The Nuggets have requested waivers on guard Coby Karl and center Brian Butch, a source said Saturday.Both had contracts due to become fully guaranteed for next season had they remained with the team following Aug. 15. The source said the moves were made Friday, the last business day before Sunday's deadline, although the Nuggets made no announcement. Calls to Nuggets officials were not immediately returned.
Coby Karl is the son of Nuggets coach George Karl. Sources had told FanHouse earlier in the week the coach expected his son to be waived and was sending out feelers to see what other teams might be interested in him.
The Butch move appears controversial since he suffered a serious knee injury last month in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. It's expected the Nuggets must continue to pay Butch, who is out until January or February, until he's medically fit to play. Butch's agent, Keith Kreiter, declined comment.
The moves leave the Nuggets with 12 players with guaranteed contracts, one shy of the NBA roster minimum. Coby Karl was due to make the minimum of $854,389 and Butch the minimum of $762,195. The Nuggets are over the luxury-tax line so they also would have had to pay a dollar-for-dollar tax on the players had they been kept.
Coby Karl had been vying to be the first man to play for an NBA team coached by his father. Although he joined the Nuggets last April for the final week of the regular season, he did not get into a game. And Karl was not with the team then, having been replaced by assistant Adrian Dantley while he missed the final 1-1/2 months of the season due to a form of throat cancer.
Butch also had joined the Nuggets last April but didn't get into a game. Both signed deals for the remainder of last season and for next season, with the Nuggets needing to make a decision by Aug. 15.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter@christomasson
Leveled Schools Lacked Tornado Shelters Due To Haphazard Regulation
Big Step Forward For Senate Immigration Bill
Moore Residents Take Stock Of Deadly Tornado's Full Horror
CBS Reporter's Grave Allegations
Oklahoma Senators Face Difficult Options On Disaster Relief
State GOP Staffer: I Was Fired After Reporting Sexual Harassment
Child Identified As Tornado Victim
U.S. Seized Phone Records For Fox News AND White House
Many Insurance Payments Won't Cut It After Oklahoma Disaster
WATCH: McCain Asks Apple CEO One Extremely Pressing Question
Student Debt Reaches New Heights
IRS Inspector General's Staff Kept GOP Congressman Updated On Probe
LOOK: The Deadliest States For Tornadoes
BEFORE/AFTER PHOTOS: Oklahoma Tornado Destruction
Elizabeth Warren Wants To Know If The New Treasury Secretary Will Be As Bad As The Old One
WATCH: Tornadoes Rip Through Central U.S.
Benghazi Suspects Identified, But...
WATCH: Tornado Victim Finds Dog During CBS Interview
Jamie Dimon Win Sends A Dangerous Message To Wall Street
Reports: U.S. Drone Strikes Ineffective
Harry Reid Punts Key Vote To July, Setting Up Filibuster Fight
Will She Get Life Or Death?
GOP Senators Doubles Down On Susan Rice Claims
Major IRS Scandal Figure To Plead Fifth
Obama Reportedly Suggests Putting Off Gay Marriage Controversy In Immigration
RFK Jr.: GOP To Blame For IRS Scandal
Inhofe: Oklahoma Aid Will Be 'Totally Different' From Sandy Aid
SHOCKING: Abusive Priest Was Paid To Pray For Catholics
'LET'S GET READY TO SCANDAAAAAL!'
