Mike Krzyzewski To Coach 2016 U.S. Olympic Team
After initially indicating that 2012 would be the last time he coached the USA Men's Basketball team in Olympic play, Mike Krzyzewski will return for the 2016 games in Rio, according to Pete Thamel of SI.com. Thamel reports that an official announcement is expected within the next 48 hours.
We heard over the weekend that Krzyzewski had changed course and decided not to rule out the possibility of continuing on as USA Basketball's head coach. When we asked whether Krzyzewski or another coach was the best candidate for the job, a third of you picked the longtime Duke coach, who beat out Gregg Popovich (27.68%) and Phil Jackson (22.62%).
As Thamel notes, Krzyzewski has a 62-1 record as Team USA's head coach, having earned gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2012 London Olympics. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo had remained confident that he could convince Krzyzewski to return for the '16 games, and was steadfast about not pursuing other coaching candidates until Coach K officially told him no.
While Krzyzewski will return, Thamel says his Team USA staff may not return entirely intact. In London, Coach K's assistants included Jim Boeheim, Mike D'Antoni, and Nate McMillan.
Poll: Who Should Coach USA Basketball?
Mike Krzyzewski isn't ruling out returning as the coach of USA Basketball through the 2016 Olympics, Pete Thamel at SI.com reports. "There's a chance," Krzyzewski says, "That's correct." USA Men's Basketball chairman, Jerry Colangelo, said "Give it another week and we should be resolved."
The Men's Basketball national team will be meeting for a mini-camp this summer from July 22-25, but they're still not decided on a coach, unless Krzyzewski comes back to coach again after winning the gold medal at this past summer's Summer Olympics. So, do you want Coach K back, or would you prefer one of these other candidates?
Latest On Cavs’ Coaching Search
While the Cavaliers' coaching search involved reaching out to Phil Jackson, it appears unlikely that the 11-time champion will be interested in Cleveland's rebuilding project, as Bob Finnan of the News-Herald writes. Finnan has plenty of other details on the team's search to replace Byron Scott on the bench though, so let's dive in and check out the highlights….
- One prominent agent told Finnan that the Cavs have a "fixation" on Mike Brown. According to Finnan, Danny Ferry and the Hawks could have interest in Brown if they let go of Larry Drew, so Cleveland is hoping to move quickly on the former Lakers coach.
- In addition to contacting Jackson, the Cavs may have also reached out to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who isn't interested, says Finnan.
- Nate McMillan, who is rumored to be in the mix for the Pistons' opening, doesn't appear to be high on the Cavs' list. Finnan notes that it may be because McMillan is too similar to Scott.
- The Cavs haven't inquired on Flip Saunders, who is open to a return to the NBA.
Stein On Hawks, Bucks, Josh Smith, Spurs, Blair
It's more than a week after the trade deadline, but the stream of rumors is far from an end. In his Weekend Dime, Marc Stein of ESPN.com puts a bow on last week's proceedings, and provides some scuttlebutt related to tonight's buyout deadline as well. Here's what Stein has to share:
- The Hawks wanted to trade Josh Smith at the deadline, and expected they'd get a deal done. But when the Bucks refused to part with Monta Ellis, Atlanta's main target, or Ersan Ilyasova, Plan B for the Hawks, GM Danny Ferry and company walked away from a package that would have featured Beno Udrih's expiring contract and Luc Mbah a Moute, who has two years and $8.97MM remaining on his deal this season.
- DeJuan Blair has been seeking a buyout from his expiring $1.054MM contract with the Spurs, but San Antonio is reluctant to grant his wish, fearing he'd sign with another playoff team. If he's not bought out before tonight's 11pm deadline, Blair would be ineligible for the postseason if he signs elsewhere this season. Stein says it's clear that neither Blair nor the Spurs wish to continue their working relationship in 2013/14, so perhaps Blair could be a buyout candidate after tonight, but that's just my speculation.
- The Spurs were seeking a first-round pick in offers for Blair at the trade deadline, but like everyone seeking that kind of return, they were rebuffed, as Stein notes the increasing value of those picks and the rookie-scale contracts that come with them.
- According to Stein, industry standard dictates that prospective owners in the midst of a pending sale may designate two or three players they wish the team to keep, freeing current management to trade anyone else on the roster. That makes it easier to understand why the Kings shed salary, including last June's No. 5 overall pick Thomas Robinson, at the deadline, even though we heard the Chris Hansen/Howard Ballmer group from Seattle was consulted before the move was made.
- Stein sizes up the competing chances of Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers to become the next coach of Team USA, while adding that USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo wants to wait until he hears from Mike Krzyzewski after the college season to definitely rule out the Coach K's return.
- The ESPN.com scribe also checks in with new Bucks shooting guard J.J. Redick, who felt like he was going to stay with the Magic right up until they traded him.
Odds & Ends: Coach K, Howard, Harkless, Rookies
A roundup of the latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday evening:
- Mike Krzyzewski has issued a statement refuting recent reports that he will return as head coach of Team USA, reiterating that he intends to stay retired (Reuters report via the New York Times).
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Mavericks should be an attractive free-agent destination for Dwight Howard this summer.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld is impressed with Maurice Harkless' recent play as he has been given a greater opportunity for minutes on the rebuilding Magic.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News ranks the best rookies of this season, headlined by Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard.
- Erik Gundersen of TrailBlazers.com chronicles the relationship between Trail Blazers guards Wesley Matthews and Eric Maynor, dating back to their rookie season together in Utah.
- Amir Johnson praises Cavs big man Tristan Thompson to Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com wonders whether the Celtics could have traded for Marcus Morris from the Rockets.