duncan228
01-20-2011, 01:25 AM
Some nice quotes from P.J. Carlesimo.
The Pop and Timmy show (http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/mike_ganter/2011/01/19/16954511.html)
Former coach Carlesimo spills the secret to the Spurs’ success and how they can consistently win
By Mike Ganter, Toroto Sun
SAN ANTONIO — It it were a pop quiz — pardon the pun — P.J. Carlesimo could have aced it in his sleep.
The question is this: Why do the Spurs continue to win year after year, after year.
The answer begins with David Robinson, continues with Tim Duncan and ends with Gregg Popovich.
Granted, GM R.C. Buford is in there somewhere too, as are Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, but at its very heart, the success of the Spurs stems from the first three mentioned.
Carlesimo, now Jay Triano’s lead assistant in Toronto, spent five years under Popovich and had a front row seat for one of the most finely tuned machines in the NBA.
“Primarily it’s because of Timmy and 1A because of Pop,” Carlesimo said, pinpointing the reasons for the success when he was there.
“I’m prejudiced by I think (Popovich) has been the best coach in the league for a long time.
“He’s had two of the best players in the league and he’s had a lot of other good players with them but so have a lot of coaches who coach teams in the league.”
But ask Carlesimo the model for the blueprint and he believes it is Jerry Sloan’s early days in Utah.
“Pop will be very candid about it,” Carlesimo said. “He modelled it on Utah.”
Like Robinson and Duncan have done in San Antonio, Karl Malone and John Stockton set the example in Utah and, in Carlesimo’s words, “empowered Sloany for a lot of his years.
“It didn’t matter who you were but if you were a guy who didn’t practise hard, or showed up late or were a knucklehead, you would come to Utah and the first or second day you would see the way it was done,” Carlesimo said. “You would see the best players practising whether they were injured or not, working hard every day, getting criticized by Sloany and being accepting of it.”
And that’s exactly what has happened in San Antonio first with Robinson setting the example who passed the torch to Duncan.
Carlesimo can still remember during his time with Popovich watching guys with perceived bad reputations come into San Antonio and almost immediately fall in line.
“They could be here one day and they would see how hard Timmy worked,” Carlesimo said. “Tim would do something wrong, Pop would jump his ass, and you could see guys figure it out. ‘Oh, I guess that’s the way it is here’
“And that’s the end of your problems. When your best player practises hard, practises injured, plays hard, plays injured and wants and is accepting of criticism and coaching, end of the trouble.”
But what Carlesimo saw that perhaps outsiders don’t realize is that for all of Popovich’s reputation as a no-nonsense, my-way-or-the-highway approach, Popovich has the kind of reputation with his players that allows him to be that way and still have all the respect in the world from his players.
“Pop’s relationship with his players, particularly Timmy, is incredible,” Carlesimo said. “He was on Tony (Parker) a lot when Tony was young and that’s all people said: ‘All he does is scream at Tony.’ Well, he doesn’t. Tony really loves Pop and they have a great relationship, but it went from where it was maybe in the beginning where it bothered Tony to now where he’s accepting of it. So Pop can get away with it.”
Carlesimo says the perception that Popovich is continually screaming in his players faces is an exaggeration.
“People think he yells at his guys all the time. He doesn’t,” Carlesimo said. “But he doesn’t hesitate. When he wants to he will and he doesn’t worry about doing it tactfully or how it looks. If at some point they are not playing well in a game, he’ll be all over them, in their face as they’re walking off the court. But it’s Pop and the players know it and they’re accepting of it.”
It’s Popovich’s ability to be himself, scream till he’s red in the face if he wants to in the face of a player who has disappointed him and have the player readily accept it that sets Popovich apart from many of his contemporaries.
Carlesimo, who had head coach stints before and after his five years with Popovich, learned plenty from the man.
“He is the first to say when asked why he has won: ‘Robinson and Duncan,’ ” Carlesimo said. “Ask him now and he’ll say Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and the players understand that. He also is not afraid to coach. He says what he thinks and he’s very comfortable in his own skin. And he’s a better person than he is a coach. I don’t think he’s a good coach. I think he’s a great coach but he’s a better person and his relationship with his players is what defines this franchise.”
You get the impression, P.J. Carlesimo is perhaps the least surprised of anyone outside the Spurs organization that the team begins the second half of the season with a 35-6 record, easily the best in the NBA.
http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/mike_ganter/2011/01/19/16954511.html
The Pop and Timmy show (http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/mike_ganter/2011/01/19/16954511.html)
Former coach Carlesimo spills the secret to the Spurs’ success and how they can consistently win
By Mike Ganter, Toroto Sun
SAN ANTONIO — It it were a pop quiz — pardon the pun — P.J. Carlesimo could have aced it in his sleep.
The question is this: Why do the Spurs continue to win year after year, after year.
The answer begins with David Robinson, continues with Tim Duncan and ends with Gregg Popovich.
Granted, GM R.C. Buford is in there somewhere too, as are Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, but at its very heart, the success of the Spurs stems from the first three mentioned.
Carlesimo, now Jay Triano’s lead assistant in Toronto, spent five years under Popovich and had a front row seat for one of the most finely tuned machines in the NBA.
“Primarily it’s because of Timmy and 1A because of Pop,” Carlesimo said, pinpointing the reasons for the success when he was there.
“I’m prejudiced by I think (Popovich) has been the best coach in the league for a long time.
“He’s had two of the best players in the league and he’s had a lot of other good players with them but so have a lot of coaches who coach teams in the league.”
But ask Carlesimo the model for the blueprint and he believes it is Jerry Sloan’s early days in Utah.
“Pop will be very candid about it,” Carlesimo said. “He modelled it on Utah.”
Like Robinson and Duncan have done in San Antonio, Karl Malone and John Stockton set the example in Utah and, in Carlesimo’s words, “empowered Sloany for a lot of his years.
“It didn’t matter who you were but if you were a guy who didn’t practise hard, or showed up late or were a knucklehead, you would come to Utah and the first or second day you would see the way it was done,” Carlesimo said. “You would see the best players practising whether they were injured or not, working hard every day, getting criticized by Sloany and being accepting of it.”
And that’s exactly what has happened in San Antonio first with Robinson setting the example who passed the torch to Duncan.
Carlesimo can still remember during his time with Popovich watching guys with perceived bad reputations come into San Antonio and almost immediately fall in line.
“They could be here one day and they would see how hard Timmy worked,” Carlesimo said. “Tim would do something wrong, Pop would jump his ass, and you could see guys figure it out. ‘Oh, I guess that’s the way it is here’
“And that’s the end of your problems. When your best player practises hard, practises injured, plays hard, plays injured and wants and is accepting of criticism and coaching, end of the trouble.”
But what Carlesimo saw that perhaps outsiders don’t realize is that for all of Popovich’s reputation as a no-nonsense, my-way-or-the-highway approach, Popovich has the kind of reputation with his players that allows him to be that way and still have all the respect in the world from his players.
“Pop’s relationship with his players, particularly Timmy, is incredible,” Carlesimo said. “He was on Tony (Parker) a lot when Tony was young and that’s all people said: ‘All he does is scream at Tony.’ Well, he doesn’t. Tony really loves Pop and they have a great relationship, but it went from where it was maybe in the beginning where it bothered Tony to now where he’s accepting of it. So Pop can get away with it.”
Carlesimo says the perception that Popovich is continually screaming in his players faces is an exaggeration.
“People think he yells at his guys all the time. He doesn’t,” Carlesimo said. “But he doesn’t hesitate. When he wants to he will and he doesn’t worry about doing it tactfully or how it looks. If at some point they are not playing well in a game, he’ll be all over them, in their face as they’re walking off the court. But it’s Pop and the players know it and they’re accepting of it.”
It’s Popovich’s ability to be himself, scream till he’s red in the face if he wants to in the face of a player who has disappointed him and have the player readily accept it that sets Popovich apart from many of his contemporaries.
Carlesimo, who had head coach stints before and after his five years with Popovich, learned plenty from the man.
“He is the first to say when asked why he has won: ‘Robinson and Duncan,’ ” Carlesimo said. “Ask him now and he’ll say Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and the players understand that. He also is not afraid to coach. He says what he thinks and he’s very comfortable in his own skin. And he’s a better person than he is a coach. I don’t think he’s a good coach. I think he’s a great coach but he’s a better person and his relationship with his players is what defines this franchise.”
You get the impression, P.J. Carlesimo is perhaps the least surprised of anyone outside the Spurs organization that the team begins the second half of the season with a 35-6 record, easily the best in the NBA.
http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/mike_ganter/2011/01/19/16954511.html