Gregg Popovich: The Bully

[myhc]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11002919

Conversation between 2 of espn's best about why pop is such a meany to reporters.

:rollin:rollin

[jARS mEsH sEt]

Pop's game 4 press conference wasn't even mean :lmao

His game 5 press conference is a different animal :rollin

[BillMc]

Pop's schtick can go a little far, especially after a loss, but so what? The defense that these sports journalists are professionals not amateurs and should be treated professionally by Pop falls by wayside when you hear some of these dumb questions.

[Jenks]

First of all, this Elhassan pick:
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2013/matchup/_/teams/spurs-lakers

Secondly, he goes on a little rant about how the big mean reporters in NY would never put up with Pop and they'd bully him back. That's the most ignorant, retarded thing I've ever read. Bill Parcels was a hell of a lot meaner than Pop and he did more than fine in NY.

[Seventyniner]

First of all, this Elhassan pick:
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2013/matchup/_/teams/spurs-lakers

How did I miss that? Who in their right mind would have picked the Lakers last year? :lol

[SnakeBoy]

I can't get over them saying these sports reporters are professionals. I mean seriously this dude gets his chance to ask a question but he can't keep himself from stuffing a sandwich in his mouth. And then there was that chick who asked two dumb questions and Pop answered by just saying "turnovers" so she started crying...cause that's what professionals do right?

[soxxx]

First of all, this Elhassan pick:
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2013/matchup/_/teams/spurs-lakers

Secondly, he goes on a little rant about how the big mean reporters in NY would never put up with Pop and they'd bully him back. That's the most ignorant, retarded thing I've ever read. Bill Parcels was a hell of a lot meaner than Pop and he did more than fine in NY.They wouldnt, they would write so much garbage about Pop it would be ridiculous. It would have been very difficult for the Spurs to operate the way they do in NY because fans/media would want the whole operation blown up after every season. In 2010 Tom Coughlin was getting killed and everyone was trying to get him fired, the Giants held onto him and of course won the Super Bowl. But they were getting killed in the media when they said he would be back for 2011.

[philldafunk]

I don't think Pop would do the interviews if he wasn't contractually obligated to do so. That been said, since he's forced to deal with them, he does try to make them as unpleasant as possible.

Sometimes after losses in the presser he seems like he's just being a dick though.

[weebo]

Where in a coach's contract does it state they have to be nice to reporters during interviews, especially after loses? If you're a reporter and you're afraid Pop is going to tear you a new one in front of the entire world, then don't ask anything.

[poop]

Seems like a dick in real life imo.

[ginobilized]

Pop doesn't want to share his strategy. I support that 100%. He is willing to appear as a jerk in order to protect the team and organization.
I think the teacher persona of Pop doesn't suffer fools easily. He's like the Bob Dylan of coaching interviews.

[heyheymymy]

pop isn't so bad, he already doesn't want to do press availability so he has little patience to begin with and expects decent questions asked without food in the reporters mouth.

he's and air force guy, it's that kind of edge and it's just how he is.

[gameFACE]

Don't be fooled. Pop loves the attention.

[slick'81]

Some of those questions are just ridiculous

[313]

I've never heard a reporter ask a Pop a quality, basketball question. Ever.

I can't believe they get paid to ask Pop stupid questions and sit in on games.

[313]

And the basketball questions they do ask, are ridiculous like, "What's your game plan for game 6? While you're at it, you might as well tell us your social security number too."

I imagine they make troll faces after every question.

[313]

I remember during the Mavs series, they asked Carlisle a question about his switching defense and he flat out said "I'm not going to tell you guys my strategy"

[jARS mEsH sEt]

I've never heard a reporter ask a Pop a quality, basketball question. Ever.

I can't believe they get paid to ask Pop stupid questions and sit in on games.

Frankly speaking "quality questions" don't exist. 99% of the questions reporters ask are either completely stupid or completely inappropriate and it's not their fault. There isn't anything really intellectual or insightful about the game of basketball other than X's and O's, but X's and O's questions are off limits for obvious reasons. You can't ask strategic questions to coaches because they don't want to give away their game plan. Beyond that, there isn't really anything intelligent you can ask about the game of basketball. Sometimes people play well, sometimes people play poorly. Sometimes opposing teams hit contested jumpers. Sometimes they miss wide open shots. Winning and losing games is always a combination of a thousand different variables on the court that no one person can possibly analyze intelligibly.

The question about the Pop/Duncan scuffle is certainly interesting, but you have to realize that Pop doesn't like dwelling on insignificant scuffles he may or may not have with his hall of fame players (or any player, for that matter). It was obvious to anyone watching the game - Pop was unhappy with Duncan's position on the court for a play because Duncan hesitated and fooled Danny into thinking he was going to jump to the top of the 3 point line to initiate a set, leading to the Danny turnover. Pop was mad at Duncan. Duncan was mad at both Pop and Green. It happens, and Pop doesn't like dwelling on that. A proper and complete answer to that question would've:

1) given away X's and O's (somewhat)

and

2) needlessly fostered ill will (however slight and insignificant) between Pop and Duncan

It's like seeing a celebrity couple arguing publicly from afar and then asking one of them "What exactly was the argument with your wife about?" It's a little tactless.

[hater]

he probably know its his last or next to last serious playoff series. :tu props to the old fuck IMO

[jARS mEsH sEt]

It boggles my mind that reporters think the following types of questions are in the least bit interesting or insightful:

"So Pop, you guys won by 35 tonight. Was that more a result of you guys clicking on offense or more a result of Leonard and Green slowing down Westbrook and Durant on defense?"

"It's a combination of both" :pop:

It not even a cop out answer. It's just a stupid, contrived, uninteresting question.

"Kevin Durant struggled tonight going 10-25 from the field. Was that a result of Leonard's amazing defense or did Kevin just have an off night"

"It's a combination of both" :pop:

I'd love for Pop to give a sarcastic answer to that question one of these days. "Using the special basketball calculus that only coaches are privy to I determined that it was 43.67% Leonard's defense and (100-43.67)% Durant's struggles on offense that contributed to his overall poor shooting night."

Honestly what the hell are they looking for? It's a stupid fucking question and questions like this get asked all the time.

[jARS mEsH sEt]

"Looks like Green shut down Kevin Durant tonight. What allowed him to do that?"

"You never shut down a superstar like Kevin Durant. You just do the best you can and make it as difficult as possible for him, but you'll never totally shut any one player down" :pop:

How many fucking times has this same question been asked? The answer is always the fucking same.

[eyeh8u]

my all time favorite is when they just say "talk about ....."

[benefactor]

GOAT media troll, tbh.

[jARS mEsH sEt]

my all time favorite is when they just say "talk about ....."


Reporter: "Tonight Duncan had 35 points and 17 rebounds which is just unbelievable given that he's 38 and in the twilight of his career."

"Is there a question in there?" :pop:

Reporter: "Just talk about the night Duncan gave you and how amazed you are by how he performs even at this stage of his career"

"Well Timmy's always been the foundation of what we do it starts and ends with him blah blah blah blah blahbity blah blah" :pop:

Same..fucking..questions. The answers are not going to change. There's like 7 or 8 different categories of questions the reporters can ask.

1) Hall of famer in his twilight has hall of fame performance. Talk about it.

2) Blowout occurs. Was it more team X's offense or team Y's defense?

3) Superstar struggles. Was it more superstar's struggles on offense or player's defense?

4) Similarities pop up between a current series and past series. "How much can you draw from that experience?"

5) Young, athletic, "raw" team faces older, unathletic, experienced team. "How much does experience play a part in this win?" "How helpful is it to have such longstanding continuity with your core big 3?"

Same fucking questions over and over again that everyone already knows the answers to.

What am I missing?

[Malice]

I'd love to have a drink with Pop tbh. I think he comes off as a dick to these people only because he's an alpha, and most of the people in the press room are beta...

[DFLORY]

Seems like a dick in real life imo.

** 1997 It was Duncan's rookie year, Robinson's coming off an injury and Pop is a young coach. I'm a 25 year old kid working at WOAI and The Ticket, my job description included having access to the Spurs and to Pop. Over my years at WOAi what sticks the most is how nice of a guy Pop was. When it came to the sports media elite I was the equivalent of the guy parking your car, but whenever I ran across Pop he went out of his way to say hello and always remembered my name. The image the rest of America is seeing is not who the man is and thats evident in the relationships he has with his players. On a whole the media are complete idiots and i think Pop has an obligation to point this out to them. Sometimes his delivery sucks and i think he gets a bad rap for it but over all its funny as shit.

[jARS mEsH sEt]

I'd love to have a drink with Pop tbh. I think he comes off as a dick to these people only because he's an alpha, and most of the people in the press room are beta...

With Amin elhassan leading the pack, tbh. Forget beta. Dude's borderline gamma.

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

After watching and reading Pop in many interviews, my guess is this:

Pop considers that the media shouldn't be asking questions courtside. The NBA would do well to protect the sport side of its product forcing journalists to work only in press conferences and post-game locker room interviews. The way it is now, it only adds to the entertaiment/circus side of things. Those questions between quarters and after the game hardly add any value, just parrot phrasing, cliches and occasionally some player looking like an idiot. What kind of valuable thoughtful answer are they expecting in the heat of the battle? Best they can get is someone slipping and having verbal diarrhea to keep the circus going. Pop is too smart to fall for that, so he keeps them in check with his deadpan answers.

If you want honest, developed answers from Pop, you need another environment. If anyone watched Fabricio Oberto's interview with Pop, that was awesome. Pop opened himself like very few times before, because Fab wanted just to talk basketball and life, he wasn't looking for headlines or entertaiment value.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

my all time favorite is when they just say "talk about ....."

Jesus fuck, this.

It's not enough to ask inane questions....now they want him to just do the work for them. Shit is unreal.

I'm glad Pop lights those fools up at every opportunity.

[tmtcsc]

** 1997 It was Duncan's rookie year, Robinson's coming off an injury and Pop is a young coach. I'm a 25 year old kid working at WOAI and The Ticket, my job description included having access to the Spurs and to Pop. Over my years at WOAi what sticks the most is how nice of a guy Pop was. When it came to the sports media elite I was the equivalent of the guy parking your car, but whenever I ran across Pop he went out of his way to say hello and always remembered my name. The image the rest of America is seeing is not who the man is and thats evident in the relationships he has with his players. On a whole the media are complete idiots and i think Pop has an obligation to point this out to them. Sometimes his delivery sucks and i think he gets a bad rap for it but over all its funny as shit.

I met him once in 1999 after a Jay Howard inside scoop luncheon at the old Veladi Steak House on 410. I approached him at the end of the session and asked him if I could ask a question. He said "Sure, what would you like to ask?". It was weeks before the (eventual 1st championship) season was going to start, and I asked him if both Vinny and Jaren Jackson would be able to fit together on the team.

If you recall, Del Negro had been a Spurs vet for a few seasons but a younger Jaren Jackson had out-played him. Vinny was a Free Agent. Pop was as honest and nice as could be. He told me flat out that they weren't expecting Vinny back. I was a little taken back because this news hadn't made the local sports channels yet.

Can you imagine the CIA Pop we've come to know in interviews sharing that with a fan? Or doing an Inside Scoop luncheon? He and Jay Howard were good friends and Howard's firing incensed Pop. He even went to management about the situation but Holt supported his guys who handled that sort of stuff. It was Russ Bookbinder at the time. Pop did not care for Bookbinder and doesn't care for Bill Schoening as a broadcaster either. In fact, he used to do a pre-game interview with Jay but that came to an end when he was let go. Pop did it a couple of times and soon discovered that Schoening was pretty much an unprepared imbecile.

Here's an example of an exchange between the two:

BS: Pop, what are the keys to victory tonight?

Pop: Rebounding and limiting second chance opportunities for the Jazz is going to be especially important. They are great at hitting the boards and are leading the league in those categories.

BS: The Jazz are known for being a great rebounding team, is that something you'll emphasize to the guys?

Pop: After a few moments of silence...Yes.

And there you have it. The roots of the Pop vs. Media we have come to know and love. How he puts up with Mike Monroe and his "talk about" questions is a complete mystery to me. Monroe just got some "you've been around a long time in a crappy-paying line of work" attaboy chump award. Unbelievable.

[Splits]

:lol the comments on that video are 100% pro-Pop

[DJR210]

"He's just downright mean"

"I think it's bad behavior"

:lol beta faggot

[DFLORY]

Jay Howard knew basketball. his sportstalk San Antonio show was awful, but he could call a great game and knew what questions to ask. Laura Greene his producer was also really sharp and I think she had a good relationship with the coaching staff. Since then everyone else in town covering anything from game 7 to a tamale cook off are a bunch of hacks.

I still think that culture of accessibility in San Antonio still exists. Maybe not like it was back then but Timmy can still hit the chick filet without getting hassled.