Karl Doesn’t Get Chance To Speak Mind

Seattle SuperSonics coach George Karl said he did not speak with the league’s top officials about his concerns about Sunday’s game in Philadelphia because the Board of Governors meeting in New York on Tuesday left everybody indisposed.

Karl said he wants to speak either to Rod Thorn, the league’s vice president of basketball operations, or Russ Granik, the deputy commissioner, about a fan running onto the court at the CoreStates Center and confronting Gary Payton, as well as general unruliness in the arena all evening, which Karl felt endangered his players.

Karl said he spoke with some lower level league officials in the security department on Tuesday, but he said he will vent most of his frustrations to either Granik or Thorn.

“I will speak to them (today),” Karl said.

Motivating McIlvaine

Karl was contemplating Monday whether to start Jim McIlvaine for the first time at center because he was unhappy about Aaron Williams’ production the past two games (two points, five rebounds vs. Indiana and 10 points, two rebounds vs. the Sixers).

But Karl decided Tuesday to start Williams, which was more a slap at McIlvaine than it was an endorsement of Williams.

“I don’t think Mac has played well enough to earn a start,” Karl said. “He has to play better.”

Before the Hawks game, McIlvaine had been 0 for 7 from the field for the season and had not scored. He also was averaging just two rebounds and 0.5 blocks in nine minutes.

Williams is leading the league in field-goal percentage, but Karl says that is because his teammates are getting him in a good position to score.

Karl would rather see Williams play hard defense than try to score, and he thinks Williams has become too complacent since he has won the starting job. If McIlvaine plays better and Williams continues to struggle, Karl still could make a change.

Incidentally, McIlvaine got his first basket of the season Tuesday night in the second quarter.

No time for laziness

Speaking of complacency, Karl said that because of his team’s surprising (at least to Karl) 5-2 record - and the fact they think they should be 7-0 - he is concerned they may lose their doggedness.

“Am I pleased?” Karl said. “Hell yes, I’m pleased. I think we are better than I thought we were. But there are problems on this basketball team. There is a need to get better. My big concern is success breeds a laziness. The last thing we need right now is a complacency or a laziness because we still have to get a hell of a lot better.”