As is noted on the front page of DBR, a NYT columnist chimes in regarding the latest Thomas debacle with a swipe at K
The basketball universe is safe for business as usual, with the usual suspects retaining all the power...
Mike Krzyzewski, one of the most powerful figures in basketball, complained that Thomas should not have two jobs, lest he gain too much leverage with recruits. Interesting.
Coach K knows leverage. This is the same coach who did commercials for American Express while coaching Duke. He still hosts a show — Basketball and Beyond — on XM radio. He was head coach of the United States 2008 Olympic team and now stands in the middle of the huddle of the United States team that will compete in the world championships this month in Turkey. As the most powerful figure in USA Basketball, Krzyzewski has unchecked access to the top high school talent.
Each one of these coaching assignments puts Krzyzewski and his assistants in position to impress recruits with their access to N.B.A. stars — and by extension, the N.B.A. And it is no different than what he claimed Thomas should not be allowed to do — hold dual roles as a college coach and a Knicks consultant.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/sp...tml?ref=sports
DBR states the columnist was Bob Herbert - it was Bill Rhoden, but both Herbert and Rhoden view
events through the same prism (see, e.g. - "Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete" by William C. Rhoden) so if Herbert would have been the author it would not have surprised me.