duncan228
12-14-2009, 02:33 PM
There's a thread (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141927) in the NBA forum, but I thought it should be here too.
Popovich Bares His True Sarcastic Soul (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-popovichbareshistrue&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
We always hear that Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are closet comedians. That’s certainly borne out by their HEB ads (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLYJpgrZCBk), but there’s no truth in advertising. If you want to find the real Spurs humor, you have to look a little closer to the team’s personality as we know it: dry, deadpan and just this side of snide.
Usually, the team keeps its funnies to itself. But when you catch them making funny out in the open, it’s always big news. Case in point: what happened when Lakers Blog (http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/12/gregg-popovich-on-the-pau-gasol-deal-.html) brought up the Gasol trade with Pop. His whip-smart response: "You mean the one where I fainted?"
Going further, he got a little jab in at anyone, most likely Lakers fans, trying to claim they didn’t fleece the Grizzlies. Because then everyone who likes another team would insist the league is rigged and second-guess last year’s title … anyway, it gets ugly fast. Pop, for his part, doesn’t mind adding a little fuel to the fire:
Andy [Kamenetzky] then asked him if the development of Pau’s lil’ bro in Memphis makes the deal perhaps a little less lopsided. Marc has, after all, become a very good NBA player down in Memphis, and is still very early in his career. Maybe, just maybe, it was a more equitable swap than he originally thought? "Please," he said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Please."
From his perspective, it doesn’t really matter how good Marc becomes, since he’s concerned about winning titles, not the rebuilding effort in Memphis. Thus anything that creates a dominant team in LA will seem disproportional.
In the same way that Duncan’s gradually shedding the "boring and blank" label and is getting recognized as a profoundly skilled player who operates with breathless efficiency, Popovich is on the verge of becoming a real cult hero.
Maybe it has something to do with the Spurs so undeniably constituting some kind of dynasty. And, with that, Duncan belonging way up there with the greats and Pop warranting consideration in the "best coaches" category. All both need is a little bit more re-branding. The intensely private Timmy will likely wait a while, but I can tell Popovich is just chomping at the bit to write a book that shows the real Spurs. If you hear me, Coach, I’ll be waiting by the phone.
Popovich Bares His True Sarcastic Soul (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-popovichbareshistrue&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
We always hear that Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are closet comedians. That’s certainly borne out by their HEB ads (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLYJpgrZCBk), but there’s no truth in advertising. If you want to find the real Spurs humor, you have to look a little closer to the team’s personality as we know it: dry, deadpan and just this side of snide.
Usually, the team keeps its funnies to itself. But when you catch them making funny out in the open, it’s always big news. Case in point: what happened when Lakers Blog (http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/12/gregg-popovich-on-the-pau-gasol-deal-.html) brought up the Gasol trade with Pop. His whip-smart response: "You mean the one where I fainted?"
Going further, he got a little jab in at anyone, most likely Lakers fans, trying to claim they didn’t fleece the Grizzlies. Because then everyone who likes another team would insist the league is rigged and second-guess last year’s title … anyway, it gets ugly fast. Pop, for his part, doesn’t mind adding a little fuel to the fire:
Andy [Kamenetzky] then asked him if the development of Pau’s lil’ bro in Memphis makes the deal perhaps a little less lopsided. Marc has, after all, become a very good NBA player down in Memphis, and is still very early in his career. Maybe, just maybe, it was a more equitable swap than he originally thought? "Please," he said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Please."
From his perspective, it doesn’t really matter how good Marc becomes, since he’s concerned about winning titles, not the rebuilding effort in Memphis. Thus anything that creates a dominant team in LA will seem disproportional.
In the same way that Duncan’s gradually shedding the "boring and blank" label and is getting recognized as a profoundly skilled player who operates with breathless efficiency, Popovich is on the verge of becoming a real cult hero.
Maybe it has something to do with the Spurs so undeniably constituting some kind of dynasty. And, with that, Duncan belonging way up there with the greats and Pop warranting consideration in the "best coaches" category. All both need is a little bit more re-branding. The intensely private Timmy will likely wait a while, but I can tell Popovich is just chomping at the bit to write a book that shows the real Spurs. If you hear me, Coach, I’ll be waiting by the phone.