Karl working his way back into coaching routine

It means that George Karl is returning to a routine not centered around doctor’s appointments, lab reports and pain medications.

The Nuggets coach is in his Pepsi Center office more frequently these days as he works toward becoming a two-time cancer survivor. He is meeting with his assistant coaches and trying to regain a connection that was lost as he went through radiation and chemotherapy treatment for throat and neck cancer.

While the reality of Denver’s first-round playoff loss to the Utah Jazz was difficult to watch, it gave Karl a better understanding of the challenges that lie ahead for a team that made a preseason goal of winning an NBA title.

“I’d like to get back in tune with the organization and get a feel for the thoughts of the team,” Karl said in an interview with Nuggets.com on Monday. “I learned a lot about our team (while watching from afar). I think my insight should be heard because it’s interesting.”

With a core of Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin and Nene, talent has rarely been an issue for the Nuggets, but there are intangible areas of concern. As an outside observer, Karl saw poor decision-making, questionable shot selection and a lack of defensive commitment.

“Our team is a very unique team. The way it wins is very different than most NBA teams,” Karl said. “I respect how they win. But there were some little things that if we can be more demanding, more disciplined on, I think we’ll win more.

“I’m a ‘quick-shot’ guy, but some of the shots that we were taking . . . there’s got to be a more fundamental structure to it. In the same sense, I respect winning 53 (regular-season) games. To me, that’s a damn good year.

“In the playoffs, I was disappointed that we never made the defensive commitment or the toughness commitment. I thought we played pretty well from the standpoint of competing, but getting the edge of getting into that series and winning it, we never got angry enough.”

Under acting coach Adrian Dantley, the Nuggets won 11 of 19 regular-season games and captured their second consecutive Northwest Division title. Dantley and the rest of the coaching staff did nothing to disappoint Karl.

“Proud of him. It was a tough hand to be dealt and he fought it like a man, he competed like a man,” Karl said. “The staff, I admire their feistiness and their desire. They had a hand that they could’ve thrown in and they never did. I think a lot of them will look back at this year as a foundation of who they are. They learned a lot faster on the job rather than off the job.”

Rookie point guard Ty Lawson also gave Karl reason for optimism for 2010-11. Serving as the primary backup to Billups, Lawson averaged 8.3 points and 3.1 assists while playing about 20 minutes per game.

“There’s some exciting things (for next season),” Karl said. “You’ve got Ty. Having him on the team is a positive. I thought we developed him maybe not as well as we could’ve, but he got enough minutes to know the game. We know he can play. We’re going to have to structure the team for him to be a part of it – a bigger part of it.”

Karl, 59, also plans to be a big part of the Nuggets’ immediate future.

He remains in a “recovery” period following his intense 6½-week treatment, but the early prognosis is excellent.

“There’s no tests that have said anything other than (the doctors) feel good about everything,” he said.

Karl, who is still getting most of his food through a feeding tube, will have more definitive answers in a couple of months. He is on medication to combat blood clots that landed him the hospital twice and says he still has “tough days.”

Maybe it’s fitting that his team is also in a recovery period.

“Basically we’re the second-tier,” Karl said. “There’s those three or four teams that are special and then there’s another seven or eight that need to make some changes to be special. I think we’re one of those teams.”