Pop going to coach rebuild?

[cd98]

Not likely. Full rebuild.

[TheGreatYacht]

His ego won't let him and he'll continue to set this franchise back decades. He already did when he gave his loyalty to old fucks (Manu, TP, Pau, etc) and now his ego won't let him admit that he's a franchise of Duncan.

Enjoy 3-4 years of LMA carrying this team to a place no franchise wants to be at. Late lottery or just out of it.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's an interesting question..

Ideally, you trade Aldridge for anything decent, let Parker walk and try to trade Danny if he opts out, but is Pop even going to agree to a full rebuild? He could just be content with a retool, trying to make the playoffs as a low-seed with Aldridge again for a few seasons..

[RD2191]

Let Becky take over and let us become the gay face of the league.

[Othyus Lalanne]

Let Becky take over and let us become the gay face of the league.

It will never be good enogh. Trust me.

[K...]

I think they'd rather LMA stay and get a trade at the deadline. Benefit is to see if this team... Which was a low playoffs team, shows any improvement and to goose LMAs value, and preserve his value. They won't screw LMA with a bad trade destination

[spurraider21]

i cant imagine pop trying to coach up a bunch of pups. i'd retire if they go rebuild mode

[offset formation]

His ego won't let him and he'll continue to set this franchise back decades.

Lol. Not a good judge of character are we?

Haven't been paying attention for the last 20 odd years?
Or
Just salty af cause he calls your boy out for what he is??

Either way, you look stupid.

[ducks]

i cant imagine pop trying to coach up a bunch of pups. i'd retire if they go rebuild mode

he did say he was please to see how well the young ones developed

[K...]

I could see him essentially retire on the job and coach home game/practices only.

[BillMc]

It's an interesting question..

Ideally, you trade Aldridge for anything decent, let Parker walk and try to trade Danny if he opts out, but is Pop even going to agree to a full rebuild? He could just be content with a retool, trying to make the playoffs as a low-seed with Aldridge again for a few seasons..

Good point. But LMA's value will never be higher than this again.

[HarlemHeat37]

Good point. But LMA's value will never be higher than this again.

That's true and I've thought about this before, but what is LMA's market? The only teams interested would probably be middling teams that could convince themselves that they're a piece away IMO..

Charlotte(not a piece away, but it's a move Jordan would make), Indiana, Clippers, Miami, maybe Minnesota, Portland, Toronto, Washington..don't see many possibilities for good value there IMO..

Probably not even worth trading him right now..

[BillMc]

That's true and I've thought about this before, but what is LMA's market? The only teams interested would probably be middling teams that could convince themselves that they're a piece away IMO..

Charlotte(not a piece away, but it's a move Jordan would make), Indiana, Clippers, Miami, maybe Minnesota, Portland, Toronto, Washington..don't see many possibilities for good value there IMO..

Probably not even worth trading him right now..

Yeah. Maybe....

1. Cleveland if LeBron somehow stays
2. Houston (especially if they lose Capella)

Um, no one else really is in that "1 piece away mode" as you say.

I guess Phoenix just because they're losers and seem to covet him.

[spurraider21]

he did say he was please to see how well the young ones developed
yeah, but alongside a team with kawhi and aldridge. he's too old to see a full rebuild through imo (he has said he doesnt want to coach for much longer anyway)

[HarlemHeat37]

^^he won't want to rebuild, but Pop wouldn't leave the Spurs in terrible shape, either..if he can acquire pieces strictly for the future, I'm sure he will do it.. it'll be interesting to see how this plays out..

[TD 21]

That's true and I've thought about this before, but what is LMA's market? The only teams interested would probably be middling teams that could convince themselves that they're a piece away IMO..

Charlotte(not a piece away, but it's a move Jordan would make), Indiana, Clippers, Miami, maybe Minnesota, Portland, Toronto, Washington..don't see many possibilities for good value there IMO..

Probably not even worth trading him right now..

True, but I'd still trade him for whatever he can fetch. Even if it is only something like one of Bender/Chriss and the 16th pick (or comparable value elsewhere, if they're no longer interested), it still makes sense.

Aldridge only made sense with Leonard. In a re-build, the majority of this team doesn't. If Gay or Green opt in, they should be traded. Gasol, I'd try to attach to Leonard or buyout/stretch.

But you're right, it's unlikely they strip it down bare bones.

[spurraider21]

^^he won't want to rebuild, but Pop wouldn't leave the Spurs in terrible shape, either..if he can acquire pieces strictly for the future, I'm sure he will do it.. it'll be interesting to see how this plays out..
he'll still stick around as president. he's probably drained regarding the day to day grind

[YGWHI]

With or without Kawhi, Pop will coach until 2020. A trade doesnt change it.

[Spurtacular]

i cant imagine pop trying to coach up a bunch of pups. i'd retire if they go rebuild mode

I think Pop is like one of those old senators (Feinstein, McCain) who loves the limelight and power too much and will literally do this 'til he's on death's door. And outside shot he goes from Spurs to a contender, too.

[Clipper Nation]

Let Becky take over and let us become the gay face of the league.

As long as Magic is the Lakers' GM, they're the gay face of the league, tbh.

[BSfromTX]

Pop could do it, but he may not have enough left in the tank

[DMC]

I have this feeling that Pop might go out like Sloan, by having shade thrown at him from young stars. This could be the precursor for that.

[alpha_HaZE]

I have this feeling that Pop might go out like Sloan, by having shade thrown at him from young stars. This could be the precursor for that.

I wouldn't mind seeing him moving back to the front office while Messina takes over the head coaching job.

[dbestpro]

Coach Bud.................

[MultiTroll]

Assistant coach on Golden State.

[Snaq O'Meal]

Let Becky take over and let us become the gay face of the league.

The league already has a gay face. It’s called the Golden State Warriors.

[cutewizard]

Interesting read:

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2018/6/17/17472006/spurs-mystique-dead-kawhi-leonard-trade-rumors-gregg-popovich-tim-duncan

The Spurs’ mystique is dead
Kawhi Leonard is not special, and thus, neither is San Antonio.By Tom Ziller (https://www.sbnation.com/authors/tom-ziller)@teamziller (https://www.twitter.com/teamziller) Jun 17, 2018, 9:17am EDT


(https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?text=The+Spurs%E2%80%99+mystique+is+dea d&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbnation.com%2Fnba%2F2018%2F6% 2F17%2F17472006%2Fspurs-mystique-dead-kawhi-leonard-trade-rumors-gregg-popovich-tim-duncan)
(https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?counturl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbnation.com%2Fnb a%2F2018%2F6%2F17%2F17472006%2Fspurs-mystique-dead-kawhi-leonard-trade-rumors-gregg-popovich-tim-duncan&text=The+Spurs%E2%80%99+mystique+is+dead&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbnation.com%2Fnba%2F2018%2F 6%2F17%2F17472006%2Fspurs-mystique-dead-kawhi-leonard-trade-rumors-gregg-popovich-tim-duncan&via=sbnation)

(https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2018/6/17/17472006/spurs-mystique-dead-kawhi-leonard-trade-rumors-gregg-popovich-tim-duncan#)


As Kawhi Leonard’s camp works to get their man traded out of San Antonio (https://www.sbnation.com/2017/11/23/16693304/kawhi-leonard-trade-rumors-history-timeline-spurs-gregg-popovich), something has become painfully clear: the Spurs (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/san-antonio-spurs)’ mystique is dead.
For 20 years the Spurs have competed for NBA championships playing by rules of their own, bending the rest of the league to their will with some regularity. It’s not a constant dominance — the franchise won no titles from 2008 through 2013, nor since 2014. It’s a dynastic power without an actual dynasty to speak of.
But the Spurs always lurk, always do things right and do things under the radar, and pop up deep in the Western Conference Finals, right when opponents least expect it.
The normal rules of team-building never really applied, not once San Antonio drafted Tim Duncan in 1997 and Kawhi in 2011. These unassuming superstars didn’t require any special privilege (so we thought), and their satisfaction with being treated like every other Spur by the demanding Gregg Popovich (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/98773/gregg-popovich) helped build a camaraderie rarely found in the NBA.



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The Spurs struck gold with Duncan, a perfect team-first superstar. That got them four titles in 10 years. It looked as though the Spurs had struck the jackpot again with Kawhi. They added another ring in Year 3 with him, amid Duncan’s twilight. But now that’s all over.


Kawhi isn’t the son of Duncan after all. He’s like any other NBA superstar, and his ego won’t submit to Popovich any longer. And because Kawhi isn’t Duncan, we now realize that it wasn’t the Spurs who were special all these years. It was Duncan and Popovich who were extraordinary.
The most peculiar thing about Leonard’s trade request is that we really have no idea of the reason for it. There’s bad blood over how Kawhi’s injury was treated this year, and that’s somewhat understandable. Spurs players appeared to be losing patience with Leonard as the season wore on, and even Popovich had an edge when discussing the expected timeline for Kawhi’s return at times.
But a trade request away from the team that served as the platform for your Finals MVP and multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards over ... this? Something more is happening.
It’s starting to look as though Kawhi didn’t really want to be the new Tim Duncan. He fit into that role because in his youth he was quiet, unassuming, and ready to work hard. Duncan was the perfect guide for a player like that.
Remember that Kawhi wasn’t a super-elite high school recruit — he wasn’t in the top 50 in his class — and that he wasn’t a one-and-done meteor out of San Diego State, where he played for two seasons. Remember that Kawhi was the No. 15 pick in a shallow draft. He had a lot to prove once he arrived in San Antonio.


His arrival collided with the Spurs’ rejuvenated run in the suddenly open West, after the Lakers (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/los-angeles-lakers)had fallen (again) and before the Warriors (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/golden-state-warriors) rose. The Thunder (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/oklahoma-city-thunder) were the presumptive heirs to the throne, and went to the 2012 Finals in Kawhi’s rookie season. But misfortune, the James Harden (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/296575/james-harden)trade, and Kawhi’s rise subsumed Oklahoma City, and the Spurs quickly reigned supreme again. That early success with Duncan as a guiding light — along with Popovich’s effusive praise for the young star — shaped how we think about Leonard. All of that built an aura of Duncanism around Leonard. It built the Spurs’ mystique as something beyond Duncan. This magic was now applicable to multiple generations of NBA superstars.
Now that is proven to be a lie. Kawhi is no Duncan. He is a fairly normal NBA superstar with a perfectly understandable, normal ego and normal desires that don’t include sticking around San Antonio for his entire career. Being borne of the Spurs did not imbue him with a Duncanian attitude.
Leonard’s reported interest in going to Los Angeles is the tell here: if he were truly a different flavor of superstar — something like a Duncan — he wouldn’t close off the options to only his sunny homeland. He’d be happy wherever he could compete for titles with an excellent coach. Kawhi is showing himself to basically be Paul George (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/296808/paul-george) with more hardware and a better reputation.
And because Kawhi is no Duncan, the Spurs’ mystique is dead. That franchise was believed to be the reason there could be a second Duncan. The franchise has been seen, in a way, as a protective cocoon that allows its prospects to blossom into monsters in a safe environment, requiring only undying loyalty once they reach maturity. But really, it was always just Duncan and Popovich building a truly special symbiosis, with other faithful, exceptional talents like Manu Ginobili (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/296718/manu-ginobili), David Robinson, and, to a lesser extent, Tony Parker (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/296723/tony-parker) augmenting the relationship and imbuing it all with an added mysticism.


That’s all gone now. Robinson left years ago. Parker might be on his way out, and it appears Manu has just one more year left (if that). There are rumors abounding that Popovich will retire by 2020. One wonders if he would have quit this summer had he not promised LaMarcus Aldridge (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/296727/lamarcus-aldridge) to stay when recruiting him.
I have long discussed exceptionalism in the NBA in the context of the Lakers, given that usual norms don’t usually apply to that franchise. Lakers exceptionalism died in embarrassing fashion circa 2011. Only now, under the guidance of Jeanie Buss and Magic (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/orlando-magic) Johnson, is L.A. beginning to find the kernel of its mystique again. Lakers exceptionalism may be reborn any minute now.
Quietly, Spurs exceptionalism has also existed for 20 years now. The normal rules of NBA team-building and title-chasing didn’t apply to San Antonio in the reign of Popovich, Duncan, and, for a while at least, Kawhi. But that’s all over, as it is revealed that the last couple years of the era have been a lie. It was always just Duncan and Popovich after all. Kawhi’s catastrophic year has broken the facade, and his trade request has turned the Spurs’ aura of exceptionality into rubble.
Finally, after all these years of excellence, the San Antonio Spurs are just another NBA team. What a pity.




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