"I don't think there are any bad coaches in the league," Karl said. "There are coaches who have bad situations and bad circumstances, and the trend right now is that coaches don't get a lot of second chances; they don't get a lot of second lives. And the owners say it - everybody says it; it's easier to change the coach than it is to change 12 players.
"I think [Stefanski] is a basketball guy. I think the one thing Mo has going for him is, Eddie is a basketball guy who likes the gym, who likes the tradition of where Mo is probably coming from. I think Stefanski is a great pick; I love his passion for the game.
"I'm not a philosopher on general managers; I understand having a new regime, a new face. The book on that has been written many times."
Having said that, Karl paused a moment and said: "If I was the president of a team, I don't know who I would hire to coach. There are a lot of good, young coaches, but do young coaches have a chance? It's kind of crazy, I think."
Karl's Nuggets are 21-13 after losing in Phoenix last night, tied for first place in the Northwest Division. The Sixers are 14-20 after a 2-4 Western swing, and after a home game tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks have four of their next five on the road, including a difficult, three-game set next week that takes them to San Antonio, Houston and Boston.
"I've enjoyed coaching against [Cheeks]," Karl said. "In fact, I think he's done a great job against us; he always kind of surprises us - he's done that with both Portland and Philly. I'll bet he's had more upsets of me than I have of him."
There were no surprises Sunday night. No pun intended, but the Sixers had no answers for former teammate Allen Iverson, who burned them for 38 points and eight assists. They also were badly hurt by the Nuggets' 15 blocked shots, including seven by Marcus Camby.
