s (Tim Grgurich) camp in Vegas. After that, I’ll take another break and just get away from it a little bit. But I always like to stay somewhat near in the shape you want to be in, so it’s not a long road back.

Q: What does a ‘break’ entail for you?
A: I like to go visit friends. I went on vacation to Mexico after the season. That was fun. I like just hanging out. I’ve got a house in Boise. It’s very low-key. I’ll play some tennis and go on runs with the dog. That’s about it. I don’t do anything too special.

Q: Your dad has said you should write a book because you’ve played with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Is there an aspect from each of their games that you’ve tried to apply to your game?
A: It’s tough because I think all those guys have an innate ability to do the things that they do. They were born with it and they work hard for it, but the thing they all have in common is they believe in themselves more than anything. Kobe believes every time he shoots that game-winning shot, it’s going to go in. No matter if there’s three guys on him or it gets blocked, he thinks it’s going on. Same thing with Melo. Same thing with LeBron. They believe in themselves more than anything, and I think that’s a mental aspect of the game that can carry you a long way in the NBA – as long as you believe in yourself. You can’t live in a dream world. You have to live in reality, but at the same time, as long as you believe in yourself and you think that you belong and you know that you belong, it makes it a lot easier.

Q: Did your four-game performance (7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.9 apg) with the Golden State Warriors last season validate your believe that you can play in the NBA?
A: It was exciting for me because there were probably two or three games in that stint that Coach (Don Nelson) left me on the floor because the team was playing better with me on the floor. I think that’s something I can bring to a team. That situation was a little weird because of a lot of faces coming in and out. But on a better team, I think there’s definitely a spot for me. You see it with Matt Barnes (in Orlando). You see it with Jared Dudley (in Phoenix). I think I’m that type of player where I’m not necessarily going to score a lot or get a dunk, but at the same time, I can play the right way, move the ball correctly and play hard. I think that helps a lot of good teams get over the hump.

Q: Do you know what you would do if someone finally tapped you on the shoulder and said you can’t play anymore?
A: I’d probably coach. Some of these guys (in the Nuggets locker room) joke about I already want to go into coaching. As much as you say I’ve played with LeBron, Melo and Kobe, I got to play under (Lakers coach) Phil Jackson, I’ve been around my father my whole life and (former Cleveland coach) Mike Brown’s a helluva coach as well. All of ‘em have their unique ways of doing it but there’s consistency in good coaching. Every team I play on, I get to see what I like, what I don’t like, what works and doesn’t work. I think I’ll apply that when I start coaching.

Q: Would you want to start coaching in the NBA or at the college or high school level?
A: I think professional is most exciting for me because guys get paid to do this. I would say 90 percent of the NBA, they have a passion and a pride to get better. Sometimes you don’t see it on a daily basis but a lot of these guys take pride in what they do. They don’t have school to go to, they don’t have another job, so I think that’s the best way to coach, when a guy’s sole reason is to get better.

Q: Ideally, the coaching career wouldn’t start for quite a while, right?
A: Playing basketball is a helluva profession because I get paid a good amount of money to play a game. The seasons are long and it takes a lot of mental and physical toughness, but at the end of the day, it’s a game. I know I’m very fortunate and I know what a lot of other people are doing to make money. A lot people can’t even get a job so I’m just happy for the situation I’m in. It’s cliché, but I truly am happy that I can play basketball. Coming from a guy in college where I had to walk-on to the situation I’m in now, it’s unique.

Q: Are you just waiting for that first guaranteed contract that gives you some security for the first time in your career?
A: I try not to think about it too much. I’ve been through it so many times, at this point I don’t even worry about it anymore because I know I’ve done everything I can and that’s all you can do. At that point, you just leave it up to them. Things can go different ways. All you can do is be ready.