Coach K says Mike D'Antoni and James Harden could be special match

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Mike Krzyzewski did not know Mike D'Antoni before he was putting together his USA Basketball coaching staff, but clicked quickly. The long-time Duke coach and Hall of Famer flew to Phoenix, met with the then-Suns coach and soon handed over much of his offense over to him.

He said he considered D'Antoni, Nate McMillan and Jim Boeheim to be "co-head coaches." On Friday, he gushed about the Rockets new head coach. He called D'Antoni "an attacking coach" for his competitiveness and his aggressive offensive style and then raved about his friend.

"Guys not only like Mike, they respect him," Krzyzewski said. "He was a great player; not a good player, a great player. Internationally, he was unbelievable. He knows the game from a point guard's point of view. He's always studied the game well.

"Every time I hear people talk about Mike, they say, 'He's this offensive genius.' Well, he's a really good head coach. You can't have the success he's had by just coaching offense. He's a team player. Good guy. Easy to be around. And smart as can be. And very humble, because when you're put in that role, on an international staff, a guy could say, 'Hey, I'm a head coach,' and not be in it as much. Mike was all in it, all the way. I loved working with him and I love our friendship."

Related: From West Virginia to Italy, the making of Mike D'Antoni

Krzyzewski was praising a friend. But when asked about how D'Antoni's offense will work for the Rockets, he went back to sounding like a coach that has been in the meetings and the practices and saw more than the numbers.

"It's well-conceived," said Krzyzewski, who had James Harden on the 2012 Olympic and 2014 World Cup champion. "People can be really good on offense or defense in a number of ways. Being smart doesn't mean speed. Being smart means spacing, good shots, using your personnel properly. We're all not going to be very good unless we have good players. If you have enough good players and they're healthy, the spacing of the court, the sharing of the ball, the speed with which he advances it, gives his guys an opportunity to make plays.

Mike Krzyzewski called D'Antoni "an attacking coach" for his competitiveness and his aggressive offensive style. Mike Krzyzewski called D'Antoni "an attacking coach" for his competitiveness and his aggressive offensive style. Photo: Chuck Burton, Associated Press Photo: Chuck Burton, Associated Press Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Coach K says Mike D'Antoni and James Harden could be special match 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

"When you have plays and reads it's the best combination. It's especially good if you have a special player and they do in James (Harden). It will be interesting to see how that develops because James is not just a really good scorer; James is a heck of a passer. Who knows what their roster will be next year, but it will start with James.

"I'm as high on Mike as I can be. I always want him on my team, with my team, in any way."