I've been so naive...

[duncan2k5]

Lately I've been wondering if Pop has gone basketball senile... Meaning not actually senile, but lost when it comes to NBA strategy and keeping up with the changes...for the past several seasons he has been making questionable calls... For the most part, great, but the questionable calls are the backbreaking ones...

Yes he has 5 rings... But it IS fair to criticize when u feel like he should have more... It's like LeBron... So what he has 3 rings? He SHOULD have more... It's a fair criticism... Why has Pop been making questionable decisions lately?

But it dawned on me... Pop is human! He has ego... He at times doesn't want to make the conventional decision because that's what most coaches would do, and he has to differentiate himself, or else he will hear the talk of Duncan being the only reason he won rings...

Also he has players that he simply likes more than others so they get the playing time, the opportunity, and the money... He relates more to Patty than to DJ... So Patty never gets DNPCDs no matter how awful he plays, plus he gets 50 mill after a very horrible post season...

Same with Gasol...Not saying Bertrans is better than Gasoline, because he isn't (yet), but he isn't much worse than Gasol is to the point where he was getting DNPCDs even over Joff... I actually think Bertrans is a really good player and his defense isn't much worse than Gasol's... He contests shots, and isn't completely useless like gasol is at defending the pick and roll... But Bertrans has a bit of a bad boy streak in him... Pop doesn't dig that... Gasol is more cultured... He likes operas... Politics...

Dedmon didn't deserve the treatment he got at times last year, and neither did Simmons... But they're both players who are confident in their ability... Pop doesn't like that... Be more humble, or else he will humble you to the detriment of the team

Put it like this... If Steph Curry was drafted by the spurs, he would have been a mediocre point guard... The second he started to get cock on court, or pull up from 30, he would have been benched...

Pop doesn't allow players to grow if their personality doesn't fit his type... Stephen Jackson won a championship with us... But he was a better player in Golden State because he was given the opportunity for his game to grow... His personality wasn't one that Pop liked... So we saw how that turned out... They didn't bring him back after the 03 championship, and him being an asshole got him out the door on his second stint here...

Pop isn't perfect... Some may be mad at this post, but we all have flaws... Mine is that I'm a shit poster... But Pop has his flaws too... Let's acknowledge

[SAGirl]

He isn't perfect.
No one is. He does know his basketball...

but is not infallible. He's admitted to some mistakes...

[Fireball]

you really have to be a special young player to get past the players in the rotation which are over themselves ... Tony and Kawhi were able to, but obviously Pop does not think DJ is that kind of a player. I want to see more of DJ too, but I think you are overhyping him a little bit ...

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Pop has flaws, especially when it comes to overreacting to other coaches' adjustments, however, there's no way he could be blamed for being unable to develop raw talent. He's been absolutely fantastic at this, can't think of anyone that comes even close.

[Mr. Body]

Gasol is way better than Bertans likely will ever be, much less Dedmon. You people are mental.

[SAGirl]

I wasn't even addressing any of that. That's his subjective view and guy ain't going to change with his takes.

[UZER]

Yeah, like keeping Manu in to give game 6 to the Heat on a platter.

5 rings or not, that was just stupid and stubborn.

[cjw]

Gasol is way better than Bertans likely will ever be, much less Dedmon. You people are mental.

These people are delusional. Pop is doing the best he can with very limited role players and putting them in a position to succeed. On most other competitive teams, these guys are riding the bench.

Be thankful for what you have instead of the mirage that you think exists.

[sananspursfan21]

I think he knows when to be a risk taker. We are screaming at our tv screens when we watch the games: “put ___ in the game PLEASE!! Take out ____ for crying out loud!” We get mad because we want him to take a flyer on one of the fan favorite unknowns (I remember when people were clamoring about Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Ian Mahinmi). But the reality is that he knows these guys up and down, has seen them play beyond just the spotlight. He watches them in practice and even knows them personally when we don’t. As much as it sucks and as questionable as some of his calls may be, I figure he knows what he’s doing most of the time. He’s seen things and knows things we don’t. Even the guys who live in San Antonio and get to watch scrimmages and catch all the games live don’t know what Pop and the coaching staff know.

Youre right, he has pride and ego and I’m sure that gets in the way, but by and large I believe he knows exactly what’s going on. He probably knows when the fans want someone else in the game. I’m by no means someone who just blindly follows whoever like a sheep without questions, but there comes a point where you just gotta shut up, trust, and at least try to enjoy the game. That’s what all this is. It’s a game. A game that we’re supposed to be enjoying. Have some fun :)

[Old School 44]

Pop is interested in the long term viability of the Spurs. He is not going to go "all in" like the Warriors and the Rockets. The Spurs probably could have won more titles in the Duncan era, but that's not the overall goal. The goal is to field a very good team every year and hope one of the years things fall right for the Spurs (internal player development, favorable playoff matchups, key injury to competition, etc) and they win a title every once in awhile.

The thing about this strategy it wastes prime years of superstar players. Not saying this is part of his goal, but this strategy enhances the reputation of one person in the organization the most - Pop.

[hater]

Fuck stephen jackson. Dude was scrubbing it up when he got fired

Why ppl keep bringing him up is beyond me

[bklynspursfan]

Gasol is way better than Bertans likely will ever be, much less Dedmon. You people are mental.


These people are delusional. Pop is doing the best he can with very limited role players and putting them in a position to succeed. On most other competitive teams, these guys are riding the bench.

Be thankful for what you have instead of the mirage that you think exists.

Exactly.. People on here with their agendas man

[Brazil]

:lol I wonder how many shit threads a single poster can create tbh... must be a record

[SpursforSix]

I don't why people are surprised when older people start to make mistakes. It's part of aging.
And everyone seems to turn a blind eye to it with politics and coaching. For politics, they need to make them take some kind of cognitive test every year.
Crazy that a Supreme Court Justice nomination is for life.

[Chinook]

"Naive" is not the world I'd use.

[Fireball]

"Naive" is not the world I'd use.
which world would you use? :blah

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

This same roster could easily be 8-17 under a different coach. Pop assembled functional pieces, but no one, outside of Aldridge perhaps, could be considered a star at this point in their careers out of this group. A healthy Kawhi added to this mix changes that of course. Then the Spurs become a superstar surrounded by what hopefully is the right supporting cast.

Pop pisses me off sometimes with some of his decisions, but he's a great coach, and puts together a roster that works under the Spurs financial constraints. The record speaks for itself. Hard to complain about the 5 rings, too, considering only 10 teams in history have more than 1, and 40% of the league's teams have none. Could the Spurs have more? Perhaps...but they also could have a lot less.

[DAF86]

I've been naive thinking you were just a regular poster with horrible takes, but now it hit me that you might be a troll.

[DMC]

OP is a faggot

[Keepin' it real]

Lately I've been wondering if Pop has gone basketball senile... Meaning not actually senile, but lost when it comes to NBA strategy and keeping up with the changes...for the past several seasons he has been making questionable calls... For the most part, great, but the questionable calls are the backbreaking ones...

Yes he has 5 rings... But it IS fair to criticize when u feel like he should have more... It's like LeBron... So what he has 3 rings? He SHOULD have more... It's a fair criticism... Why has Pop been making questionable decisions lately?

But it dawned on me... Pop is human! He has ego... He at times doesn't want to make the conventional decision because that's what most coaches would do, and he has to differentiate himself, or else he will hear the talk of Duncan being the only reason he won rings...

Also he has players that he simply likes more than others so they get the playing time, the opportunity, and the money... He relates more to Patty than to DJ... So Patty never gets DNPCDs no matter how awful he plays, plus he gets 50 mill after a very horrible post season...

Same with Gasol...Not saying Bertrans is better than Gasoline, because he isn't (yet), but he isn't much worse than Gasol is to the point where he was getting DNPCDs even over Joff... I actually think Bertrans is a really good player and his defense isn't much worse than Gasol's... He contests shots, and isn't completely useless like gasol is at defending the pick and roll... But Bertrans has a bit of a bad boy streak in him... Pop doesn't dig that... Gasol is more cultured... He likes operas... Politics...

Dedmon didn't deserve the treatment he got at times last year, and neither did Simmons... But they're both players who are confident in their ability... Pop doesn't like that... Be more humble, or else he will humble you to the detriment of the team

Put it like this... If Steph Curry was drafted by the spurs, he would have been a mediocre point guard... The second he started to get cock on court, or pull up from 30, he would have been benched...

Pop doesn't allow players to grow if their personality doesn't fit his type... Stephen Jackson won a championship with us... But he was a better player in Golden State because he was given the opportunity for his game to grow... His personality wasn't one that Pop liked... So we saw how that turned out... They didn't bring him back after the 03 championship, and him being an asshole got him out the door on his second stint here...

Pop isn't perfect... Some may be mad at this post, but we all have flaws... Mine is that I'm a shit poster... But Pop has his flaws too... Let's acknowledge


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qu46svpJ5g

[Phenomanul]

Lately I've been wondering if Pop has gone basketball senile... Meaning not actually senile, but lost when it comes to NBA strategy and keeping up with the changes...for the past several seasons he has been making questionable calls... For the most part, great, but the questionable calls are the backbreaking ones...

Yes he has 5 rings... But it IS fair to criticize when u feel like he should have more... It's like LeBron... So what he has 3 rings? He SHOULD have more... It's a fair criticism... Why has Pop been making questionable decisions lately?

But it dawned on me... Pop is human! He has ego... He at times doesn't want to make the conventional decision because that's what most coaches would do, and he has to differentiate himself, or else he will hear the talk of Duncan being the only reason he won rings... (Pop could care less about such accolades, tbh... so it figures that his in-game decision-making is not driven by such trivialities)

Also he has players that he simply likes more than others so they get the playing time, the opportunity, and the money... He relates more to Patty than to DJ... So Patty never gets DNPCDs no matter how awful he plays, plus he gets 50 mill after a very horrible post season... (Or perhaps Patty knows the playbook/offense better... cause you know, he's an 8 year veteran)

Same with Gasol...Not saying Bertrans is better than Gasoline, because he isn't (yet), but he isn't much worse than Gasol is to the point where he was getting DNPCDs even over Joff... I actually think Bertrans is a really good player and his defense isn't much worse than Gasol's... He contests shots, and isn't completely useless like gasol is at defending the pick and roll... But Bertrans has a bit of a bad boy streak in him... Pop doesn't dig that... Gasol is more cultured... He likes operas... Politics... (Your speculation here is rather comical... could it be that Bertans started off slowly because of his finger injury - and now the effects of the injury have worn off)

Dedmon didn't deserve the treatment he got at times last year, and neither did Simmons... But they're both players who are confident in their ability... Pop doesn't like that... Be more humble, or else he will humble you to the detriment of the team... (more speculation)

Put it like this... If Steph Curry was drafted by the spurs, he would have been a mediocre point guard... The second he started to get cock on court, or pull up from 30, he would have been benched... (more speculation... Steph's shooting and dribbling ability doesn't magically disappear in your hypothetical scenario simply because Pop prefer that his players refrain from partaking of taunting behavior on the court. Steph simply would've learned not to be so disrespectful to the other team)

Pop doesn't allow players to grow if their personality doesn't fit his type... Stephen Jackson won a championship with us... But he was a better player in Golden State because he was given the opportunity for his game to grow... His personality wasn't one that Pop liked... So we saw how that turned out... They didn't bring him back after the 03 championship, and him being an asshole got him out the door on his second stint here...

Pop isn't perfect... Some may be mad at this post, but we all have flaws... Mine is that I'm a shit poster... But Pop has his flaws too... Let's acknowledge

WTF phrases highlighted for exposition of how horrible the overall take is...

[Phenomanul]

This same roster could easily be 8-17 under a different coach. Pop assembled functional pieces, but no one, outside of Aldridge perhaps, could be considered a star at this point in their careers out of this group. A healthy Kawhi added to this mix changes that of course. Then the Spurs become a superstar surrounded by what hopefully is the right supporting cast.

Pop pisses me off sometimes with some of his decisions, but he's a great coach, and puts together a roster that works under the Spurs financial constraints. The record speaks for itself. Hard to complain about the 5 rings, too, considering only 10 teams in history have more than 1, and 40% of the league's teams have none. Could the Spurs have more? Perhaps...but they also could have a lot less.

:toast

[8FOR!3]

Gasol is way better than Bertans likely will ever be, much less Dedmon. You people are mental.

Yeah, not only that but Gasol is playing his best ball of the past couple of years this season. He is clearly starting to see where he fits in the team. Bertans brings some really good things to the table but right now consistency isn't really one of them.

[Leetonidas]

Dedmon and Simmons arent even that good idk why people keep bringing them and lol at the idea “they didnt deserve that treatment!” lolwat? They were treated fine. Spurs are looking just fine without them. BP3 has filled in Simmons role just fine and Pau has been playing great since November and Dedmon wouldn't and shouldn't be getting mins over him anyway. The only real loss was David Lee imo

[Proxy]

People looking at Pop's mistakes in hindsight and saying he isn't perfect, and not trolling... are fucking crazy. Very cringe reading some of these posts

[TheGreatYacht]

He's not senile :lol he just tries to be the smartest kid in Special Ed class.

If you don't see it, just watch any National TV game he's in when he calls numerous timeouts during 2-0 opponent runs :lmao

[duncan2k5]

you really have to be a special young player to get past the players in the rotation which are over themselves ... Tony and Kawhi were able to, but obviously Pop does not think DJ is that kind of a player. I want to see more of DJ too, but I think you are overhyping him a little bit ...

I'm not so much over hyping DJ and realizing Tony is too old and fragile (plus has a history of disappearing in the post season) to rely on, and Patty is useless against the good teams because he doesn't get open shots and can't create for himself or anyone else... PLUS they're both really bad defenders...

With that in mind, I rather level up a wild card with potential than to waste a season knowing how it will end if we have to rely on Patty and a broken Tony... DJ can at least hold his own VS them on defense, and his length combined with Danny and Kawhi on the perimeter has a lot of disruptive potential... Especially VS turnover prone Golden State

[duncan2k5]

Pop has flaws, especially when it comes to overreacting to other coaches' adjustments, however, there's no way he could be blamed for being unable to develop raw talent. He's been absolutely fantastic at this, can't think of anyone that comes even close.

Come on now... He has let some players go, that for whatever reason he couldn't see their potential, and they have gone on to develop elsewhere

[duncan2k5]

Gasol is way better than Bertans likely will ever be, much less Dedmon. You people are mental.

I'm not talking about career wise... I'm talking right now... Given similar minutes, and no threat of a short leash I think Bertans won't be far behind gasols impact... Especially when it comes to pick and roll defense... He DEFINITELY has gasoline beat there... Seven years ago, it would have been insane to want to play Draymond Green over David Lee... Just saying...

[duncan2k5]

Yeah, like keeping Manu in to give game 6 to the Heat on a platter.

5 rings or not, that was just stupid and stubborn.

Or benching Duncan on defense... Unforgivable the...

[duncan2k5]

Pop is interested in the long term viability of the Spurs. He is not going to go "all in" like the Warriors and the Rockets. The Spurs probably could have won more titles in the Duncan era, but that's not the overall goal. The goal is to field a very good team every year and hope one of the years things fall right for the Spurs (internal player development, favorable playoff matchups, key injury to competition, etc) and they win a title every once in awhile.

The thing about this strategy it wastes prime years of superstar players. Not saying this is part of his goal, but this strategy enhances the reputation of one person in the organization the most - Pop.

So sitting Duncan was part of a long term strategy? Or letting Scola go? Sometimes ppl just make the wrong call... Pop won't snipe u for admitting that...

[duncan2k5]

This same roster could easily be 8-17 under a different coach. Pop assembled functional pieces, but no one, outside of Aldridge perhaps, could be considered a star at this point in their careers out of this group. A healthy Kawhi added to this mix changes that of course. Then the Spurs become a superstar surrounded by what hopefully is the right supporting cast.

Pop pisses me off sometimes with some of his decisions, but he's a great coach, and puts together a roster that works under the Spurs financial constraints. The record speaks for itself. Hard to complain about the 5 rings, too, considering only 10 teams in history have more than 1, and 40% of the league's teams have none. Could the Spurs have more? Perhaps...but they also could have a lot less.

Could LeBron have won more? We all know he could have... His performance, especially VS Dallas and Boston was very bad... Just because someone has won, doesn't mean you overlook the times they were SUPPOSED TO win, but didn't... Those factor in too... Pop has five rings, but he should have at least seven... And the decisions made should not be overlooked

[duncan2k5]

Yeah, not only that but Gasol is playing his best ball of the past couple of years this season. He is clearly starting to see where he fits in the team. Bertans brings some really good things to the table but right now consistency isn't really one of them.

How can u be consistent when nothing around you is?

[duncan2k5]

People looking at Pop's mistakes in hindsight and saying he isn't perfect, and not trolling... are fucking crazy. Very cringe reading some of these posts

So when he sat Duncan VS the heat, you didn't think that was stupid even before seeing the outcome?

[Play Boban]

:cry

[rastaspur]

WTF phrases highlighted for exposition of how horrible the overall take is...

You hit the nail on the head.

[exstatic]

So when he sat Duncan VS the heat, you didn't think that was stupid even before seeing the outcome?

After losing to the Heat in 2013, Pop had a picture of the scoreboard posted in the hallway leading to the locker room for the team to look at all year. Was it the score with 28 seconds left? No, it was th scoreboard almost at the end of the 3rd, with the Spurs up 13 points. Game 6 started unraveling long before the 28 second Mark of the 4th quarter. I notice that you never mention or blame LeBrons coaches. Players can lose games through poor execution,and that’s exactly what happened in game 6. WTF was Manu doing trying to draw a foul on that Bosh rebound? Slap it away, and you have a steal, or Bosh is shooting 2 FTs down 3 points.

[tonight...you]

After losing to the Heat in 2013, Pop had a picture of the scoreboard posted in the hallway leading to the locker room for the team to look at all year. Was it the score with 28 seconds left? No, it was th scoreboard almost at the end of the 3rd, with the Spurs up 13 points. Game 6 started unraveling long before the 28 second Mark of the 4th quarter. I notice that you never mention or blame LeBrons coaches. Players can lose games through poor execution,and that’s exactly what happened in game 6. WTF was Manu doing trying to draw a foul on that Bosh rebound? Slap it away, and you have a steal, or Bosh is shooting 2 FTs down 3 points.
I like where you're going, but Manu's a damn gambler. Always has been and always will be, for better, or for worse.
Thankfully he has given us moments, as fans, of true bliss, but that has come with many, many moments of us wanting to tear his head off.

[UZER]

After losing to the Heat in 2013, Pop had a picture of the scoreboard posted in the hallway leading to the locker room for the team to look at all year. Was it the score with 28 seconds left? No, it was th scoreboard almost at the end of the 3rd, with the Spurs up 13 points. Game 6 started unraveling long before the 28 second Mark of the 4th quarter. I notice that you never mention or blame LeBrons coaches. Players can lose games through poor execution,and that’s exactly what happened in game 6. WTF was Manu doing trying to draw a foul on that Bosh rebound? Slap it away, and you have a steal, or Bosh is shooting 2 FTs down 3 points.

Pop helped give that game away with the horrible 4th qtr starting lineup. The Heat immediately jumped on it and got back in the game. IIRC, Pop called an early timeout but still stuck with the same lineup! THAT was pretty much the game right there in the sense that is was going to be a dogfight the rest of the way.

The spurs were really rolling at the end of the third and had a chance to Put the game away early in the 4th or at least give them an even bigger cushion. LeBron looked all kinds of nervous, defeated, hopeless and scared. Remember, he was still choking LeBron at that point and the moment was getting the best of him. He was completely like a deer in headlights.

[duncan2k5]

Pop helped give that game away with the horrible 4th qtr starting lineup. The Heat immediately jumped on it and got back in the game. IIRC, Pop called an early timeout but still stuck with the same lineup! THAT was pretty much the game right there in the sense that is was going to be a dogfight the rest of the way.

The spurs were really rolling at the end of the third and had a chance to Put the game away early in the 4th or at least give them an even bigger cushion. LeBron looked all kinds of nervous, defeated, hopeless and scared. Remember, he was still choking LeBron at that point and the moment was getting the best of him. He was completely like a deer in headlights.

THANK YOU!! ppl seem to think Pop is always blameless... Like he is a cult leader or something... The dude is human and makes mistakes... Just because he is the best coach doesn't mean sometimes he makes the wrong call that someone else would have made right...

[wildbill2u]

Yep, he's been losing it through the past two 60 plus win seasons and Keeping the injury ridden team at only a .680 winning clip while Kwahi and Parker have been out. The signs of senility are everywhere.

"Fire Pop!" hasn't been heard around here for a while, but someone with super BB IQ will probably start a petition.

[tholdren]

Lately I've been wondering if i like men

[duncan2k5]

Yep, he's been losing it through the past two 60 plus win seasons and Keeping the injury ridden team at only a .680 winning clip while Kwahi and Parker have been out. The signs of senility are everywhere.

"Fire Pop!" hasn't been heard around here for a while, but someone with super BB IQ will probably start a petition.

So pop is perfect? All hail Pop!

[duncan2k5]

Boston has a worse team, and they have the best record in the NBA... No way you can tell me pop would have coached that same team to that record... Damn near all the young guys would have been on the bench

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Boston has a worse team, and they have the best record in the NBA... No way you can tell me pop would have coached that same team to that record... Damn near all the young guys would have been on the bench

:lol

Young guy Bryn Forbes played 35 mins for the Spurs. He can shoot and he even played great defense this game.

+21 on a 3 point win :wow

[daslicer]

Boston has a worse team, and they have the best record in the NBA... No way you can tell me pop would have coached that same team to that record... Damn near all the young guys would have been on the bench

No way you could tell me if Brad Stevens coached the Spurs that he would play Murray.

[duncan2k5]

:lol

Young guy Bryn Forbes played 35 mins for the Spurs. He can shoot and he even played great defense this game.

+21 on a 3 point win :wow

U can't be serious... Almost all our wing players are injured... Pop literally had no choice

[tholdren]

U can't be serious... Almost all our wing players are injured... Pop literally had no choice

But but but.....

[duncan2k5]

No way you could tell me if Brad Stevens coached the Spurs that he would play Murray.

I bet you he would!