George Karl was a brilliant coach that could have his team (even when mediocre) reach 50+ wins every season but was never able to get the same success in the playoffs. Consider that he has had 21 seasons of reaching .500+ in the regular season, not going below .500 since the 1987-88 season. However, he consistently failed to do much in the playoffs, with his greatest achievements as reaching the Conference Finals thrice and the Finals once with the Payton-led Sonics. This team would definitely be in playoff contention if they had George Karl instead of Brian Shaw. Anyways, it is the Nuggets' loss because I'd rather make the playoffs and have a decent shot at getting to the 2nd round than lose in the regular season and miss the playoffs.