Top 10 Reasons Why Coach K Won't Move to the NBA

Recently, reports have surfaces connecting Coach K with the vaunted New Jersey Nets. Why would anyone in their right mind want to head to the Nets? My point exactly.

Here are the top 10 reasons why Coach K will not leave Duke for the NBA:

10 UNC - Duke Rivalry

Every sport has its top rivalry. For baseball, it's the Yanks and Red Sox. For the NBA, it's Lakers v. Celtics. For college football, it's Michigan and Ohio State. And for college basketball, it is the North Carolina Tarheels and their hated rivals right down Tobacco Road.

Being a part of this rivalry puts you in elite company -- the player who made a game winning shot vs. Duke. The coach who won four straight versus North Carolina. Coach K has been facing UNC for 25 years, beginning with a long string of losses before he started to make the match up competitive again.

His role in the rivalry has made the rivalry what it is. Beginning with his games against legendary coach Dean Smith and then to Roy Williams, Coach K has always been the staple for the Blue Devils.

9 Defense

Coach K has become infamous for his emphasis on playing defense. He brought this strategy to the USA Olympic Team, where in 2008 they earned a gold medal for their hard work. He did the same for his Duke team that allowed 61 points per game and 40.2 shooting percentage against.

In the NBA, players are less willing to play defense as hard as Coach K would expect. With the exception of a few superstars and a few key role players, most NBA games are offensive scoring contests. Defense is on a minimum in the league.

So while Coach K's system may work in the college ranks, and he is a well-respected coach and basketball figure, it's not a sure thing he can make his players believe in playing defense on the professional level.

8 LeBron, Nets - It's not worth it

Let's be clear here -- if LeBron actually wants to flee Cleveland for the New Jersey Nets, someone needs to talk to that kid. Now the Nets aren't the most undesirable team in the league -- they have a handful of young talent; a high lottery pick; new ownership; and a possible move to Brooklyn in the coming years...it could be worse.

But as of right now, the Nets do not have a LeBron or even a superstar on their team. They're a team full of potential -- Brooke Lopez and Devin Harris look like they can be components on a very successful team one day, but they are a dime a dozen. Unless LeBron or another high profile free agent comes knocking on the Nets door, why would Coach K leave his recruiting pool and talent in Durham for Jersey and players with (sigh) potential.

7 Shooting

Take a look at the Duke Blue Devils players this year. What do they all have in common? Yeah, shooting the ball effectively.

Jon Scheyer: 18.2 PPG - 38 percent from 3-point range - 88 percent free throw efficiency

Kyle Singler: 17.7 PPG - about 40% from 3-point range - about 80 percent in free throws

Nolan Smith: 17.4 PPG - about 39% from 3-point range - almost 77% from free throw line

They hit threes, hit their free throws and they do it well.

According to NBA-Reference.com, the averages in those statistics in the NBA (2006): about 36 percent from downtown and 75 percent from the FT line

In the NBA, Coach K's players will not be as special and better-than-average shooters, they will be merely average.

6 College Passion

The biggest (and personally my favorite) different between the NBA and college basketball is the fact that the crowd and passion of the players are so much more prevalent in college. With the exception of guys such as Kobe and LeBron who are driven to be at the top of their game on a world stage, college players are trying to represent their teams, coaches, fans, students, universities and in many cases their states.

In college, a loud, amped up crowd can make the different between a good team and a great team. When a good crowd fills the seat at their arena, players are more motivated and their play on the court is evident of it.

If the home court advantage is at its best, lesser-quality teams can defeat superior opponents. It's impossible to explain how. It could be the electricity -- the volume -- the desire to play your heart out for crowd -- recognizing this game is meaningful to more than just your team. It's just not a part of the NBA (at least in the regular season) like it is in college.

Duke, for instance, has students waiting and camping out in tents weeks in advanced to some of their bigger conference games. The Cameron Crazies, as they are known, never fail to create an electrifying atmosphere for their team -- something Coach K would miss out on if he were to go to..err..New Jersey?

5 Bob Knight

When Coach K played under Bob Knight at Army ten centuries ago, who would have expected the student-mentor relationship would evolve to the point that both are esteemed coaches in the game sport and have accomplished more than anyone could have foreseen.

Knight, who coached at Army, Indiana University and Texas Tech, brought a fire and passion to his teams as he won three NCAA National Champions and was a constant force in the tournament on a yearly basis.

Knight, who has mentored Coach K throughout his career, never made the move to the NBA. Because of their relationship, I could only speculate that Knight would advise his former player that it is not the right move after the successful career he has pieced together at Duke.

4 Failure of past coaches

Other notable great coaches who have failed after the switch to the pro's: Rick Pitino and Tim Floyd.

Floyd, who recently is recognized for his recruiting scandal involving OJ Mayor at USC, one was infamous for being the first NBA coach to achieve 100 losses when in control of the Chicago Bulls. In the NCAA, Floyd went 327 - 181, and went 90 - 231 in the NBA. And despite the recruiting scandal, Floyd is back at coaching -- in the safety of college ball.

Pitino, the beloved coach of Louisville, and former head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, Boston University and Providence, is one of the most respected coaches in the game today, as well as over the past few decades.

Pitino posted a 521 - 191 record as a college coach, winning about 73 percent of his games. Coming into this season, he was ranked 29th in wins among coaches.

When Petino coached the Knicks and Celtics, it was a different story. He was successful with the Knicks, leading them to the playoffs in both years he was in charge, but when he went to Boston, the winning diminished.

Pitino went 102 - 146 as head coach of the Celtics, putting him at under .500 as an NBA Coach. So if an all-time winning coaching in college cannot even perform at .500 in the NBA, what motivation would Coach K see to try and duplicate his predecessors?

3 Loyalty

Since beginning his tenure at Duke in 1980, Coach K has absolutely no reason to move anywhere. He has turned Duke into a national powerhouse that contends almost annually and recruits dream of playing there. He has made the UNC-Duke rivalry competitive again, won four NCAA National Championships and has proven to be one of the all-time greatest in his positions.

So if he accomplished all that he could at Duke, why not try to prove himself elsewhere? Well, it judging by his words, he told fellow NCAA National Championship opposing head coach Brad Stevens of Butler that he would stay at Butler. That advice is another of way of saying that if he could transform his school into a successful program and a staple in the conference and post-season, than Stevens can do the same.

Nobody wants to be a hypocrite by telling other coaches to stay at their program, and then flee their own as soon as they're offered a big pile of cash (see Brian Kelly, John Calipari)

2 Success - Wooden

Coach K is one of six coaches to amass over 800 wins in his coaching career, and recently earned his fourth NCAA National Championship (all for Duke), making him tied with Adolph Rupp of Kentucky and second to only the great John Wooden. He has already surpassed his mentor Knight.

Of active coaches, Coach K has twice as many national titles as does his rival Roy Williams, as well as Billy Donovan (Florida) and Jim Calhoun (UConn). And what's most impressive is that Coach K has won all four of Duke's championships.

So at the top of his profession and atop the college basketball world right now following his fourth championship victory, would you want to leave behind the glory?

1 Pride

There is always a team in every sporting league that receives national attention, the spotlight is always shining on them, and you either love them -- or you utterly and completely despise them.

In Major League Baseball, they are the New York Yankees. In the National Football League, they are the Dallas Cowboys. In College Football, they are Notre Dame. And in College Basketball, they are the Duke Blue Devils.

At this point, there is no team that one could flee to that has more to offer than a program. If you're Coach K, or Joe Girardi, Brian Kelly or Wade Phillips, there is nowhere else you could aspire to be but where you are right now.

So why would Coach K want to leave Duke University, a school where fans plant themselves outside for weeks at a time to see him coach and his players play, where they named the basketball coach after him, where winning national championships is the norm? It's simply a question that Nets fans really need to ask themselves.