As a Duke fan, "Say it ain't so Coach K".

Personally, I'd be shocked if he took the job. He means so much to Duke and the kids there mean so much to him; I can't see him leaving. He has everything he wants there and if he doesn't have it, they get it for him (as far as paying for equiptment, resources, etc. go, not players). Example, a friend of mine went to Duke, met Coach K and asked him what sort of budget does he has to work with. "Budget?" he replied with a sly grin on his face!! He has access to state-of-the-art resources and usually first pick from the top high-school All-Americans. He is the top college coach at the top college in the nation. He won't walk away from that. If he does, the Lakers need to trade for Grant Hill, Boozer, Jay Williams, Battier, Deng, Duhon, Brand, and Maggette - that would be awesome.

Rudy T will get the Lakers job.

Deak.... Face the fact, Coach K is in! If Rudy T had a shot at it there would have been a press release.
He has been an incrediable coach in NCAA and I personally would like to see him make it big at the highest level!
Speaking of trades... any thoughts on where shaq and kobe might go?
How closely do you follow NCAA??? I'm trying to figure out who played on the Michigan Fab 5 team?

Webber
Howard
Rose
?
?
Any help would be great!


Hair falling out into a bag!

Jimmy King (6'4" athletic 2 man). Played a little for Toronto.. mostly skipped around Europe.

Ray jackson (6'5" stocky 3 man). From Texas, not sure what he did after his hooping days @ Michigan were over.

Jimmy King also played a few games for Denver (I think).

j-bags, I wish Coach K all the best if he joins the Lakers, I just don't think he will. If I'm wrong, so be it. I think he loves teaching his players, not only about basketball but about character and how to be good people. However, I think of all the college coaches, his style would be the easiest to adapt to the NBA. He is used to coaching great athletes and allowing them to play in a free system, in which he encourages them play to their strengths and doesn't smother their athleticism with slow-down offenses. I don't think he falls into the trap of many college coaches - that of over-coaching.

I'm sure if he coached the Lakers he'd do a great job. I just don't want him to leave the Blue-Devils.

The more I think about it, the more I worried I get. If Coach K was ever gonna leave college for the NBA . . . it's now.

And, sadly, I think he's gonna sign with the Lakers.

I think that it is a prime oppertunity for him, and once the lakers offer him the Bling Bling I don't think that there will be a real chance that he will stay. I think he has done an increadible job with Duke and his record has been second to none! Good luck to him, which ever way he goes.

Packing his bags

Apparently they've offered him $8million a year for 5 years.

I know he's not about the money but it's hard to say no to $40mill. Plus, if Shaq and Kobe stay, he might have a chance at becoming the 2nd coach to own a NCAA and NBA ring.

Coach K told the Lakers today, "Thanks, but no thanks" as he opted to stay at Duke.

Big sigh of relief. Why did I ever doubt him - I should've listened to my gut instinct.

Here's a full article about it.

Well I can't believe it! Good to see in professional sport that money isn't always everything!

I'll eat my bag now

Why would Coach K leave college hoops, or more importantly Duke College? To deal with ego maniacs like Kobe. Kobe calling him would have only served to make him laugh harder. He will continue to coach at DUke until he retires.

Coach K may also be smart. Look at the Lakers and where they are at. The next coach will only be there for 3 yrs as the lakers try to rebuild with some draft picks.

If I was an nba coach I would only take the lakers job if i was hubie brown.

There dynasty of the lakers is again coming to an end. Jack Nicholson will have to watch football.

I don't think the lakers will ever be a draft team. I think that the Lake-show is just in transition. With the cap space they will have after Shaq and Kobe go they could pick up Eric Dampier, Manu Ginnobili and K-mart. Those players are all about the team and they all can play!

I'll trade you this bag, for that bag!

DURHAM, N.C. -- Mike Krzyzewski is staying at Duke, ending talks with the Los Angeles Lakers about becoming their coach.


"Your heart has to be in whatever you lead," Krzyzewski said Monday. "It became apparent that this decision was somewhat easier to make because you have to follow your heart and lead with it and Duke has always taken up my whole heart."


Krzyzewski, who has won three national titles at Duke, said the timing of the Lakers' offer, reported by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith as a five-year, $40 million deal, and their prominence as one of professional sports' most famous franchises made the chance to coach them tempting. But he never got to the point of being ready to leave.


"The decision has always been to stay at Duke. It would have to be something changing [that]," he said at a news conference on campus.






Krzyzewski said Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak first made his interest in hiring Krzyzewski clear during conversations the two had around the time of the NBA draft. Kupchak met with Krzyzewski in North Carolina last Thursday to discuss the job.


Even Lakers star Kobe Bryant was reportedly trying to persuade Coach K to take the job.


The Los Angeles Times reported that Bryant told Krzyzewski that he wanted the Duke coach to head to L.A. Some Duke basketball people were in a campus gym when Krzyzewski came in and told the group, "You'll never guess who called. Kobe Bryant. He wants me to come coach him."


"We're disappointed because we would have liked to have brought Coach Krzyzewski to Los Angeles," Kupchak said Monday night. "We thought he would have been a wonderful coach."


The announcement was welcome news for Duke fans, players and administrators, who had waited anxiously for a decision. When the coach said he waited until Monday morning to call new university president Richard Brodhead because he didn't know Brodhead's sleeping patterns, Brodhead was quick to joke, "They'll be better now."


Still, Krzyzewski, who three years ago signed a lifetime contract with Duke but has had several flirtations with the NBA, coming close in 1990 to leaving the Blue Devils to coach the Boston Celtics, declined to rule out the possibility of ever coaching in the pros.


"I don't want to say never, but I also don't want to lead anyone on. ... I want to coach for a long time," he said.


Kupchak said he believed the Lakers' chance of getting Krzyzewski was remote even after the parties met.


"We knew what we were up against, but if you don't ask, you don't know," Kupchak said.


The Lakers have been searching for a new coach since June 18, when coach Phil Jackson stepped down three days after an NBA Finals loss to Detroit.


Kenny Randolph, father of Duke forward Shavlik Randolph, said Krzyzewski told him in a phone call late Monday morning that he would stay with the Blue Devils.


"He just basically said the thing sort of ballooned out of proportion and that he appreciated our friendship and confidence, and that he'd remain at Duke," Randolph said. "And that's all that had to be said.


"I told him, 'Gosh, Coach. I've got chill bumps.' And he said, 'I do, too.' "


The 57-year-old Krzyzewski has a 621-181 record at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to championships in 1991, 1992 and 2001. Under Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils have 10 Final Four appearances, eight Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championships and 10 conference regular-season titles.


His Duke teams have been ranked No. 1 in 12 seasons, including each of the last seven. With his team's success on and off the court, Krzyzewski -- like John Wooden did at UCLA and Dean Smith at North Carolina -- has become synonymous with Duke basketball.


Current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said he wasn't surprised by Krzyzewski's decision.


"Mike has accomplished so much at Duke, and his roots are so deep that I thought it would be difficult for him to leave," Williams said. "I'm sure he felt it was in the best interest for him and his family. I know it is great for college basketball."


Krzyzewski called his players Monday morning to tell them he was staying.


"When I first heard about this situation, I was pretty upset," guard Sean Dockery said. "Today, it was the best news when I heard he's coming back to coach us."


David McClure, a Duke recruit from Ridgefield, Conn., was also heartened to hear the news.


"It was an incredible relief," McClure told The Associated Press. "All I can say is I'm speechless. I'm so happy he's staying."


Gary Melchionni, father of junior Lee Melchionni and a former Duke basketball player, expressed relief that Krzyzewski will try to add to his impressive Duke resume.


"That's great news,' Melchionni said. "I just want him to get back to work."


Krzyzewski has had several flirtations with the NBA and has said he came close to leaving Duke in 1990 to coach the Boston Celtics.


Following the loss to the Pistons, the Lakers said Jackson wouldn't return. Jackson, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Lakers in June 1999, guided them to championships in his first three seasons.


Former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich has been considered a front-runner to succeed Jackson. He has met with team owner Jerry Buss and Kupchak.


Former Lakers coach Pat Riley, an executive with the Miami Heat, also met with Buss and Kupchak, but issued a statement saying he wasn't a candidate.


Others mentioned have been Kurt Rambis and Jim Cleamons, members of Jackson's staff.


But the Lakers appeared most interested in trying to lure Krzyzewski from Duke, a private school where basketball has a rabid following among the 6,300 students.


The Cameron Indoor Stadium hardwood is named "Coach K Court." Outside the arena, a sign designates the grassy plot where students camp out to attend games as "Krzyzewskiville," where the coach has been known to occasionally buy pizzas for the waiting "Cameron Crazies."


After the Lakers' interest became known, Duke officials said they were open to improving Krzyzewski's contract.


John Burness, Duke's senior vice president for public and government relations, said Monday the university has spoken with Krzyzewski about the contract "and it's reasonable to assume some modifications will be made." He would not elaborate.


Athletics director Joe Alleva said that the school was "able to do a few things for Mike in his contract, but believe me, he didn't make his decision based on a financial situation."


Krzyzewski agreed.


"The allure of coaching in college has no price," he said.