Doc Rivers, Gregg Popovich Top Candidates to Replace Krzyzewski as Team USA Coach
By Josh Hill
Sunday’s gold medal final was legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game as head coach of Team USA. He’s leaving behind a career in the Olympics that won’t likely be matched.
But nevertheless, a successor is needed now that Krzyzewski is stepping down, and it’s looking like they guy for the job is in the NBA as we speak.
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich have reportedly shot to the top of the list of potential successors to Krzyzewski. The Duke legend is expected to stay tied to the Olympic program as an aide to Jerry Colangelo. That’s of course contingent on Krzyzewski standing firm in his decision to not continue his coaching tenure with Team USA.
Colangelo didn’t sound very optimistic that a return by Coach K was a possibility, despite Kevin Durant claiming that they can convince him to come back for one more run.
“We’ll have to have that conversation on an official basis.” Colangelo said. “He’s said this is it and I’ll respect his choice. But knowing me as I know me, I’ll have that conversation and we’ll see.”
Rivers and Popovich head a list of coaches that includes Louisville coach Rick Pitino, but the feeling within the USAB is that the next head coach of Team USA will come from the NBA.
Rivers nearly retired from basketball a few years ago to spend more time with his family, but now that son Austin Rivers is in the NBA, chances are Rivers retirement is still a good five years away. And what a way to end a coaching career like his then to end it with a gold medal in 2016.
Gregg Popovich is very much in the same boat. The reigning Coach of the Year in the NBA is in the twilight of his coaching career, and to add a gold medal to his already impressive legacy would merely be icing on the top of a sure-fire Hall of Fame career.
In a dream scenario, they both come on — one as the head coach and the other as an assistant. Or, if we’re rolling with this fantasy that will never happen, they both come on as co-head coaches.
Only one will take over for Krzyzewski, but the debate can begin as to who should take over. Both coaches are legends in their own right, and both have handled teams of superstars. Both are very well respected within the NBA and both are looking to cap off coaching careers with the ultimate prize: Olympic gold.
A new head coach will be one of many changes for Team USA in 2016. Kobe Bryant and Tyson Chandler will not be on the team due to age, and even LeBron James has flirted with the idea of calling it an Olympic career. New faces Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin will all be on the roster, giving the American’s a new look and new pulse.
Old faces like Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Chris Paul are all likely to be back but the Team USA that competes in 2016 will be very different, from head to toe, than the one that won gold in 2008 and 2012 behind Krzyzewski.