After the Nuggets loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, George Karl had some interesting comments about Andrew Bynum. Karl said, “Yeah, he (Bynum) played nice illegal defense. He was zoned up pretty good. I think we got about one illegal defense (call) – I saw about 30.” A Phil Jackson-esque post-game rant.
While this isn't a direct shot at the officials, it was a direct shot at Bynum (who finished with 10 blocks). Essentially saying that the reason this was happening was because of Bynum camping out in the lane. I'm not going to comment on the officials since I believe it to be a red herring. However, if Karl is going after Bynum specifically, it could be beneficial to the Nuggets. The temperamental center has been known to get surly on the court, and by riling up Bynum in the press Karl may be trying to prime the pump with the officials and try to make Bynum angry.
It's an interesting strategy (if indeed that is what it is) to take a direct shot at the guy who just tied the record for blocked shots in a playoff game. However, there may be a method to the madness. For the record, since Karl didn't call out the officials directly – I don't believe he will be fined for his comments. Game 2 coming Tuesday, May 1st at 8:30 p.m. mtn time.
