If Mike Krzyzewski does decide to leave Duke and come to the Lakers, he will do so as Kobe Bryant's hand-picked choice. Doesn't that give Bryant power over Krzyzewski? Bryant wasn't willing to listen to Phil Jackson, so why would he listen to a coach who's already in the palm of his own hand? Why would K. put himself in that kind of position? It can't be just about the money (supposedly $50,000,000 for five years can it?

~Adam

Hopefully Coach K will see how much of a pain Kobe is to coach and turn the lakers down. Jerry Buss is making a real misstep here with choosing Kobe over Shaq. Shaq may be out of shape, but Kobe is a truly selfish player who doesn't make the players around him better like Jordan did. Kobe for T-Mac, straight up--this would have been the perfect trade. Oh well, too late now...

My thoughts about this are a bit complicated by being an ex-Blazer fan and a current Kobe-hater.

BUT ... if Kobe is pulling the strings on this, then he's doing it for good reason. He wants a coach that is willing to work as hard as he. He wants a coach that doesn't have a pedigree or a legend to live up to.

Coach K can call Kobe's bluff: "You wanted me. This is what I think is best. If I go down, then you do down." Simple as that. It's win-win for Kobe and Coach K or it's lose-lose.

Kobe works hard; he deserves a coach that does the same.

PS: I'm astounded that people think that Kobe is a selfish player and that Shaq is not. Shaq doesn't have the basketball skills (passing?) required to be anything but selfish.

I'm not down on Shaq, just think people shouldn't confuse "physical attributes" with basketball talent.

If I were Shaq's size, I'd be just as talented as he; I know how to dunk and I can make a 10-foot hook. I can also make 80% of my free throws.

But if I were Kobe's size ... well, I'd be an embarassment to my race. There's a profound difference between talent and size.

Go with Kobe. He has a work ethic and far more basketball talent than Shaq.

Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly like either player. But guards are a dime a dozen. Shaq is still the most dominant big man in the NBA, even with his poor free throw shooting and extra weight. Whether Kobe decides to pass or not changes from game to game; his unwillingness to even acknowledge Shaq'a dominance smacks of selfishness.

This team deserves to implode. Four future hall of famers, and they still can't find a way to get along? That's just silly.

If Coach K takes a job with the Lakers he will be nothing more than a figurehead. Surely he must know this, thus the only motivation for him to accept the position would be the money.

The point of friction between Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson was Jackson's demand that Kobe play team basketball, while Kobe wanted to freelance. Now that the Lakers organization have all but handed the team to Kobe, there will no longer be any moderating influence on his immature and selfish tendencies.

As I've said before, no man is an island, no matter how good he is. Kobe thinks that he's THE MAN and the next Michael Jordan. Ironically, he's following Jordan's developmental path in reverse. Jordan initially tried to freelance, he managed to score, but didn't win. After he learned to play team basketball, it was then that he won championships.

Without a Phil Jackson, or some other authority figure to force discipline on him, Kobe will revert to his worst behaviors. The situation for the Lakers will be further aggravated by the fact that they will not have Shaq next season, and they will not be able to get a comparable replacement for him.

If Mike Krzyzewski accepts the job in LA, money may be part of the equation since no college can compete with the Pros financially. However I really think Coach K is at a crossroads in his career.

1st) He sees that young BBall players no longer stay in a college program for 4 years, or skip college altogher. This clearly does not sit well with him.

2nd) He has already won 3 championships at the collegiate level and may want a greater challenge to complete his legacy. Larry Brown is the only coach to have won at both levels and Coach K may have a yearning to match that.

If family life and comfort are higher on his list, then he will finish his career at Duke, otherwise we may see the Lakers yet again getting whatever they covet.

[ July 03, 2004, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: phillyrunner ]

Coack K. has (wisely) decided to remain at Duke. Perhaps he heard the Laker coach has to date Dr. Buss' daughter? wink

~Adam

Kudos to Coach K., a fine example of a human being who doesn't make money the primary issue. He followed his heart and stayed where he wanted. You don't find people as decent and genuine as Coach K. that much.