BOISE, Idaho -- The son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl
underwent surgery for the removal of cancerous lymph nodes at a
Boise hospital on Monday.
Karl said doctors spent seven hours operating on his son, Coby.
The surgery was the second in 13 months for Coby Karl, who had
his thyroid removed last year after being diagnosed with papillary
carcinoma, a form of treatable cancer. He also underwent
chemotherapy to try to kill off any remaining cancer cells shortly
after his initial surgery.
Coby Karl was in fair condition late Monday at Saint Alphonsus
Regional Medical Center, hospital spokesman Mike Vogel said.
"My family and I would like to thank everyone for their support
and prayers. We appreciate it a great deal," George Karl said.
"It was a long day, but the doctors are optimistic that they've
gotten everything out and are hopeful that Coby will be fully
recovered in a couple of weeks."
George Karl, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005 and
underwent surgery, said it was doubtful he would coach Tuesday
night against the Lakers.
The 23-year-old Coby Karl recently finished his final season as
a basketball player at Boise State University.
The lymph node cancer was discovered in mid-January before the
Broncos played at Utah State. The younger Karl kept the diagnosis
private until after Boise State lost to New Mexico State in the WAC
tournament semifinals, ending the team's season.
Coby Karl led the Broncos with 14.8 points per game and was the
team leader in minutes played, assists and 3-pointers. He finished
his career third on Boise State's career scoring list with 1,698
points and is the school's career leader in games played, and
3-pointers made and attempted.