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This may be an extended holiday weekend for most of you, but for the Lakers it will feel like an eternity. Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski will be observing the Fourth of July at his North Carolina beach house, where he will make up his mind on whether to accept a $40 million offer and become the Lakers Head Coach. He reportedly is being recruited by Kobe Bryant. While many college coaches have failed in the NBA, LAist feels that Krzyzewski is different because he is easily the most successful college coach over the last 20 years. He could command respect even in a pro locker room. Coach K has always been someone who adapted his style to his personnel, and that should serve him well in the NBA.
Will Coach K leave? It's hard to say. On the one hand Krzyzewski has built the best program a college basketball coach could possibly build, and he is treated like a god in Durham. But the college game is not what it used to be. John Feinstein said today on the Big Show with Mason & Ireland today on 710 AM that Krzyzewski isn't so frustrated with the early exits from a talent standpoint, as he is frustrated by the realization that he can no longer build meaningful quality relationships with players like Luol Deng who leave after just one yar. He also reminded us that Krzyzewski is not happy with the ACC's recent expansion , feeling as though the conference sold its soul to football.
But if Coach K does come to LA it will either be without Shaq or with a grumpy Shaq . The Lakers have no compelling offers on the table for the center, but Shaq is persisting with his trade demand because he is steamed that Bryant is allegedly calling the shots and because he cannot get the extension he wants which would eat up two-thirds of the Lakers cap.
Does Coach K really want to deal with all this? It would be a challenge we'd like to see him try.
