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Why not Coach K again? Pop or Sloan would not be bad choices either. D'Antoni might know international ball but he does not know defense. you kind of need that.

Coach K won't do it again. I think he'll be more behind the scenes now.

Coach K said he probably would not come back if asked on ESPN last night, and that it should be a once in a life time opportunity.

Well, don't discount the Assistant Coaches impact on the team. It may have been Coach K's defensive style with getting into passing lanes and even some influence on offense with the way they set up 3s, but D'Antoni had his name all over the offense otherwise. Coach K and D'Antoni were perfect matches in that regard. The running, the passing, open-court up-tempo quick striking offense... it was all made easier with having the ball on a run to start by stealing thru the passing lane, or being closer to half-court when you take possession.

But if D'Antoni is the head coach.... while he does tend to fall into the extreme ends of offense over defense.. it would probably call for an extreme on the defensive end for an assistant coach... perhaps a D'Antoni top assistant for international ball would be one of the Van Gundy's to bring in their defense... I think both Jeff and Stan would be perfect matches, maybe Jeff moreso than Stan.

Pop or Sloan is okay. Roy Williams would be another good choice. Pitino might not be bad either because he constantly presses and allows his offense to play.

USA needs a coach that an NBA player respects. Respect comes from a winning system and at the same time the coach has to be a player coach.

All 3 of these coaches are among the best in the NBA (and the world).
However, both Sloan and Popovich are old and close to retiring. So, not really sure that either of these two can commit to the rigors of coaching Team USA for the next 4 years.
That leaves D'Antoni. He's the perfect fit because of the combination of his international and NBA experience. Since he coaches the Knicks, the only obstacle would be the Mafia - whom he indirectly works for, through the owner Dolan. However, they would probably not object, since the Italian team doesn't really have a chance at an Olympic medal anyway. If it were a Spanish or Argentinian mob on the other hand, they would probably dissuade him.
So, go forward with D'Antoni.
- JL

"Why not Coach K again? "

Do you really think he did anything a HS coach couldn't do?
- the credit to this years success is the SELECTION and DESIRE TO PLAY from the right players

my grandmother could coach LBJ, Kobe, Wade, Bosh, Howard

The coach is irrelevant.....the 'GM' is the key

Okay, this may be a pipe dream but ... I can see the Spurs winning the title next year with Pop then retiring from the NBA and taking over the reins of Team USA.

I'd go with Pop or D'Antoni.

my grandmother could coach LBJ, Kobe, Wade, Bosh, Howard
The coach is irrelevant.....the 'GM' is the key
jgb
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In that case, why not hire Isiah Thomas as the coach of the US Team ?
He has head coaching experience (plus playing experience) and is essentially out of work and hence has lots of time and availability.
Besides, he can't do any wrong sine you claim that the coaching position is just a puppet position anyway.
- JL

How about Bob Knight?

Make sure to put Sprewell on the Olympic Team and BAM! we hit the jackpot.

Sloan would be great, he handles the EGO of players very well, teaches tough deffense and moving the ball around. i doubt he would get the job but he would be great and it would be great TV.

Kiss the gold goodbye if you have D'Antoni as coach. Obviously, defense isn't his forte and if we learned anything during these Olympics, we know that defense was key in beating these teams. Even with all of the start power, our offense wasn't impressive...it was the defense that got us a gold.

there aren't anymore Coach K's?

What do you think about Roy Williams, or how about Tom Izzo, maybe Calipari?

my grandmother could coach LBJ, Kobe, Wade, Bosh, Howard

The coach is irrelevant.....the 'GM' is the key

jgb | 08/28/08, 09:07 AM

It's not just about the X's and O's. It's about manging players egos and having them respect you. It's about buying into a coach's ideas. For arguments sake, if they had Isiah Thomas or Tim Floyd as the coach, do you think Kobe or Wade would have played? No, they wouldn't have. Kobe would have sat out and got his surgery, and Wade would have sat out and rehabilitated his injuries.

It's not just about the X's and O's. It's about manging players egos and having them respect you. It's about buying into a coach's ideas. For arguments sake, if they had Isiah Thomas or Tim Floyd as the coach, do you think Kobe or Wade would have played? No, they wouldn't have. Kobe would have sat out and got his surgery, and Wade would have sat out and rehabilitated his injuries.

jj730 | 08/28/08, 09:50 AM

True, but there are X's and O's. Prior US teams did not get after the other teams with tough pressing defense and good rotations the way this team did. It seemed like the prior coaches merely rolled out the ball and let the players play. This time it seemed like there was some actual coaching involved..... and obviously the selection process and three year commitments were huge in forming team chemistry....

Sloan would be great, he handles the EGO of players very well, teaches tough deffense and moving the ball around. i doubt he would get the job but he would be great and it would be great TV.

BIGGIED | 08/28/08, 09:32 AM
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Totally agree - Sloan would make the most entertaining choice, just because of how he deals with people and the media. He's one of the most underrated coaches in NBA history

You have two HOF coaches in Jim Boehim and Jim Calhoun and Boeheim was an assistant on the "Redeem Team!!" In fact, they are very close friends and would probably work well together.

I've got 2 words about Mike D'Antoni's coaching style. Phoenix Suns. Phoenix has been the most explosive offensive team we've seen since the Bulls, but D'Antoni resigned rather than implement a defense, or hire a defensive assistant. NBA players can pretty much handle the offense, but in international play, defense is a must.