Dantley develops thick skin in short time as head coach

The only thing that came with more frequency was the criticism.

“I probably haven’t caught this much heat or second-guessing since I was a player,” Dantley said Monday. “(It) took some getting used to the criticism, but when you’re in that position, you’ve got to have little bit of tough skin.”

After 25 games (regular-season and playoffs), Dantley’s skin rivals that of a sun-soaked rhinoceros.

From his courtside manner to his use of timeouts to his substitution patterns, every aspect of his coaching style and acumen were dissected with regularity while head coach George Karl went through treatment for throat and neck cancer.

The Nuggets went 13-12 in Karl’s absence, winning the Northwest Division title before eventually losing to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The end result was disappointing, but Dantley chose not to dwell on the negative as he and the Nuggets entered the offseason.

“It was definitely positive for me,” he said. “Glad I had an opportunity to coach. Learned a lot and I’m glad I was in that position.”

Dantley, a Hall of Fame player who still has aspirations of being a head coach, quickly found out there’s more to the job than X’s and O’s. He had more media obligations than he ever imagined and learned that it is impossible to distribute playing time without bruising a few egos along the way.

“You do a lot more work when you’re a head coach. Gotta be on your toes,” he said. “If I ever (get to) be a head coach, I’m just glad I had an opportunity to be with these guys because I think this is a bunch of guys that everybody wants to play. Managing their minutes, keeping their heads straight, that’s probably one of the most important things on a basketball team.

Dantley became an easy target for critics as the Nuggets faced a Utah team led by Jerry Sloan, who is in his 25th season as an NBA head coach. There’s no telling whether the outcome would have been different with Karl on the bench.

“Definitely we miss (Karl) a lot. But I think A.D., for the first time being coach, he did what he can,” Nuggets center Nene said. “It’s a tough spot for him. You can’t compare A.D. to George because George has experience. He’s a top coach in the league. A.D.’s just starting. He did the best. I think he did his maximum. He did a great job.”

Because of his experience dealing with players in a high-pressure setting, Karl might have been able to keep the Nuggets from becoming their own worst enemies as they grew frustrated with the officiating throughout the Utah series.

Dantley continually reminded the players to fight through the frustration, but the message didn’t always sink in. The Nuggets were called for five technical fouls in the series, including three in the deciding game.

“Can’t do that. I’ve been saying that all year,” Dantley said. “You heard me say that when the series started. Just keep your composure. Keep your head. That’s old news with me.”

As for taking shots at Dantley . . . that’s old news as well.