Former Denver Nuggets coach George Karl has unloaded on his old star player Carmelo Anthony in an upcoming book.

Karl coached the Nuggets between 2005 and 2013 and his book, entitled 'Furious George: My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection', is due to be released next month.

In excerpts released by The New York Post, Karl provides a glimpse into his true feelings towards Anthony when he had to coach him in Denver.

“Carmelo was a true conundrum for me in the six years I had him,” Karl wrote. “He was the best offensive player I ever coached. He was also a user of people, addicted to the spotlight and very unhappy when he had to share it.

“He really lit my fuse with his low demand of himself on defense. He had no commitment to the hard, dirty work of stopping the other guy. My ideal - probably every coach’s ideal - is when your best player is also your leader.

"But since Carmelo only played hard on one side of the ball, he made it plain he couldn’t lead the Nuggets, even though he said he wanted to. Coaching him meant working around his defense and compensating for his attitude."

Karl mentioned the deal that sent Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov and draft picks.

“We won this trade, definitely," he wrote, adding that getting rid of Anthony was “a sweet release for the coach and the team, like popping a blister".