Doesn't this Put Karl on the Hot Seat?

The Nuggets just promised 'Melo that they wouldn't trade him.

If you read between the lines, it seems that 'Melo, after hearing trade rumors about himself, gave management an ultimatum: trade me now, or not at all. That George Karl was the one seeking out the trade and was eventually trumped by management does not bode well for his future.

Melo is now armed with the absolute assurances of a no-trade, effectively all the anti-Karl leverage he could want, should he feel slighted by the coach that wanted to trade him.

Doesn’t this have a tinge of Willie Randolph to it, superstar players going behind their coach's back, knowing they have management's support? What happens at the first 'Melo-Karl dust-up, or even any Karl locker room incident with which 'Melo might disagree?

Though there's no specific Anthony v. Karl history there seems to be a perfect storm for a Karl firing. There's already been speculation about Karl's job security the past two years ('07, '08). Melo, after starting his career 0 for 5 in the first round, is now firmly in McGrady territory and will be hearing as much throughout the season. To top it all off, there were trades floated for Iverson and for Camby as well. This, in turn, is reminiscent of last year's Bulls, where half the roster was linked to trade rumors and thus lost their confidence and/or desire to play for the team, leading to that spectacular .402 winning percentage after pre-season talk of a title run.

The seeds have been sown. There's no way Karl makes it through the whole season.