Karl, Payton in familial situation : Rocky Mountain News : 12/08/2005

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12/08/2005

Once a volatile mix, coach, player since have formed a bond

Gary Payton calls George Karl a "father figure."

It wasn't always that way.

"I remember when he told me, 'You're not my father. I don't have to listen to you like my father,' " Karl said.

The combination of Karl and Payton once was quite combustible. For 6 1/2 seasons in Seattle during the 1990s and for the second half of the 2002-03 season in Milwaukee, the two often bickered.

But no longer. When Payton, now a point guard with the Miami Heat, visited the Pepsi Center on Saturday, he hugged the Denver Nuggets coach.

Don't be surprised if it happens again before the Heat faces the Nuggets on Friday in Miami.

"I love him to death," Payton said. "We have a great relationship. . . . I credit him and coach Tim Grgurich (a Nuggets assistant who once was a Seattle assistant) for all the success I've had. . . . My first two years in Seattle weren't really good. Then I went to another level and made (nine) straight All-Star teams and nine straight (all-defensive first teams)."

Payton averaged 7.2 points for the SuperSonics as a rookie in 1990-91 and 9.4 his second season. But midway through his second year, Karl arrived as Seattle's coach.

Payton's game soon blossomed. In 1993-94, he began his run of All-Star appearances and in 1994-95 had the first of seven seasons in which he averaged 20 points.

Payton credits the prodding by Karl and the workouts he had each summer in Las Vegas with Karl and Grgurich for developing him as a player. But there were plenty of growing pains along the way.

"(The relationship) was volatile," said Eddie Johnson, a forward for Seattle during the first 1 1/2 seasons Karl was with Payton. "Gary was one of those persons who thinks he knows everything. . . . It was a battle back and forth. They'd yell at each other in practice. . . . Most coaches, if a player yelled that, he'd get suspended. But George gave him just enough rope and Gary knew how much rope he could mess with."

When Karl arrived in January 1992, he had to prove himself to Payton. Karl was coming off success in Spain and the Continental Basketball Association, but he hadn't been an NBA coach in nearly four years.

"George came over from overseas," said Payton, 37, averaging 7.2 points as a Heat reserve. "He didn't know me. I didn't know him. We weren't going to back down. . . . He always stayed on me."

When Karl arrived, he saw a player with great talent whom he thought had underachieved. He felt the work habits of Payton, taken No. 2 in the 1990 draft from Oregon State, needed work.

"Gary and I went through a lot of growing together," Karl said. "I was a young coach and he was a young player, and I think our competitive nature caused a lot of conflict because we both wanted to win and were kind of stubborn.

"We made him play in the summertime. I kind of told him after one year, 'Gary, if you don't work this summer, I don't know if you're going to (reach your potential).' "

So it was off to Las Vegas. For about 15 days during the summers, Karl and Grgurich worked out Payton.

Karl soon became friendly with Payton's parents. He said they were "supportive" of Karl during the frequent squabbles between the two.

"I remember we got in a pushing match in a game against Houston in the playoffs," Karl said. "I don't know what it was over. It was over some type of assignment that maybe he didn't run. We yelled at each other coming off the bench. He said something smart. I kind of pushed him."

Karl pushed Payton literally and figuratively. The result was the SuperSonics having three seasons of 60 or more wins and advancing to the 1996 NBA Finals and Payton being named 1996 Defensive Player of the Year before Karl was fired in 1998.

But that wasn't the end of Karl and Payton's time together. In February 2003, while coaching Milwaukee, Karl orchestrated a trade that included Ray Allen going to Seattle and the Bucks getting Payton.

Glory days, though, didn't return. The Bucks didn't advance past the first round of the playoffs, and Karl was fired at the end of the season. Payton then bolted to the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, then passed through Boston and Atlanta before landing in Miami.

Karl said the two have continued to talk about 10 times a year and have a "friendship that will last forever."

Payton often hugs Karl before games.

"I said, 'How you doing?' and told him to stop getting fines," said Payton, referring to Karl's two recent suspensions, when asked what he said to Karl during his visit to Denver last weekend.

Karl might be a father figure, but Payton doesn't hesitate to give him advice.

By Chris Tomasson.
Rocky Mountain News - 12/08/2005

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