COMMENTARY - Krzyzewski's coaching translates well to pros

When the Los Angeles Lakers hired Rudy Tomjanovich--shortly after Mike Krzyzewski turned down the same job--many analysts felt the Lakers were in a much better position than if Coach K accepted the job. Commentators took leaps in logic, claiming that because most college coaches achieve far less success in the professional game than in the NCAA, Coach K would not be able to make a positive transition to the far more ego-centric NBA. After all, nothing proves Tomjanovich's readiness for the job more than his two championships in Houston. How could the Lakers choose someone with no pro experience over a coach with two rings? But deeper analysis of Krzyzewski's strengths and weaknesses shows that he does not deserve the blanket criticism that all "college coaches fail in the professional game."

One of Krzyzewski's detractors' arguments is that most former Duke players do not perform as well as expected in the professional game. This theory should be debunked immediately, as the play of former Blue Devils in the professional game has no influence on how the Duke Hall-of-Fame legend would have fared in the pros. The way Krzyzewski's college players match up against other college athletes is a much better indicator of how Krzyzewski-coached players in the NBA would fare against their professional counterparts.

Dean Smith, for example, was praised for his ability to produce great NBA players from his North Carolina program. But Smith is also, as the clich� goes, "The only person who could hold Michael Jordan under 20 points a game."

Smith was able to persuade highly talented individuals to use the fundamentals of the game, rather than sheer athleticism, to defeat opponents. Smith's philosophy forced players like Jordan to master basic skills, which allowed them to dominate in the pros after being freed from the highly controlled system. Can you imagine a system in the NBA that purposely held Michael Jordan in his prime to under 20 points per game?

Meanwhile, Krzyzewski has never held anyone under 20 points a game. If a player has the talent, the coach does not hold him back in any way. This is the reason so many Duke players are generally recognizable on the college level. There is a reason Duke had three national Players of the Year between the years 1999 and 2002 (Elton Brand, Shane Battier and Jason Williams). This exact formula has proven successful in the NBA, as every great NBA squad (perhaps barring this year's championship Piston team) has had one or two superstars that led willing role players to victory.

Another reason Krzyzewski would most likely find success in the NBA is that his coaching strategies would translate well to the pro game. Coaches like Rick Pitino did not succeed in the professional game because they tried to bring college techniques to the pros. Pitino's Boston Celtics pressed in the same way Pitino's Kentucky Wildcats did, but the coach failed to realize that a full-court press is rarely successful over an extended period of time in the NBA.

Krzyzewski's two strategic staples in college have been man-to-man defense and variations of the motion-offense. These are two of the most prevalent sets in the NBA game, necessitating little or no adjustments on Krzyzewski's part. And even if Coach K would be forced to adjust more than he would like, he has proven to be one of the most adaptable and versatile coaches in the game. The West Point graduate has had success with teams led by both banging big-men and slippery guards.

Krzyzewski's final strenght that would help his hypothetical NBA teams succeed is his ability to motivate. This has always been best attribute, and NBA players need inspiration more than most people. If anyone could make 7-foot-tall millionaires motivated in the dog days of an 82-game regular season, it would be Coach K.