This is one of the most improbable stories of the year, yet it seems that it just might come true. LA has offered Mike Krzyzewski the head coaching job. (Rumors about it being a $40M deal.) Somehow I just don’t see Coach K being a good fit for Hollywood but that’s a lot of cash to turn down.
I love high profile jumps from college to the pros because more often than not, it shows the limitations of those coaches. Rick Pitino anyone? How about John Calipari? In a twisted way, I am hoping Coach K takes the job. Let me state for the record right now, and you guys can blast me for it later, Coach K will never win a championship with the LA Lakers.In the college game, it’s all about recruiting — bring those wide eyed high school kids in, sell them on the history, the tradition of winning, the potential payouts from boosters, or, if you’re Colorado, a bunch of hos. It’s easy to get the top high school candidates to sign that letter when you have those lures, but what happens when you can’t get the best players in the NBA?
With the exception of the LA Clippers, every single franchise is attractive to free agents. As long as you can manage your cap and have the cash available, you can get a free agent. What does it matter to Joe Player what city he plays in? Chances are, one of his babies’ mommas are there anyway.
Imagine if they put a value on college recruits. Duke (and others) would be over the cap every single year. I realize the general manager is responsible for trades and free agent pickups, but what is Coach K going to do when the players he wants aren’t available, not because they want to go to another team, but because there’s no cash left in the coffers?
Next, we also have the translation of “the system” to the pro ranks. What makes Coach K such a catch as an NBA coach? He can’t prepare his players to play in the NBA, what makes LA think he can coach the ones already there? You can almost see the thought bubble above Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak’s heads. Let’s see, we just got beaten by a coach who went from college to the pros, let’s get us one of them. Pssst, Busschak…it only took Larry Brown two decades to win this pro title.
Well, that ends the unbiased evaluation of the situation.
I love the fact that this might happen. I hate Duke and I hate LA. (Yes, I am a hater. Most sports fans are.) How great is it going to be that the LA Kobes will be a failure? How great is it going to be to see those idiots at Cameron Indoor Stadium crying about the loss of their beloved coach. Will most of them even notice or will they be too busy making up clever chants?
Here’s how I imagine it playing out. Duke will be absolutely horrible without Coach K. (I think he’s a great college coach.) Blue Devil fans will be jumping off the bandwagon as fast as they can during Year 2 A.K. (After Krzyzewski) Real fans will be crying in their beer lamenting the fact that their alma mater doesn’t even make it out of the first round of the NCAA tourney. (Duke makes the field of 64 on repuation alone.) Duke players don’t even get a chance to stink up the game in the NBA.
Meanwhile, in LA, Krzyzewski is trying to deal with all the egos of his NBA team. Kobe won’t share the ball and none of the role players want to be role players. Krzyzewski has given up the trademark rat face and finger jabbing because it doesn’t get through at all to multi-millionaires who don’t want to practice. He manages to get Elton Brand on the team but Kobe won’t throw it down low. Kobe will be quoted as saying, “I got [Krzyzewski’s] ass hired in the first place, he’ll run the offense through ME.”
After posting a .500 record and not even sniffing the top of the Western Conference, Mitch Kupchak steps to the podium, announcing the resignation of Krzyzewski and saying how he really liked him and hoped “the experiment” hadn’t failed. Coach K comes up next and states that it was time for a change in leadership and that he’ll “always be pulling for the LA Lakers.” After a week, he is back at Duke, $40M richer and no harm done to his college reputation. But, by this time, no good ballplayers even go to college anymore so he’s just running drills with fat kids who couldn’t make the dodgeball team.
Come on Coach K, sign that Hollywood contract. I want to see how this plays out for real.
One reply on “Coach K- Spurrier’s on Line One”
Duke = Puke I’m so sick of Duke basketball and Coach K. He goes to the Final Four and loses, then makes a speech about how much he loves his kids and that he considers them winners. And if you watch a Duke game being broadcast by Billy Packer or Dick Vitale…. I don’t even want to get into it. Let’s just say the phrase “buttkissing” comes to mind.
I agree with you, Coach K and the Hollywood Fakers deserve each other. Let’s see how “classy” he can be, coaching a possible rapist, a whining broken down old man, and others (no mention of Shaq because who knows right now?).
Abd then, when he fails, Pat Riley will come out of retirement a la Joe Gibbs to clean his mess.