Word: krzyzewski
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...wasn't supposed to end this way - right? - not with Coack K at the helm. But now that it did, with Team USA's semifinal loss to Greece in the World Basketball Championship in Japan, it may be time to knock the halo off Mike Krzyzewski's head...
...fair, Krzyzewski deserves a smaller portion of the blame for the U.S. roster, which was primarily constructed by ex-Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo. But from the beginning the pair preached that they were partners, so if Krzyzewski didn't have final say over the players, he should have shouted louder: more shooters, please! During the Team USA meltdown in Athens, every weekend warrior with a backyard jump shot said, " Put me on the team! " And these guys had a point; more than anything, the U.S. needed a stand-still shooter, a guy whose sole role was to linger...
...this year, tops in the NBA? What about Kyle Korver of Philadelphia? He doesn't do anything else, really, but shoot threes, but that's OK. We could use him. The Americans did not bring a single top-30 three-point shooter in Japan, which is simply inexcusable. And Krzyzewski, who is not afraid to lecture you on leadership, should have told Colangelo that...
...Luckily for Krzyzewski, he has two more years to reverse American fortunes - gold in Beijing will erase this sour memory and put to rest all these questions. But he has to change his mind-set. "For this sport, we shouldn't just win, we should set the standard," Krzyzewski told TIME before the tournament began. "And to be quite frank with you, the rest of the basketball world wants in some ways for us to do that...
...When you watched the World Cup for these countries, there was an outpouring of emotion," says Krzyzewski. "Win or lose, we want an outpouring of emotion." Coach K's players appear to have bought in, but if he wants tears of joy from American sports fans, he'll need to bring back what moves them most: hardware...