Karl Keeps Things Light in a Rough Time

LOS ANGELES -- Cancer hasn't taken away George Karl's sense of humor.

After a reporter asked before Sunday's 95-89 loss to the Lakers at the Staples Center about the willingness of the Denver coach in his career to take on combustible players, Karl cracked, "I thought that was going to be on ... I better not talk about gravestone."

Karl revealed Feb. 16 he has a treatable form of throat cancer that he had learned about the previous month. Questions have cropped up about it in every city Karl visits, and he has handled them with aplomb.

On Sunday, Karl, who already has missed Thursday's game at Golden State due to his radiation and chemotherapy treatment and will miss March 10 at Minnesota, said he might also miss March 12 at New Orleans. Karl also is in line to skip some games when the Nuggets go on a five-game trip between March 23-29.

"I'm going to be tough,'' said Karl, who said he won't miss any of five-day-a-week treatments he will have in Denver until early April. "But I'm not going to be stupid tough.''

The last few weeks of the 6 1/2-week process are expected to be the toughest. Karl so far said he's doing OK.

"Basketball is my escape,'' Karl said. "Basketball is my ability to be with my friends and my basketball family and feel supported. ... Everybody asks me how I'm feeling. There is no pain in what I'm going through. I have a cancer bug in my body that's got to be figured out how to get it out.

"I only have been through [treatment] one week and right now I just have a little bit of a sore throat, and my taste buds are changing. The food probably doesn't taste as well as it normally does.''

Support on Sunday came from the Lakers' No. 1 fan, Jack Nicholson. He gave Karl a big embrace before the game.

"He said he's with me and he's always been a fan,'' Karl said. "He's with me for whatever I have to go through.''

The loss to the Lakers was a downer, but the Nuggets (39-20) still have won plenty this season. Yet Karl lately has been unable to enjoy his traditional celebratory beer after victories.

Karl can't drink alcohol during his treatment. He doesn't know when that might change.

"He's so positive and upbeat. We seem like we have no choice but to be kind of the
same way."
-- Chauncey Billups on George Karl "I go home and eat,'' Karl said of what has replaced his victory beverage. "I've got to eat a lot of calories. This treatment actually creates you to burn calories. When I go home, I can have two turkey sandwiches instead of just one.

"I don't know [when alcohol again will be allowed]. I'll take a glass of red wine or anything. I'm hoping I can talk my doctor into red wine.''

Karl said his health situation is different from his 2005 "slow growing'' prostate cancer because he had time then to look at various options before eventually having surgery. And he was fine soon after the July 2005 surgery. But Karl said he now has "a dangerous cancer,'' and that "putting off the treatment would not make any sense.''

Karl anticipates there will be some rugged days late in his treatment. He vows not to take any unnecessary risks in fighting through them.

"The best way to do that is to be upfront and honest,'' Karl said of keeping his players in the loop. "There are going to be days I'm probably not going to be able to be with them. I'll try to keep [players updated]. I'm not going to hide anything from them. They have been great. They have been a great team all year long. ... I don't want to be a distraction for taking away from the opportunity [for a run at the title].''

Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said Karl has been so upbeat about his situation it could result in the Nuggets playing even harder.

"George's attitude I think has given us so much positivity,'' Billups said. "He's so positive and upbeat. We seem like we have no choice but to be kind of the same way. We see him coaching games like this, coming out on the road and pouring his heart out like this, we kind of owe it to him to return the favor.''

When Karl misses games, the Nuggets will be coached by assistant Adrian Dantley. Karl was impressed with the job Dantley did in Denver's 127-112 win over the Warriors, but joked about how he missed his victory beverage after having watched on television.

There figures to be plenty more lighthearted comments from Karl as he works to get through a heavy time in his life.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson.