Listen.

Lately all I'm hearing from Nuggets nation is "Fire George Karl" this and "What the hell is Karl thinking" that. Karl no doubt has made questionable decisions in the past, and we've all seen his propensity to move more slowly with his decisions. So have many, many other NBA coaches.

Consider the facts:

- George Karl led the Nuggets to tie the franchise record high in wins last year at 54-28.

- Karl is the 12th all-time winningest coach in the NBA, with 933 wins.

- Under Karl and with Carmelo, the Nuggets have made the playoffs every year. They lost in the first round 5 years in a row, and finally broke through last year with a trip to the conference finals.

- With Chauncey joining the team, Karl's focus has been able to shift more to actual team management rather than being the team's leader. Carmelo is not a natural leader, and Chauncey has been instrumental in getting the team to tighten down and focus.

The results?

Last year, with a roster that most expected to do no better than eighth in the murderously tough Western Conference, the 2008-2009 Denver Nuggets were, per game:

* 1st in free throw attempts

* 2nd in free throws made

* 2nd in blocks

* 3rd in steals

* 5th in efficiency

Nene and Kenyon Martin were both near their career highs for games played. Andersen provided a huge defensive boost as a virtual Camby replacement. The team was, and is, a cohesive unit.

Sure, you can point to Chauncey's arrival as some miracle panacea that finally catalyzed the team into the contenders we'd hoped they'd be since Melo's drafting, but you cannot deny that Karl has played an instrumental role in turning this team from a perennial loser into a perennial playoff team.

I'm willing to give him a chance and see what he can do this season with the acquisition of Allen, Afflalo, Graham, and Lawson.

You should do the same.