Popovich, Ginobili reflect on their rocky start

[spursparker9]

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI (AP Basketball Writer)

On a January night in Indiana more than a decade ago, 26-year-old Manu Ginobili was sitting on the floor near the end of the San Antonio Spurs bench as coach Gregg Popovich walked toward him. It was Ginobili's second season in the NBA, and the celebrated Euroleague star was still trying to find his bearings in Popovich's more rigid system.

The coach glared at Ginobili, who was off to a rough start in the game against the Pacers, and barked the kind of demand veiled as a question he's become known for over two decades on the Spurs bench.

''Are you ready to be a human being?'' Popovich said, sprinkling a little profanity in for dramatic effect.

Ginobili nodded sheepishly, pulled himself up and checked back into the game.

That was in 2004, the infant stages of a union that Tony Parker has said he wasn't sure was going to work. Ginobili played with reckless abandon, and Popovich was determined to saddle the wild stallion and turn him into a disciplined, precise player who fit the Spurs mold.

What ended up happening was something entirely different. The crusty old jockey started to just grab onto the horse's mane, hold on for dear life and feel the wind fly through what little hair he had left. And he found it exhilarating.

''Everything doesn't happen in a day, but as you watch him play and realize the competitor that he is, he's quite unique as a competitor and as a talent,'' Popovich said. ''Closing your mouth and not trying to coach so much is better, and letting that gifted player show you what he can do and how he can help your team win.

''As time went along I learned to not speak as something was contested or a shot was contested or a defensive play he wanted to make to get a steal or whatever, because he does things that win games. It taught me to watch a little bit more and not be so micro-management-like.''

Together they have won four championships, including the one last June. And while the exacting Popovich has built the most enduring success story in modern American sports with a my-way-or-the-highway approach, Ginobili is one of the few players to convince the coach to let him color outside the lines.

''I think it was a great accomplishment. Not only me, I think Tony also made him change or see things in a different way,'' Ginobili said. ''The truth is that he thought that was the way to go to make us better. It's not that I talked him into it. He started to see that maybe we were going to be more successful and less predictable playing a different way.''


edit: read the rest on the link below :toast


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/popovich-ginobili-reflect-rocky-start-162408521--nba.html

[scanry]

I always think it's better to not post the whole article. I believe the writers earn based on the traffic gained from that site and article.

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

Manu is the wild card of the team, he keeps the Spurs from being too predictable.

[EVAY]

I saw this article yesterday and loved it. The sentiments are similar to those that TP expressed during that 'conversations with Champions' that Pop, Tim, Manu and Tony did together shortly after the fifth title last season. They were all talking about what the early days of their combinations looked like, and TP said then that he wondered if 'those two', meaning Manu and Pop, would be able to get along.

As has been noted elsewhere, Tim and Tony were really 'developed' as Popovich products. As such, neither is particularly flashy or exciting. Manu had his moves and his athleticism honed in another environment, and when he came to the Spurs, it was essentially as a 'finished' product. Pop didn't initially want him doing all the things that we, as fans, love to watch him do, but Manu was too confident and too proven to be willing to bend to Pop's will all the way.

The above is probably why Manu is the favorite of so many fans, and hated by others. Kind of reflects the way Pop talks about him..."One minute I wanted to trade him on the spot and the next minute I wanted to cook him breakfast". Also, the oft quoted "Manu giveth and Manu taketh away". His chaotic style of play can do wonders for a moribund offense, and it can also put a monkey wrench into a smoothly flowing offense. With Manu, you're never sure what kind of look you're going to get from him. It is the kind of characteristic that will make a control freak like Pop go ballistic occasionally, but it is also the kind of characteristic that puts all of that incredible talent on such brilliant display that no one, control freak or not, can deny its greatness. Since he is the ONLY Spur to have the guts to tell Pop that he is going to play "the way I play" and get away with it, he is an obvious outlier.

Most of us know that we wouldn't be anywhere near as good as we have been without him, while we also acknowledge that his occasional lack-of-control issues hurt us. But he never fails to give 150% and his talent and athleticism generally are so fun to watch, especially on a team filled with somewhat more predictable contributors.

[scanry]

In all honesty, the reason why we've been this good is because both Parker & Manu took what was offered by the Spurs FO. I'm pretty sure they would have made a lot more money had they signed elsewhere. Tim only started taking a pay cut after the 2010 season.

[lefty]

:cry Manu

[spurs10]

Great article! Thanks for posting man!:flag:

[Mel_13]

I saw this article yesterday and loved it. The sentiments are similar to those that TP expressed during that 'conversations with Champions' that Pop, Tim, Manu and Tony did together shortly after the fifth title last season. They were all talking about what the early days of their combinations looked like, and TP said then that he wondered if 'those two', meaning Manu and Pop, would be able to get along.

As has been noted elsewhere, Tim and Tony were really 'developed' as Popovich products. As such, neither is particularly flashy or exciting. Manu had his moves and his athleticism honed in another environment, and when he came to the Spurs, it was essentially as a 'finished' product. Pop didn't initially want him doing all the things that we, as fans, love to watch him do, but Manu was too confident and too proven to be willing to bend to Pop's will all the way.

The above is probably why Manu is the favorite of so many fans, and hated by others. Kind of reflects the way Pop talks about him..."One minute I wanted to trade him on the spot and the next minute I wanted to cook him breakfast". Also, the oft quoted "Manu giveth and Manu taketh away". His chaotic style of play can do wonders for a moribund offense, and it can also put a monkey wrench into a smoothly flowing offense. With Manu, you're never sure what kind of look you're going to get from him. It is the kind of characteristic that will make a control freak like Pop go ballistic occasionally, but it is also the kind of characteristic that puts all of that incredible talent on such brilliant display that no one, control freak or not, can deny its greatness. Since he is the ONLY Spur to have the guts to tell Pop that he is going to play "the way I play" and get away with it, he is an obvious outlier.

Most of us know that we wouldn't be anywhere near as good as we have been without him, while we also acknowledge that his occasional lack-of-control issues hurt us. But he never fails to give 150% and his talent and athleticism generally are so fun to watch, especially on a team filled with somewhat more predictable contributors.

Well said. For me, Manu has always been worth the price of admission.

[wildchild]

Unique talent, unique personality.
There is no easy answer to the eternal question about how many other stars would accept to come off the bench in the NBA.

[ElNono]

I saw this article yesterday and loved it. The sentiments are similar to those that TP expressed during that 'conversations with Champions' that Pop, Tim, Manu and Tony did together shortly after the fifth title last season. They were all talking about what the early days of their combinations looked like, and TP said then that he wondered if 'those two', meaning Manu and Pop, would be able to get along.

As has been noted elsewhere, Tim and Tony were really 'developed' as Popovich products. As such, neither is particularly flashy or exciting. Manu had his moves and his athleticism honed in another environment, and when he came to the Spurs, it was essentially as a 'finished' product. Pop didn't initially want him doing all the things that we, as fans, love to watch him do, but Manu was too confident and too proven to be willing to bend to Pop's will all the way.

The above is probably why Manu is the favorite of so many fans, and hated by others. Kind of reflects the way Pop talks about him..."One minute I wanted to trade him on the spot and the next minute I wanted to cook him breakfast". Also, the oft quoted "Manu giveth and Manu taketh away". His chaotic style of play can do wonders for a moribund offense, and it can also put a monkey wrench into a smoothly flowing offense. With Manu, you're never sure what kind of look you're going to get from him. It is the kind of characteristic that will make a control freak like Pop go ballistic occasionally, but it is also the kind of characteristic that puts all of that incredible talent on such brilliant display that no one, control freak or not, can deny its greatness. Since he is the ONLY Spur to have the guts to tell Pop that he is going to play "the way I play" and get away with it, he is an obvious outlier.

Most of us know that we wouldn't be anywhere near as good as we have been without him, while we also acknowledge that his occasional lack-of-control issues hurt us. But he never fails to give 150% and his talent and athleticism generally are so fun to watch, especially on a team filled with somewhat more predictable contributors.

Good stuff. Manu is truly one of the game's all time greats. He's gotten it done his way at every level he played, without the extreme athleticism of a Kobe, VC, or Wade, and without the shooting talent of T-Mac or Ray Allen.

He's been the ultimate x-factor, when he's been on his game his will to win had made the team nearly unbeatable. When he hasn't been on his game, it has cost us, but, overall, there's been much, much more of the former than the later, which I think Pop figured out early. ST really isn't representative of the fan love for this man (I actually know at least one huge manu fan that admitted to me he was just trolling to get a reaction). He's a really personable guy, that goes the extra mile to interact with fans in almost every game of his entire NBA career.

Pop has often talked about his competitiveness. This is perhaps his biggest attribute, when the big game comes, you know he's going to be in the thick of things. For good or bad, he'll leave his imprint, and you'll never have to question his commitment or effort in such situations. I have no doubt those are the kind of players Pop loves to go to battle with.

[Skull-1]

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI (AP Basketball Writer)

On a January night in Indiana more than a decade ago, 26-year-old Manu Ginobili was sitting on the floor near the end of the San Antonio Spurs bench as coach Gregg Popovich walked toward him. It was Ginobili's second season in the NBA, and the celebrated Euroleague star was still trying to find his bearings in Popovich's more rigid system.

The coach glared at Ginobili, who was off to a rough start in the game against the Pacers, and barked the kind of demand veiled as a question he's become known for over two decades on the Spurs bench.

''Are you ready to be a human being?'' Popovich said, sprinkling a little profanity in for dramatic effect.

Ginobili nodded sheepishly, pulled himself up and checked back into the game.

That was in 2004, the infant stages of a union that Tony Parker has said he wasn't sure was going to work. Ginobili played with reckless abandon, and Popovich was determined to saddle the wild stallion and turn him into a disciplined, precise player who fit the Spurs mold.

What ended up happening was something entirely different. The crusty old jockey started to just grab onto the horse's mane, hold on for dear life and feel the wind fly through what little hair he had left. And he found it exhilarating.

''Everything doesn't happen in a day, but as you watch him play and realize the competitor that he is, he's quite unique as a competitor and as a talent,'' Popovich said. ''Closing your mouth and not trying to coach so much is better, and letting that gifted player show you what he can do and how he can help your team win.

''As time went along I learned to not speak as something was contested or a shot was contested or a defensive play he wanted to make to get a steal or whatever, because he does things that win games. It taught me to watch a little bit more and not be so micro-management-like.''

Together they have won four championships, including the one last June. And while the exacting Popovich has built the most enduring success story in modern American sports with a my-way-or-the-highway approach, Ginobili is one of the few players to convince the coach to let him color outside the lines.

''I think it was a great accomplishment. Not only me, I think Tony also made him change or see things in a different way,'' Ginobili said. ''The truth is that he thought that was the way to go to make us better. It's not that I talked him into it. He started to see that maybe we were going to be more successful and less predictable playing a different way.''


edit: read the rest on the link below :toast


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/popovich-ginobili-reflect-rocky-start-162408521--nba.html

More living in the past... Manu isn't 26 any more...