ESPN.com is running a poll asking, among other things, whether Coop's WNBA experience means anything in the NBA and whether he will pave the way for other WNBA coaches -- even female ones -- to jump to the NBA. Eric also wonders whether Coop's hiring will legitimize the WNBA as a source of coaching talent for the men's game.

So will this start a trend? It's hard to know, but I doubt it.

First, keep in mind that coaching trends are fickle. Remember at the beginning of the year when everyone was fretting about how men were taking over the WNBA coaching ranks? Then Brown flamed out, Adams struggled, Richie got fired, Coop left, SMS won COY, and Anne won the title.

Second, keep in mind that Coop was not just any WNBA coach. He had incredible success, and he left as one of the two most successful coaches in the history of the league. And in addition to his women's coaching experience, Coop also had a solid resume on the men's side, including his playing time with one of the greatest teams ever, his time under basketball genius Jerry West, and his work as a Lakers assistant. Someone who builds a career solely or mostly in the women's ranks will have a tougher time moving over.

Finally, Coop's value as a trailblazer will depend in large part on his success, and even if he gets the permanent job, he won't have it easy. His injury-hobbled roster includes some difficult players, and the Denver public seems to have overly inflated expectations of the Nuggets' short-term potential.

Even if he wins, I doubt it will do much to help a woman get a job as an NBA coach. In the NBA, the inmates run the asylum, and players only like to play for coaches who command a certain kind of respect. (That's why Coop didn't get considered for the LA job -- Kobe would only play for a super-elite college coach, like Coach K, or someone with NBA coaching rings, like Rudy T.) When it comes to gender politics, NBA players aren't the most progressive bunch of fellows, so it's hard to imagine them giving their respect to a female coach anytime soon.

Before a woman coaches in the NBA, I think we'll need to see a woman have success coaching in the men's college game. That doesn't seem imminent -- the only viable candidate right now is Pat Summitt, and she's not going anywhere.

There's only one women's coach who is likely to follow Coop's path in the short- or medium-term: Bill Laimbeer. His situation is similar to Coop's in LA, because he's a Pistons guy through and through, and coach Larry Brown and GM Joe Dumars probably won't leave their seats for several years. I think Bill will eventually end up in the NBA, but he'll either have to wait patiently or move to a new town.

Beyond that, as Dimmy Karras says, don't hold your breath waiting for a trend. But trend or not, it's great news for coach Coop. He's a suberb coach who deserves this job.