Thursday, July 1, 2004

Say It Ain't So... I was not shocked today to hear that Coach K has been offered the job as the coach of the Lakers. At this point, I think that K has been offered nearly every NBA head coaching position. I was shocked to hear that he was considering it, and that he had made the offer public.



I remain convinced that he cannot be seriously considering this offer. He has a dream job at Duke -- a lifetime contract, a campus that adores him, players that listen to him and a community in which he is highly influential. The Lakers? Uncertain tenure at best. Players that get much more attention and respect than the coach. No influence. No major college coach has ever successfully transitioned to the pros (remember Rick Pitino? John Calipari?) On only one level does this make sense: ego and a new challenge. But I seriously hope that Coach K can focus his energies on winning in the "new" college basketball, which is decidedly a new challenge, instead of bolting to the pros.



Instead, I think (and hope) that this is merely Coach K's way of bringing some attention to the plight of the college game, and the drastic impact of early entries. The theory is this: if Coach K is willing to leave Duke, there must be something seriously wrong in colleges. I really hope so. Because the thought of Coach K on the sidelines for a different team is almost too much to bear.

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