Mr.Bottomtooth
11-03-2008, 08:15 PM
Building A Winner
By: Wendell Maxey
If imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, then Gregg Popovich is somewhere blushing behind his "Grizzly Adams" beard.
Long before Popovich led the San Antonio to four NBA championships, one of the many stops along his coaching journey was with the Kansas Jayhawks during the 1985-86 when he was a volunteer assistant under then head coach Larry Brown. Looking back, Popovich can't help but be in awe of the middling Jayhawk point guard who grew to become General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers – Kevin Pritchard.
"He didn't even understand Larry Brown's offense at Kansas and here he is doing this kind of stuff," Popovich said in jest.
Yet Popovich and Pritchard's crossed several years later when the Spurs hired Pritchard as a scout after he'd spent time helping San Antonio during a couple of summer leagues. After two years however, Portland snatched Pritchard up and it's been history ever since – a history 'Coach Pop' saw coming.
"We knew from the beginning he had a feel for the game, the passion and he's competitive. He knows what fits," Popovich explained.
"He wasn't a superstar by any stretch, and sometimes those guys know how the pieces fit. The role players have to fit around the stars. For all those reasons you knew he was going to be successful if given the opportunity and he's been given that opportunity for sure."
No one is going to confuse the Portland Trail Blazers with the San Antonio Spurs. One team is building for the future. The other fuels a winning tradition year in and year out. But the Blazers roots are actually planted firmly in the Spurs success with Portland using many similar philosophies and mantras preached within San Antonio's organization.
For Pritchard, the hope is to imitate and duplicate that success.
"I look back at those times and what I learned and taken what they've done and applied it here," Pritchard told HOOPSWORLD.
"We haven't recreated the wheel here. We do things that are unique to what we did there but it's like I got my M.B.A in basketball there (Pritchard also credits Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford for his mentoring). The great thing about Pop is he says what he feels. That's sort of my management style."
Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams can relate. He knows the Spurs intimately. Williams' best season as a pro came with San Antonio during the 1996-97 season, before eventually moving to the sidelines where he was an assistant under Popovich - whom he speaks with at least once a month.
"His (Popovich's) motto is 'get over yourself.' If you can't do that than you can't be there. We use a lot of that. Nate's (Blazers head coach Nate McMillan) motto is 'do things the right way.' It's the same thing," Williams said.
"You have to throw your ego out the door. It's all about the win. It's all about the work. It's about treating the people the right way - period."
That explains why there is never drama off the court in San Antonio. Their players show-up at all-star games and the NBA Finals, not the police blotter or in scandalous headlines. The Blazers– thanks to Pritchard's agenda and McMillan's demeanor – have spent their tenure in Portland trying to distance the organization from such a sordid past.
They are well on their way with cornerstones Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden in place.
Now it's about putting the team before the individual, wins before whining and following the footsteps of a champion.
Even Nate McMillan admits it goes further than simply employing the Spurs' winning ways as a template. It's about trying to steal their success, accomplishments McMillan compares to the New England Patriots.
"I think you do learn from teams that are successful. You try and steal some of the things that they have done. They've found out how to be successful and stay successful with that formula. You try and learn how they go about doing things as much as you can," said McMillan.
"If you can use it, you take it. Why not? Anything they do that is successful you try and take that away."
In their second game of the season, Portland managed to accomplish something they haven't done in three years: they beat the Spurs – on national television nonetheless. Tim Duncan applauded Portland's youth movement. Brandon Roy said "we beat one of the best teams in the NBA." And while the Blazers attempt to play copycat, Popovich leaned against a wall in the back hallways of the Rose Garden, congratulating a team that is being built right before the eyes of the NBA in Portland.
"They are unbelievably talented," Popovich said.
"That's a hell of a good young team and somebody that everyone will have to reckon with as time goes by."
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10444
By: Wendell Maxey
If imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, then Gregg Popovich is somewhere blushing behind his "Grizzly Adams" beard.
Long before Popovich led the San Antonio to four NBA championships, one of the many stops along his coaching journey was with the Kansas Jayhawks during the 1985-86 when he was a volunteer assistant under then head coach Larry Brown. Looking back, Popovich can't help but be in awe of the middling Jayhawk point guard who grew to become General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers – Kevin Pritchard.
"He didn't even understand Larry Brown's offense at Kansas and here he is doing this kind of stuff," Popovich said in jest.
Yet Popovich and Pritchard's crossed several years later when the Spurs hired Pritchard as a scout after he'd spent time helping San Antonio during a couple of summer leagues. After two years however, Portland snatched Pritchard up and it's been history ever since – a history 'Coach Pop' saw coming.
"We knew from the beginning he had a feel for the game, the passion and he's competitive. He knows what fits," Popovich explained.
"He wasn't a superstar by any stretch, and sometimes those guys know how the pieces fit. The role players have to fit around the stars. For all those reasons you knew he was going to be successful if given the opportunity and he's been given that opportunity for sure."
No one is going to confuse the Portland Trail Blazers with the San Antonio Spurs. One team is building for the future. The other fuels a winning tradition year in and year out. But the Blazers roots are actually planted firmly in the Spurs success with Portland using many similar philosophies and mantras preached within San Antonio's organization.
For Pritchard, the hope is to imitate and duplicate that success.
"I look back at those times and what I learned and taken what they've done and applied it here," Pritchard told HOOPSWORLD.
"We haven't recreated the wheel here. We do things that are unique to what we did there but it's like I got my M.B.A in basketball there (Pritchard also credits Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford for his mentoring). The great thing about Pop is he says what he feels. That's sort of my management style."
Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams can relate. He knows the Spurs intimately. Williams' best season as a pro came with San Antonio during the 1996-97 season, before eventually moving to the sidelines where he was an assistant under Popovich - whom he speaks with at least once a month.
"His (Popovich's) motto is 'get over yourself.' If you can't do that than you can't be there. We use a lot of that. Nate's (Blazers head coach Nate McMillan) motto is 'do things the right way.' It's the same thing," Williams said.
"You have to throw your ego out the door. It's all about the win. It's all about the work. It's about treating the people the right way - period."
That explains why there is never drama off the court in San Antonio. Their players show-up at all-star games and the NBA Finals, not the police blotter or in scandalous headlines. The Blazers– thanks to Pritchard's agenda and McMillan's demeanor – have spent their tenure in Portland trying to distance the organization from such a sordid past.
They are well on their way with cornerstones Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden in place.
Now it's about putting the team before the individual, wins before whining and following the footsteps of a champion.
Even Nate McMillan admits it goes further than simply employing the Spurs' winning ways as a template. It's about trying to steal their success, accomplishments McMillan compares to the New England Patriots.
"I think you do learn from teams that are successful. You try and steal some of the things that they have done. They've found out how to be successful and stay successful with that formula. You try and learn how they go about doing things as much as you can," said McMillan.
"If you can use it, you take it. Why not? Anything they do that is successful you try and take that away."
In their second game of the season, Portland managed to accomplish something they haven't done in three years: they beat the Spurs – on national television nonetheless. Tim Duncan applauded Portland's youth movement. Brandon Roy said "we beat one of the best teams in the NBA." And while the Blazers attempt to play copycat, Popovich leaned against a wall in the back hallways of the Rose Garden, congratulating a team that is being built right before the eyes of the NBA in Portland.
"They are unbelievably talented," Popovich said.
"That's a hell of a good young team and somebody that everyone will have to reckon with as time goes by."
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10444