Coach K very thoroughly laid the Lakers rumor to rest Tuesday, saying that "I will never leave Duke, until I leave coaching. Anything else that is being said would just be somebody saying stuff.
"I'm getting ready to start my 30th year at Duke, and I don't see the finish line yet. I know the finish line will be there some time, but it's not in my vision right now. I'm really enthusiastic to be coaching at Duke."
Pretty much what we thought. The rumor was outlandish in a number of ways, not least of all because Phil Jackson has not retired yet. More importantly, though, Krzyzewski has a number of reasons for staying in Durham, not least of all the fact that all of his children and grandchildren are here, and he's really built his life around his family. And over his 30 years here, he's truly become a Duke man.
He's been loyal to us despite offers from Kentucky, UCLA, the Celtics, the Lakers, and several other NBA teams, and he's given Duke everything we could have hoped for and more.
In his press conference, he also addressed a number of other things, including Elliot Williams transfer, his team next year, and several other things of interest. We really recommend you listen to the press conference audio.
Just a couple of quick notes: they knew when they were recruiting Williams that his mother's health was a concern. True to form, K says he has basketball players, not guards, forwards and centers, and that he likes his team. He also said that Lance Thomas could be Duke's most important defender, and he's high on the season Nolan Smith could possibly have.