Coach Pop Named USA Men's Basketball Head Coach for 2017-2020

[aintjustthem]

Give me that shit indeed

[ace3g]

hopefully just got his wind knocked out

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6oDPScVkAEtq5H?format=jpg&name=large

via USA Men's NT twitter

[Dejounte]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6oDPScVkAEtq5H?format=jpg&name=large

via USA Men's NT twitter

ol goofy ass face

[Uriel]

Why are FIBA games so much lower scoring than NBA games? Is it because they actually bother to play defense there?

[daslicer]

Why are FIBA games so much lower scoring than NBA games? Is it because they actually bother to play defense there?

They are allowed to hand check on defense under Fiba rules.

[Uriel]

Keldon on Pau?

[Dejounte]

These Gasol brothers are dirty as fuck whats new

[mikec]

Finally Dame cooking.

[Dejounte]

https://twitter.com/hectorledesmatv/status/1416952523445911556?s=21

[ace3g]

Yeah, sad refs fell for that "veteran move" of pulling down Keldon while he was fronting Marc Gasol in the post...

[ace3g]

Daniil Pauley (https://twitter.com/Cheddarbear16) (https://twitter.com/Cheddarbear16) @Cheddarbear16 (https://twitter.com/Cheddarbear16)


Keldon Johnson vs Spain
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6oEPE4VIAAFf3s?format=jpg&name=small (https://t.co/RUGv6U5o2e)


9:35pm · 18 Jul 2021 (https://twitter.com/Cheddarbear16/status/1416949709227257858) · Twitter Web App (https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/how-to-tweet#source-labels)

[Dejounte]

All ive seen Bam do is complain all game. Give it a rest dude

[rogcl1]

Why are FIBA games so much lower scoring than NBA games? Is it because they actually bother to play defense there?

Ten minute quarters also.

[CGD]

Why are FIBA games so much lower scoring than NBA games? Is it because they actually bother to play defense there?

48min v 40min probably

[ace3g]

Keldon gets the post game interview!!!

Boo mic audio not working...

[Uriel]

Even if you extrapolate the 83 points USA scored to a 48 minute quarter, it would only total 99.6 points.

[mikec]

Haha Keldon couldn't hear. Would have loved to hear the interview. Outstanding night.

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6oJXYnWEAE1mZg?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E6oJqrnVgAEikcw?format=jpg&name=large

[Dejounte]

As Keldon has done all year with the Spurs, he puts up points so easily as the 4th or 5th option on offense. Imagine the day he develops a go-to move and the team runs an actual play for him. I mean, he may have that go to move already and it’s not his role to showcase it yet on this team. Or maybe he will pick it up from one of these guys. Either way, great experience for our boy BIG BODYYY

[slick'81]

KJ did all that in just 17 minutes:wow fckn beast

[John B]

Having this experience playing with the elite, well some elite :lol, especially playing great like tonight, should give Keldon the confidence that he truly belongs and demand the ball more, as a 2nd or 3rd option, or even 1st once he develops a go to move. Great game big body!

[slick'81]

Having this experience playing with the elite, well some :lol, especially playing great like tonight, should give Keldon the confidence that he truly belongs and demand the ball more, as a 2nd or 3rd option, or even 1st once he develops a go to move. Great game big body!

Keldon has plenty of confidence,just needs to be unleashed

[GAustex]

I been saying for 2 years get DDR out of the way and see the young ones blossom

hopefully

[Dejounte]

Having this experience playing with the elite, well some elite :lol, especially playing great like tonight, should give Keldon the confidence that he truly belongs and demand the ball more, as a 2nd or 3rd option, or even 1st once he develops a go to move. Great game big body!

This reads like a cliff notes of what I just posted :lmao

[John B]

Keldon has plenty of confidence,just needs to be unleashed
He does. But stars demand the ball especially in closing time. He still doesn’t have that, of course because we had Demar. But the Big 3 didn’t mind who would close, maybe Timmy tonight or Manu the following night, depending on the play. But yes having the belief that he could make the last shot.

[Dejounte]

Bigger roles for Keldon + Vassell = success

combine that with solid two way guards in White & Murray… and hopefully a good pick with the #12. Let’s goooooooooo

[John B]

This reads like a cliff notes of what I just posted :lmao
Maybe I read your post too much :lol

[Dejounte]

https://twitter.com/spurs/status/1416965293075800068?s=21

[Dejounte]

Another positive with all this exposure = refs will finally blow their whistle for Keldon in the NBA

with how much Keldon loves to attack the basket… thats an easy +10 free throws

put some respect on his name

[Ditty]

Love Keldon! Great attitude, loves basketball and doesn't seem ...weird. Sky's the limit for him.

[KobesAchilles]

Another positive with all this exposure = refs will finally blow their whistle for Keldon in the NBA

with how much Keldon loves to attack the basket… thats an easy +10 free throws

put some respect on his name

To me this is a really undervalued point. We need someone to make up the free throws that DDR gets. I’ve been saying that Pop should’ve been all over the refs for KJ and that Keldon was robbed of like 4 free throws a game bc he didn’t have any respect. He will get it now if he continues to ball. The only other player on our team that can consistently get to the foul line is Derrick.

[Dejounte]

https://twitter.com/n_magaro/status/1416963192065077248?s=21

https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1416974829849391106?s=21

[ElNono]

Lilliard is seriously stinking it up. This guy wants a better Portland team, but what will he do with it when he doesn’t know how to play with other stars like this

Just watched the highlights, and they showed like 3 jumpers by Lillard and two dunks by Lavine... lmao

[mookie2001]

Y'all see scola played the other day lol oh man

[CGD]

Keldon will bring the heart and grit this team sorely needs. There are definitely some soft ass players on the team (ie Tatum) that will benefit from KJs relentlessness and “never say die” mentality.

[Rocalcio]

https://twitter.com/realtompetrini/status/1413504345870458888?s=21

this fucking guy is going to coach the Spurs for 10 more years :lmao

We don’t need him to be a good runner for that.

[TDomination]

Very excited for KJ! He's looking great, can't wait to see him in action this upcoming season. I would say he's the untradeable player if there was one on this team.

[Dex]

Very excited for KJ! He's looking great, can't wait to see him in action this upcoming season. I would say he's the untradeable player if there was one on this team.

Yep, strangely enough two of the youngest guys on the team (KJ and Vassell) may be the most secure right now. Good talent on cheap contracts is hard to come by, and Spurs still have to see what they can develop into.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

They are allowed to hand check on defense under Fiba rules.

Lillard and Durant look like sh!t when guys can check them. It's almost funny to watch. Too bad the NBA doesn't let guys play real basketball, but then the stars wouldn't be guys like Durant who couldn't fight their way through a paper bag.

[daslicer]

Lillard and Durant look like sh!t when guys can check them. It's almost funny to watch. Too bad the NBA doesn't let guys play real basketball, but then the stars wouldn't be guys like Durant who couldn't fight their way through a paper bag.

In games 3-4 of the Bucks-Nets series the refs allowed PJ Tucker to hand check Durant. Durant was straight up trash in those two games. I feel those two games are the best example of how much of a difference hand checking makes on defense.

[MultiTroll]

In games 3-4 of the Bucks-Nets series the refs allowed PJ Tucker to hand check Durant. Durant was straight up trash in those two games. I feel those two games are the best example of how much of a difference hand checking makes on defense.
Yet another witness that the Refs Don't Matter Crowd misses.

[widowmaker]

Who was garuba guarding and how many points got dropped on him?

[Dex]

1417481408365404168

I hate Twitter reporters so much.

BREAKING!!! How is the breaking news...yay their plane landed.

More important questions...what IS the COVID protocol? Do they get tested? Do they have to quarantine?

Would be nice to do some actual journalism instead of just spewing a bunch of hashtags and @s.

[rjv]

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31847805/tokyo-2020-organizing-committee-chief-rule-cancellation-summer-olympics

it'd be unlikely to cancel in the midst of the olympics but i wouldn't be shocked if it happened.

[mikec]

Zach Lavine cleared covid protocol and is back with the team. Great news.

[Dejounte]

CRpqTS0FI-c

[SpurPadre]

It looks like Nando De Culo is on the French squad. They'd be better off with 39 year old TP than that scrub, tbh.

[Dejounte]

Early minutes for KJ

[Dejounte]

Tatum is so bad. Just chucks it up. No physicality

hopefully those two fast breaks gets him going

[Dex]

Having seen so much of Booker in the Finals, I'm not sure how his game is going to translate here. Sure, he can put up big numbers but usually not very efficiently...not going to be the same with shorter games, more physical play, and less touches.

[Dex]

Refs trying to shave points...they originally scored Booker's vinny a two-point shot, then reviewed it for three and took another point away :lol

[Dejounte]

That was a clear foul, KD :lmao

Hes not going to play much this game with the 5 foul limit

[Dex]

Lillard just watching that ball go out of bounds, leads to a save and dunk by Gobert

[Dex]

Nobody out there to check Rudy right now...they are just lobbing the ball into him in the paint and he's getting easy buckets.

[Dejounte]

Lillard just watching that ball go out of bounds, leads to a save and dunk by Gobert

night and day between he and Jrue. One is a championship PG, the other one is a talented scorer and not much else.

[John B]

Nobody out there to check Rudy right now...they are just lobbing the ball into him in the paint and he's getting easy buckets.
Yup this team is lacking height besides McGee.

[Dex]

Yup this team is lacking height besides McGee.

Even when McGee was in, he kept switching onto guys on the perimeter. Like dude, the only reason you are on the team is to guard the other team's biggest guy.

[Dex]

Don't watch a lot of Bam in Miami but he's got a nice game

[John B]

KD with 4 fouls. Only 5 per FIBA rule.

[John B]

Keldon in

[John B]

France playing 2 centers tied the game

[John B]

Keldon guarding a 7’2 Poinier

[John B]

DeColo 3pt to take the lead

[Robz4000]

:lol modern NBA basketball getting exposed

[John B]

DeColo another 3pt to extend the lead

[John B]

End of 3rd, France lead by 6. 22-7 run.

[Dejounte]

:lol modern NBA basketball getting exposed

everything getting exposed

over reliance on referees
over reliance on 3’s
Little to no physicality… it’s like everyone out there is a Lonnie Walker, scared of contact and instantly passes out when they meet any resistance
Favoring perimeter players over big men with fundamentals

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Lillard, Green, Lavine and Booker are atrocious. Our Keldon too timid. They need more players having good games to win this.

Oh and Tatum is so soft.

[PhantomDashCam]

Any reason Jeremi Grant isn’t playing? His length could really help. US getting bullied on the boards in the 3rd there

[Dex]

Offense completely dried up in the third. USA getting terrible looks and France hitting threes

US down 6 going into the 4th.

[Dex]

Ugh, Holiday passed up an open layup at the rim to throw it out to Tatum for a three.

Definitely Lonnie-esque

[GAustex]

The irony of a Nando De Colo led team taking down poop

[Dejounte]

Jrue is the MVP of this game

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Draymond unable to guard anyone without help from the refs per par.

[KDKSpurs24]

Jrue Holiday one of the few bright spots. Definitely able to play with these FIBA rules

[Dex]

Lack of size already getting exposed. All they can do with Gobert and Fall is try to front them and then foul then once they get the lob

[John B]

Great dive by Dame

[John B]

Jrue 3pt, 4 pt lead

[Dex]

Kendrick Perkins on ESPN tomorrow: WAIT NO, JRUE HOLIDAY IS BATMAN

[John B]

Thanks for France choking to get US back

[Dejounte]

Aside from Spain, seems like France will be the only team USA will face with legit bigs.

[John B]

US chucking 3’s and missing, down by 2 with 23 secs. France ball

[Uriel]

Wow. Team USA sucks.

[Uriel]

Also:

:lmao :pop:

[Robz4000]

Would be hilarious if the US somehow didn't make it out of group play.

[r0drig0lac]

the "Pop is over" sentence, it was true in 2015 and it will be true in 2025.

[LeBowen]

Too many similar players.
Lillard, Lavine, Middleton, Booker, Tatum are all just looking at the basket while playing no defense.

Poor roster construction.

[Uriel]

Bring back Nando, tbh.

[John B]

US down by 4 with 21 secs left :(

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Don’t think this is Pop’s fault at all. Players should be ashamed , especially Lillard.

[Rocalcio]

Jrue is the MVP of this game

Nope, Fournier is.

[Dex]

:lmao Lillard falls down and doesn't even get a shot off.

[cd98]

De Colo revenge.

[Rocalcio]

Hello from France guys :bobo

[LeBowen]

Don’t think this is Pop’s fault at all. Players should be ashamed , especially Lillard.

He needs to ditch the approach where everyone gets minutes.

You know it's bad when Keldon is probably the second best perimeter defender on the team.
I'd even say that Draymond and Bam both need to be on the floor together with Jrue.
KD and whoever has the hot hand with them.


There's only one ball and you can't afford to have 3+ awful defenders on the floor, like USA did in this game.
Could be a wake-up call, but knowing Pop nothing will change.

[Dex]

So much for all of these "scorers" for the US...shooting 37% for the game

[Rocalcio]

2FT plus ball for France. It’s over, we got you again.

[John B]

Terrible plays by Dame tbh. KD fouled out.

[cd98]

This team already had two wake up calls.

[Robz4000]

Iran have any notable players that could beat team USA?

[Trill Clinton]

KD, Dame and Pop lost this game

[TheGreatYacht]

Don’t think this is Pop’s fault at all. Players should be ashamed , especially Lillard.
Shocking :lol Short bus ready to scapegoat the players already

[Rummpd]

Shame as overrated coach losing again per par

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

He needs to ditch the approach where everyone gets minutes.

You know it's bad when Keldon is probably the second best perimeter defender on the team.
I'd even say that Draymond and Bam both need to be on the floor together with Jrue.
KD and whoever has the hot hand with them.


There's only one ball and you can't afford to have 3+ awful defenders on the floor, like USA did in this game.
Could be a wake-up call, but knowing Pop nothing will change.

He’s trying to find a lineup that works but so many are playing badly, even in the first half.

Disagree about Draymond. He shouldn’t be playing at all.

[Uriel]

Iran have any notable players that could beat team USA?
Haddadi.

[TheGreatYacht]

Leave it to Poop to choke such a winnable game in the 4th :lmao casuals and mainstream media finally seeing how garbage this fraud is

[Degoat]

Does that loss eliminate US from Gold?

[cd98]

This team has no excuse for losing a game in Japan.

[Uriel]

To be fair, this could beat USA's only loss the rest of the tournament on its way to a Gold Medal.

[LeBowen]

He’s trying to find a lineup that works but so many are playing badly, even in the first half.

Disagree about Draymond. He shouldn’t be playing at all.

As much as I dislike him, he's the only one who can organize the defense.
He's also the second best playmaker on the team.

[LeBowen]

Leave it to Poop to choke such a winnable game in the 4th :lmao casuals and mainstream media finally seeing how garbage this fraud is

A decade of Duncan slander can finally stop. Narratives should be that he won so much despite Pop.

[Uriel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q82twrdr0U

[K...]

silver needs to force the lottery teams to make their talent available for post season tournaments. I think the players would be fine, but it needs to be compulsory that if you don't make the playoffs, you get drafted into international tournaments. none of this dragging guys from the playoffs across the globe.

Number one thing hurting the team is top stars who don't want to put into the work of learning FIBA ball.

2 - swallow the US pride and hire a foreign coach and get patty mills citizen ship ASAP

[John B]

Just no answer for France bigs, and opened up for Fornier to operate.

[Robz4000]

Does that loss eliminate US from Gold?

Nah, but they have to win out from here.

[Dex]

Does that loss eliminate US from Gold?

No, this is just Group play, so they can still qualify for the medal rounds but they have an uphill battle now. They have to finish top 2 in their group of 4 to gaurantee a spot in the next round.

[TD 21]

Don’t think this is Pop’s fault at all. Players should be ashamed , especially Lillard.

I mostly agree, but turnabout is fair play (he received way too much credit for the Duncan era) and let's face it, you'd say that no matter what.



I'd even say that Draymond and Bam both need to be on the floor together with Jrue.

Untenable spacing.



So much for all of these "scorers" for the US...shooting 37% for the game

Yeah, it's not like a bunch of them are among the most prolific scorers in the world. Better to base it off of one game with a hastily assembled team . . .

[cd98]

Just no answer for France bigs, and opened up for Fornier to operate.

Why are we afraid of their bigs? We got McGee!

[RD2191]

Hello from France guys :bobo

:wakeup

[LeBowen]

Untenable spacing.



Because spacing with Poirier and Gobert was better?
It's not the NBA, spacing doesn't matter as much. Defense does.

[Dennis the Menace]

Pop owes everything he has to Tim Duncan.

LOL at the clueless egotistical buffoon. Every second that passes with this man still being a coach is just further destroying his legacy. At this rate by the time he actually retires, 60% of the Spurs fans will be convinced he was a fraud this whole time.

[Robz4000]

:lol Pop getting ethered on Twitter. Rest of the world finally coming around to the fact he's old and senile now.

[Robz4000]

Pop owes everything he has to Tim Duncan.

LOL at the clueless egotistical buffoon. Every second that passes with this man still being a coach is just further destroying his legacy. At this rate by the time he actually retires, 60% of the Spurs fans will be convinced he was a fraud this whole time.

He sure as shit isn't a fraud, but he should've retired the moment Tim did like he always said he would.

[TheGreatYacht]

A decade of Duncan slander can finally stop. Narratives should be that he won so much despite Pop.
The fact that Duncan won 5 times with Sloan 2.0 and his shit system should solidify his Top 5 placement tbh

[RD2191]

The fact that Duncan won 5 times with Sloan 2.0 and his shit system should solidify his Top 5 placement tbh

Tbh. I've always said Pop held Tim back.

[TD 21]

Because spacing with Poirier and Gobert was better?
It's not the NBA, spacing doesn't matter as much. Defense does.

Other countries don't have nearly the same depth of options and mostly have to resort to just playing their best talent, especially when the second biggest advantage they have is size (behind continuity).

It's basketball, spacing always matters a lot.

[spurspl]

36% FG... XD

[Bynumite]

lol Jim is on the same boat as Poop. Both frauds who couldn't function without special treatment from nba refs :lol Both exposed in the olympics.

[TheGreatYacht]

I wonder what reporter will cause another meltdown from the fraud today :lmao

[RD2191]

lol Jim is on the same boat as Poop. Both frauds who couldn't function without special treatment from nba refs :lol Both exposed in the olympics.

That's rich coming from a faggot Lakers fan. Hope you go down in flames like the rapists Kobe.

[Bynumite]

That's rich coming from a faggot Lakers fan. Hope you go down in flames like the rapists Kobe.

lol mad

[John B]

Other countries don't have nearly the same depth of options and mostly have to resort to just playing their best talent, especially when the second biggest advantage they have is size (behind continuity).

It's basketball, spacing always matters a lot.

3 players just flew in last night to join in, while France have been playing together for years. The lack of chemistry, both on offense and defense killed us, especially since this team only has KD as the only Tier 1 player. It would’ve make a difference, despite having less practice together, if they had Curry, Harden, LeBron, Kawhi, who can always carry the team.

I hope this leaves a bitter taste in their mouth and pushes them not to take any of the remaining games for granted, because teams will be gunning the USA team every time. If they had to lose, lose now and get it over with. Go USA Go!

[TheGreatYacht]

Poor guy only had KD, Lillard, Tatum, Booker, Lavine, Holiday, Adebayo, Draymond to coach :depressed can't expect to beat Fournier and De Culo with that

[Degoat]

Not trying to make excuses, but I was watching the USA for ball and country documentary series and it’s such a shame that guys like Lebron, Harden, AD, Curry, etc don’t represent their country in the olympics… Guys like Jordan, Kobe, Barkey, the admiral, Scottie pippen wanted to show out during international play.

[DMC]

Not trying to make excuses, but I was watching the USA for ball and country documentary series and it’s such a shame that guys like Lebron, Harden, AD, Curry, etc don’t represent their country in the olympics… Guys like Jordan, Kobe, Barkey, the admiral, Scottie pippen wanted to show out during international play.

They'll all stand up and say Pop is great, they' d have loved to play for him, etc... then they won't when given a chance.

But I don't blame them. It's all marketing now and these guys don't need the world exposure like the people you mentioned. Lebron has gold medals already. A few are recovering from injury and have to think about their NBA careers. It's mostly about the fact that the RTOW is catching up and even taking over the NBA. Used to be that the best American NBA players were also the best in the Olympics. Not so much anymore, especially with how the game is played.

[R. DeMurre]

Nic Batum played more minutes than any player on team USA, and also had a better +/- than any of them.

Things don't look good for these guys. They underperform in warm up games, and Jrue Holiday still looks like their best player after no rest, a long transpacific flight, and no practice.

Crazy to think that Tomas Satoransky, Jan Vesely, and the Czech Republic team could potentially knock the USA out of medal contention.

[313]

At this point it seems like it doesn’t matter who Team USA is playing against, theyre beating themselves.

there were rumors the select teams was blowing out the main team during scrimmages before Tokyo :lol

[BatManu20]

Maybe this will be a wake up call for Pop and he’ll retire from the NBA for good. Probably wishful thinking but I can dream.

[Uriel]

Maybe this will be a wake up call for Pop and he’ll retire from the NBA for good. Probably wishful thinking but I can dream.
He’s already gonna retire after the Olympics anyway no matter what happens.

[Mugen]

:lmao Jerry Sloan 2.0

[Dennis the Menace]

Maybe they will leave Pop in Japan?

[Kurgan]

That's rich coming from a faggot Lakers fan. Hope you go down in flames like the rapists Kobe.

Very selfish of Kirby to take his daughter down with him. If he wanted to explode in a ball of fire, he shoulda went himself instead of getting nine other people killed in his janky helicopter.

[Mugen]

World finding out what anybody with half a brain on this board has known for 5+ years :lol

Already chortling France's balls with his defeatist attitude bullshit, so glad the old man is getting exposed on a global scale finally

[John B]

In the meantime, Patty had 25 pts, 6 assists, 4 steals and 5/8 from the 3 to beat Nigeria.

[GAustex]

Poop likes chortling the balls of those who vanquish his poorly coached team

[BatManu20]

In the meantime, Patty had 25 pts, 6 assists, 4 steals and 5/8 from the 3 to beat Nigeria.

Patty turns into Steph during the Olympics. It’s actually pretty impressive tbh.

[daslicer]

3 players just flew in last night to join in, while France have been playing together for years. The lack of chemistry, both on offense and defense killed us, especially since this team only has KD as the only Tier 1 player. It would’ve make a difference, despite having less practice together, if they had Curry, Harden, LeBron, Kawhi, who can always carry the team.

I hope this leaves a bitter taste in their mouth and pushes them not to take any of the remaining games for granted, because teams will be gunning the USA team every time. If they had to lose, lose now and get it over with. Go USA Go!

This is just not a good team they have already lost 3 times in the last few weeks. They are very beatable. If they win it will take a lot of clutch plays on both ends of the court. They are not good enough to dominate against the best countries.

[daslicer]

Not trying to make excuses, but I was watching the USA for ball and country documentary series and it’s such a shame that guys like Lebron, Harden, AD, Curry, etc don’t represent their country in the olympics… Guys like Jordan, Kobe, Barkey, the admiral, Scottie pippen wanted to show out during international play.

I'm not a fan of any of those guys you mentioned but I'm also fair in my judgement of them. Lebron is 36 years old and guys you mentioned none of them were playing Olympics ball at the age of 36. Lebron has done his time with team USA by playing in two Olympics. AD is injury prone and made out of glass and he desperately needs the rest after not getting any last off season due to quick turn around time to start the season after the playoffs. Harden is the guy you can blast but I don't think he would be of any help in international play due to him being a ref reliant player and plus he's out of shape. Curry is a huge loss and you can criticize him for not playing since he's had a lot of rest the last few years due to the Warriors sucking.

[Play Boban]

Australia beat Nigeria by 42, a team Poop lost to. Can USA even beat Czech Republic? :lol

[mikec]

LOL GREGG.

[GAustex]

“Team USA Players Are Reportedly Frustrated With Coach Gregg Popovich Running ‘San Antonio Offense’ After Loss To France“

[SpursDynasty85]

Jalen Rose was right. Deandre Ayton is exactly who should’ve been in the games. Should’ve been in the starting lineup, him or AD.

[Barfunk]

https://ahnfiredigital.com/nba/team-usa-players-are-frustrated-with-gregg-popovich-running-the-san-antonio-offense/

[Floyd Pacquiao]

:lol pop going woke still didn’t help him from losing the locker room

[daslicer]

:lol pop going woke still didn’t help him from losing the locker room

As we learned the last several years that it's very hard to have the locker room on your side when you don't have Tim Duncan backing you.

[rogcl1]

Jalen Rose was right. Deandre Ayton is exactly who should’ve been in the games. Should’ve been in the starting lineup, him or AD.

Ayton is not a US citizen. Can't play.

[KobesAchilles]

Can we still medal?

[TD 21]

Since he pulled his shtick on Vardon and Perkins called it out, followed by (Stephen A.) Smith saying "what's he done since Duncan retired?", it's open season from the media. Windhorst took a bunch of scathing/thinly veiled shots today. The jig is up.

He's at least got to realize his San Antonio shtick isn't going to work. He's not the all powerful emperor that he is here.


“Team USA Players Are Reportedly Frustrated With Coach Gregg Popovich Running ‘San Antonio Offense’ After Loss To France“

He continues to kill this franchise. They're already about as undesirable as it gets to the majority of inner city millennials and he just keeps digging the hole deeper.

Why would he attempt to implement any "system" in a short tournament, with a hastily assembled, diva ridden team? The job is mostly about managing egos, something he's never been able to do.

[baseline bum]

Can we still medal?

Can they even beat Iran next game?

[KobesAchilles]

Can they even beat Iran next game?
I think it’s disrespectful of you to insinuate that we can beat a team like Iran. They’ve kept me up for 4 years ever since the Iyatolla of Rock n Rolla became their starting SG

[SAGirl]

Pop is looking ridiculous. It's no longer a shtick. Gutless worms thread bump!

[slick'81]

Poor pop. Atleast retirement is on the horizon

[GreekSpursfan]

Pop should've taken Ayton with him or someone somewhat legit for some easy buckets. Without having some kind of threat inside you can't go far i don't care who you have on the perimeter. I don't trust Bam at all

[KimmyGib]

Even though he's not on the team, the spirit of James Harden has corrupted the NBA league and and most of its star players. It is a scourge that must be lifted. Any team starring American Harden ball primadonnas led by over-the-hill Pop is sure to get exposed on the international stage. Aside from a few exceptions (Jrue Holiday is the man), most of the American players are unlikeable, and I won't feel bad for them when they lose. American basketball is pretty lame these days anyway, so it doesn't bother me to see it fail.

[Dennis the Menace]

Pop would be flipping burgers at McDonalds if Tim Duncan never happened.

[ElNono]

Opinion: Time to face facts, NBA coaching legend Gregg Popovich stinks at Olympic basketball
Dan Wolken
USA TODAY

TOKYO – If you want to call Gregg Popovich the greatest coach in NBA history, go right ahead. But let’s be as direct and to the point as Popovich usually is: He stinks at Olympic basketball.

We’ve seen enough to say that now, haven’t we? What more do we need to know?

If you want to know where to put the blame for Team USA’s 83-76 loss to France – America’s first Olympic men’s basketball loss in 6,176 days – look no further than the guy with five NBA titles who has been clueless from the very moment he was given the reins to USA Basketball.

Clueless in what he values with this roster. Clueless with an offense that unlocks very little of what his players do well. Clueless with the expectations he took on by following Mike Krzyzewski in this admittedly thankless job.

And it’s the last point that irks the most.

As Popovich attempted to slough off this embarrassment like it's a Wednesday night in January at Minnesota and not the Olympics, he sounded no different from every Power Five college football coach who tries to reassure their fan base after losing to a MAC school that, hey, those guys are on scholarship too.

“When you lose a game you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed,” Popovich said. “I don’t understand the word surprise. That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we are supposed to beat them by 30 or something. That’s a hell of a team. They have NBA players, other talented players playing in Europe who’ve been together for a long time. I think it’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the ball and win. You have to work for it, and for those 40 minutes they played better than we did.”

Everyone understands that France has NBA-level players, as do several teams in this tournament. Rudy Gobert is a star. Evan Fournier and Nic Batum are names you know. Nando de Colo played a little bit in the NBA and has been awesome year in and year out in the EuroLeague.

But it’s not even the slightest bit jingoistic or hubristic to look at that roster, then look at the U.S. roster, and know within a fraction of a second which one you’d pick.

You know who gets that? The players on the American team. After the game, a couple reporters caught Damian Lillard outside the locker room, and I asked him if it was fair for fans back home to be shocked by what they saw against France.

“I wouldn’t say it’s unfair,” Lillard said. “I mean, I think that’s just what the expectations are when you play for Team USA. I think we have a history of dominance, maybe not always blowing people out but we have a history of winning. It’s not often that you see Team USA go out there and lose especially to start.

"I think that’s why a lot of people will make it seem like the end of the world, but our job as professionals and as this team representing our country in these Olympics, we have to do what’s necessary. We can still accomplish what we came here to accomplish, and we have to make sure we keep that in mind.”

You know why Lillard isn’t afraid to own up to the fact that Team USA is expected to win these games? Because it’s true.

USA Basketball didn’t win three straight Olympics and dominate every international event in between by accident. It happened because there was great care put into building those rosters and because there was tremendous buy-in from the top American players and because Krzyzewski did enough not to screw it up.

This idea that the world has caught up to the USA? Pfft. The world has been good for a long time. The French team isn’t locked in a gym in Paris working on sets all year long laying in wait to knock off the Americans. They’re professional players who have to come together in a short window for these tournaments just like our guys do.

And for the last 17 years, since the debacle in 2004 in Athens that forced USA Basketball to overhaul everything it was doing, the U.S. has been better at that than everyone else. At least until Popovich showed up with a bag full of excuses, saying ridiculous things like it was good that the U.S. lost to Nigeria in an exhibition game or that “those things happen” when you blow an eight-point lead late in the game.

It’s not supposed to happen to the United States in international competition. But it seems to happen more than its fair share under Popovich, who was an assistant under Larry Brown for the 2004 disaster and has overseen a seventh-place finish at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and now a loss at the Olympics after 19 straight wins.

“Basketball is an international sport,” Popovich said. “There are very good teams all over the world. People shouldn’t be surprised that the French team or Australian team or Lithuanian team – it doesn’t matter who it is – the gap in talent shrinks every year as there are more and more players all over the world, and you need to give the French team credit.”

You can give the French team credit while also wondering why the U.S. team wasted time at the beginning of this process by picking Kevin Love – a terrible decision that could not be justified by his play over the last couple years – only to see him bail midway through the training camp. You can wonder why the U.S., with a bevy of great young point guards who can run a half-court offense better than the guys they picked, snubbed someone like Trae Young who clearly wanted to be on the team. You can wonder why the spacing is so bad and the ball doesn’t move. You can wonder whether Popovich is too stubborn and too far past his prime to be the right choice to lead this team.

Ultimately, Team USA can shut everybody up by winning a gold medal, which is still within the realm of possibility. That’s the ultimate scoreboard.

But as we can see with our own eyes, it won’t be easy. It may not be likely. And it sure won’t be because the alleged greatest coach in basketball history figured something out.

Popovich has had years to figure out the whole Team USA thing. We’re still waiting for his first good day at the office.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2021/07/25/olympics-mens-basketball-popovich-blame-usa-loses-france/8086604002/

[Dennis the Menace]

Seriously. Get someone to photoshop Pop in a McDonalds uniform. Print it on t-shirts. Hand them out at the games.

The timeline for having real change occur would speed up

[tbdog]

People here are looking at the roster and thinking they the best players. Yes, in the NBA where the game is dominantly run by guards and iso ball, allowing space on jumpers and unable to defend drives, having a 3 in the key penalty for defense. International ball is now the more physical game when big men matter. Draymomd Green is a 3 in the 90s but a 4/5 in team US and the NBA.

[objective]

Being humiliated in the Olympics, no surprise to any of us, is probably enough to make sure Pop returns as coach.

No way he steps away from basketball as a loser when he can get the meaningless all time wins record and salvage some of his rep and get the news stories on his retirement to be 'all time leader' instead of 'Olympics failure leads to retirement'

[K...]

it's stupid to say it's pop and not the stupid way this team thinks practicing only two weeks makes them better than the competition. No coach is going to create an offense with this amount of time. the Sad part here is that pop will be railroaded because the USA basketball is too gutless to go against the Stars. They don't even get the good stars. Honestly, if this is the death of US basketball good riddance.

[MultiTroll]

Will the current media truths translate into honest critique of his Spurs coaching?

[HankChinaski]

Pop just isn't the personality you want responding to the media. As for the team itself, I haven't seen any consistency over the last few years between Rio to these games in terms of roster.

It's just names out their with the majority (not all) with weak ass egos.

These USA players can't handle concepts or be run like a team???

I'm calling BS and this can't ALL fall on coaching.

[Play Boban]

I’m embarrassed to be an American.

[mikec]

Since he pulled his shtick on Vardon and Perkins called it out, followed by (Stephen A.) Smith saying "what's he done since Duncan retired?", it's open season from the media. Windhorst took a bunch of scathing/thinly veiled shots today. The jig is up.

He's at least got to realize his San Antonio shtick isn't going to work. He's not the all powerful emperor that he is here.



He continues to kill this franchise. They're already about as undesirable as it gets to the majority of inner city millennials and he just keeps digging the hole deeper.

Why would he attempt to implement any "system" in a short tournament, with a hastily assembled, diva ridden team? The job is mostly about managing egos, something he's never been able to do.

Somewhere, you know Doris Burke is loving this. Lots of media who get shit on by this arrogant douchebag are loving it too.

[J_Paco]

This situation and team are very similar to 2004, unfortunately that means that Pop, Durant & Lillard are going to fall on the sword (if they fail to win gold).

It has been clear as day that this iteration of team USA - and the one Pop coached a few years ago - is not good enough or cohesive enough of a group. COVID, FIBA (with their decision to hold qualifying tournaments during the NBA season) & other factors have doomed Pop's tenure as USA coach.

They still have time to turn it around but the margins are becoming slimmer and slimmer.

Sucks that he held on to coaching just to possibly lose in the Olympics. SMDH

[Uriel]

Opinion: Time to face facts, NBA coaching legend Gregg Popovich stinks at Olympic basketball
Dan Wolken
USA TODAY

TOKYO – If you want to call Gregg Popovich the greatest coach in NBA history, go right ahead. But let’s be as direct and to the point as Popovich usually is: He stinks at Olympic basketball.

We’ve seen enough to say that now, haven’t we? What more do we need to know?

If you want to know where to put the blame for Team USA’s 83-76 loss to France – America’s first Olympic men’s basketball loss in 6,176 days – look no further than the guy with five NBA titles who has been clueless from the very moment he was given the reins to USA Basketball.

Clueless in what he values with this roster. Clueless with an offense that unlocks very little of what his players do well. Clueless with the expectations he took on by following Mike Krzyzewski in this admittedly thankless job.

And it’s the last point that irks the most.

As Popovich attempted to slough off this embarrassment like it's a Wednesday night in January at Minnesota and not the Olympics, he sounded no different from every Power Five college football coach who tries to reassure their fan base after losing to a MAC school that, hey, those guys are on scholarship too.

“When you lose a game you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed,” Popovich said. “I don’t understand the word surprise. That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we are supposed to beat them by 30 or something. That’s a hell of a team. They have NBA players, other talented players playing in Europe who’ve been together for a long time. I think it’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the ball and win. You have to work for it, and for those 40 minutes they played better than we did.”

Everyone understands that France has NBA-level players, as do several teams in this tournament. Rudy Gobert is a star. Evan Fournier and Nic Batum are names you know. Nando de Colo played a little bit in the NBA and has been awesome year in and year out in the EuroLeague.

But it’s not even the slightest bit jingoistic or hubristic to look at that roster, then look at the U.S. roster, and know within a fraction of a second which one you’d pick.

You know who gets that? The players on the American team. After the game, a couple reporters caught Damian Lillard outside the locker room, and I asked him if it was fair for fans back home to be shocked by what they saw against France.

“I wouldn’t say it’s unfair,” Lillard said. “I mean, I think that’s just what the expectations are when you play for Team USA. I think we have a history of dominance, maybe not always blowing people out but we have a history of winning. It’s not often that you see Team USA go out there and lose especially to start.

"I think that’s why a lot of people will make it seem like the end of the world, but our job as professionals and as this team representing our country in these Olympics, we have to do what’s necessary. We can still accomplish what we came here to accomplish, and we have to make sure we keep that in mind.”

You know why Lillard isn’t afraid to own up to the fact that Team USA is expected to win these games? Because it’s true.

USA Basketball didn’t win three straight Olympics and dominate every international event in between by accident. It happened because there was great care put into building those rosters and because there was tremendous buy-in from the top American players and because Krzyzewski did enough not to screw it up.

This idea that the world has caught up to the USA? Pfft. The world has been good for a long time. The French team isn’t locked in a gym in Paris working on sets all year long laying in wait to knock off the Americans. They’re professional players who have to come together in a short window for these tournaments just like our guys do.

And for the last 17 years, since the debacle in 2004 in Athens that forced USA Basketball to overhaul everything it was doing, the U.S. has been better at that than everyone else. At least until Popovich showed up with a bag full of excuses, saying ridiculous things like it was good that the U.S. lost to Nigeria in an exhibition game or that “those things happen” when you blow an eight-point lead late in the game.

It’s not supposed to happen to the United States in international competition. But it seems to happen more than its fair share under Popovich, who was an assistant under Larry Brown for the 2004 disaster and has overseen a seventh-place finish at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and now a loss at the Olympics after 19 straight wins.

“Basketball is an international sport,” Popovich said. “There are very good teams all over the world. People shouldn’t be surprised that the French team or Australian team or Lithuanian team – it doesn’t matter who it is – the gap in talent shrinks every year as there are more and more players all over the world, and you need to give the French team credit.”

You can give the French team credit while also wondering why the U.S. team wasted time at the beginning of this process by picking Kevin Love – a terrible decision that could not be justified by his play over the last couple years – only to see him bail midway through the training camp. You can wonder why the U.S., with a bevy of great young point guards who can run a half-court offense better than the guys they picked, snubbed someone like Trae Young who clearly wanted to be on the team. You can wonder why the spacing is so bad and the ball doesn’t move. You can wonder whether Popovich is too stubborn and too far past his prime to be the right choice to lead this team.

Ultimately, Team USA can shut everybody up by winning a gold medal, which is still within the realm of possibility. That’s the ultimate scoreboard.

But as we can see with our own eyes, it won’t be easy. It may not be likely. And it sure won’t be because the alleged greatest coach in basketball history figured something out.

Popovich has had years to figure out the whole Team USA thing. We’re still waiting for his first good day at the office.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2021/07/25/olympics-mens-basketball-popovich-blame-usa-loses-france/8086604002/
I completely agree with the author when he says that Pop is past his prime. But this article is so melodramatic :lol

Team USA will still win the gold. That’ll probably be their only loss of the tournament. People are acting like the world is falling apart :lmao

[SayTown]

A decade of Duncan slander can finally stop. Narratives should be that he won so much despite Pop.

When did anyone ever slander Duncan? Duncan would of won multiples anywhere with any coach, can't say the same for Gregg winning without Duncan. How many could Duncan of won with a great coach? Maybe 10!

[rogcl1]

Pop should've taken Ayton with him or someone somewhat legit for some easy buckets. Without having some kind of threat inside you can't go far i don't care who you have on the perimeter. I don't trust Bam at all

Ayton can not play. Not a US citizen.

[rogcl1]

When did anyone ever slander Duncan? Duncan would of won multiples anywhere with any coach, can't say the same for Gregg winning without Duncan. How many could Duncan of won with a great coach? Maybe 10!

What coach wins without great players?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Opinion: Time to face facts, NBA coaching legend Gregg Popovich stinks at Olympic basketball
Dan Wolken
USA TODAY

TOKYO – If you want to call Gregg Popovich the greatest coach in NBA history, go right ahead. But let’s be as direct and to the point as Popovich usually is: He stinks at Olympic basketball.

We’ve seen enough to say that now, haven’t we? What more do we need to know?

If you want to know where to put the blame for Team USA’s 83-76 loss to France – America’s first Olympic men’s basketball loss in 6,176 days – look no further than the guy with five NBA titles who has been clueless from the very moment he was given the reins to USA Basketball.

Clueless in what he values with this roster. Clueless with an offense that unlocks very little of what his players do well. Clueless with the expectations he took on by following Mike Krzyzewski in this admittedly thankless job.

And it’s the last point that irks the most.

As Popovich attempted to slough off this embarrassment like it's a Wednesday night in January at Minnesota and not the Olympics, he sounded no different from every Power Five college football coach who tries to reassure their fan base after losing to a MAC school that, hey, those guys are on scholarship too.

“When you lose a game you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed,” Popovich said. “I don’t understand the word surprise. That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we are supposed to beat them by 30 or something. That’s a hell of a team. They have NBA players, other talented players playing in Europe who’ve been together for a long time. I think it’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the ball and win. You have to work for it, and for those 40 minutes they played better than we did.”

Everyone understands that France has NBA-level players, as do several teams in this tournament. Rudy Gobert is a star. Evan Fournier and Nic Batum are names you know. Nando de Colo played a little bit in the NBA and has been awesome year in and year out in the EuroLeague.

But it’s not even the slightest bit jingoistic or hubristic to look at that roster, then look at the U.S. roster, and know within a fraction of a second which one you’d pick.

You know who gets that? The players on the American team. After the game, a couple reporters caught Damian Lillard outside the locker room, and I asked him if it was fair for fans back home to be shocked by what they saw against France.

“I wouldn’t say it’s unfair,” Lillard said. “I mean, I think that’s just what the expectations are when you play for Team USA. I think we have a history of dominance, maybe not always blowing people out but we have a history of winning. It’s not often that you see Team USA go out there and lose especially to start.

"I think that’s why a lot of people will make it seem like the end of the world, but our job as professionals and as this team representing our country in these Olympics, we have to do what’s necessary. We can still accomplish what we came here to accomplish, and we have to make sure we keep that in mind.”

You know why Lillard isn’t afraid to own up to the fact that Team USA is expected to win these games? Because it’s true.

USA Basketball didn’t win three straight Olympics and dominate every international event in between by accident. It happened because there was great care put into building those rosters and because there was tremendous buy-in from the top American players and because Krzyzewski did enough not to screw it up.

This idea that the world has caught up to the USA? Pfft. The world has been good for a long time. The French team isn’t locked in a gym in Paris working on sets all year long laying in wait to knock off the Americans. They’re professional players who have to come together in a short window for these tournaments just like our guys do.

And for the last 17 years, since the debacle in 2004 in Athens that forced USA Basketball to overhaul everything it was doing, the U.S. has been better at that than everyone else. At least until Popovich showed up with a bag full of excuses, saying ridiculous things like it was good that the U.S. lost to Nigeria in an exhibition game or that “those things happen” when you blow an eight-point lead late in the game.

It’s not supposed to happen to the United States in international competition. But it seems to happen more than its fair share under Popovich, who was an assistant under Larry Brown for the 2004 disaster and has overseen a seventh-place finish at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and now a loss at the Olympics after 19 straight wins.

“Basketball is an international sport,” Popovich said. “There are very good teams all over the world. People shouldn’t be surprised that the French team or Australian team or Lithuanian team – it doesn’t matter who it is – the gap in talent shrinks every year as there are more and more players all over the world, and you need to give the French team credit.”

You can give the French team credit while also wondering why the U.S. team wasted time at the beginning of this process by picking Kevin Love – a terrible decision that could not be justified by his play over the last couple years – only to see him bail midway through the training camp. You can wonder why the U.S., with a bevy of great young point guards who can run a half-court offense better than the guys they picked, snubbed someone like Trae Young who clearly wanted to be on the team. You can wonder why the spacing is so bad and the ball doesn’t move. You can wonder whether Popovich is too stubborn and too far past his prime to be the right choice to lead this team.

Ultimately, Team USA can shut everybody up by winning a gold medal, which is still within the realm of possibility. That’s the ultimate scoreboard.

But as we can see with our own eyes, it won’t be easy. It may not be likely. And it sure won’t be because the alleged greatest coach in basketball history figured something out.

Popovich has had years to figure out the whole Team USA thing. We’re still waiting for his first good day at the office.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2021/07/25/olympics-mens-basketball-popovich-blame-usa-loses-france/8086604002/

Damn, went in dry with that one. And Pop deserves it.

[ElNono]

Don't know the last time a San Antonio newspaper went in like that, tbh... Poop has had it too good here...

[Robz4000]

Don't know the last time a San Antonio newspaper went in like that, tbh... Poop has had it too good here...


That was from USA today my dude. You'll never see a hit piece on Pop while the Spurs are in SA.

[Kurgan]

Opinion: Time to face facts, NBA coaching legend Gregg Popovich stinks at Olympic basketball
Dan Wolken
USA TODAY

TOKYO – If you want to call Gregg Popovich the greatest coach in NBA history, go right ahead. But let’s be as direct and to the point as Popovich usually is: He stinks at Olympic basketball.

We’ve seen enough to say that now, haven’t we? What more do we need to know?

If you want to know where to put the blame for Team USA’s 83-76 loss to France – America’s first Olympic men’s basketball loss in 6,176 days – look no further than the guy with five NBA titles who has been clueless from the very moment he was given the reins to USA Basketball.

Clueless in what he values with this roster. Clueless with an offense that unlocks very little of what his players do well. Clueless with the expectations he took on by following Mike Krzyzewski in this admittedly thankless job.

And it’s the last point that irks the most.

As Popovich attempted to slough off this embarrassment like it's a Wednesday night in January at Minnesota and not the Olympics, he sounded no different from every Power Five college football coach who tries to reassure their fan base after losing to a MAC school that, hey, those guys are on scholarship too.

“When you lose a game you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed,” Popovich said. “I don’t understand the word surprise. That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we are supposed to beat them by 30 or something. That’s a hell of a team. They have NBA players, other talented players playing in Europe who’ve been together for a long time. I think it’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the ball and win. You have to work for it, and for those 40 minutes they played better than we did.”

Everyone understands that France has NBA-level players, as do several teams in this tournament. Rudy Gobert is a star. Evan Fournier and Nic Batum are names you know. Nando de Colo played a little bit in the NBA and has been awesome year in and year out in the EuroLeague.

But it’s not even the slightest bit jingoistic or hubristic to look at that roster, then look at the U.S. roster, and know within a fraction of a second which one you’d pick.

You know who gets that? The players on the American team. After the game, a couple reporters caught Damian Lillard outside the locker room, and I asked him if it was fair for fans back home to be shocked by what they saw against France.

“I wouldn’t say it’s unfair,” Lillard said. “I mean, I think that’s just what the expectations are when you play for Team USA. I think we have a history of dominance, maybe not always blowing people out but we have a history of winning. It’s not often that you see Team USA go out there and lose especially to start.

"I think that’s why a lot of people will make it seem like the end of the world, but our job as professionals and as this team representing our country in these Olympics, we have to do what’s necessary. We can still accomplish what we came here to accomplish, and we have to make sure we keep that in mind.”

You know why Lillard isn’t afraid to own up to the fact that Team USA is expected to win these games? Because it’s true.

USA Basketball didn’t win three straight Olympics and dominate every international event in between by accident. It happened because there was great care put into building those rosters and because there was tremendous buy-in from the top American players and because Krzyzewski did enough not to screw it up.

This idea that the world has caught up to the USA? Pfft. The world has been good for a long time. The French team isn’t locked in a gym in Paris working on sets all year long laying in wait to knock off the Americans. They’re professional players who have to come together in a short window for these tournaments just like our guys do.

And for the last 17 years, since the debacle in 2004 in Athens that forced USA Basketball to overhaul everything it was doing, the U.S. has been better at that than everyone else. At least until Popovich showed up with a bag full of excuses, saying ridiculous things like it was good that the U.S. lost to Nigeria in an exhibition game or that “those things happen” when you blow an eight-point lead late in the game.

It’s not supposed to happen to the United States in international competition. But it seems to happen more than its fair share under Popovich, who was an assistant under Larry Brown for the 2004 disaster and has overseen a seventh-place finish at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and now a loss at the Olympics after 19 straight wins.

“Basketball is an international sport,” Popovich said. “There are very good teams all over the world. People shouldn’t be surprised that the French team or Australian team or Lithuanian team – it doesn’t matter who it is – the gap in talent shrinks every year as there are more and more players all over the world, and you need to give the French team credit.”

You can give the French team credit while also wondering why the U.S. team wasted time at the beginning of this process by picking Kevin Love – a terrible decision that could not be justified by his play over the last couple years – only to see him bail midway through the training camp. You can wonder why the U.S., with a bevy of great young point guards who can run a half-court offense better than the guys they picked, snubbed someone like Trae Young who clearly wanted to be on the team. You can wonder why the spacing is so bad and the ball doesn’t move. You can wonder whether Popovich is too stubborn and too far past his prime to be the right choice to lead this team.

Ultimately, Team USA can shut everybody up by winning a gold medal, which is still within the realm of possibility. That’s the ultimate scoreboard.

But as we can see with our own eyes, it won’t be easy. It may not be likely. And it sure won’t be because the alleged greatest coach in basketball history figured something out.

Popovich has had years to figure out the whole Team USA thing. We’re still waiting for his first good day at the office.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2021/07/25/olympics-mens-basketball-popovich-blame-usa-loses-france/8086604002/

This is such a breath of fresh after decades of garbage journalism in San Antonio, praising Pop as an infallible demigod. The best part about Pop taking this national team job is that he no longer has his goons in the SA media to shield him from criticism. Every sports writer in the country is watching and none of them are impressed. Although, I'm sure the sycophant journos in SA will find a way to blame everybody but the old man.

[daslicer]

What coach wins without great players?

The problem was the narrative was that Duncan couldn't win without Pop and that it was Pop that made Duncan great. There are a lot of people in the media and on social media that pushed this stupid narrative.

[RC_Drunkford]

told y'all Flopovich is one of the worst coaches in the league by now

[GreekSpursfan]

Ayton can not play. Not a US citizen.

Sorry, didn't know and didn't bother to search

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Meh...Kerr is on the bench, too, and he's no slouch of a coach. While I agree that coaching plays a role, the players need to play with more intensity than that ASG mentality that I've seen so far from them.


My only issue with Pop is that he doesn't coach stars like he coaches the Spurs. His fear of pissing off the superstars I think is his Achille's heal. He needs to not be afraid to get on guys when they're not putting forth effort. He's protecting the stars, which isn't a good look for him.

[J_Paco]

When did anyone ever slander Duncan? Duncan would of won multiples anywhere with any coach, can't say the same for Gregg winning without Duncan. How many could Duncan of won with a great coach? Maybe 10!

You do realize Duncan was on the last Olympic that "failed" and was the centerpiece, right?

Duncan likely would've won elsewhere but it isn't a guarantee. We'll never know cause he only won here with one coach.

Same with Pop, who only one where with Duncan.

[J_Paco]

Meh...Kerr is on the bench, too, and he's no slouch of a coach. While I agree that coaching plays a role, the players need to play with more intensity than that ASG mentality that I've seen so far from them.


My only issue with Pop is that he doesn't coach stars like he coaches the Spurs. His fear of pissing off the superstars I think is his Achille's heal. He needs to not be afraid to get on guys when they're not putting forth effort. He's protecting the stars, which isn't a good look for him.

Agreed, a lot of his "prickliness" and rudeness are him trying to deflect criticism (from the players).

Everyone involved should be upset and feel a sense of urgency. We'll see how it goes.

[Russ]

My only issue with Pop is that he doesn't coach stars like he coaches the Spurs. His fear of pissing off the superstars I think is his Achille's heal. He needs to not be afraid to get on guys when they're not putting forth effort. He's protecting the stars, which isn't a good look for him.

Right there with you. I felt it in Vegas watching this team (before KJ was officially added):


That's where KJ could come in. Pop could give KJ a role (he looked good) and then coach him hard (like Duncan). That might allow him to coach the other guys. Right now I think Pop is scared of his players. That's not his comfort zone.

https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=253385

[daslicer]

You do realize Duncan was on the last Olympic that "failed" and was the centerpiece, right?

Duncan likely would've won elsewhere but it isn't a guarantee. We'll never know cause he only won here with one coach.

Same with Pop, who only one where with Duncan.

Duncan winning somewhere else is guaranteed. Even in the worst case scenario he would have gotten at least one title somewhere else.

Using the '04 Olympics to say Duncan wouldn't win without Pop is stupid. That team was horribly constructed and coached stupidly. Surrounding Duncan with a crappy starting lineup of RJ,AI,Marbury,Boozer was awful. All of those guys couldn't shoot outside of Boozer who could only hit mid range shots.

[rjv]

I completely agree with the author when he says that Pop is past his prime. But this article is so melodramatic :lol

Team USA will still win the gold. That’ll probably be their only loss of the tournament. People are acting like the world is falling apart :lmao

i stopped reading about half way through. the overall conclusion may be right but the premises this op-ed offers are sloppy and show that the writer's basketball acumen is pretty bad.

[baseline bum]

Team USA will still win the gold. That’ll probably be their only loss of the tournament.

What about them losing three games out of what five now makes you think that?

[ducks]

I’m embarrassed to be an American.

Biden and Harris are very bad true

[Budkin]

told y'all Flopovich is one of the worst coaches in the league by now

Pop lost his mojo years ago, he really should have retired after 2015.

[ElNono]

Column: Gregg Popovich needs to take blame for the underperforming U.S. men’s basketball team
By Dylan Hernández | Columnist
July 26, 2021 2:15 PM PT

He was a firm, essential voice of reason during the most brazenly racist presidency in generations.

Over the four years in which the White House was occupied by a vulgar failed casino operator, Gregg Popovich earned widespread respect as more than a basketball coach. The praise came from both minorities who appreciated him using his position as a successful white authority figure to speak on their behalf and from white progressives who admired how he articulated their sentiments.

Now, in what could be his final act in public life as the leader of the U.S. basketball team at these Games, the 72-year-old Popovich has been considerably less dignified.

He’s blowing it.

In the wake of the U.S.’s embarrassing 83-76 defeat to France in its Olympic opener on Sunday night, the five-time NBA champion coach came across as unaccountable.

He was defensive. Arrogant, even.

“There’s nothing to be surprised about,” Popovich told reporters. “That’s the part that confuses me a little bit.”

Really, there’s nothing surprising about a team representing the country that invented the sport, has the most competitive league and the best players blowing a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter?

It’s bad enough that Popovich hasn’t been able to convince some of his players to take on the roles required for the U.S. to win a gold medal — or even beat cannon fodder such as France. It’s bad enough that Popovich runs an offense that fails to maximize the offensive weapons on his roster.

What turns this coaching failure into something worse is the demeanor of Popovich. The same man who represented the more sensible parts of America during the Trump presidency is now personifying the country’s worst traits, and on the global stage, no less.

If the selling of complete nonsense indicates how little a speaker thinks of his or her audience’s intelligence, Popovich obviously has none for the people chronicling his Olympic misadventures or to the readers and viewers to whom they are relaying his words.

“I don’t understand the word ‘surprise,’” Popovich continued. “That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we were supposed to beat them by 30 or something. That’s a hell of a team.”

A hell of a team that lost an exhibition game the previous week to Japan, which at No. 42 in the FIBA rankings is behind the likes of South Korea, Tunisia and Georgia.

“They’ve got a great coaching staff,” Popovich continued. “They’ve got NBA players and other talented players playing in Europe [who have been] together for a long time.”

While it’s true the U.S. is subject to more roster turnover than other international teams, it also has the most talented collection of players.

LeBron James isn’t playing? So what?

Uneven as its roster might be, the U.S. has Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum. No other team here can match that, certainly not France, which has good-but-not-great players in Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum.

“I think that’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the ball and win,” Popovich said.

And it’s an appalling abdication of responsibility to think it’s even remotely acceptable for the U.S. to lose to France.

Popovich pointed to how teams from other countries are improving. He’s right. Just because that’s true doesn’t mean that it also can’t be true the U.S. should still be lapping the field.

None of this should diminish what Popovich has accomplished with the Spurs. He was the right coach at the right time for them. He is a surefire Hall of Famer. He also happens to be the wrong coach at the wrong time for the U.S., with a resume in international competition that doesn’t measure up to his NBA success.

He was an assistant to Larry Brown at the disastrous 2004 Games, where the U.S. settled for a bronze medal.

Taking over for Mike Krzyzewski as the U.S. head coach after the 2016 Olympics, Popovich led the team to a worst-ever seventh-place finish at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Earlier this month, the U.S. dropped exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia.

That shouldn’t be the standard. That can’t be the standard.

Brazilians wouldn’t ever accept the coach of their men’s soccer team excusing a loss to, say, the U.S. by pointing to how much its opponent has evolved. Brazil dropping a game to the U.S. in soccer is inexcusable under any circumstance.

That’s part of the job.

Regardless of whether he acknowledges it, Popovich inherited a similar burden from Krzyzewski.

While Popovich played dumb, at least one of his players said he understood the responsibilities that came with representing the U.S. in basketball.

“I think that’s just what the expectations are when you play for Team USA,” Lillard said.

Lillard didn’t perform up to the expectations on the court, but he understood how he had to comport himself after. Popovich didn’t do either.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-07-26/gregg-popovich-us-mens-basketball-coach-olympics

[lefty]

Maybe Dame will step up as the leader of that team?
Because right now they don’t have any

Magic Johnson was the leader of the 92 team

[lefty]

This team has 0 chemistry

Other NTs have dudes playing together for years. US have a different roster for every tournament

Not to mention they added 2 dudes a couple of days removed from the NBA Finals just before the Olympics started

[Jordan Jackson]

Column: Gregg Popovich needs to take blame for the underperforming U.S. men’s basketball team
By Dylan Hernández | Columnist
July 26, 2021 2:15 PM PT

He was a firm, essential voice of reason during the most brazenly racist presidency in generations.

Over the four years in which the White House was occupied by a vulgar failed casino operator, Gregg Popovich earned widespread respect as more than a basketball coach. The praise came from both minorities who appreciated him using his position as a successful white authority figure to speak on their behalf and from white progressives who admired how he articulated their sentiments.

Now, in what could be his final act in public life as the leader of the U.S. basketball team at these Games, the 72-year-old Popovich has been considerably less dignified.

He’s blowing it.

In the wake of the U.S.’s embarrassing 83-76 defeat to France in its Olympic opener on Sunday night, the five-time NBA champion coach came across as unaccountable.

He was defensive. Arrogant, even.

“There’s nothing to be surprised about,” Popovich told reporters. “That’s the part that confuses me a little bit.”

Really, there’s nothing surprising about a team representing the country that invented the sport, has the most competitive league and the best players blowing a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter?

It’s bad enough that Popovich hasn’t been able to convince some of his players to take on the roles required for the U.S. to win a gold medal — or even beat cannon fodder such as France. It’s bad enough that Popovich runs an offense that fails to maximize the offensive weapons on his roster.

What turns this coaching failure into something worse is the demeanor of Popovich. The same man who represented the more sensible parts of America during the Trump presidency is now personifying the country’s worst traits, and on the global stage, no less.

If the selling of complete nonsense indicates how little a speaker thinks of his or her audience’s intelligence, Popovich obviously has none for the people chronicling his Olympic misadventures or to the readers and viewers to whom they are relaying his words.

“I don’t understand the word ‘surprise,’” Popovich continued. “That sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we were supposed to beat them by 30 or something. That’s a hell of a team.”

A hell of a team that lost an exhibition game the previous week to Japan, which at No. 42 in the FIBA rankings is behind the likes of South Korea, Tunisia and Georgia.

“They’ve got a great coaching staff,” Popovich continued. “They’ve got NBA players and other talented players playing in Europe [who have been] together for a long time.”

While it’s true the U.S. is subject to more roster turnover than other international teams, it also has the most talented collection of players.

LeBron James isn’t playing? So what?

Uneven as its roster might be, the U.S. has Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum. No other team here can match that, certainly not France, which has good-but-not-great players in Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum.

“I think that’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the ball and win,” Popovich said.

And it’s an appalling abdication of responsibility to think it’s even remotely acceptable for the U.S. to lose to France.

Popovich pointed to how teams from other countries are improving. He’s right. Just because that’s true doesn’t mean that it also can’t be true the U.S. should still be lapping the field.

None of this should diminish what Popovich has accomplished with the Spurs. He was the right coach at the right time for them. He is a surefire Hall of Famer. He also happens to be the wrong coach at the wrong time for the U.S., with a resume in international competition that doesn’t measure up to his NBA success.

He was an assistant to Larry Brown at the disastrous 2004 Games, where the U.S. settled for a bronze medal.

Taking over for Mike Krzyzewski as the U.S. head coach after the 2016 Olympics, Popovich led the team to a worst-ever seventh-place finish at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Earlier this month, the U.S. dropped exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia.

That shouldn’t be the standard. That can’t be the standard.

Brazilians wouldn’t ever accept the coach of their men’s soccer team excusing a loss to, say, the U.S. by pointing to how much its opponent has evolved. Brazil dropping a game to the U.S. in soccer is inexcusable under any circumstance.

That’s part of the job.

Regardless of whether he acknowledges it, Popovich inherited a similar burden from Krzyzewski.

While Popovich played dumb, at least one of his players said he understood the responsibilities that came with representing the U.S. in basketball.

“I think that’s just what the expectations are when you play for Team USA,” Lillard said.

Lillard didn’t perform up to the expectations on the court, but he understood how he had to comport himself after. Popovich didn’t do either.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-07-26/gregg-popovich-us-mens-basketball-coach-olympics

Everyone just parroting each at this point for clicks. Who cares.

[MultiTroll]

Magic Johnson was the leader of the 92 team
4/10 got a few laughs.

[lefty]

4/10 got a few laughs.
Then who was the leader of that team?

[Robz4000]

Then who was the leader of that team?

Christian Laettner obv

[lefty]

Christian Laettner obv

:lol

[BackHome]

Hey Pop how do you spell KARMA - I will spell it for ya ........HA HA HA............

[spurs10]

Anyone know what channel the game is on? I'm on Directv.

[mikec]

It won't be shown live on tv unless you subscribe to peacock. They have a free trial so I would try that.

[spurs10]

It won't be shown live on tv unless you subscribe to peacock. They have a free trial so I would try that. Thanks! I don't mind paying for the subscription, but sometimes canceling those subscriptions is a Heculean task. :)

[spurs10]

Once got League Pass while in Europe and had to change my identity and sell all my assets to get them to stop charging me.

[mikec]

My bad. It's streaming free on nbcolympics.com. USA kicking Iran's ass right now. We're finally hitting our 3's. Defense is night and day vs France. I like moving Holiday in the starting lineup. Jerami Grant off the bench over Keldon immediately paying off dividends.

[spurs10]

I'm watching on Peacock, but the stream keeps cutting in and out.

[mikec]

The stream on nbcolympics.com is pretty smooth. Try watching there

[Mnky]

I'm just as ready as anyone for the next Head Coach of the spurs to be named but this is getting ridiculous. The team missed their last few free throws and like 10 straight shots to end that game including a handful of wide open shots... and taking threes while having an open lane to the rim with the opponents player on the ground. The players just choked. They played horrible.

Other countries usually get their best players playing together every year. The United States never has a similar roster and never has the best players in the NBA like the dream team did. I honestly don't get how thats hard to comprehend.

Today's culture is AAU bball. Hero ball that doesn't produce results in the NBA let alone the Olympics. Kobe hit the nail on the head with his premonitions of its negative impact on the game.


Like I said, I'm ready for Pop to retire tbh, the organization needs a change. He's fallen way off with his stubborn processes.

That game was definitely not on the coaching staff as much as haters might want it to be. I'm looking forward to all the clickbait articles about the Iran game.

[MultiTroll]

Then who was the leader of that team?
Corporate USA.

Bird Jordan etc certainly weren't lead by Magic. :lol

[Ice009]

Is there a paid for subscription website you can use these days to watch all the Olympic basketball games regardless of country? I remember years ago, I think I signed up to Fiba and was able to watch the games. What is the current Fiba official website? I am assuming they don't do it anymore, though.

[mikec]

Nbcolympics.com has all the games uploaded you can rewatch

[The Truth #6]

Well, that was a resounding victory.

[Ice009]

Nbcolympics.com has all the games uploaded you can rewatch

Thanks, but I assume that only if you're in the US? Can those of us outside the US access those games even if we pay for them?

[mikec]

Blowout win over czech republic. Started off slow but KD and Tatum got hot. On to the knock out round playing our best ball.

[mikec]

Thanks, but I assume that only if you're in the US? Can those of us outside the US access those games even if we pay for them?

Don't know

[Dex]

A few 30 point blowouts should help the team feel better about themselves, but they aren't going to be playing Iran or Czech in the knockout rounds. Hope that doesn't give them a false sense of security.

[mikec]

Holy shit. Slovenia beat Spain last night. So quarterfinals on Tuesday Japan time/Monday night here, we play Spain. Huge match-up but I think we win by 10. Who will be watching? Winner likely plays Patty Mills and Australia

[Russ]

Holy shit. Slovenia beat Spain last night. So quarterfinals on Tuesday Japan time/Monday night here, we play Spain. Huge match-up but I think we win by 10. Who will be watching? Winner likely plays Patty Mills and Australia

So it looks like Spain, then Australia, then France (or maybe Luka's Slovenia)?

That's a murderers' row. (They recently lost to both France and Australia but beat Spain; the second exhibition against Australia in Vegas got cancelled.)

I'm hoping against hope they win out, but the odds would seem to about 50-50 (perhaps even less).

[mikec]

Yea Spain and us have the toughest road. But I still like our chances given the way we've been shooting the ball lately and our defense is noticeably better. The 2nd exhibition against Australia was cancelled. I saw the exhibition against Spain and while it wasn't a cake walk, we handled them in the 2nd half. We didn't have Javale Mcgee that game so we may see an appearance.

[Russ]

Yea Spain and us have the toughest road. But I still like our chances given the way we've been shooting the ball lately and our defense is noticeably better. The 2nd exhibition against Australia was cancelled. I saw the exhibition against Spain and while it wasn't a cake walk, we handled them in the 2nd half. We didn't have Javale Mcgee that game so we may see an appearance.

You're right about Spain -- I was thinking about Australia II which got cancelled.

I was there for the loss against Australia that actually did take place and the win over Argentina.

[Uriel]

In other news, España leading Team USA after the first.

[DAF86]

For the first time in my life I'm rooting for team US on basketball because of Pop. It is frustrating to see guys that tear shit up on the NBA look so trash. Just a theory, but the joke that has become defense on the NBA might be hurting them on FIBA right now, tbh.

[onechance87]

wow usa can lose this....thought we were past this bullshit

[Uriel]

43 all at halftime.

[niraj2000]

USA tightened up the defense last 3 minutes of the game...Draymond is the key to holding all together

[DAF86]

wow usa can lose this....thought we were past this bullshit

Why would they be "past this bullshit" right when the tougher games are coming? :lol

Everygame will be a bloodbath for team US from now on, if they want to win it all.

[SpurPadre]

For the first time in my life I'm rooting for team US on basketball because of Pop. It is frustrating to see guys that tear shit up on the NBA look so trash. Just a theory, but the joke that has become defense on the NBA might be hurting them on FIBA right now, tbh.

I couldn't even root for Team USA when they had DA Admiral or TD but I would NEVER, EVER root for a team that has Durant and Draymond. NEVER. Sorry, Pop, go Spain! Win it Pau! JODER!

[kjhip1]

They are finally driving the ball in the lane. They can’t hit a 3 to save their life.

[MultiTroll]

Not on television? :lol

[Uriel]

Team USA starting to break this game open. Their chemistry is so much better than it was just a couple of weeks ago.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

Pop probably thinks we are winning because Spain refuses to play Pau

[Robz4000]

This one is just about done. Rubio channeled his inner Spurkiller but it isn't enough.

[Uriel]

That's game. Team USA on its way to the semifinals and eliminating Spain.

[mikec]

Ricky MJ Rubio going bonkers just lighting us up. One man wrecking crew. Our D was great. That and finally hitting 3s in the 2nd half got us the win. Seems to be our MO so far. We play tight in the first half then take control in the 2nd. Now I feel much more confident we can take gold.

[mikec]

The final nail in the coffins in the Gasol brothers when they couldn't score in the post on lillard and holiday. It was a great run.

[John B]

Great win. Now to face the winner of Australia/Argentina. It could very much be against FIBA Patty

[Dex]

Australia up 92-56 against Argentina in the 4th.

Looks like the US is gonna get their rematch vs. the Aussies.

[Play Boban]

Poop should’ve been fired when he refused to bend the knee last year.

[SpurPadre]

If Patty does a Patty Thrills performance here, it's 50/50 that PATFO brings him back.

[GAustex]

^ wrong

[SpurPadre]

If Patty does a Patty Thrills performance here, it's 50/50 that PATFO brings him back.

Well, so much for that lol.

[ElNono]

You clearly know little of Argentina's NT and their capabilities, TBH, they tend to do very well in international competitions and reached the Finals (or was it Semis? Forgetting...) the last world cup. They're lacking on the frontcourt, but hardly "suck". Get better info...


Dude, Argentina are the current WC finalists. :lol


:lol of course it is when your claim that Argentina doesn't suck it's because it was a finalist in the last WC two years ago... the least you can do is acknowledge it's not the same level of competition they'll face now.

And look, let's see how it works out. Feel free to bump this if they medal.

But, but you don’t watch the games!!! :lol

Apology accepted, tbh

[Sugus]

But, but you don’t watch the games!!! :lol

Apology accepted, tbh

Argentina still doesn't suck my guy, but whatever. I'm sadder about Scola than I care about the argument at all.... My dear Luifa..... :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry

[ElNono]

Argentina still doesn't suck my guy, but whatever. I'm sadder about Scola than I care about the argument at all.... My dear Luifa..... :cry :cry :cry :cry :cry

:lol They could only compete with the likes of Japan, they got rickrolled by every other team.
Yes they suck, it’s ok, it happens.

Not Luifa’s fault, Father time catches up to everyone, tbh, and I only have gratitude towards the guy.

Now it’s time to get ready for years of misery, especially with the people running the CABB.

[mikec]

Team USA tonight against FIBA Patty, Jock and the Aussies. Baynes is out. Revenge game should be good. Team USA by 12.