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Shane Battier: The NBA's prototypical "glue" guy is "just an intelligent, classy individual," Wallace said. "He's a strong defender and was well taught by Mike Krzyzewski as a college player. And when he was in Memphis [before being traded to Houston], he did as outstanding a job off the court in community work as any player ever has in the NBA."

Luke Walton: Hailing from a famed basketball lineage, the fifth-year forward earns praise for being a terrific passer and facilitator as a player. Being tutored by the likes of Lute Olson at Arizona and Phil Jackson with the Lakers doesn't hurt, either.

Malik Rose: "He has a great knowledge of the game, a great understanding of team concepts," Snow said. "He's won a championship and understands how to deal with really good players on really good teams."

Anthony Parker: After washing out in his first try in the NBA, Parker headed overseas, playing in Italy and Israel, where he won a Euroleague title with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Having signed a three-year deal with the Raptors in the July 2006, Parker, the brother of Tennessee women's hoops star Candace Parker, has been instrumental in turning Toronto from a laughingstock into a playoff threat.

"He has an interesting variety of experiences," Wallace said. "He had to crawl to get himself back in the league, and he played in two different countries abroad, so he would have a unique perspective on how to deal with international players."

Austin Croshere: The Warriors' forward "has pulled himself up by his own bootstraps and made himself into a decadelong, productive NBA player because of the work he's put in during the offseason," Wallace said. "So he certainly knows a great deal about player development."

Adrian Griffin: "He's had to battle into the NBA the hard way," Wallace said. Undrafted, a veteran of the CBA and cut in Italy, the Bulls' Griffin has made a place for himself in the NBA with hard work, smarts and defense.

A veteran forward of four different teams, "Griffin has played in a variety of systems with numerous head coaches, so he's gotten to see many different approaches," Wallace said. "He's a guy you always wanted on your team, even if he didn't have a big role because you just felt good looking to the bench in games and practice and seeing him. That stability and low-key approach that he had will serve him well one day as a head coach."

Steve Blake: "Energetic, heady and a consummate gym rat, he's made himself into a player," Wallace said of the Trail Blazers' starting point guard. While a national title at Maryland helped Blake get into the NBA, his work while in the league has made him a success, despite not being a first-round pick.

The international vacuum

Notice something everyone on the above list has in common besides being an active player? They're all Americans, that's what. While that isn't anything different from league's current 30 coaches, it is a fact that the coaching population is slowly falling behind the NBA's growing internationalism.

Wallace, the Grizzlies' GM, estimates that 18 percent of last season's NBA player pool hailed from abroad, and he expects that number will increase with every award won and championship secured by the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili and more.

"But it's hard to see yourself as a coach when you've never seen anyone like yourself do it," Wallace said. "Will foreign players, as their careers wind down, think coaching is a viable option or do they go back home?"

So who could make the jump? Ginobili's three rings would earn him instant respect, while his willingness to play off the bench likely would give him insight into the struggles of the non-superstar. Toronto's Jose Calderon also has caught the eye of Wallace for his unselfish style of play and habit for turning teams into winners.

As of now, though, that's just idle speculation for a profession snugly wrapped in red, white and blue.