Thread for all you bball illiterate "fans" to apologise to Pop.

[NZ Spurs]

I probably wont be able to see your apologies because I put most of you cliff jumpers on ignore, but nonetheless here is your forum.

For those of you who understand basketball at a basic level at least, how good were Pop's adjustments and rotations? This team has always been a "big four" especially in the playoffs.

[Spurs Brazil]

Pop was great today, his key move was playing TD the whole 2nd half

[Warlord23]

I probably wont be able to see your apologies because I put most of you cliff jumpers on ignore, but nonetheless here is your forum.

For those of you who understand basketball at a basic level at least, how good were Pop's adjustments and rotations? This team has always been a "big four" especially in the playoffs.

Most fans who criticized Pop wanted Pop to keep Bogans, Mason and Bonner nailed to the bench.

Now, Pop has Bogans and Mason on the bench, with great results. He's still playing Bonner (simply due to lack of other options), and Matt's been the Mavs' bitch so far.

Looks like people were 100% accurate in criticizing a rotation which had flawed players, which Pop has fixed now.

[pjjrfan]

Damn no kidding about Bonner, whoever he was guarding the ball went to him. But one of the great things about Pop is that he will never ever toot his own horn. so it's up to us fans to do it for h im.

[hsxvvd]

No Bogans. Two bigs.... yep. He's back. I guess the regular season crap was just CIA Pop all along.

[VBM]

Most fans who criticized Pop wanted Pop to keep Bogans, Mason and Bonner nailed to the bench.

Now, Pop has Bogans and Mason on the bench, with great results. He's still playing Bonner (simply due to lack of other options), and Matt's been the Mavs' bitch so far.

Looks like people were 100% accurate in criticizing a rotation which had flawed players, which Pop has fixed now.

This exactly

[itzsoweezee]

Most fans who criticized Pop wanted Pop to keep Bogans, Mason and Bonner nailed to the bench.

Now, Pop has Bogans and Mason on the bench, with great results. He's still playing Bonner (simply due to lack of other options), and Matt's been the Mavs' bitch so far.

Looks like people were 100% accurate in criticizing a rotation which had flawed players, which Pop has fixed now.

yup

[EmptyMan]

I'll admit Pop finally pulled his head out of his ass and tightened up the lineups.

[ChumpDumper]

It will never happen.

[NZ Spurs]

Most fans who criticized Pop wanted Pop to keep Bogans, Mason and Bonner nailed to the bench.

Now, Pop has Bogans and Mason on the bench, with great results. He's still playing Bonner (simply due to lack of other options), and Matt's been the Mavs' bitch so far.

Looks like people were 100% accurate in criticizing a rotation which had flawed players, which Pop has fixed now.

So you would rather Pop didn't:

A) Evaluate the talent he had.
B) Prepare the aforementioned players should they be needed during the playoffs.

That's not mentioning Pops masterstroke of arriving at the playoffs with the big three fresh and healthy.

Yeah good call, Pop should have kept the those guys on the bench and worn the big three out. Fucking genius.

[EricB]

Bonner outside of the missed rotation on Terry played GREAT defense. He missed a couple shots but u know that's gonna happen..

[Spurminator]

So you would rather Pop didn't:

A) Evaluate the talent he had.
B) Prepare the aforementioned players should they be needed during the playoffs.

That's not mentioning Pops masterstroke of arriving at the playoffs with the big three fresh and healthy.

Yeah good call, Pop should have kept the those guys on the bench and worn the big three out. Fucking genius.


Keith Bogans started 50 games. That ain't Playoff prep.

Look, it's one thing to call for Pop to be fired, but a lot of the criticism this year was justified. He took too long to settle on a rotation, he played bad players too often at the expense of developing players who could have contributed more, and he has a history of overthinking things and getting in the way.

Fortunately, he's simplified his approach, stuck to a winning strategy and gotten back to what makes him a Hall of Fame coach. It's working now.

[NewJerSpur]

Pop has a generally good feel for this series...he knows who is working and who isn't and finding time to rest the Big 3 when he can. He's asking certain guys to take on a lot given the stage, but overall I think he's been doing a pretty good job. He'll use guys accordingly and won't count anyone on his bench out.

[Warlord23]

So you would rather Pop didn't:

A) Evaluate the talent he had.
B) Prepare the aforementioned players should they be needed during the playoffs.

That's not mentioning Pops masterstroke of arriving at the playoffs with the big three fresh and healthy.

Yeah good call, Pop should have kept the those guys on the bench and worn the big three out. Fucking genius.

Oh I get it. CIA Pop, right? And you, in your infinite wisdom, just happen to know without a shadow of a doubt that Pop played his masterstroke with the intention of the Spurs getting the #7 seed and the toughest road in this year's playoffs.

The problem with that little "rest the big 3" theory of yours is that none of us were clamoring for the big 3 to play more instead of Bogans/Mason. In fact, Garrett Temple proved it by actually playing better than Mason or Bogans when he was given some burn. Oh wait, I know! Bogans and Mason were just chucking up bad shots on purpose, right? CIA Bogans, right?

Dumbass.

[Warlord23]

NZSpurs is Pop's lover from down under. He/she knows all about the CIA stuff. We should all just shut up.

[Spurologist]

I hated the Blair/Bonner combo....outside of that pop was solid. The key for pop is almost always his big man rotation. Dice had a rest in the 3rd but came back strong in the fourth for Bonner and made a key block on Terry + SolidD

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Bonner outside of the missed rotation on Terry played GREAT defense. He missed a couple shots but u know that's gonna happen..

I thought so too.

Bonner hasn't been great, but he's soaked up time to rest Dice without making too many mistakes and that's all he needs to do.

I'm just hoping he'll hit a hot streak with his shooting some time soon.

[NZ Spurs]

Keith Bogans started 50 games. That ain't Playoff prep.

That could not be explained by injuries and Pop's continued quest to figure out how to use RJ. Bogans also had a good stretch where he was a legitimate starter.



Look, it's one thing to call for Pop to be fired, but a lot of the criticism this year was justified. He took too long to settle on a rotation, he played bad players too often at the expense of developing players who could have contributed more, and he has a history of overthinking things and getting in the way. Fortunately, he's simplified his approach, stuck to a winning strategy and gotten back to what makes him a Hall of Fame coach.

Pop uses most of the regular season as an experiment to find what works and what doesn't. I wouldn't call that over-thinking. The sooner spurs fans realize that Pop always coaches with the playoffs in mind they will better be able to evaluate the team during the season. They might also save them selves from a stomach ulcer.

[Spurs Brazil]

I hated the Blair/Bonner combo....outside of that pop was solid. The key for pop is almost always his big man rotation. Dice had a rest in the 3rd but came back strong in the fourth for Bonner and made a key block on Terry + SolidD

Blair/Bonner combo is really hurting us this series. Let's hope Pop can find a way to now play those two together

[DAF86]

I give Pop credit for doing what most Spurs fans have been asking for the entire season (keep Mason and Bogans on the bench and don't play smallball so much)

I still wonder if Mahinmi and Hairston could have been decent playoffs contributors if Pop would have given them enough playing time during the regular season.

[DAF86]

No Bogans. Two bigs.... yep. He's back. I guess the regular season crap was just CIA Pop all along.

Great CIA work, it earned us a 7th seed.

[NZ Spurs]

Oh I get it. CIA Pop, right? And you, in your infinite wisdom, just happen to know without a shadow of a doubt that Pop played his masterstroke with the intention of the Spurs getting the #7 seed and the toughest road in this year's playoffs.

Its not CIA, its called being familiar with the team and the thinking, and having a ounce of basketball knowledge. Notice how most of the long term regular posters don't throw a fit during the regular season.



The problem with that little "rest the big 3" theory of yours is that none of us were clamoring for the big 3 to play more instead of Bogans/Mason. In fact, Garrett Temple proved it by actually playing better than Mason or Bogans when he was given some burn. Oh wait, I know! Bogans and Mason were just chucking up bad shots on purpose, right? CIA Bogans, right?

The same Garrett Temple who was with the team for what 15 games? I takes NBA veterans a whole season to pick up the system. I think Pop has proven he knows how to bring along rookies, case and point SJax and G Hill.


Dumbass.

Thanks, I will inform my law professor not to waste her time marking my exam then.

[Warlord23]

Its not CIA, its called being familiar with the team and the thinking, and having a ounce of basketball knowledge. Notice how most of the long term regular posters don't throw a fit during the regular season.




The same Garrett Temple who was with the team for what 15 games? I takes NBA veterans a whole season to pick up the system. I think Pop has proven he knows how to bring along rookies, case and point SJax and G Hill.


That's a dishonest argument, if there was ever one. Surely you haven't forgotten the mistakes Pop made in his handling of Hill. Having Mason play the point and not trusting Hill till too late in the Mavericks series last year was something that many of us could see coming from a mile away. Only Pop was stubborn and didn't realize his error till the season was lost. Thanks to him, Hill didn't get the stage he deserved last year, and Mason never recovered from his clueless stint at PG, despite a hot start at SG.

Now you can probably spin that too and say that Pop was CIA-ing the whole season and the 1-4 defeat to the Mavs to "develop" Hill in his own way. But that would be dishonest. I mean, where does it end? Has Pop made no mistakes at all in his career? Everything he did, starting from the Mason/Hill fiasco, the Michael Finley love affair, the excessive smallball in 2006 vs the Mavs, the terrible Nick Van Exel experiment ... are we going to claim that all that was part of some grand master plan by Pop?

The truth is that Pop has made mistakes, he's human. And we're fans and have the right to call him out on a message board. By the way, I'm a "long term regular poster", only I call it the way I see it. I don't need to fake some kind of deep understanding of Pop's genius mind to blindly support every single decision he makes.

[DPG21920]

I usually stick up for Bonner, but he played terrible defense imo and was a complete no show on offense.

[Killakobe81]

Pop is a HOF'er ...show respect he can coach circles around Carlisle

[HarlemHeat37]

Agreed, Bonner was pretty bad tonight, and I'm usually pro-Bonner..

He was really bad in the 1st half, getting beat by Shawn Marion, missing a box out on Eddy Najera, missed a few rotations..he wasn't as bad in the 2nd half, but he was pretty useless out there..

He was a no-show on offense, like DPG said, and that's the main thing he has to work on..he can't disappear in this series, the Spurs need him in the playoffs..

I don't blame Pop for that though, he pretty much has no choice..no other options..

[The Truth #6]

I'll go with warlord on this one. There was no true experimentation this year. That's ridiculous. He never experimented with Malik or Ian. I don't see the true experiment. He flogged dead horses as long as he could and then realized he then had to shorten the rotation. This current rotation was obvious by early December. I do give him props for giving Temple a chance at the end.

[GSH]

Since this is an "apologize to Pop" thread, there may be a couple of players who should get in on the action. Ginobili was pretty vocal about his displeasure with Pop for limiting his minutes for the first part of the season. Pop wanted to be sure he was totally well, and to bring him back slowly. Looks like a pretty good decision right about now.

Same with calling Tony home this Summer. I don't know if that was all Pop, but I'm really glad to have Tony fully healthy at the right time.

[spursfaninla]

I'll admit Pop finally pulled his head out of his ass and tightened up the lineups.

You do realize that we had to keep our older starters fresh for the playoffs by playing our scrubs sometimes, right?

[silverblk mystix]

i think that Pop---and this spurs team---

should be judged at the END OF THE SEASON....

IF the spurs are the champs---Pop is a genius...

if not---then we'll see

[VBM]

You do realize that we had to keep our older starters fresh for the playoffs by playing our scrubs sometimes, right?

What made Bogans and Mason better scrubs than Mahinmi, Ratliff and Hairston?

[elbamba]

Pop has done a great job in the playoffs. However, he killed the Spurs for a long time with playing small ball. He also gave way too much time to KB and Mason.

Pop is a great coach, but even great coaches have to get over their pride sometimes and and Pop is no different. He should have given more playing time to Ian and Harriston.

One concern I have is that even if we close this series out over the next two games, and that is a tall order, he is playing Duncan and Manu way too much. Duncan needs to play around 35-38 minutes. Pop needs to put a little more trust in Blair because eventually, Tim is going to wear out.

[LakerHater]

I probably wont be able to see your apologies because I put most of you cliff jumpers on ignore, but nonetheless here is your forum.

For those of you who understand basketball at a basic level at least, how good were Pop's adjustments and rotations? This team has always been a "big four" especially in the playoffs.

Well I agree but, it's still alittle premature.... Hope you didnt jinx the Spurs!

[jjktkk]

Keith Bogans started 50 games. That ain't Playoff prep.

Look, it's one thing to call for Pop to be fired, but a lot of the criticism this year was justified. He took too long to settle on a rotation, he played bad players too often at the expense of developing players who could have contributed more, and he has a history of overthinking things and getting in the way.

Fortunately, he's simplified his approach, stuck to a winning strategy and gotten back to what makes him a Hall of Fame coach. It's working now.

He also has a history of winning.

[Obstructed_View]

Pop's adjustments have been nothing short of brilliant. I guess he's been maneuvering for the seventh spot in the west all season long. The players deserve a lot of credit for stepping up, but Pop has not put the team in position to fail like he did so many times during the regular season. No Keith Bogans and no smallball has been incredibly effective, as has going to the rim instead of settling for a bunch of three pointers. If only someone had been suggesting that all year long.

[Obstructed_View]

You do realize that we had to keep our older starters fresh for the playoffs by playing our scrubs sometimes, right?

There are plenty of young scrubs that could have been playing heavy minutes if rest were the only goal. Putting small lineups against bigger opponents in late-game key defensive stretches on more than one occasion has nothing to do with rest.

[ulosturedge]

He knows which of his players get it done out on the court and which don't. He will still give the others a short look in case they might have something to contribute for that game. When he sees they don't he quickly pulls them. Then there is the fact that our starters can't play 48 minutes. You got to bring someone off the bench at some point in time lol.

Anyways anyone who assumes that Pop was going to use the same scrappy rotations he used in the regular season for the playoffs is clueless. People need to quit getting so melodramatic over the things that go on in the regular season. You can question some of it, but the bulk of it was experimentation and making sure our veterans stay well rested for the playoffs.

I've been very pleased with Pop's rotations. When it's not working he is quick to rectify the situation. But for the most part he has been quit good with his lineups.

[Spursfan092120]

I agree with the OP, but it's kind of ironic how he uses the word illiterate and then misspells apologize.

[Muser]

Pop's gone back to being awesome Pop, it's a welcome return.

[ElNono]

Bonner outside of the missed rotation on Terry played GREAT defense. He missed a couple shots but u know that's gonna happen..

I guess you missed Marion doing whatever he wanted with him while reaching for the flaming hot Doritos...

[Spurminator]

He also has a history of winning.

When he keeps it simple.

[Obstructed_View]

He knows which of his players get it done out on the court and which don't. He will still give the others a short look in case they might have something to contribute for that game. When he sees they don't he quickly pulls them. Then there is the fact that our starters can't play 48 minutes. You got to bring someone off the bench at some point in time lol.

Anyways anyone who assumes that Pop was going to use the same scrappy rotations he used in the regular season for the playoffs is clueless. People need to quit getting so melodramatic over the things that go on in the regular season. You can question some of it, but the bulk of it was experimentation and making sure our veterans stay well rested for the playoffs.

I've been very pleased with Pop's rotations. When it's not working he is quick to rectify the situation. But for the most part he has been quit good with his lineups.

The coach benched the starting centers on a 63 win team in favor of a rookie and two vets that aren't known for defense and did so until the team was eliminated. He benched Bruce Bowen and George Hill last year against the Mavericks until it was too late. He went through much of the season giving Keith Bogans the responsibilities that Bruce Bowen had. Stating that you knew all along that he was going to suddenly figure it out this postseason is delusional. You aren't suggesting that Pop didn't actually want to get home court advantage, right?