Sports Radio Interviews

Jerry Colangelo: Coach K Is Not Coaching An NBA Team

In this interview, Jerry Colangelo reminds me of the days when many NBA players had absolutely no interest in playing for USA Basketball.  It was only a few short years ago when Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, et al just didn’t feel like the program was worthy enough for them.  Now, it’s the exact opposite: there is a lot of pride in that blue, red, and white, and all top players wanna be included (other than Amare Stoudemire).  The boss, Colangelo, and the coaching staff have to be given all the praise for the attitude change; it was no surprise when Colangelo re-hired Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants this week to coach through 2012.  I’m personally looking forward to the World Championships in Istanbul next summer already.  Colangelo joined KTAR in Phoenix to discuss what coach K brings to the team, the adjustments he’s made in the program, and why DeJuan Blair might make it in the NBA.

Why did you re-sign coach K?

“He has no agenda; he’s not coaching any team in the NBA because you always have the concern that how the coach would use players that he has to compete against on a daily basis.  It just is not as pure.  The respect that coach K had these last few years, knowing how our players – the LeBrons, Dwyane Wade, Kobe, Carmelo, all of them – they just think the world of him.  They became better players, better people for the experience.  If it’s not broke, you don’t fix it – we have a great thing going and I’m going to keep it together.”

Can you talk about the changes in USA Basketball?

“Back in ‘04, with the terrible loss in Athens and the lack of real interest on a part of many players to represent their country, we needed to change the culture.  And, when you take over a program, usually you start at the bottom and you build up with a solid foundation, I started at the top as managing director of the men’s team… Everyone wants to play now, I think they got it.  The pipeline is in place, we have to keep it flowing and that’s the excitement for me.”

How smart are the Spurs for signing DeJuan Blair long-term?

“Jamie Dixon coached one of our teams this summer in international play – DeJuan Blair’s coach – and, I had a chance to visit with him before the draft just for my own personal knowledge, since I had no input relative to the Suns, and relative to the draft.  His opinion was regardless of his knees and all that were circulating, it’s pretty hard to measure a guy’s heart.  He just felt somehow, someway this kid was gonna get it done.  And, it could well be that San Antonio has themselves a player that’s gonna be be able to do it and make it, but medically speaking all odds are against him.”

Listen to Jerry Colangelo on KTAR in Phoenix

Tags: Basketball, Jerry Colangelo, Mike Krzyzewski, NBA, USA Basketball