Power Ranking Best Potential Team USA Coaches for 2016 and Beyond

Mike Krzyzewski, the current coach of Team USA, has not renewed for 2016, and it appears he may not do so.

So that leaves a pretty sweet coaching vacancy. I mean, which coach wouldn't welcome the opportunity to coach the greatest players in the world and win a gold medal?

Fortunately there are plenty of coaches who are not only willing, but very capable of stepping into Krzyzewski's shoes and doing an admirable enough job. 

The job might seem easy, but there are some challenges to it. It can be tough to "coach" the most talented players in the world.  It requires a coach who can adequately manage superstar egos.

Second, the game is different on the international level, and it requires a coach who can understand those differences.

Finally, it is going to require a coach who can motivate players when they need to be motivated, but not try and over-coach when they struggle. 

Here are seven of the most qualified coaches to take over the job. 

Note: For the purpose of this article, I am assuming the same rules as exist now. As far as the "23 and under" rule suggested by David Stern, to my knowledge, Stern is not on the Olympic committee, the majority of the world isn't in agreement and in order for it to happen, the world would have to be.

Doug Collins

One of the smartest people in the coaching business is Doug Collins. His memory is legendary. 

Here's a story from Sports Illustrated to illustrate (pardon the pun) just how incredible his memory is. 

"

There are benefits to being a human DVR. The 59-year-old Collins has not asked his video coordinator, Monte Shubik, for a copy of a 76ers game all season. At a recent staff meeting one assistant coach mentioned a loss to the Hawks in which Philly guard Lou Williams missed a dunk, triggering an Atlanta rally. "There was 5:14 on the clock," Collins said matter-of-factly, then recited every play that occurred the rest of the game.

"I don't know why I'm still skeptical," Shubik says, but he was. And so, in the middle of the meeting, Shubik started watching that Hawks-Sixers game on his laptop.

Sure enough, there was 5:14 left when Philadelphia's defensive possession started. The rest happened exactly the way Collins said. The game had been played almost four months earlier.

"

Collins has tremendous respect around the league, and through his broadcasting of the current and 2008 Games, he has demonstrated a good grasp of the international game.

One thing's for sure. If he had the chance to, it would be a memory worthwhile. It would certainly be a better Olympic memory than the one he currently has. 

For those who don't know, it was Doug Collins who made the two free throws (and the final points for the US) in 1972 before the Soviet Union controversially won the game. 

John Calipari

John Calipari is presently the coach of the Dominican Republic, so that would give him some experience in the international game and a good grasp of how to coach in it. 

More importantly, at the rate he's going, he might have been the coach at one time or another of about half the Olympic team in 2016. Derrick Rose, John Wall, Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd Gilchrist, as well as whomever else pops up between now and then, have all been pupils of his. 

They all maintain a healthy relationship with their former head coach. That kind of respect is something the rest of the league notices. 

Tom Thibodeau

This year Tom Thibodeau became the first coach in the history of the league to lead the league in wins his first two years as a head coach. Doubtless, he has the basketball knowledge to coach the US to gold. 

He has a certain degree of intensity though which could potentially rub some players the wrong way. If you don't know what I mean, the next time you watch the Bulls play, hit the mute button. The man you still here screaming is Tom Thibodeau. 

On the other hand, he did seem to have a gentler side when he coached the All-Star game this year and has worked with some of the biggest stars in the league over the last several years, as an assistant or head coach. that includes the likes of Kevin Garnett, Derrick Rose and Tracy McGrady. 

Between his grasp of X's and O's, ability to work with star caliber players and pure work ethic, Thbidoeau would make an excellent choice. 

Tom Izzo

The Olympics are, in fact, basically a tournament, so why not get one of the great tournament coaches of all-time?

Tom Izzo is a great coach, but nowhere is that more manifest than when he's coaching in a tournament. He has been to the Final Four six times and won the Big Ten tournament three times. 

He knows how to keep players motivated, and he knows how to manage and make adjustments in a game. 

Because of all of these things, Izzo would make an outstanding choice and would be the best pick if you were to stay within the college ranks. 

Erik Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra won his first title as an NBA head coach this year when the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

There will those who use this to "prove" he's a great coach, and there will be those who shrug it off, mentioning that it was merely the product of coaching the "Big Three" of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. 

Even if that is true, though (which is really a moot point here), doesn't that make him a perfect candidate for the US Olympic coach? He's established that he knows how to manage egos.

Furthermore, if LeBron James is still on the team, which I expect he will be, then his acquiescence to Spoelstra would certainly have the rest of the team in line to do the same.

Doc Rivers

Doc Rivers, in many ways, would be the perfect coach. He has a personality that works with and motivates even the superstar players, he's won an NBA title and he has a grasp of the international game through announcing for the Olympics. 

There could be a potentially awkward situation if his son, Austin Rivers, is on the team, but that's highly unlikely anyway. 

Rivers would be adept at working with the players and keeping the right kind of "tone" to the team. He's managed the Celitcs and their veterans brilliantly over the years and should be able to manage the egos of a US team accordingly. 

Gregg Popovich

The greatest coach in the NBA right now is Gregg Popovich. Simply put, no other active coach has accomplished more or earned more respect from the players around the league. In fact, you could make the argument that he's the greatest coach in history not named Phil Jackson.

The only problem with Popovich is Jerry Colangelo, who is the director of US Basketball operations and who may be the person naming the head coach. Colangelo has famously had a feud with Popovich, and there are those who believe he deliberately slighted Popovich in 2008. 

While I don't think that's impossible, I think that there will be more eyes on him this time around, and if Popovich expresses interest in the job, there should be enough pressure on Colangelo to name Popovich as the next US head basketball coach. 

He might bleed when he does so.