"Slow is controlled direction. Fast is innovative versatility."
George Karl recently spoke with TNT Analyst and NBA.com contributor David Aldridge for a Q&A about his new team, how he discovered his love for playing with pace, his relationship with DeMarcus and more.
Check out some of the best questions and answers below:
David Aldridge: Did you have an epiphany when it comes to pace?
George Karl: It may have been my second or third year in Denver. 'Melo was still on the team. And we went to Durango, which is where our training camp was ... I met with Vance (Walberg, now back with Karl in Sacramento as an assistant coach) through the summer. I just thought the NBA ran the same plays. Everybody had the same stuff. I just wanted to try something different. And a couple of members of my staff, I remember them saying, 'Coach, we're in the top five in offense. Why are you worried about your offense?' I just said, I don't like the way we play. Isolation, low possession, wrestling match. And my thoughts have always gone back to how much fun I had playing at North Carolina. And the one thing I felt Carolina did when I went there was, they taught me the game. And I think you can teach the game better playing fast than slow. Slow is controlled direction. Fast is innovative versatility.
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DA: What have you found out about the city living there as opposed to just passing through?
GK: I think I'm really gonna like it. It's got everything you need. I love good weather. They say it's too hot. I can handle too hot. Every day I've been there, I think it's been 60 or 70, sunshine most days. Once in a while, it rains. Napa Valley, which is the greatest place in the world to go relax. Tahoe, up the mountain. And any time you want to go to the city, San Francisco is about as good as it gets. And I kind of like not being in all that. I like being around all that.
One thing I'll tell you is the food in Sacramento is off the charts. You've got good Asian food, the farm system where everything is natural, which I believe in. I like organic. And the city has a little country to it. I hope that doesn't offend Sacramento. But it's more country than it is city. And I'm saying that because it's a lot of government, and a lot of farmers. I think, by far, the most diverse city I've ever lived in ... you've got Asian, you've got Hispanic, you've got Black, you've got military. It kind of fits my mindset.
DA: And DeMarcus Cousins will be more effective getting the ball before the defense gets a chance to set up, and bring the doubles.
GK: If he's a rim runner? Any time he rim runs, it's 1.5 (points per possession). It's 1.5. Running efficiency is about 1.2. So when you get good numbers in the open floor, you score about 1.2, 1.3 per possession. Unfortunately, we only get him (in transition) two or three times a game. I think if we get him in condition, that gets close to 10. And then the other ways of putting his passing -- he's very good at the high post -- and then just putting professional guys around him that want to play fast. People don't understand, the creation of this system is a rebound. And he's the best defensive rebounder, probably, in the NBA. Maybe (DeAndre) Jordan might be the best. I think that's another progression. We didn't have, in Denver, we told the big men to get out of the way. But that was what their talent was. With 'Cuz, it's how do we fit you in here, baby? 'Cause this is a puzzle that's got to be built around you.
To view the rest of the Q&A visit the following link:
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