Poll: Who Should Be Team USA’s New Coach?
Mike Krzewzyski is set to step down as head coach of USA Basketball. He will finish with an all-time record of 62-1. Following the USA's victory over Spain to capture the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, people including LeBron James and Doc Rivers weighed in on who should be his successor.
James and Rivers both endorse San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to succeed Krzewzyski, although Rivers adds that Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins would also be a strong candidate, and that Rivers himself would accept the position if offered to him.
Who do you think should coach Team USA going forward? Should it be Rivers, Popovich, Collins, or someone else? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Who Should Coach Team USA?
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Gregg Popovich 34% (624)
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Doc Rivers 34% (618)
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Doug Collins 19% (351)
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Someone Else 12% (222)
Total votes: 1,815
Olympics Notes: Bryant, James, Popovich
Kevin Durant's strong performance throughout the Olympics served as a major reason why Team USA's leaving London with gold. The three-time reigning NBA scoring champion averaged 19.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 2.6 APG over the course of the Olympics. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from London…
- Doc Rivers endorses Doug Collins to succeed Mike Krzyzewski as head coach of Team USA.
- One of the many secrets to Kobe Bryant's success has been Dr. Judy Seto, the Lakers' physical therapist, writes Mike Trudell of NBA.com. Dr. Seto's so important to Bryant that she's accompanied Bryant to the last two Olympics to ensure his health while playing abroad. Bryant wanted to have Dr. Seto's services entirely to himself during the 2008 Olympics so he didn't tell Lakers teammate Pau Gasol that she was in Beijing.
- LeBron James joined Michael Jordan as the only players to win NBA title, Olympic gold, NBA regular-season MVP and NBA Finals MVP in the same year, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Durant stands as the most likely player to join this elite club in 2016 when the Olympics head to Rio.
- With Krzyzewski set to call it an Olympic career, much conversation has come up regarding his replacement. Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports says both Rivers and James believe Gregg Popovich should be the next USA Basketball head coach (via Twitter).
Week In Review: 8/6/12 – 8/12/12
Finally, we can stop speculating about where Dwight Howard will end up…for now, anyway. The Lakers acquired the big man in a massive four-team deal which sent Andrew Bynum to the 76ers, Andre Iguodala to the 76ers, and a whole lotta draft picks to the Magic. Orlando may not have come out with an elite talent in the trade, but they gave themselves a ton of flexibility going forward, including a $17.8MM trade exception. Our other top stories of the past week..
- Team USA topped Spain to win gold behind strong play from LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
- The Blazers hired Terry Stotts as head coach but will keep Kaleb Canales on staff as an assistant.
- The 76ers are confident that they can keep Bynum.
- The Bulls were in on talks for Howard before the deal was finalized.
- The Suns agreed to terms with veteran big man Jermaine O'Neal.
- The Lakers and Jodie Meeks agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth about $3MM. A deal with Devin Ebanks is likely around the corner as well.
- The Jazz introduced Dennis Lindsey as their new GM.
- Gary Sacks looks like the frontrunner to be the Clippers' next GM.
- The Cavs may have made a three-year offer to Alonzo Gee.
- The Bucks signed Joel Przybilla to a one-year deal.
- Two teams are looking at Louis Amundson.
- Craig Smith signed in Israel.
- Carlos Delfino should sign soon.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/6/12 – 8/12/12
Here's our look back at the original analysis produced by our writing team this week..
- Chuck Myron looked at the going rate for the top ten producers in assists.
- The majority of Hoops Rumors readers see the Nets winning between 47-51 games this year.
- Daniel Seco asked how the Lakers will fare this year and most of you see them notching 61-65 Ws. More than 57% of you now have the Lakers as the favorite to win it all in 2012/13.
- Most of you expect to see the Celtics on top of the Atlantic this year over the Knicks and the new-look Nets.
- Luke Adams fielded questions on the Olympics, the Dwightmare, and Tracy McGrady in this week's chat.
- Luke looked at contract scenarios for Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Andrew Bynum.
- A whopping 65% of Hoops Rumors readers believe that Anthony Davis will gain the most from this summer's Olympic experience for Team USA.
Poll: How Many Wins For The Nets This Year?
We witnessed an extremely entertaining summer in the NBA full of teams reloading and, in some cases, completely remodeling. The Nets may have missed out on Dwight Howard, but they managed to upgrade their roster to the point where it’s hard to imagine that they won’t be highly competitive in 2012/13.
With all due respect to the duo of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, General Manager Billy King paired Deron Williams with Joe Johnson to form what may be the best backcourt in the Association. Gerald Wallace surprised many by opting out of his $9.5MM player option for next season, but the Nets managed to retain him with a four-year, $40MM pact. Kris Humphries is back to anchor the power forward slot and perhaps the biggest difference maker for the club will be the return of a healthy Brook Lopez at the five. The formidable starting lineup will be supported by overseas import Mirza Teletovic and MarShon Brooks, who was a badly-needed bright spot for the Nets in his rookie campaign.
It’s probably safe to say that the Nets will top their .333 winning percentage of last season, but how many wins will they notch?
How Many Games Will The Nets Win Next Season?
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47-51 37% (392)
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42-46 27% (289)
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52-56 21% (220)
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41 or less 11% (115)
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56-60 3% (33)
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60 or more 2% (17)
Total votes: 1,066
Team USA Knocks Off Spain To Win Gold
Team USA secured its second straight gold medal after defeating Spain 107-100 on Sunday in London. Strong play from LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who led all scorers with 30 points, allowed Team USA to match Spain for three quarters and pull away in the fourth. Kevin Love continued with his dominant post play as he grabbed nine rebounds to go with nine points.
The victory gave head coach Mike Krzyzewski his 62nd and final win with Team USA as he is set to step down from the position. Kobe Bryant, in his final Olympic appearance, scored 17 points, but deferred to James as the reigning MVP took over in the fourth quarter with his all-around outstanding play. Coach K expressed sheer jubilation by jumping up and down on the sidelines once the outcome was no longer in question.
Durant leaves London as the most prolific scorer in Team USA history over the course of one Olympics. The Oklahoma City star scored 156 points over the course of the tournament to add to the growing scoring accolades he's earned over the course of his young career.
For Spain, Pau Gasol's standout performance wasn't nearly enough as the team was plagued by Marc Gasol's early foul trouble. Former Grizzlies guard Juan Carlos Navarro seemingly scored at will early in the game, but disappeared later in the contest. While Spain came up short, they gave the United States all they could and nearly came away with the upset.
Winderman On Camby, Rebounding, Cuban
The Heat made a series of moves this offseason that will make their title defense more of a palatable endeavor when the 2012/13 season begins this fall. While the Heat should have minimal trouble returning to the NBA Finals, barring injury, the true test will be the presumed showdown with the Lakers in June, who appear to be favorites in the West thanks to their acquisition of Dwight Howard. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel examines a potential Finals matchup between Los Angeles and Miami…
- Winderman says the Heat wouldn't have pursued a big like Marcus Camby even if the trade for Howard took place earlier in the summer. The difference between Andrew Bynum and Howard on the offensive end of things isn't as much as people give Superman credit for as he heads West. The biggest issue in a Finals matchup would be the Lakers' ability to stop LeBron James.
- The notion that the Lakers have more size than the Heat and therefore will win the battle of the boards doesn't ring true for Winderman. He says the Heat have the ability to put a big lineup on the court with Chris Bosh playing center and James at power forward. The issue for the Heat, however, may be their lack of brawn as compared to the Lakers.
- Look for Mavs owner Mark Cuban to make some sort of public comment about the rich getting richer with regard to the Lakers acquiring Howard, says Winderman.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Sixers, Jon Scheyer
The battle for the Atlantic Division title may end up being the most competitive race in the NBA next season. With all five teams making serious moves in the offseason, a strong argument could be made that the Nets are as likely to take the division as the Celtics. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from the Atlantic Division…
- Ray Allen spoke about his time with the Celtics and his decision to sign with Miami this offseason while visiting UConn on Saturday, writes Don Amore of the Hartford Courant. "I was a free agent," Allen said, "and I had to make a decision I definitely thought was best for me to move forward. I'm excited about where I'm going. … I don't know what to expect, but I know what I expect from myself."
- John N. Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the Sixers should be excited by their acquisition of Andrew Bynum as he brings myriad qualities to the paint for Philadelphia. Not only does Bynum bring incredible size and the ability to score with ease to the Sixers, the seven footer has championship experience with the two rings he won with the Lakers.
- After spending the summer playing with the Sixers in Orlando for the NBA Summer League, former Duke star Jon Scheyer appears headed to Spain this season to play for Gran Cranaria, writes Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside. Scheyer is looking to increase his playing time after struggling to earn minutes with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv in Israel last season.
Odds & Ends: O.J. Mayo, Kyrie Irving, Nuggets
The value Andre Iguodala brings to the Nuggets goes beyond the swingman's stat line, writes Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. Thanks to his strong defense and myriad intangibles, Iguodala made the All-Star team during the 2011/12 season even though he averaged just 12.4 PPG. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the NBA…
- Mavs shooting guard O.J. Mayo seems excited about taking his talents to Dallas and is poised for a breakout year, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld. “I felt like Dallas was the best situation for me,” Mayo said. "They have a good team, they have a great player in Dirk Nowitzki, they have a terrific owner with Mark Cuban."
- Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving has been warning rookies about the rigors of head coach Byron Scott's training camp nicknamed "Camp Scott," says Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. "All the warnings don't amount to much until you experience Camp Scott for yourself," Irving said. "You have to deal with it. He's a hard-nosed coach, and he's trying to get the most out of you."
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops examines the Nuggets' offseason and analyzes the moves the team made and how the roster looks heading in the 2012/13 season. He predicts Denver will make the playoffs but is not ready to compete for a championship as it doesn't have enough talent at this point.
Olympics Notes: Kevin Love, Coach K, FIBA
Team USA will attempt to make it two gold medals in a row on Sunday when it takes on Spain in the Olympic men's basketball final. The team has looked strong throughout the Olympics but will face a challenge from Spain, who features arguably the strongest frontcourt thanks to Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol. Before Team USA and Spain do battle, let's catch up with the latest news and headlines from around the Olympics.
- Chris Palmer of ESPN The Magazine has the story of how Kevin Love met Tyson Chandler when he was a pudgy middle schooler and Chandler was months away from being taken second overall in the 2001 NBA Draft. "I’m gonna be in the NBA one day," Love told Chandler. "You’ll want my autograph someday. You’ll see."
- Mike Krzyzewski has had quite the run as the head coach of the USA Basketball team as he's set to call it an Olympic career after Sunday's game, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. With a victory over Spain, Coach K will run his record to 62-1.
- FIBA chief Patrick Baumann says that the three-point line for international play will be moved to the NBA distance at some point in the future, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. "We think probably we should have gone sooner to the NBA distance from Day One," said Baumann.