Since the days of ‘The Dream Team’ in the early 1990’s the Team USA Men’s Basketball Olympic team was always led by an NBA coach, until Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski stepped in as the coach in 2005.
During his tenure as Team USA coach, he’s won two gold medals and brought the prestige back to Olympic Men’s basketball that was once lost in the mid-2000’s.
Coach K is on the brink of being the first Team USA men’s basketball coach to his three consecutive gold medals when his team takes the court in the 2016 games in Rio but once those games are over, Coach K’s tenure as head coach for the Olympic team will also come to an end.
Who is next to take over team USA as they bridge the gap from Coach K, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James? How about one of the most successful coaches in the NBA over the last 20 years, Gregg Popovich.
Following from Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
The Spurs’ five-time champion coach is “clearly, unquestionably the No. 1 choice,” according to a person involved in the coaching business. “There really is no second place.” Not only is he the most accomplished and respected current NBA coach, but Pop also checks several other boxes that Krzyzewski and Colangelo will no doubt consider in identifying possible successors. (Yes, both men will have most, if not all the say in who gets this gig.)
For example, Krzyzewski told ESPN that he believes it would be a plus for his successor to have international coaching experience. Popovich does that one better; he has international espionage experience as a former Air Force intelligence officer! He also has served as a Team USA assistant and has international experience as a player.
Team USA Director of Basketball Operations, Jerry Colangelo, also said that the next Team USA Men’s basketball coach will be a coach from the NBA ranks.
Following from the AP, courtesy of ESPN.
An NBA coach will likely follow Mike Krzyzewski as U.S. Olympic basketball coach.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said Tuesday in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio that the “odds are that it will be a professional coach.”
Since Coach Pop recently came out and said he wouldn’t step down after Tim Duncan and the bunch retires in the next few years, it makes sense to have such an established coach help bridge the gap with the Olympic team as new, young stars take control of the squad once some of the three-time gold medalists step aside.
This move towards Coach Pop can also help him personally, as he is notoriously known for getting international players and making them into everyday NBA players. His scouting of these overseas stars will now give him more firsthand expertise as he learns how they compete against top shelf NBA talent.
He knows the international game, he’s won a five NBA championships and he’s just an all around great coach. Gregg Popovich being the new man to lead Team USA has been predicted before and it would be best for business.
