Pop Named Coach of the Western Conf. All-Stars

[BatManu20]

I'm sure he's thrilled.

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[Spur|n|Austin]

Good to hear, it's well deserved.

[LakerHater]

Hope he adds Tim to roster!

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm surprised that he didn't insist upon the league giving the spot to Walton.

Maybe he did, and the league rejected it; seems ridiculous this season to not have Walton get that honor.

[FromWayDowntown]

Hope he adds Tim to roster!

The All-Star coach doesn't have that power in the NBA. He gets a vote in who the reserves are; if an elected All-Star can't play, the Commissioner gets to decide who the replacement is.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Hope he plays Curry 48 minutes.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Poor Pop.

[Spur|n|Austin]

I'm surprised that he didn't insist upon the league giving the spot to Walton.

Maybe he did, and the league rejected it; seems ridiculous this season to not have Walton get that honor.

Just curious, has an interim head coach ever coached an AST?

[JohnnyMax]

Coaches can't coach All-Stars in 2 straight yrs, so Steve Kerr's ineligible.

[Seventyniner]

I guess the league is applying the Riley rule to franchises and not coaches. Or is it because Kerr came back before the cutoff?

[I. Hustle]

Hope he plays Curry 48 minutes.

Agree. Let him be the AS MVP if he wants.

[FromWayDowntown]

Just curious, has an interim head coach ever coached an AST?

I'd doubt that. The circumstances this year are really unique, but Walton should have had the opportunity and the League should have found a way to work around the Riley Rule to recognize that circumstance. Bad job by the league, I think.

[Kawhitstorm]

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Social_Climber/AP_Spurs_Hammon__ml_140806_16x9_992.jpghttp://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Social_Climber/AP_Spurs_Hammon__ml_140806_16x9_992.jpgThe first female to coach an NBA All-Star game:

http://sports.cbsimg.net/u/photos/basketball/nba/img25246215.jpg

[loveforthegame]

Good for Pop. I'm sure he's thrilled. :tu

[FromWayDowntown]

In any event, it's Pop's 4th All-Star game. The Spurs have reached the Finals in 2 of the 3 prior years (2005, 2013) in which he coached the All-Stars. The other one was 2011.

Only 4 coaches have more All-Star selections -- and all before the Riley Rule: Red Auerbach (11), Pat Riley (9), K.C. Jones (6), Fred Schaus (5). Pop's 4th selection ties him for 5th place with John Kundla, Tommy Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham, Lenny Wilkens, and Phil Jackson.

[LakerHater]

So is Lue gonna coach east?

... or Blatt

[spursistan]

Play Curry/Raymond 48 minutes, tbh..

[FromWayDowntown]

I guess the league is applying the Riley rule to franchises and not coaches. Or is it because Kerr came back before the cutoff?

Probably the latter (combined with the fact that Kerr gets credit for all of Walton's wins).

I don't think the Riley Rule applies to franchises -- in 2003, Isiah Thomas coached the East All-Stars while serving as coach of the Pacers; the next year, Rick Carlisle coached the East while also serving as coach of the Pacers.

[SupremeGuy]

Hope he adds Tim to roster!


Hope he plays Curry 48 minutes.These.

[BatManu20]

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[I. Hustle]

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THANKS!

[Uriel]

Hope he plays Curry 48 minutes.

[LakerHater]

no Boban in the rising stars??

[Spur|n|Austin]

So is Lue gonna coach east?

... or Blatt

:lol good question, awkwarddd..

[FromWayDowntown]

:lol good question, awkwarddd..

I'm sure the league would be relieved if Toronto could somehow overtake Cleveland by the cut-off. Not likely to happen, but it would make things much easier (and give even more Raptors presence at the game itself).

[Spurs9]

Maybe he can gather some intel on Curry tbh

[TXstbobcat]

Even though he would probably like to spend that time somewhere else that weekend, it is a well deserved honor for Coach Pop.

[Chinook]

The All-Star coach doesn't have that power in the NBA. He gets a vote in who the reserves are; if an elected All-Star can't play, the Commissioner gets to decide who the replacement is.

Yeah, but if an All-Star starter is hurt, then the coach gets to decide to will begin the game. I think that was what LH was thinking of.

[GSH]

Hope he adds Tim to roster!


I think it would be hilarious as shit if he added Boban. Nobody wants any defense in the AS game. But if they leave that big bastard alone in the paint, he'd score 50. I'm dead fucking serious - they would have to change the entire way the AS Game is played, or give the AS MVP to a guy who averages 8 minutes a game. Not saying that Boban is ready to be a starter, just that the AS game is the perfect environment for him to dominate.

I normally don't give a shit about All Star Weekend, but I'd pay to see that.

[Budkin]

Sure he's pissed.

[ducks]

curry play and Thomas all game

[Mikeanaro]

Coaches can't coach All-Stars in 2 straight yrs, so Steve Kerr's ineligible.
Kerr is not even a coach Johnny, more like a cheerleader/waterboy.

[look_at_g_shred]

Kerr is not even a coach Johnny, more like a cheerleader/waterboy.
lol

[Spur|n|Austin]

You can almost hear Pop exhaling and rolling his eyes.

[gameFACE]

I love seeing how awkward Pop looks when he's introduced at an ASG. All that flash, glam and thumping music .... and then there's Pop.

[spursparker9]

Why haven;t they announce the eastern conf coach?

[All Mighty Janitor]

So is Lue gonna coach east?

... or Blatt

It's gonna be Lue. The league determined he is eligible.

[All Mighty Janitor]

Why haven;t they announce the eastern conf coach?

I think it's because the Cavs can be overtaken in the standings by the Raptors by Allstar break.

[DMC]

Even if David Blatt coached it would still be Lue coaching.

[DMC]

Walton should not get the shot. That team could have gotten there without him and Steve Kerr was still the head coach. Steve Kerr should get the shot. Since he can't coach two years in a row however it has to go to someone else not his assistant.

[DMC]

You can almost hear Pop exhaling and rolling his eyes.And its all bullshit, he loves every bit of it.

[Agloco]

Anyone else think the Kerr came back when he did to troll Pop?

:lol

[ThomasamohT]

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't the assistant coaches come from the team with the second best record (or best since Kerr is ineligible)? If that's the case, how much do you want to bet that Pop gets tossed within the first quarter (heck, maybe even before the opening jump).

[TheGreatYacht]

Didn't deserve it, tbh.

[loveforthegame]

Leonard's DNP-Rest is coming soon.

[SpursDynasty]

Makes sense. The coach of the best team in the NBA.

[DenialTwist]

Hope he plays the warriors 45 minutes lol I'm sure Draymond and Klay will be announced tomorrow as the reserves

[BatManu20]

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[100%duncan]

I probably could have coached the warriors to this good a record.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Just curious, has an interim head coach ever coached an AST?

Pop should select Walton as an assistant just to acknowledge his ability to stay out of his team's way. Kinda like an All-Star Game.

[Ice009]

I'm surprised that he didn't insist upon the league giving the spot to Walton.

Maybe he did, and the league rejected it; seems ridiculous this season to not have Walton get that honor.

I thought the rule was the coach of the team that is first the year before can't coach the following year if they are first again. I don't think it matters who is coaching the team that is first, just the fact that the Warriors are first again at this point of the season disqualifies them from having their coach coach the all-star game a second time in a row. As far as I'm concerned, their coach (no matter who that is), can't coach the game a second time in a row. That's not fair to other teams and coaches. No way Walton has the same record on any other team. I could be wrong, but I think it's more the team that made him look good IMO rather than the other way around. I'm not discrediting what he did, but I think it should be based on team placing rather than who is coaching said team. Again, no offense to Walton, he did a fantastic job, but their coach did the game last year, so this year another team's coach should get the opportunity to coach the game.

[DAF86]

I'm sure he somehow likes being the one handling Kawhi's minutes and effort, tbh.

[FromWayDowntown]

I thought the rule was the coach of the team that is first the year before can't coach the following year if they are first again. I don't think it matters who is coaching the team that is first, just the fact that the Warriors are first again at this point of the season disqualifies them from having their coach coach the all-star game a second time in a row. As far as I'm concerned, their coach (no matter who that is), can't coach the game a second time in a row. That's not fair to other teams and coaches. No way Walton has the same record on any other team. I could be wrong, but I think it's more the team that made him look good IMO rather than the other way around. I'm not discrediting what he did, but I think it should be based on team placing rather than who is coaching said team. Again, no offense to Walton, he did a fantastic job, but their coach did the game last year, so this year another team's coach should get the opportunity to coach the game.

If Kerr had resigned (or been fired) and Walton was the actual head coach of the Warriors (rather than the interim coach), I think the rules would make Walton the head coach.

The Riley Rule doesn't appear to apply to teams (there was an example earlier in the thread of the Pacers having the East Coach in consecutive years because they fired Isiah Thomas the summer after he was the East Coach and hired Carlisle, who had the best record in the East at the break the next year).