Spurs Brazil
12-21-2009, 05:03 PM
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/buckharvey/2009/12/popovichs-unique-700-club.html
Popovich the unique member of the 700 club
By Buck Harvey on Dec 21, 09 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Save & Share Yahoo! BuzzYahoo! Newsvine del.icio.us Facebook Google Reddit Fark
Tim Duncan's dunk to beat the Pacers was the fitting, final touch to Gregg Popovich's 700th career win.
Duncan has been a part of the Spurs organization for all of Popovich's wins except for the 17 that came the year before Duncan arrived in San Antonio. None of the other 15 NBA coaches who have reached this milestone relied on one player as Popovich has Duncan.
Still, each of the other 15 coaches had talent. What separates Popovich from them is what comes next.
Popovich has long joked he will retire when Duncan does. But he's also said more seriously, as he did in October of 2007, that he could see himself continuing on without Duncan.
What Popovich is less likely to do is coach in another city.
He would surely have opportunities. If he wanted a change, teams would offer a lot money and control. A smart franchise would ask just one thing of him: Duplicate the culture you had in San Antonio.
But that's the problem. Duplication wouldn't be easy. Popovich's culture is precise and it's built on relationships.
Popovich would not only need a director of player personnel who understood him, he would need a trainer and a P.R. manager and everything else. It took several years for him to get everything in place in San Antonio, and it would take as long elsewhere.
A guess: If ever confronted with this kind of overhaul, Popovich would prefer to run a winery.
And that's what will make him different. Every other NBA coach who has won 700 games has won them with different franchises.
Popovich the unique member of the 700 club
By Buck Harvey on Dec 21, 09 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Save & Share Yahoo! BuzzYahoo! Newsvine del.icio.us Facebook Google Reddit Fark
Tim Duncan's dunk to beat the Pacers was the fitting, final touch to Gregg Popovich's 700th career win.
Duncan has been a part of the Spurs organization for all of Popovich's wins except for the 17 that came the year before Duncan arrived in San Antonio. None of the other 15 NBA coaches who have reached this milestone relied on one player as Popovich has Duncan.
Still, each of the other 15 coaches had talent. What separates Popovich from them is what comes next.
Popovich has long joked he will retire when Duncan does. But he's also said more seriously, as he did in October of 2007, that he could see himself continuing on without Duncan.
What Popovich is less likely to do is coach in another city.
He would surely have opportunities. If he wanted a change, teams would offer a lot money and control. A smart franchise would ask just one thing of him: Duplicate the culture you had in San Antonio.
But that's the problem. Duplication wouldn't be easy. Popovich's culture is precise and it's built on relationships.
Popovich would not only need a director of player personnel who understood him, he would need a trainer and a P.R. manager and everything else. It took several years for him to get everything in place in San Antonio, and it would take as long elsewhere.
A guess: If ever confronted with this kind of overhaul, Popovich would prefer to run a winery.
And that's what will make him different. Every other NBA coach who has won 700 games has won them with different franchises.