Official Thread for head coaches you would prefer to have right now over Pop

[spurraider21]

Enlighten me.

[therealtruth]

Phil Jackson

[SA210]

Pop pre-2006?

[RD2191]

Serious question, do you think coach bud would of pulled duncan in game 6?

[spurraider21]

Phil Jackson

phil jackson is out of the league and has made it pretty clear he is not interested in being a head coach. try again.


Pop pre-2006?

Gregg Popovich. thread title makes it very clear


Serious question, do you think coach bud would of pulled duncan in game 6?

serious question, would you rather have Bud be our head coach or Pop

[RD2191]

I would rather have Bud.

[spurraider21]

1 vote for Budenholzer > Pop

any more brilliance we can have on this thread? anybody? SBM and SA210 where you at?

[HemisfairArena]

Tim Duncan as player/coach and be done with it. He wouldnt have pulled himself at the end of game 6 and he knows his limits as far as his body is concerned. Pop coddles him and it backfires all the time. Duncan wants to play...not be treated like an 85 year old woman trying to cross a busy street. Pop had to play Duncan heavy in this series and what does Duncan do? 20 and 14 in game 1...30 and 17 in game 6...24 and 12 in game 7. Does that sound like a guy who needs to rest all the time? Pop imposes his will whether it is right or not.

[silverblk mystix]

Phil Jackson

Doc Rivers

Any coach who would not bench his best players in critical moments of a NBA Finals game.

[apalisoc_9]

I hate pop as evidence with my previous post.

But Pop is a top 2 coach in the NBA. I'll take no one over pop

[spurraider21]

Phil Jackson

Doc Rivers

Any coach who would not bench his best players in critical moments of a NBA Finals game.

Phil Jackson is not coaching, and has made it clear he will not be coaching. might as well name red auerback and john wooden

[SA210]

Phil wouldn't have choked away Game 6 like Pop did, period.

[spurraider21]

Tally so far:

1 vote for Budenholzer
1 vote for Tim Duncan
1 vote for Doc

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

20/20 hindsight makes fools out of even Hall of Famers.

Pop has guided and developed this team superbly for 15 years, I stick with him as long as he wants to coach.

[silverblk mystix]

Phil Jackson is not coaching, and has made it clear he will not be coaching. might as well name red auerback and john wooden

Your question was asked and answered - then your popglasses got in the way again.

PJ could always change his mind. Doc Rivers is available.

[weeks]

Serious question, do you think coach bud would of pulled duncan in game 6?
No, he wouldn't have.

because the spurs would not have been in the finals.

PJ is a nice idea, but i don't think he's a better coach than pop, just more fortunate in his choice of teams.

[weeks]

i vote for any coach that can make players not miss easy shots. that's the coach we needed.

[RD2191]

At the end of the day, our achilles heel came back to bite us in the ass. We knew all season that rebounding was our major weakness. And what did pop do to fix it? Nothing. Now I know its not as simple and easy as i might think, but im sure there was some way baynes could of been worked into the rotation.

[spurraider21]

Your question was asked and answered - then your popglasses got in the way again.

PJ could always change his mind. Doc Rivers is available.

i'll accept doc as an answer. disagree, but i'll accept. PJ is no longer an NBA coach and has repeatedly expressed his desire to be in some sort of a front office role, not a head coaching gig

[HemisfairArena]

If you are asking what coaches could replace Pop... thats a catch 22 question. Pop has been outcoached by Lionel Hollins, then he outcoached Hollins. Pop has also been swept by Alvin Gentry as coach of the Suns. Out coached by Scott Brooks last year and probably again this year if Westbrook doesnt go down. And now outcoached by Eric Spoelstra. So what if someone says Eric Spoelstra? He has the Heat in three straight Finals appearances and it doesnt look like they are going anywhere for awhile. Doc Rivers? Championship pedigree. Lional Hollins? Here is a coach that has arguablly done the most with less. How do you trade a talent like Rudy Gay and get better? How about replacing Pop with a young guy like Vogel? Defensive minded and again..a guy who can get the most of his players. You can make an argument for quite a few of them. you gotta remember...Pop really hasnt won anything since 2007 and Duncan in his prime.

[Ditty]

Reggie Theus

[spurraider21]

If you are asking what coaches could replace Pop... thats a catch 22 question. Pop has been outcoached by Lionel Hollins, then he outcoached Hollins. Pop has also been swept by Alvin Gentry as coach of the Suns. Out coached by Scott Brooks last year and probably again this year if Westbrook doesnt go down. And now outcoached by Eric Spoelstra. So what if someone says Eric Spoelstra? He has the Heat in three straight Finals appearances and it doesnt look like they are going anywhere for awhile. Doc Rivers? Championship pedigree. Lional Hollins? Here is a coach that has arguablly done the most with less. How do you trade a talent like Rudy Gay and get better? How about replacing Pop with a young guy like Vogel? Defensive minded and again..a guy who can get the most of his players. You can make an argument for quite a few of them. you gotta remember...Pop really hasnt won anything since 2007 and Duncan in his prime.

i really asked a simple question. can you name current, active coaches you would prefer to have coaching the Spurs right now to Pop?

[dbreiden83080]

Really nobody...

I just wish he would have had a better game 6..

[HemisfairArena]

i really asked a simple question. can you name current, active coaches you would prefer to have coaching the Spurs right now to Pop?

I would take Tom Thibodeau in a heartbeat over Pop right now. What he has done with the Bulls is nothing short of coaching at its finest. How does that team lose its MVP and then basically half its team in the playoffs and still get to the 2nd round and challenge the Heat? I'd take Thibs...so cast me for that vote...and he a defensive minded MFer.

[PBEEZY]

No one, we have the best coach in the league.

[spurraider21]

I would take Tom Thibodeau in a heartbeat over Pop right now. What he has done with the Bulls is nothing short of coaching at its finest. How does that team lose its MVP and then basically half its team in the playoffs and still get to the 2nd round and challenge the Heat? I'd take Thibs...so cast me for that vote...and he a defensive minded MFer.

:tu thibs is amazing

[HI-FI]

I'd like Duncan as a player/coach alongside pop. I don't think any other coach could manage a team as mixed as this, but I also trust Duncan infinitely more in crunch time than pop or Parker.

[RD2191]

This years run seems amazing until you realize the pacers also beat the heat 3 times. Keep in mind they received almost nothing from their back court. Hill was garbage and p george wasn't that good. Pacers also had almost no 3 point threat against the heat.

[houston spurs fan]

Duncan trusts Pop like a father. Nothing said in the press conference but "we trust Pop" by all the guys. Hate on him all you want but no other coach could build that trust, it runs too deep.

[therealtruth]

So what happens when we choke again in a game 6 next year? Will Pop continue to get passes indefinitely? If he knows he's going to get a pass what's the incentive for him to improve?

[therealtruth]

I would take Tom Thibodeau in a heartbeat over Pop right now. What he has done with the Bulls is nothing short of coaching at its finest. How does that team lose its MVP and then basically half its team in the playoffs and still get to the 2nd round and challenge the Heat? I'd take Thibs...so cast me for that vote...and he a defensive minded MFer.

We pretty much lost because we couldn't play defense for 28 seconds after focusing on it all season. Usually if you're good enough to get to that position your defense is good enough to last for 28 sec. Really what's the point of focusing on defense all season when it's going to fail you when you need it the most.

People forget that PJ didn't simply win because of MJ. His teams played really good defense. After Jordan's last shot in '98 the Bulls still had to make one more defensive stop to win the game.

[houston spurs fan]

So what happens when we choke again in a game 6 next year? Will Pop continue to get passes indefinitely? If he knows he's going to get a pass what's the incentive for him to improve?
He didn't miss the two free throws. And even if he did, yes he has earned a free pass. Until Duncan retires nobody is coaching this team anyways it's really irrelevant.

[HemisfairArena]

We pretty much lost because we couldn't play defense for 28 seconds after focusing on it all season. Usually if you're good enough to get to that position your defense is good enough to last for 28 sec. Really what's the point of focusing on defense all season when it's going to fail you when you need it the most.

People forget that PJ didn't simply win because of MJ. His teams played really good defense. After Jordan's last shot in '98 the Bulls still had to make one more defensive stop to win the game.


We also had everything line up in our favor. Kobe went down and Westbrook went down. You gotta remember that too on the other side of the argument.

[spurraider21]

We also had everything line up in our favor. Kobe went down and Westbrook went down. You gotta remember that too on the other side of the argument.

the Lakers were never relevant

[RD2191]

Idc what anyone says. Pop never should of pulled Duncan. Lebrons 3 was made on his 2nd attempt and rays was also made after a miss. The point is to get a rebound after the shot is missed. So what does pop do? Pulls one of the greatest rebounders of all time. Fuk Pop.

[spurraider21]

Idc what anyone says. Pop never should of pulled Duncan. Lebrons 3 was made on his 2nd attempt and rays was also made after a miss. The point is to get a rebound after the shot is missed. So what does pop do? Pulls one of the greatest rebounders of all time. Fuk Pop.

wrong thread buddy. this thread isn't asking "is popovich a perfect coach that never made a mistake." It's also not asking "did pop mess up by pulling Duncan when up 3 like he always does."

besides, you already contributed enough to this thread, saying you think Mike Budenholzer is a head coach you'd rather have than Gregg Popovich. we thank you for that contribution

[exstatic]

Phil wouldn't have choked away Game 6 like Pop did, period.
Finals losses:
Pop 1
PJ 2

[SA210]

Finals losses:
Pop 1
PJ 2

And more wins lol. He wouldn't have choked Game 6 with 28 seconds left a few nights ago.

[hooperflash]

Nobody else really, I'm upset at Pop sometimes but not enough to replace him. That might be why R.C. has kept him around these past few seasons.

[HemisfairArena]

Nobody else really, I'm upset at Pop sometimes but not enough to replace him. That might be why R.C. has kept him around these past few seasons.


Say what? R.C. cant fire Pop...Pop can actually fire R.C.

[Juggity]

Doc Rivers


:lol


I would take Tom Thibodeau in a heartbeat over Pop right now. What he has done with the Bulls is nothing short of coaching at its finest. How does that team lose its MVP and then basically half its team in the playoffs and still get to the 2nd round and challenge the Heat? I'd take Thibs...so cast me for that vote...and he a defensive minded MFer.

Are familiar with the coaching strategy of Tom Thibodeau? As in, the strategy that calls for your best players to play 40 minutes a night, even in secured victories, and probably resulted in MVP-level Derrick Rose tearing an ACL and Luol Deng sustaining chronic injuries?

[exstatic]

Say what? R.C. cant fire Pop...Pop can actually fire R.C.

The lack of knowledge in this forum is astounding sometimes.

[HemisfairArena]

:lol



Are familiar with the coaching strategy of Tom Thibodeau? As in, the strategy that calls for your best players to play 40 minutes a night, even in secured victories, and probably resulted in MVP-level Derrick Rose tearing an ACL and Luol Deng sustaining chronic injuries?

So his playing them to much resulted in their injuries? All the top 5 players of All Time played heavy minutes...Magic...Jordan...Kareem...Bird..>Wilt...maybe their coach should have treated them like Pop and rested them.

[HemisfairArena]

The lack of knowledge in this forum is astounding sometimes.


You cant be that stupid. Pop is vice president of Spurs operations. Only guy higher is Peter Holt..the owner.. who is president of Spurs operations.

[hooperflash]

Say what? R.C. cant fire Pop...Pop can actually fire R.C.


The lack of knowledge in this forum is astounding sometimes.



I'm drunk, fire me. :toast

[TheGoldStandard]

As much as I hate some of Pops decisions he's a Spur for as long as he wants.

[HemisfairArena]

As much as I hate some of Pops decisions he's a Spur for as long as he wants.

Horrible philosophy. Just like saying Manu is a Spur for life...so we should give Manu a new contract at millions per year?

[TheGreatYacht]

With the way Pop and Manu handed the championship to the Heat, I think it's safe to say that Erik Spoelstra is the new successor to Pop. J/K. I'll always be mad at Pop for Game 6 but I think he's one of the best at developing young players and bringing out the best out of role players. Pop does so much with too little.

I think Pop's biggest downfall right now is that he falls in love with resting players that it carries over to crucial times like the NBA Finals. Game 6 was a close out game and a tittle clincher for the Spurs so why worry about resting players? IMO Parker and Duncan should have each played 40 minutes in regulation resting them both 1 minute before and 1 minute after every quarter especially with the commercials being 10 minutes long.

[TheGoldStandard]

Horrible philosophy. Just like saying Manu is a Spur for life...so we should give Manu a new contract at millions per year?

I don't see anyone else coming in and installing there style of ball here.. We have been doing things a certain way for a long time and aside from a few tweaks its pretty much the same core elements. Pop has the respect of each and every teammate, hard to get that from anyone else in the league right now.

[spurraider21]

Any coach who would not bench his best players in critical moments of a NBA Finals game.

ok so SBM prefers D'Antoni to Pop. anybody else?

[RD2191]

Pop lost game 6 when he started that shit lineup in the 4th quarter. Gave the Heat all the momentum. We swept the fukin grizz, had 9 days off, and this fuk is still resting players? Gtfo.

[chazley]

I would take Tom Thibodeau in a heartbeat over Pop right now. What he has done with the Bulls is nothing short of coaching at its finest. How does that team lose its MVP and then basically half its team in the playoffs and still get to the 2nd round and challenge the Heat? I'd take Thibs...so cast me for that vote...and he a defensive minded MFer.

Thibs is a GREAT defensive coach, but he got EXPOSED during the 2011 playoffs when all they did was iso Derrick Rose and Lebron dominated him. They had nothing else, despite having some good offensive pieces around Rose. Thibs is great at two things: defense and making his team play hard. But Pop can do both of those AND we've had the best offense 2-3 years running.

Everyone forgets just how bad Doc Rivers was on the Celtics prior to the Big Three coming in '08. He was horrible at player development (some would argue still is), and everyone in that city wanted him fired. They haven't been very good since Thibs left. Overrated in my book.

Phil Jackson or Pop. Would rather have Pop because of his familiarity with the franchise and the players love/respect him. Not gonna say one is better than the other.

Stop fucking complaining, we got the best coach in the league.

[spurraider21]

Idc what anyone says. Pop never should of pulled Duncan. Lebrons 3 was made on his 2nd attempt and rays was also made after a miss. The point is to get a rebound after the shot is missed. So what does pop do? Pulls one of the greatest rebounders of all time. Fuk Pop.


wrong thread buddy. this thread isn't asking "is popovich a perfect coach that never made a mistake." It's also not asking "did pop mess up by pulling Duncan when up 3 like he always does."

besides, you already contributed enough to this thread, saying you think Mike Budenholzer is a head coach you'd rather have than Gregg Popovich. we thank you for that contribution


Pop lost game 6 when he started that shit lineup in the 4th quarter. Gave the Heat all the momentum. We swept the fukin grizz, had 9 days off, and this fuk is still resting players? Gtfo.

as i said earlier, stick to the topic. this isn't a "rate how good coach Pop is" thread.

[ElNono]

Horrible philosophy. Just like saying Manu is a Spur for life...so we should give Manu a new contract at millions per year?

So what's the philosophy that's going to improve on 50 wins a season year after year, 4 championships and 5 NBA Finals for a small market team?

The Spurs made a core concept to have continuity. We had the wins back when Larry Brown and Bob Hill were coaching, but we also had nothing to show for it.

[HemisfairArena]

So what's the philosophy that's going to improve on 50 wins a season year after year, 4 championships and 5 NBA Finals for a small market team?

The Spurs made a core concept to have continuity. We had the wins back when Larry Brown and Bob Hill were coaching, but we also had nothing to show for it.


You really dont know the Spurs history do you? Popovich is a snake in the grass...he fired Bob Hill when David Robinson was coming back off injury so it made him look good. Popovich has always been an opportunist but Pop lovers lap it up. Give Larry Brown Tim Duncan and Larry Brown easily has 6 titles right now. Brown had a Piston team that beat the Lakers in the Finals and took us to 7 games...with no superstars...none.

[T Park]

And more wins lol. He wouldn't have choked Game 6 with 28 seconds left a few nights ago.


lol side step lol leaves out had the best basketball ever to play lol fail as always

[HemisfairArena]

Thibs is a GREAT defensive coach, but he got EXPOSED during the 2011 playoffs when all they did was iso Derrick Rose and Lebron dominated him. They had nothing else, despite having some good offensive pieces around Rose. Thibs is great at two things: defense and making his team play hard. But Pop can do both of those AND we've had the best offense 2-3 years running.

Everyone forgets just how bad Doc Rivers was on the Celtics prior to the Big Three coming in '08. He was horrible at player development (some would argue still is), and everyone in that city wanted him fired. They haven't been very good since Thibs left. Overrated in my book.

Phil Jackson or Pop. Would rather have Pop because of his familiarity with the franchise and the players love/respect him. Not gonna say one is better than the other.

Stop fucking complaining, we got the best coach in the league.



We dont have the best coach in the NBA...STFU!

[baseline bum]

Could you guys imagine how good the Heat would be with Pop and his offense? If the Spurs and Heat switched coaches the Spurs would have been lucky to go down in 5.

[spurraider21]

You really dont know the Spurs history do you? Popovich is a snake in the grass...he fired Bob Hill when David Robinson was coming back off injury so it made him look good. Popovich has always been an opportunist but Pop lovers lap it up. Give Larry Brown Tim Duncan and Larry Brown easily has 6 titles right now. Brown had a Piston team that beat the Lakers in the Finals and took us to 7 games...with no superstars...none.

Larry Brown was Pop's mentor and nobody will dispute he is a great coach. however, again, this isn't relevant to the question in the thread title, as Larry Brown is coaching college ball

[texmich]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3557/3305850088_d0dff78fd1.jpg A face that's just a lil cuter than Pops. Bet she woulda left Duncan in

[SA210]

I ate Pop

[ElNono]

You really dont know the Spurs history do you? Popovich is a snake in the grass...he fired Bob Hill when David Robinson was coming back off injury so it made him look good. Popovich has always been an opportunist but Pop lovers lap it up. Give Larry Brown Tim Duncan and Larry Brown easily has 6 titles right now. Brown had a Piston team that beat the Lakers in the Finals and took us to 7 games...with no superstars...none.

There's many versions of happened with Pop and Hill. One is the one you described. There was another version about a coup by Avery Johnson. But none of that matters. The Spurs didn't have Duncan then. Pop put his ass on the line regardless. Did he and the Spurs luck out? Sure.

I love Larry Brown, and think he's a great coach, but this is a guy that was flirting with other teams after winning an NBA Championship and while he was heading to his 2nd NBA Finals. The longest he's been with a franchise was 6 years, with Philly, and after that 4 years with Indiana and our Spurs. He can't stay in one place, it's been the big knock on his otherwise great career.

Even Phil Jackson missed the playoffs with prime Kobe. Star power matters, but you also need a solid cast around.

So what's the philosophy that's going to improve on 50 wins a season year after year, 4 championships and 5 NBA Finals for a small market team?

[ElNono]

Could you guys imagine how good the Heat would be with Pop and his offense? If the Spurs and Heat switched coaches the Spurs would have been lucky to go down in 5.

We don't get past GSW...

[spurraider21]

There's many versions of happened with Pop and Hill. One is the one you described. There was another version about a coup by Avery Johnson. But none of that matters. The Spurs didn't have Duncan then. Pop put his ass on the line regardless. Did he and the Spurs luck out? Sure.

I love Larry Brown, and think he's a great coach, but this is a guy that was flirting with other teams after winning an NBA Championship and while he was heading to his 2nd NBA Finals. The longest he's been with a franchise was 6 years, with Philly, and after that 4 years with Indiana and our Spurs. He can't stay in one place, it's been the big knock on his otherwise great career.

Even Phil Jackson missed the playoffs with prime Kobe. Star power matters, but you also need a solid cast around.

So what's the philosophy that's going to improve on 50 wins a season year after year, 4 championships and 5 NBA Finals for a small market team?

phil didn't miss the playoffs with kobe. that was Rudy T and Frank Hamblen in Phil's 1 year off after calling Kobe uncoachable :lol

[dallasmaverickslose]

How about Pat Riley? Red Auerbach? Phil Jackson? Screw it lets just have them all join forces to create the coaching version of superfriends.

[ElNono]

phil didn't miss the playoffs with kobe. that was Rudy T and Frank Hamblen in Phil's 1 year off after calling Kobe uncoachable :lol

oh that's right... Phil actually lost back to back to the D'Antoni Suns in the first round after posting 45-37 and 42-40 records... the famed "Kobe quit" game in there somewhere...

[texmich]

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/1113/pg2_a_hodges_sy_200.jpg This guy looks pretty cool

[spurraider21]

oh that's right... Phil actually lost back to back to the D'Antoni Suns in the first round after posting 45-37 and 42-40 records... the famed "Kobe quit" game in there somewhere...

yep. phil "managing egos" jackson at his best :rollin

[baseline bum]

You know, I'm not sure Phil Jackson takes this roster as far as Pop did. All but one of his Finals trips he had an overwhelming talent advantage over his opponent, and in the one he didn't (2008) he still had prime Kobe and prime Gasol. So with that said, I can't think of a single coach in the history of the league I would have wanted taking Pop's place on the sideline this season and playoffs.

[Seefourdc]

You know, I'm not sure Phil Jackson takes this roster as far as Pop did. All but one of his Finals trips he had an overwhelming talent advantage over his opponent, and in the one he didn't (2008) he still had prime Kobe and prime Gasol. So with that said, I can't think of a single coach in the history of the league I would have wanted taking Pop's place on the sideline this season and playoffs.

Did it ever occur to you that the reason those players became what they were had something to do with the coach teaching them how to play the game? Most especially the role players around the stars who always seemed to come up big down the wire. Kerr? Paxson? Fisher 0.4 anyone?

You act like any team has won a finals without a plethora of talent, but it's just not true at all. It's been a superstar league for 30 years now and you can't compete without having 2 absolutely superb players on a team and a coach who can put those guys together with the role players to get the most out of them. Phil Jackson is the best coach out there.

Maybe you guys are just too close to the action, but Poppovich isn't a great in game coach. It's his major weakness. He doesn't pay much attention to the match ups, or how people are playing when the other team changes up the matchups. He let Danny Green go 2/19 while being pushed into embarrassing ball handling situations when he wasn't missing shots due to obvious adjustments by the Heat. He put game 7 when it was still in reach in Turnobli's hands which led to what seemed inevitable at that point in the series if you let Ginobli handle the ball.

Pop is one of the best at coaching players up and having them mentally/emotionally ready for any situation, but his in game coaching is stubborn to the point of self destruction.

[TheGreatYacht]

Did it ever occur to you that the reason those players became what they were had something to do with the coach teaching them how to play the game? Most especially the role players around the stars who always seemed to come up big down the wire. Kerr? Paxson? Fisher 0.4 anyone?

You act like any team has won a finals without a plethora of talent, but it's just not true at all. It's been a superstar league for 30 years now and you can't compete without having 2 absolutely superb players on a team and a coach who can put those guys together with the role players to get the most out of them. Phil Jackson is the best coach out there.

Maybe you guys are just too close to the action, but Poppovich isn't a great in game coach. It's his major weakness. He doesn't pay much attention to the match ups, or how people are playing when the other team changes up the matchups. He let Danny Green go 2/19 while being pushed into embarrassing ball handling situations when he wasn't missing shots due to obvious adjustments by the Heat. He put game 7 when it was still in reach in Turnobli's hands which led to what seemed inevitable at that point in the series if you let Ginobli handle the ball.

Pop is one of the best at coaching players up and having them mentally/emotionally ready for any situation, but his in game coaching is stubborn to the point of self destruction.Wow :wow. Can't argue with you. Well said. I wish Pop would read this so that he can work on his weaknesses as a coach. Of course the man is stubborn and thinks he is smarter than God so that will never happen.

[baseline bum]

Did it ever occur to you that the reason those players became what they were had something to do with the coach teaching them how to play the game? Most especially the role players around the stars who always seemed to come up big down the wire. Kerr? Paxson? Fisher 0.4 anyone?

You act like any team has won a finals without a plethora of talent, but it's just not true at all. It's been a superstar league for 30 years now and you can't compete without having 2 absolutely superb players on a team and a coach who can put those guys together with the role players to get the most out of them. Phil Jackson is the best coach out there.

Maybe you guys are just too close to the action, but Poppovich isn't a great in game coach. It's his major weakness. He doesn't pay much attention to the match ups, or how people are playing when the other team changes up the matchups. He let Danny Green go 2/19 while being pushed into embarrassing ball handling situations when he wasn't missing shots due to obvious adjustments by the Heat. He put game 7 when it was still in reach in Turnobli's hands which led to what seemed inevitable at that point in the series if you let Ginobli handle the ball.

Pop is one of the best at coaching players up and having them mentally/emotionally ready for any situation, but his in game coaching is stubborn to the point of self destruction.

He put Game 7 in Ginobili's hands because he was his only option with Parker ineffective and gassed from the hamstring injury. He didn't pull Green because Green is still a pretty good defensive player and Neal wasn't hitting his shots anyways (that banked three he hit was pure luck).

[ElNono]

This turned into a Phil vs Pop shitfest quick... :lol

I personally always rank Phil over Pop. The original point was that even the great Phil with a HoF superstar in his prime shat the bed, more than once and on the biggest market.

IMO, there's no automatics. There's no "Larry Brown with Duncan wins 6 ships". I like Larry, and if I had to pick a coach to replace Pop, it would probably be him.

Tim is a once in a lifetime talent. But Pop should also be credited for creating and sustaining a championship-caliber surrounding cast. And that's tough, especially on a small market with a limited budget.

[spurraider21]

Phil isn't currently coaching in the NBA and this entire summer has been nonstop reiterating the point that he does not want to be an NBA coach, but rather wants to be in a front office or "consulting role." So we can rule Phil Jackson out of this discussion. The purpose of this thread is to cater to those who have been talking about how Pop has screwed us out of this (if not several) championship. My question is, who would you replace him with? What NBA head coach would you prefer to take Pop's place if he was hypothetically fired. Phil isn't an NBA coach at the moment and thus isn't a replacement option.

So far the replacement options I have seen are:
-Doc Rivers
-Tom Thibodeau
-Mike Budenholzer
-Any coach that won't bench their star players late, ie Mike D'Antoni, Mike Brown, Tyler Corbin, Keith Smart, Spoelstra, Del Negro, etc

[baseline bum]

You really dont know the Spurs history do you? Popovich is a snake in the grass...he fired Bob Hill when David Robinson was coming back off injury so it made him look good. Popovich has always been an opportunist but Pop lovers lap it up. Give Larry Brown Tim Duncan and Larry Brown easily has 6 titles right now. Brown had a Piston team that beat the Lakers in the Finals and took us to 7 games...with no superstars...none.

LOL, I remember when Larry Brown was given David Robinson and lost in 4 to a 7-seed. Srs question... are you Rev Hill or Dave Nukem from the old WOAI or Spursreport boards? LOL anyone taking Bob Hill's side over Pop's.

[mosdef17]

Nobody.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Red Auerbach?

John Wooden?

offseason has officially started here at ST.

[spurraider21]

Red Auerbach?

John Wooden?

offseason has officially started here at ST.

i made it fairly clear that i am only asking for active head coaches (or actually possible replacements). there was those on this forum who seem to want to execute a coup and replace pop, so i asked them to humor me by naming possible replacements.

[moisaenz]

HAHA everyone praising pop when he benched Tiago for Tim in the GSW series,then turnaround and blame him for benching Tim. Tim trusted POp and the team to do it while on the bench and didn't deliver. This is the same trust that got the Spurs to the finals without it might have lost to the Warriors.

[TheGreatYacht]

HAHA everyone praising pop when he benched Tiago for Tim in the GSW series,then turnaround and blame him for benching Tim. Tim trusted POp and the team to do it while on the bench and didn't deliver. This is the same trust that got the Spurs to the finals without it might have lost to the Warriors.Pop benched Timmy both times for different reasons. Against the GSW, Pop benched Duncan because he was having difficult time guarding the pick n rolls and also because he was having a an off night defensively.

Against the Heat, Pop benched Duncan because of pure stupidity. Pop opted to put in Diaw because he was scared that Duncan would allow Chris Bosh to make an open three point shot. LOL @ the Bostrich. The guy was 0-5 in Game 7. Christina Bostrich is soft.

[chapnis]

Pop benched Timmy both times for different reasons. Against the GSW, Pop benched Duncan because he was having difficult time guarding the pick n rolls and also because he was having a an off night defensively.

Against the Heat, Pop benched Duncan because of pure stupidity. Pop opted to put in Diaw because he was scared that Duncan would allow Chris Bosh to make an open three point shot. LOL @ the Bostrich. The guy was 0-5 in Game 7. Christina Bostrich is soft.

It wasn't that stupid. Pop put a lineup on the floor so that they could switch everything, which is a common tactic.

[mudyez]

FVUCK IT!

I live with Pop, I'll die with Pop!

Props to a guy like Thibs, but I'd not trade Pop for anybody! (or if so, only because Pop might retire in 2 years)

[Seefourdc]

Phil Jackson never wants to coach until he gets the right call. He spent last year saying he didn't want to coach and then told the Lakers he was ready to sit down to work out the details. You have to take Phil saying he doesn't want to with a grain of salt.

[blkroadrunners]

I would take Tom Thibodeau in a heartbeat over Pop right now. What he has done with the Bulls is nothing short of coaching at its finest. How does that team lose its MVP and then basically half its team in the playoffs and still get to the 2nd round and challenge the Heat? I'd take Thibs...so cast me for that vote...and he a defensive minded MFer.

I would only take Thibs if the Spurs had a younger core of the players. He's a great systems coach with an elite defensive scheme, but his clock management with his players are horrendous.

The only others I can think of would probably be Rivers, and maybe Bud or Karl.

[temujin]

A great deal of people here would deserve a good dose of Vinnie Del negro.

[spurraider21]

A great deal of people here would deserve a good dose of Vinnie Del negro.

"at least he wouldn't bench his stars late in games" :cry

:lmao

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/gregg-popovich-looking-sad.jpg

[LongtimeSpursFan]

"at least he wouldn't bench his stars late in games" :cry

:lmao
Del Negro couldn't get his team past the first round despite superior talent. I highly doubt that Del Negro could have done the many things Pop did during the season to get his team to a number two seed in WCF and reach NBA Finals (despite numerous injuries). Pop was great in managing minutes, reincorporating defensive philosophy, developing players, cultivating a system both offensively and defensively, and getting the best out of his role players despite shortcomings.
If your mentality is to fire Pop because he substitutes his 37 year old center when the other team resorts to small ball with Lebron as the only big surrounded by SF and guards or when the other team has no timeouts and must advance the ball full court after a free throw attempt and is down by three points with 19 seconds then you really have no idea of what it takes to coach a basketball team.

[spurraider21]

Del Negro couldn't get his team past the first round despite superior talent. I highly doubt that Del Negro could have done the many things Pop did during the season to get his team to a number two seed in WCF and reach NBA Finals (despite numerous injuries). Pop was great in managing minutes, reincorporating defensive philosophy, developing players, cultivating a system both offensively and defensively, and getting the best out of his role players despite shortcomings.
If your mentality is to fire Pop because he substitutes his 37 year old center when the other team resorts to small ball with Lebron as the only big surrounded by SF and guards or when the other team has no timeouts and must advance the ball full court after a free throw attempt and is down by three points with 19 seconds then you really have no idea of what it takes to coach a basketball team.

if you've read my posts on this thread you'd know i'm being totally sarcastic. i agree completely with your sentiments on Pop/Del Negro

[terzappi]

Pop. And after him, Ettore Messina.

[George Gervin's Afro]

not one

[Proxy]

none from any time

[hsxvvd]

It's this type of fan pressure that makes weaker managed teams make stupid decisions about coaching.

[purist]

Moronic thread, as customary. Dumbshit spurs talkers who still live at home with momma

[Agloco]

This turned into a Phil vs Pop shitfest quick... :lol

That doesn't surprise you does it? It's where this thread was headed all along, despite some smoke and mirrors along the way.

[LakerHater]

I dont think any fuckin Coach woulda pulled Tim with 28 secs!!

[SA210]

:lol benched Duncan

[spurraider21]

Moronic thread, as customary. Dumbshit spurs talkers who still live at home with momma

if you look at OP i was being sarcastic, and this is meant to call out the one's calling for Pop's head, most of whom can't come up with any good alternatives.

[silverblk mystix]

I am a Popsucker /thread.

[therealtruth]

I don't think we've given enough credit to Spoelstra for outcoaching Pop. The Miller adjustment was the kind of stuff that wins playoff series. It forced Pop to abandon his defense. It was that defense that even had the Spurs in that position. Spoelstra gets his guys to foul Leonard at the end of game 6 which is who you would want to foul in that situation. Then he uses a lineup that forced Pop to pull his best rebounder. I don't know how Pop expected to get that rebound when their 3pt lineup has better rebounders than our switching lineup. I think even if Pop didn't to use TD because he was too slow he could have gone with Tiago who's fast enough to switch and still bother the shot.

[ElNono]

I don't think we've given enough credit to Spoelstra for outcoaching Pop. The Miller adjustment was the kind of stuff that wins playoff series. It forced Pop to abandon his defense. It was that defense that even had the Spurs in that position. Spoelstra gets his guys to foul Leonard at the end of game 6 which is who you would want to foul in that situation. Then he uses a lineup that forced Pop to pull his best rebounder. I don't know how Pop expected to get that rebound when their 3pt lineup has better rebounders than our switching lineup. I think even if Pop didn't to use TD because he was too slow he could have gone with Tiago who's fast enough to switch and still bother the shot.

We were one missed shot/rebound away from ":lol phillibeaner, beat by the underdog"... obviously, everything is second-guessed now. To me, getting outcoached is when you lose with the better talent. I don't think the Spurs were in that position when walking into that series.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

The entitlement of most Spurs fans is unreal. Be happy with what we have. We are a small market thriving in a star based league that loves big markets.

[purist]

if you look at OP i was being sarcastic, and this is meant to call out the one's calling for Pop's head, most of whom can't come up with any good alternatives.

I get that but all it does is fuel the same old stupid shit posts from dumbasses. I'm pissed because just when the rest of the world opened their eyes to what truly special a circumstance we have here in sa, the same old haters gotta bitch as usual

[spurraider21]

I get that but all it does is fuel the same old stupid shit posts from dumbasses. I'm pissed because just when the rest of the world opened their eyes to what truly special a circumstance we have here in sa, the same old haters gotta bitch as usual

i know. instead of the same old "fire pop" stuff i kept hearing that was pissing me off i opened this thread to hear alternatives, instead of just tireless pop-bitching

[And1Mak]

Fabreezy. Sloan. Shaw. Plenty more, i would need to interview them to see which would be the best fit.A
common theme is all these guys would be more hungry. pop aint hungry. he's fat and stuffed and just watching that 401k grow and enjoying his free hotel continental breakfasts and whatnot. his legacy is cemented. he's not gonna catch up to phil jackson, aurbach, etc. he's got nothin to fight for. fabreezy's hunger is an abyss.

[Clipper Nation]

"at least he wouldn't bench his stars late in games" :cry

:lmao

:lol Instead, he'd keep Duncan in the game playing heavy minutes, but he would get no touches in the 4th while Parker and Manu take turns iso-ing and bricking on every possession.....

[Kidd K]

Doc Rivers is an overrated coach. The guy never posted a season with a win% higher than .549 until Boston brought their big 3 together by breaking the bank for them to artificially create a winnable situation. He was already in Boston for 3 years and the team got worse EVERY YEAR until they got KG. . .then suddenly they win the title immediately.

Following true to his trend, the Celtics again got worse every single season (except one, 2010-2011). Now he's leaving to Clippers.

It ain't like this dude has had a lack of talent either. He had T-Mac in Orlando and could barely crack .500. Had a super team in Boston and only won one title despite being in crappy conference and defaulting into the Finals for 3 straight years. Fails to get back to Finals as soon as teams in east get any good (Heat with LBJ, Bulls with super Rose)

Doc's lifetime win%: .554%

Pop's lifetime Win%: .681% (.703 if you exclude the tank year)

Doc's number of wins above .500: +57 (1,060 games coached)

Pop's number of wins above .500: +241 (1,328 games coached. +271 if you exclude the tank year)


There's no way I would take him over Popovich. In fact, I usually cringe when I hear this guy's name mentioned next to Pop's and Riley's and Phil Jackson's. He's not in their league AT ALL.

[T Park]

SA210 has yet to answer the question, but goes for the lowest common denominator.

Typical troglodyte dumbfuck thinking.

[And1Mak]

Doc Rivers is an overrated coach. The guy never posted a season with a win% higher than .549 until Boston brought their big 3 together by breaking the bank for them to artificially create a winnable situation. He was already in Boston for 3 years and the team got worse EVERY YEAR until they got KG. . .then suddenly they win the title immediately.

Following true to his trend, the Celtics again got worse every single season (except one, 2010-2011). Now he's leaving to Clippers.

It ain't like this dude has had a lack of talent either. He had T-Mac in Orlando and could barely crack .500. Had a super team in Boston and only won one title despite being in crappy conference and defaulting into the Finals for 3 straight years. Fails to get back to Finals as soon as teams in east get any good (Heat with LBJ, Bulls with super Rose)

Doc's lifetime win%: .554%

Pop's lifetime Win%: .681% (.703 if you exclude the tank year)

Doc's number of wins above .500: +57 (1,060 games coached)

Pop's number of wins above .500: +241 (1,328 games coached. +271 if you exclude the tank year)


There's no way I would take him over Popovich. In fact, I usually cringe when I hear this guy's name mentioned next to Pop's and Riley's and Phil Jackson's. He's not in their league AT ALL.

what's pop soda's % without a HOF on the roster tbh

[ThaBigFundamental21]

Thibs is good. Better than Pop? No. But right now he is a better motivator IMO. I'm not saying pop isn't a good motivator, look where he got us. But Thibs is getting a lot out of even less. I have always said Pop gets more out of less than any coach in the NBA, and he does. He has had some garbage on the team. Now look at Thibs this past year. Exactly. No Rose, not many games from Deng, and a few other guys missing. Still won the 1st RD? And still gave the Heat trouble. 5 games, but not an easy 5 game series. I would say Thibs got even more out of less than Pop. But I would still take Pop. But if Pop retired, and Thibs was there, that would be my guy.

[ThaBigFundamental21]

Doc Rivers is an overrated coach. The guy never posted a season with a win% higher than .549 until Boston brought their big 3 together by breaking the bank for them to artificially create a winnable situation. He was already in Boston for 3 years and the team got worse EVERY YEAR until they got KG. . .then suddenly they win the title immediately.

Following true to his trend, the Celtics again got worse every single season (except one, 2010-2011). Now he's leaving to Clippers.

It ain't like this dude has had a lack of talent either. He had T-Mac in Orlando and could barely crack .500. Had a super team in Boston and only won one title despite being in crappy conference and defaulting into the Finals for 3 straight years. Fails to get back to Finals as soon as teams in east get any good (Heat with LBJ, Bulls with super Rose)

Doc's lifetime win%: .554%

Pop's lifetime Win%: .681% (.703 if you exclude the tank year)

Doc's number of wins above .500: +57 (1,060 games coached)

Pop's number of wins above .500: +241 (1,328 games coached. +271 if you exclude the tank year)


There's no way I would take him over Popovich. In fact, I usually cringe when I hear this guy's name mentioned next to Pop's and Riley's and Phil Jackson's. He's not in their league AT ALL.

Honestly I kinda agree. Your post cemented that lol. I sometimes think Rivers is a good coach, then in the back of my mind I think, wasn't he in Orlando when they started the season like 1-100 and got fired? Lol.

[ThaBigFundamental21]

:lol Instead, he'd keep Duncan in the game playing heavy minutes, but he would get no touches in the 4th while Parker and Manu take turns iso-ing and bricking on every possession.....

I never understood how Timmy could get 25 in the first half, then all of a sudden not get the ball anymore. Instead Tony Parker and Manu keep shooting and missing. Tony refuses to pass the ball, Manu starts passing, to the wrong team. Fuckin mind boggling. Give the guy with the hot hand the fuckin ball. God dammit.

[SA210]

I ate Pop

[Clipper Nation]

Honestly I kinda agree. Your post cemented that lol. I sometimes think Rivers is a good coach, then in the back of my mind I think, wasn't he in Orlando when they started the season like 1-100 and got fired? Lol.

He was also in Orlando when he led a Bobcats-level team to .500 and almost the playoffs, winning Coach of the Year in the process.... seriously, that team's starting lineup was Darrell Armstrong, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Monty Williams, Bo Outlaw, and John Amaechi :lol

[ElNono]

Doc Rivers is a rah rah guy, tbh... his best years coincided with Thibs being his assistant coach, which is no coincidence at all...

[spurspokesman]

Pop is my choice. But..... He is a great coach that makes not so great decisions at not so great times.

[Blake]

Give Larry Brown Tim Duncan and Larry Brown easily has 6 titles right now. Brown had a Piston team that beat the Lakers in the Finals and took us to 7 games...with no superstars...none.

Larry Brown has made "questionable" in game decisions too.


The Spurs rallied, but another bad pass did them in.

San Antonio had cut Portland's lead to 108-105 with five seconds left when seldom-used Reggie Williams' inbounds pass was intercepted by Porter to preserve the victory for Portland, which will play host to the Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Monday night.After the buzzer, Porter celebrated the Trail Blazers' first trip to the conference finals since 1977 by making a bad pass of his own--into the stands.

It took seven games and another overtime period for the Spurs' inexperience to surface a final time and for Portland's poise to take control for good. When Larry Brown, the Spurs' coach, said: "I'm proud of my \o7 kids\f7 ," he may have hit on precisely why San Antonio lost the series.*

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-05-20/sports/sp-219_1_western-conference-finals

This loss left the worst taste in my mouth of any game I've ever seen, fwiw.

[Obstructed_View]

Apparently, every coach in Europe. I'm not sure why it's such a big deal to wish that your coach would play his best players in crunch-time of a title-clinching game or to consider fouling when you're up three and have the best free-throw shooting squad in franchise history.

[Baam]

The hilarious thing is how big the cult of Pop is and how spursfans were laughing at coaches like Brooks last year or Jackson and Spoelstra this year only to eat crow year after year. Hey any coach looks good with great players, Pop is a good mentor and all but he's not a great coach to me, very rigid, bad at in-game adjustments and so on.

[Brazil]

Doc Rivers :lol overated
Thib doesn't know how to manage the minutes of his players, his players don't seem to respect him (see cleared since 2 months refusing to play)... so no
Bud is a disciple of Pop so I prefer the mentor than the jedi plus he is not tested yet
Tim player/coach ? the fuck ? a lot of this board complains he is not enough vocal. overall don't think the player coach experience has been very successful over the years
PJ ? PJ is surely one of the greatest coach of all time but his stuff is triangle. Spurs are gonna change their all philosophy ? gonna take a bit of time and we are running out of it


Pop lead a heavy aged big 3 and a 70 MUSD roster to the finals playing 7 games against one the toughest team in years and guys want to get ride of him :lmao

[Brazil]

fools

[Kidd K]

Doc Rivers is a rah rah guy, tbh... his best years coincided with Thibs being his assistant coach, which is no coincidence at all...

Yep. Thibedeau is better than Doc Rivers. Thibs has no mind for offense. . .at all. But he's better.

That's a good point though, if you look at Doc's record without Thibs, it's not that impressive. It's just a little above average.

[superbigtime]

let me ask a question. why are there so many mental midgets on the spurs teams year after year? manu, green, neal, bonner, heck throw in RJ, Mason. Doesn't the coach have some culpability here? Or is it just bad luck. Spurs make a lot of lemonade with d leaguers, but it's not an issue of talent. These guys are all soft in the head.

[ElNono]

I'm more concerned about the fairweather fans, tbh....





I think this might finally be Bonner's postseason to not suck. He's not going to play A+ ball, but a B or B- is going to be reality. Bonner has a little mojo working... Hopefully the time off won't make it disappear.


Manu is the man.


I am a Neal fan (or was) ...


Signature win. I just knew Manu was getting that last shot. AT&T was going nuts.


I'd be surprised if Spurs get out of first round. They turn into vaginas in the playoffs, bunch of dickless softies with no confidence. Painful to witness. I'm renewing my season tix anyway.


Ginobili = My idol


Manu makes all other players, even superstars, seem ordinary and conventional.

[superbigtime]

Quotes taken out of context, so what. I can bitch and I can brag, this is still my team. Manu's flashes of brilliance from time to time get me excited, he's still a hero of mine. but even heros need to retire. That quote about Bonner, ouch, yeah i'd like to take that one back for sure. I said Bonner and mojo in the same sentence?

[ElNono]

:lol to be fair, this season had a lot of high and lows, so it's all good... I'm expecting a similar offseason...