Pop almost killed the Spurs

[Budkin]

:wow

Popovich admits he considered drafting Scot Pollard over Tim Duncan

http://www.thescore.com/nba/news/698158

[100%duncan]

Meh, I remember watching some vid with Pop saying before the last ball of the lottery something like "1 more ball and we'll get duncan".

I doubt this

[SupremeGuy]

Over/under 10 seconds of Pollard consideration?

I'm going with under, tbh.

[Dex]

:lmao Pop would've been gone the first year :lmao

[100%duncan]

Over/under 10 seconds of Pollard consideration?

I'm going with under, tbh.

Under 3

[Budkin]

The Spurs would probably not be in SA anymore had this happened.

[EVAY]

Meh, I remember watching some vid with Pop saying before the last ball of the lottery something like "1 more ball and we'll get duncan".

I doubt this

This. I remember seeing a quote from Pop's wife at some point that when they got the first pick Pop was literally jumping up and down and saying "this means we get Tim Duncan".

IIRC, that draft was not so deep, and there was universal acknowledgment that Duncan would go first.

This is Pop trolling, imo.

[Mel_13]

This. I remember seeing a quote from Pop's wife at some point that when they got the first pick Pop was literally jumping up and down and saying "this means we get Tim Duncan".

IIRC, that draft was not so deep, and there was universal acknowledgment that Duncan would go first.

This is Pop trolling, imo.

Of course he was.

From Monroe's account of the exchange:

With Pollard standing in the back of the media scrum during Popovich’s pre-media session at Bankers Life Fieldhouse before tipoff of Monday’s game, Popovich was asked to confirm or deny what had been, to that point, merely a rumor about the Pollard vs. Duncan debate.

“You’re asking sarcastically,” Popovich said, “but it’s a true story.

http://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Spurs-notebook-Pollard-instead-of-Duncan-6072086.php?t=0f7127d67be4660723&cmpid=twitter-premium

[JWest596]

This was one of those simple "What if?" hypothetical FO discussions that simply happened before the draft that 20 years later becomes the "Spurs were poised to pick Player X over Duncan in Draft". Newspaper filler and fodder years after the facts. Crap then...crap now. Tim was in the main sights from day one.

.....But continue to make a mountain over manure.

[BatManu20]

Timmy was a lock for the #1 pick, no matter who was drafting.

I do remember a lot of analysts saying that they couldn't have gone wrong with Keith Van Horn though :lol

[SupremeGuy]

KVH took the league by storm!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BPSGFWRSL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[FromWayDowntown]

The real bullet that the Spurs dodged in 1997 was resisting the temptation to deal the Duncan pick for the Celtics picks in the top 6 to build depth on a roster that already had all-stars. That was a real thing back then and there were at least some people who thought the Spurs made the wrong choice by not adding two lottery picks instead of one. Luckily, Pop and the crew had the foresight to ignore that noise and do the right thing. As a then-unheralded Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer named Stephen A. Smith reported the morning after the draft, the Spurs knew exactly what they were going to do once they won the lottery :


Gregg Popovich, the Spurs' coach and general manager, was ecstatic.

``I can't tell you how happy I am that it's us,'' said Popovich, whose team finished 20-62 this season.

``Teaming Duncan and David Robinson will give us one of the best front lines in the league. There was Duncan in this draft, then everybody else. We've got a franchise player. No one is more happy than I am right now.''

Duncan, who averaged 20.8 points, 14.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in his senior season, was on everyone's wish list.

http://articles.philly.com/1997-05-19/sports/25563272_1_sixers-tim-duncan-lottery

[Walton Buys Off Me]

Tongue in cheek....

[wildbill2u]

Pop having a little fun at Duncan's expense.

[cd98]

Pop just trolling media. Everyone in the draft knew it was Tim Duncan and then everyone else. He was as obvious a first choice as Shaq.

[ThomasamohT]

KVH was a pretty decent player at the start of his career. If I remember correctly, he averaged around 20ppg his first few years in the league.

[Chomag]

Pop loves his trolling. Sometimes I honestly wonder if he is one of our troll posters here? :lol

[look_at_g_shred]

Pop loves his trolling. Sometimes I honestly wonder if he is one of our troll posters here? :lol
Imagine if pop was apasolic_9... :lmao :lmao :lmao

[SnakeBoy]

Imagine if pop was apasolic_9... :lmao :lmao :lmao

:lol I had the same thought. Trashing Tony and nothing but love for Kawhi...could be a match.

[moisaenz]

:lol I had the same thought. Trashing Tony and nothing but love for Kawhi...could be a match.

does apasolic hate green as well?

[milkyway21]

what "if" Pop drafted Scot Pollard as #1 pick

Duncan would be in Philadelphia as #2 instead of Keith Van Horn.

Having drafted Allen Iverson as #1 a year before, Duncan would be playing alongside Allen Iverson instead of Robinson.
well, this duo might have won titles too...

[hater]

Pop loves his trolling. Sometimes I honestly wonder if he is one of our troll posters here? :lol

he actually trolled ESPN, they had this as a headline :lol