When Pop steps down...who is your choice to replace him?

[SteelerNation]

Avery?...maybe Mike Brown? I think he'd leave Cleveland for the job. PJ would be a dark horse in the running. But if you had your choice to take over the Spurs of everyone out there who would it be?

[Thompson]

Possibly Budenholzer. I know some people around here can't stand the thought of Avery coaching the Spurs, but I can't say I know enough to make a good decision there.

[Texas_Ranger]

Avery!

[silverblackfan]

God.

[raspsa]

I hope its someone who shares Pop's value for hard work, accountability and plain talking. A background in intelligence and counter-espionage is highly desireable. Wine expertise optional.:lol
I guess Bud would be a logical choice but I wouldn't mind skipping Avery and Brown gambling with a new face.. you're going to have a new team, maybe you could try a new coach.

[Ditty]

reggie theus

[deL!]

God.

He already is coaching!

[SteelerNation]

Robert Horry has said he wants to go into coaching. I think he is definately worth a shot. The guy knows what it takes to win. Pop had never been a head coach before he took over the Spurs...I think Horry would be a great choice out of the blue.

[ohmwrecker]

I thought they were grooming Quinn Snyder for the job, but now I am not so sure.

[eisfeld]

Larry Brown would be awesome.

I hate the thought of Avery coaching the Spurs. He might not be a bad coach but his style of coaching is so different to Pop's that it would hurt my eyes to see him during a timeout.

[pawe]

Horry? You serious? You want a guy with no coaching experience to lead the Spurs? This team cant afford to have a downtime with the small fanbase they have. Isiah knows how to win, look what he did in his coaching career so far.

[Gutter92]

Steven A. Smith

[SteelerNation]

Horry? You serious? You want a guy with no coaching experience to lead the Spurs? This team cant afford to have a downtime with the small fanbase they have. Isiah knows how to win, look what he did in his coaching career so far.

What experience did Avery have when he took over the Mavs and now some people want him taking over for Pop? He had NONE! What about Pop when he took over for Bob Hill? Pop was an assistant somewhere else. Dont go throwing up experience, bro. Phil Jackson was never a head coach when he took over the Bulls and he guided them to 6 rings and we know what he did with the lakers. Horry would be a great choice.

[bugoy]

Robert Horry has said he wants to go into coaching. I think he is definately worth a shot. The guy knows what it takes to win. Pop had never been a head coach before he took over the Spurs...I think Horry would be a great choice out of the blue.

LOL no

[ohmwrecker]

Steven A. Smith

RaSho NesTeroVicK

[bugoy]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1OMiSrEJXnY/Rngk66u_GYI/AAAAAAAACws/a33UdFUw7lU/s400/vangundy.jpg

hands down

[SteelerNation]

LOL no

So Van Gundy is your choice? LOL

[angelbelow]

I think Avery is a great candidate. I know the Mavericks couldn't hang with him so just based off of that I think his "dictator" style would fit in here.

[PM5K]

What experience did Avery have when he took over the Mavs and now some people want him taking over for Pop? He had NONE! What about Pop when he took over for Bob Hill? Pop was an assistant somewhere else. Dont go throwing up experience, bro. Phil Jackson was never a head coach when he took over the Bulls and he guided them to 6 rings and we know what he did with the lakers. Horry would be a great choice.

They all had experience, you just don't know about it bro.

And a monkey could have guided two top 50, hall of fame players to NBA Championships, Phil Jackson's greatest talent is being in the right place at the right time.

[pawe]

What experience did Avery have when he took over the Mavs and now some people want him taking over for Pop? He had NONE! What about Pop when he took over for Bob Hill? Pop was an assistant somewhere else. Dont go throwing up experience, bro. Phil Jackson was never a head coach when he took over the Bulls and he guided them to 6 rings and we know what he did with the lakers. Horry would be a great choice.

Just because Horry made clutch shots and made crafty plays doesnt mean he can influence his players to do the same. I'd rather the next coach to have discipline over reputation.
- Avery at least is a PG, he makes plays on the court.
- Tex Winters developed the triangle thus is the brains behind Jackson's system plus who wouldnt win a championship with the teams Jackson had anyway.

[SteelerNation]

They all had experience, you just don't know about it bro.

And a monkey could have guided two top 50, hall of fame players to NBA Championships, Phil Jackson's greatest talent is being in the right place at the right time.

Cmon now, that argument can be applied to everyone. People can say Pop only won because he had the best Power Forward to ever play and I think Pop would agree with that. Rudy T only won because he had arguablly the best center in Hakeem to ever play the game...and so on and so forth. It can go on for ever coach.

[Ditty]

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/football/bob_blog/theus.jpghttp://gigginonya.com/theus.jpghttp://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2007/12/25/1198641647_6599/539w.jpg

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Avery or Bud

[honestfool84]

i wouldn't mind seeing mike brown.

that would be SWEET.
i doubt he'd leave for san antonio, though. unless maybe lebron leaves cleveland.

[ClippersDynasty]

No you can't have Mike Dunleavy, he's taken.

[SpurCharger]

How About Larry brown? He is Gonna Coach til he is 95 anyways, Lol. I think Avery Johnson, Mike Brown, Or Even Vinny del negro.

[Manu-of-steel]

Budenholzer's the guy

[spursfan1000]

Buldenhozer or PJ.

[PM5K]

Cmon now, that argument can be applied to everyone. People can say Pop only won because he had the best Power Forward to ever play and I think Pop would agree with that. Rudy T only won because he had arguablly the best center in Hakeem to ever play the game...and so on and so forth. It can go on for ever coach.

Your point is moot, Phil Jackson was an assistant coach for the last year and a half of his career, then a head coach in the CBA for about five years, and I believe coached in Puerto Rico or something for a season or two, and was an assistant in the NBA for two years before becoming a head coach, so he had a good ten years coaching experience before he became a head coach.

Pop was an assistant for about six years under Larry Brown and Don Nelson, and essentially hired himself to coach.

Avery has been a player/coach for years.

[ChumpDumper]

At this point I'd say Bud, though Avery would be an inevitability. I don't have the clearest read on Snyder as I think many of his decisions are made for him for the sake of development and scouting. He does seem to have an excellent rapport with the players if nothing else, but the normal chain of succession would have him as an assistant under the next head coach.

[dav4463]

Is Doug Moe still around? How about George Gervin?

[sonic21]

Bruce

[LA24]

God.

Sorry, but He's a Laker fan.

[Zzakk's Garage]

Tim Duncan, with Avery as his little general.

[howbouthemspurs]

Lets see, we need some one with an NBA IQ as equivalent as Coach Pop with the flair of Phil Jackson. We need someone that will demand the respect of the entire arena with just his presence. Players should fear him and superstars should be gracious for his leadership..... I think the only person suited to follow in Pop's footsteps is none other than,.....yup you guessed it..........Mengke Bateer!

.


.

.

.
J/k .. Avery Johnson would be a perfect choice.

[samikeyp]

Pj

[urunobili]

Edie Jordan anyone?
Byron Scott?

[fleggy2k2]

God.

i think pop would like the fact that the dude can turn water to wine.

but the real question is:

sure, he can coach people to defend against the greeks and muslims, but how does his coaching stack up to defending 7-footers?

it doesn't help that the human race was shorter back then. hell, goliath was probably a half a foot shorter than duncan.

[DaBears]

Vinny Del Negro might be a option. If he can be pulled away from the bulls

[DaBears]

Tim Duncan maybe he can be a player&coach. Like back in the old school days with Orlando...

[superbigtime]

Sean Elliott.

[Dr Cox]

my dark horse is tim duncan, pop has let him coach in games before, what pr would that bring in


haha doubt it would happen but would like to see it!!!


:flag:

[My Fault]

i wouldn't mind seeing mike brown.

that would be SWEET.
i doubt he'd leave for san antonio, though. unless maybe lebron leaves cleveland.

I have to disagree. After the Orlando series Mike Brown just didn't seem to know left from right. He didn't make any adjustments and was simply out coached by SVG. It was really bad watching that series.

[Dr Cox]

I have to disagree. After the Orlando series Mike Brown just didn't seem to know left from right. He didn't make any adjustments and was simply out coached by SVG. It was really bad watching that series.


i think we all know its about timing, but i think coaches would line up to be with a world class organization like the spurs

but saying that, if lebron is not on the cavs our chances for mike brown go wayyyy up


i want to see pj, he didnt get a good chance this go round to prove hes worthy, i think he could do it

[My Fault]

my dark horse is tim duncan, pop has let him coach in games before, what pr would that bring in


haha doubt it would happen but would like to see it!!!


:flag:
+1
And 228 correct me if I'm wrong but Timmy has said he'd like to take shot at coaching when he hangs them up. He would be a great coach IMO.

[Dr Cox]

+1
And 228 correct me if I'm wrong but Timmy has said he'd like to take shot at coaching when he hangs them up. He would be a great coach IMO.

i havnt offically hurd that, but i could see it, and tim duncan coaching anywhere but here just seems too weird, i could see him if not a head coach something like patrick ewing as a low post coach or somthing like that


and for how much of a professional he is, i could see him own part of a team (see mj) or work for david stern

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

timvp

[Jose Ole]

I'm officially starting the "Bring Back Bob" (Hill) campaign! Too bad the guy couldn't file a wrongful termination suit... who expected our team at that point to do anything with D-Rob on the bench and the likes of Will Purdue and Carl Herrera running the show?

[Calavera]

I hope Pop won`t leave along with Duncan, but if he does, Budenholzer should replace him. That would be good move to save the system and the principles of the Spurs. I don`t want any changes of the style and stuff, it will be very different without Tim, but noone is bigger than the team, so they shouldn`t change everything after his departure.

[dbestpro]

Mario Ellie. I would love to see that scowl every time the Spurs got a non call.

[purist]

Doc Rivers
PJ Carlesimo
Rick Barnes

[DaBears]

bring in the Ninja & Junk yard dog to be CO COACHS.

[robino2001]

Rick Barnes

I'd get rid of my season tickets as soon as the announcement was made.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Phil Jackson. That means we've replaced Tim and Manu w/ Lebron and Howard!!!

[50 cent]

It's gotta be bud.

[Udokafan05]

Coach Bud

[Spursfan 87]

Avery

[duhoh]

jeff van gundy would be great

[tmtcsc]

jerry sloan

[DaBears]

Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

[DaBears]

Vote for pedro.........

[portnoy1]

Larry Brown. He can take a sorry young team to the playoffs as long as they show up for practice and follow his lead in addition to management putting hardworking/ no attitude players on his roster. I.e. he got hired by the Clippers 1992 after he got fired from the Spurs in the middle of the season. Result = in half a season with the Clippers he lead them to Playoffs and Took the no. 2 seeded Jazz to a 5th and deciding first round game. On the other Hand Bob Bass took the spurs to their vacation destination early as they got SWEPT 3-0 by the 4TH seeded Phoenix Suns.

[SenorSpur]

Vinny Del Negro might be a option. If he can be pulled away from the bulls

A better question is WHY? What the hell has this guy accomplished? Nothing.

[flox]

Jeff Van Gundy/Jim O'Brien

[angel_luv]

Bruce Bowen.

[MarCowMar]

Are any of our assistants our outside coaches known for getting along with Parker particularly well? That may be a good starting point.

[ffadicted]

Avery fuggin' Johnson please

[callo1]

I don't really know, but if I had to pick right now I would say Jeff Van Gundy. Pop has been great for the Spurs franchise, but let us never forget that great coaching is made by great players...even Pop constantly says this. While I do believe Pop to be a super coach (aside from the complete aberration of the '06 and '08 series against the Mavs), I think coaching gets inflated when you have Tim Duncan and David Robinson calibur players on your team.

To me, coaching is the salt and pepper that seasons the meal...the peripheral trim that can make the dish all the better if enough is added, or simply average if the seasoning is ignored.

To me, Pops greatest strength is in his willingness to defer attention for his teams success. Pop understands that if he takes all the acolades when his team is doing well, then he takes all the more blame when they stumble. Putting the responsibility on the players is what makes him such a good coach. There arn't many coaches that do that anymore, as most are attention seeking so they can command the most money on the open market.

Like him or not, Bill Parcells is very similar to Pop in many regards. When reporters asked Parcells about injuries playing a role in his teams success or lack therof, Parcells would never allow his teams to use injuries as an excuse for failure.

To me, Larry Brown has always been somewhat overrated, so I would say Van Gundy, but then... hmm...Don Nelson intrigues me, but I can't stand his gimmicks on offense, and Phil...never cared for him. Doug Collins had the Bulls on the verge as the Pistons were aging and falling apart when Phil came in. I'm not saying that Phil isn't a good coach, but there is ALOT of fluff there.

Great coaching almost always requires great teams IMHO and vice versa. The best coach I can think of in professional sports that wins (albeit not championships, which is how coaches are measured) is Jeff Fisher of the Titans.

Yeah, Van Gundy for me...just need to get that image of him trying to break up that Knicks/Heat fight and being dragged accross the floor like a little terrier out of my mind to feel comfortable with it:)

Edit: Add Jerry Sloan to my list

[jay014]

Anyone except A.J. or Bill Walton. Does Popovich get a number retired when he decides to retire? Maybe the number of championships he wins.

[duncan228]

And 228 correct me if I'm wrong but Timmy has said he'd like to take shot at coaching when he hangs them up. He would be a great coach IMO.

Duncan has said it in passing, I've always taken it lightly. I don't have a quote from him being serious about it.

I would love to see him coach, I think he'd be great at it. But I don't think he will. My money is on him retiring at the end of this contract and we'll see him at the occasional home game with Robinson. Other than that, I expect him to retire happily with his family, and probably devote more time to his Foundation. He's starting to get tired, showing the wear and tear of the schedule and travel. His knees are going to bother him to some degree from here on out. I don't see him jumping into the grind of NBA coaching.

Maybe after a couple of years off to heal he'll miss it...

[jason1301]

Realistically its; Avery or Bud

what I would like to see happening is bring Europe's best in Želimir “Željko” Obradović.

[narmerguy]

Phil Jackson. That means we've replaced Tim and Manu w/ Lebron and Howard!!!

:lol

[lefty]

1. Jeff Van Gundy
2. Rick Adelman; not defensive minded, but he's been pretty awesome vs KFC in the 2002 and 2009 playoffs

[Fabbs]

A couple of Silver Stars.

[JoshO501]

Bill Self

[bugoy]

no love for JVG?

[peskypesky]

Avery!

:toast

[Calavera]

I find this ridiculous - "great coaching comes from great players"! How great players become great players? By good coaching! Following that logic you`ll see that it`s not enought to have the best roster, it`s how you deal with them and the system you put them into. Yes, NBA is designed for all that stars, dynasty players and stuff like that, but the thing that most people miss when they thing about basketball is that every player at this level is very talented and the difference is made not by their individual abilities, but by the way the coach exploits it. Something is wrong in that phrase, I can`t accept that at the end everything depends on one hyper super star, it`s the plan, the tactics first, and then the execution. That`s just what I think, I don`t want to argue with anyone...

[Soul_Patch]

http://www.eurthisnthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/charles-barkley-dui-arrest.jpg

[SenorSpur]

The Wizard of Westwood - John Wooden.

[DaBears]

Vinny Del Negro was a decent player and has been regarded as possible options for a couple of head coaching positions in the NBA and college level. Because while he hasnt accomplished much as a coach is hasnt been one very long and has done a decent job with the bulls. And we all must start somewhere....Were all no buddies till we do something worth while to be recongized as a somebody.

[writesir]

it will be AJ

[DaBears]

I think it is only proper that we bring in one of the Assistant coachs to be Head Coach after POP, Kodos to the staff throw them a bone and let them spread their wings and prosper...

[SteelerNation]

Alot of different opinions. I still would like to see Horry get a shot. The guy played under the 3 best coaches in the last 20 years...Rudy T., Phil Jackson, and Greg Popovich. And became one of the best clutch shooters in NBA history. How can you not like that resume and give it a shot? Especially when guys like Del Negro, Terry Porter, and the likes are getting a chance. Anyway, it aint gonna happen, so maybe the new coach will pick him up as an assistant. I think Avery is probably the favorite unless he takes a gig between now and then. I also wouldnt doubt if someone tried to talk Robinson into doing it. David has the pedigree and character that is what the Spurs are all about. I wouldnt be suprised if became the Spurs coach.

[Agloco]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1OMiSrEJXnY/Rngk66u_GYI/AAAAAAAACws/a33UdFUw7lU/s400/vangundy.jpg

hands down

Actually, his hands are up.......

[ohmwrecker]

I like Elie!

[SteelerNation]

Its amazing that no one has suggested Sean Elliott. He might be a great choice as well.

[tsb2000]

IIRC, Avery and Duncan are NOT friends, so him coaching the Spurs would never happen while Duncan is there. Also remember Avery's comment about Parker- a "boy doing a man's job?" I'm sure TP and his three rings haven't forgotten.

[duncan228]

Pop will retire when Duncan retires.

I think so too.

[lefty]

Pop will retire when Duncan retires.
I sure hope it won't be the other way around

[Biggems]

I cant spell his name, but the Assistant coach up in Boston...Tom Thib.

[lefty]

1. Jeff Van Gundy

2. Rick Adelman; not defensive minded, but he's been pretty awesome vs KFC in the 2002 and 2009 playoffs

I pretty much agree with myself

[duncan228]

Pop has actually said that.

If I remember right it was something like if Duncan retires in the morning he'll be gone by lunch. :lol

[wildbill2u]

George Karl. He is an ex-Spur who would fit right in with the Spur's culture. He's old school, believing that players should work at their jobs, not on their ego.

He's experienced, knows his Xs & Os and also has taken a team to the top level.

[purist]

George Karl. He is an ex-Spur who would fit right in with the Spur's culture. He's old school, believing that players should work at their jobs, not on their ego.

He's experienced, knows his Xs & Os and also has taken a team to the top level.

I've never been impressed in postseason play by a Karl-coached team.

[UnWantedTheory]

I've never been impressed in postseason play by a Karl-coached team.
Last year doesnt count for something?