Kobe on Coach K

[Mike Corey]

Nice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq-alR0hg70).

Not a bad endorsement to have.

[roywhite]

Excellent. Thanks for posting, Mike.

I'm certainly looking forward to our Olympic team competing and winning the Gold Medal. What we saw last summer looked to be a very special team coming together.

Those who have questioned whether K's involvement with the national team has detracted from his "day job" at Duke, I believe have missed some of the indirect benefits. The endorsement of Kobe and LeBron, and others, carries some weight with potential recruits. And the exposure of Coach K and his style of play this summer will be very positive.

Well, we've got the players, and we've got the coach. Now, just win. :)

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

I loved those comments. Thanks for posting. This made my day.

GO DUKE!

ps Although I am a Warriors fan, maybe I will need to get a Kobe USA jersey.

GO USA!

[moonpie23]

thanks.....whe i read all the crap over on IC about how they all will be pulling against Team USA because of Coach K, i just want the gold medal to come home so they can all have a nice hot cup of STFU.

no matter what side of the fence you're on.......if you think it's easy to get carmello, kobe, lebron and those guys to play TOGETHER, you're crazy...that's what has been the problem in recent years with Team USA......this team is buying into the coach.......

[weezie]

Pulling against the USA team, because of Coach K, in order to appease their own pinheaded insecurities? Disgusting....don't those morons know what happens when karma comes back at ya'?

[Acymetric]

thanks.....whe i read all the crap over on IC about how they all will be pulling against Team USA because of Coach K, i just want the gold medal to come home so they can all have a nice hot cup of STFU.

no matter what side of the fence you're on.......if you think it's easy to get carmello, kobe, lebron and those guys to play TOGETHER, you're crazy...that's what has been the problem in recent years with Team USA......this team is buying into the coach.......

I've never gone to IC, and never will, but do they really say that? Thats the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. Its your country's team! I understand that not everybody is super patriotic, but I mean, how can you not pull for your country in the Olympics?

[Hot Route]

Kobe is a great player who gets to play for another great coach. Good for him and good for Coach K.

[keithg]

I've never gone to IC, and never will, but do they really say that? Thats the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. Its your country's team! I understand that not everybody is super patriotic, but I mean, how can you not pull for your country in the Olympics?

I don't know how to use the archives but I remember similar sentiment on this board concerning Larry Brown, George Karl and Roy Williams' failures in international basketball.

As for Kobe Bryant, I still think he's a selfish teammate who bought his way out of a sexual assault conviction. While the endorsement may give Duke some street credibility with the young kids...he's not exactly the person I want my kids looking to as a role model.

[Classof06]

I don't know how to use the archives but I remember similar sentiment on this board concerning Larry Brown, George Karl and Roy Williams' failures in international basketball.

As for Kobe Bryant, I still think he's a selfish teammate who bought his way out of a sexual assault conviction. While the endorsement may give Duke some street credibility with the young kids...he's not exactly the person I want my kids looking to as a role model.

I'm not saying Kobe wasn't at fault but I don't know about bought his way out of a conviction (besides the high priced lawyers). The bottom line is that the young woman who pressed charges was probably the least credible plaintiff I've ever seen in my life. And I'm not even a Kobe fan.

[MChambers]

I don't know how to use the archives but I remember similar sentiment on this board concerning Larry Brown, George Karl and Roy Williams' failures in international basketball.

The consensus was we would still root for the US team, but we would know who deserved the blame when they lost.

[SilkyJ]

The bottom line is that the young woman who pressed charges was probably the least credible plaintiff I've ever seen in my life. And I'm not even a Kobe fan.

Haaaaave ya met Crystal Magnum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Duke_University_lacrosse_case)? (anyone a "how I met your mother fan"?)

But good point.



Those who have questioned whether K's involvement with the national team has detracted from his "day job" at Duke, I believe have missed some of the indirect benefits. The endorsement of Kobe and LeBron, and others, carries some weight with potential recruits. And the exposure of Coach K and his style of play this summer will be very positive.


And which recruits would this be?

we are all aware of the supposed side benefits, no one is "missing" anything. we are just waiting for them to materialize.

[Jarhead]

Haaaaave ya met Crystal Magnum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Duke_University_lacrosse_case)? (anyone a "how I met your mother fan"?)

But good point.

Originally Posted by roywhite View Post
Those who have questioned whether K's involvement with the national team has detracted from his "day job" at Duke, I believe have missed some of the indirect benefits. The endorsement of Kobe and LeBron, and others, carries some weight with potential recruits. And the exposure of Coach K and his style of play this summer will be very positive.

And which recruits would this be?

we are all aware of the supposed side benefits, no one is "missing" anything. we are just waiting for them to materialize.
Who's Magnum? I think that was a TV character a decade, or so, ago. Or is a quantity of Champagne?

And what is the issue about recruits? I don't see how K's work with USA Basketball could have possibly produced results on recruiting yet. We'll see if it bares any fruit in another year or more, but I am confident that Duke will continue to attract superb basketball players.

[devildeac]

I'm not saying Kobe wasn't at fault but I don't know about bought his way out of a conviction (besides the high priced lawyers). The bottom line is that the young woman who pressed charges was probably the least credible plaintiff I've ever seen in my life. And I'm not even a Kobe fan.

You must be forgetting about Crystal Mangum...

[keithg]

I'm not saying Kobe wasn't at fault but I don't know about bought his way out of a conviction (besides the high priced lawyers). The bottom line is that the young woman who pressed charges was probably the least credible plaintiff I've ever seen in my life. And I'm not even a Kobe fan.

In case there was any confusion to what I meant by bought his way out of a sexual assault conviction!

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/7019659/

Kobe offers big check (third hand -$5MM+/-) and girl refuses to testify.

Don't confuse being able to do marvelous things with a basketball with being a decent human being. IMO, he is scum and his association with Coach K is not a positive thing.

Here's another one with an interesting quote:

"When Kobe Bryant can write a check to make this ... go away, the question is, why take the risk of losing?"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2005-03-02-bryant-settles_x.htm

[msdukie]

The consensus was we would still root for the US team, but we would know who deserved the blame when they lost.

Umm... Anyone remember Dean Smith-Olympic Coach and the Duke consensus then?

[keithg]

Umm... Anyone remember Dean Smith-Olympic Coach and the Duke consensus then?


Duke actually had a player on that team..Tate Armstrong..and the Ruskies had screwed us in 72. I was definitely pulling for the Americans!

[Channing]

In case there was any confusion to what I meant by bought his way out of a sexual assault conviction!

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/7019659/

Kobe offers big check (third hand -$5MM+/-) and girl refuses to testify.

Don't confuse being able to do marvelous things with a basketball with being a decent human being. IMO, he is scum and his association with Coach K is not a positive thing.

Here's another one with an interesting quote:

"When Kobe Bryant can write a check to make this ... go away, the question is, why take the risk of losing?"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2005-03-02-bryant-settles_x.htm

so because Kobe settled you think it points to his guilt? I'm confused? Your last quote hits it on the head. He can afford to make it go away - so why risk losing. There are plenty of innocent people who go to jail (I read two articles today about people who have been incarcerated for 20+ years). When you are dealing with a He Said/ She Said, there is no way to tell how the jury is going to go.

Wow - talk about completely ignoring a presumption of innocence.

[keithg]

so because Kobe settled you think it points to his guilt? I'm confused? Your last quote hits it on the head. He can afford to make it go away - so why risk losing. There are plenty of innocent people who go to jail (I read two articles today about people who have been incarcerated for 20+ years). When you are dealing with a He Said/ She Said, there is no way to tell how the jury is going to go.

Wow - talk about completely ignoring a presumption of innocence.

In my first post, I said "IMO" he is scum. The stories above are just a small part of the body of work. It's just an opinion. I think he bought his his way out of trouble, but again...just an opinion. In following his career for 12 years, I just think he has carried himself very poorly (espcially when losing).

Obviously, I'm in the minority here and most here think his associated with Coach K is a positive.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/21/AR2007062102376.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/07/sports/s125424S08.DTL

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/basketball/nba/10/12/jackson/index.html

[Uncle Drew]

A TON of people back when Russia was the enemy of the USA would root for their national team to beat UNC in pre-season games. There are worse things than Communism, and they wear light blue. And truth be told the olympics aren't the true "honor your country" event they used to be. Steroid scandal and the fact a person can play for a country they have gained citizenship to tarnishes the medals in the eyes of many. (I'd still like to see Langdon make the Russian team.) Even using professional players makes certain people not have the respect for the olympics they once did.

As an American I do pull for the US team to win the gold. But that being said, when Larry Brown, George Karl or Dean Smith is coach that's harder to do, just like when ANY former tarheel player is on the team. Let's just say when any of those factors are added in and the US doesn't bring home a medal it stings much less. The IC people talk out of their glutimus maximus 24/7. Most will be proud if and when the US wins gold despite the coach. But I do think if they don't win gold Coach K will recive 100 times more flack than Karl or Brown did from the UNC alum media. Just like as an assistant on the 1992 team he was considered an add on just like Christian Laettner, and perhaps rightfully so.

Patriotism aside, Chapel Hill North Carolina has more freaks and weirdos per square mile than ANY place I have ever been. And before you start naming off places, I've been from New York to LA, from Amsterdam to Hong Kong. I've even been to Ozzfest, lol. Chapel Hill isn't considered planet earth, much the less the USA. It's okay to root against them. I used to have a tee shirt that said, "If you got Hitler, Caligula, Stalin, Castro and Mussolini to make a basketball team and got Satan to coach, I'd pull for them when they played UNC". As one UNC alum appropriately titled his book, "to hate like this is a joy forever".

[davekay1971]

I wanna play for Coach K!!!!!

Oh, wait, I'm 36 years old and wasn't remotely tall, athletic, or good enough to walk on to Duke when I was 18. Never mind...

[Mike Corey]

SilkyJ makes the key point. But to be fair, I doubt many recruits will say at the time of their commitment, "Lebron's praise of Coach K made me want to be a Dukie."

Comments like these (http://dukeblueplanet.com/blog.asp?bid=17&pid=174):


You are obviously having another tremendous season and hoping to take the Cavs to another NBA Finals appearance. How has Coach K influenced your game since you started working with him in 2006?
Coach K emphasizes team basketball and that is something I have grown up doing -- Playing the game the right way and having everyone on the team involved. If you get individuals playing for the team, everyone is going to have fun and be successful. It is not how much I have learned but how much input I have taken on making the guys around you better. I have been able to do that.

On a professional level with USA Basketball stocked 1-12 with NBA stars, what is the biggest difference Coach K makes?
We all know how good of a coach he is no matter what level he’s on – the collegiate level, it doesn’t matter. He gets the attention of us guys on the USA Basketball team. It starts with him and it goes to the players. We all listen to what he wants to have accomplished and we go out on the court and make sure it’s done.

Representing the United States has to be a tremendous opportunity and a huge honor. Talk about that…
It is exciting for me as an individual and I know for the rest of the guys on the USA team. You get an opportunity to represent the United States of America playing a game we love to play. Every time we step out on the court, we want to show that dominance, that USA dominance that has always been ours. I think we regained that type of confidence and that type of dominance this past summer.

What makes Coach K the right choice among all of the coaches out there to lead USA Basketball?
That is a great question. I am not sure what makes Coach K the right guy but he is, and I have played for a couple different coaches on the USA team. He just fits perfect for us. Like I said before, it doesn’t matter if he a collegiate coach or not, he fits perfect for what we need in a coach. He allows us to have freedom. He allows us to play the game of basketball and just go out there and have fun, but at the same time he wants us to be perfect. And you know, we should expect that out of each other. We should expect perfection and that is what he is about. We like that, we like that kind of challenge.

You have said before you have loved playing for Coach K. What makes you say that?
I love the way Coach K approaches the game. I love the way he treats his players on and off the court. It is a family-oriented atmosphere. It is not like I have done it a lot – I have never played for a collegiate coach but I didn’t come in to it saying, “We have a collegiate coach, how do we adjust to him?” I was just saying he is one of the greatest coaches no matter what level it is on and I think we are going to have a good time. He has proven me right.

You talked about Coach K and how he treats his players on and off the court. What have you gotten to know about the Coach K off the court, out of the spotlight, off the camera?
As aggressive as he looks on TV and how determined he is to win, he is very laid back off the court. He gives you the opportunity to go talk to him if you have any concerns and things like that. He knows how to calm down off the court. You see how fiery he is during the course of a game, but that is just his personality and the way he approaches the game.

You went right to the NBA out of high school but Duke was a school you considered. Why would you think about choosing Duke as a high schooler?
I think any high school athlete playing the game of basketball should automatically make Duke one of their choices because of the history they have and Coach K speaks for himself. You want to become a better player coming out of high school and I think Duke is one of those colleges that will help you become a better player and a better person at the end of the day.

Start and finish this sentence: Coach K is…
Coach K is a winner. I believe that with him at the helm and being the head coach, we are going to bring home the Gold.

[moonpie23]

dang tootie!