Spurzilla
11-06-2005, 06:48 PM
Spurs' Popovich an unsung winner
John Jackson
Chicago Sun-Times
November 06, 2005
link (http://www.suntimes.com/output/jackson/cst-spt-jax06.html)
In nearly every discussion of which active NBA coach is the best, the names of Phil Jackson and Larry Brown are mentioned first. Both are outstanding choices, and I'd feel comfortable with either leading my team.
But my choice is Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.
Like Brown, Popovich believes in playing the game the right way. Like Jackson, he emphasizes the importance of the team over the individual. However, what moves Popovich to the top of the list, in my opinion, is his determination to get the job done year after year after year.
The Spurs have won three NBA championships since 1999, and each of those teams was significantly different from the previous championship team. Sean Elliott was a key player on the 1999 title team, but he was retired by the time the Spurs won it again in 2003. Last season, the Spurs won without David Robinson, who was a major force on the previous championship teams.
After losing those key players, Popovich didn't decide to take some time off or leave for seemingly greener pastures. He simply rolled up his sleeves and went to work.
So why hasn't Popovich gotten as much attention as other top coaches? Three reasons: He's not a high-profile former player, he's not a media entertainer and quote machine, and San Antonio is one of the smallest markets in pro sports.
Popovich, 56, also took an unusual path to the NBA. He was born in East Chicago in 1949 and attended Merrillville High School, where he starred on the basketball team. He played collegiately at Air Force and became an assistant coach for the Falcons after graduating in the early 1970s. He got his first head-coaching job at Pomona-Pitzer in California in 1979, then made the way to big-time college basketball as an assistant under Brown at Kansas eight years later.
Popovich moved to the NBA when Brown made the jump to the Spurs in 1988. After a stint as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, Popovich became the Spurs' general manager in 1994. Two years later, he replaced Bob Hill as head coach after a 3-15 start.
To those who knew Popovich when he was growing up, few, if any, expected him to become a head coach in the NBA. John Shipley, a teammate at Merrillville, thought Popovich had a different calling.
''When we were in high school, I always thought he was going to be a medical doctor,'' Shipley told the Decatur (Tenn.) Daily. ''He was brilliant. And, in fact, being a doctor is what he wanted to do. But he loved basketball, too. He had a passion for it.
''When it came to basketball, he was so aggressive. He wasn't like that off the court. But on the court, if you were in his way, he was going to the basket.''
And that's why Popovich is the best coach in the league. He's not in the business to make friends or receive pats on the back. He's there to win.
John Jackson
Chicago Sun-Times
November 06, 2005
link (http://www.suntimes.com/output/jackson/cst-spt-jax06.html)
In nearly every discussion of which active NBA coach is the best, the names of Phil Jackson and Larry Brown are mentioned first. Both are outstanding choices, and I'd feel comfortable with either leading my team.
But my choice is Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.
Like Brown, Popovich believes in playing the game the right way. Like Jackson, he emphasizes the importance of the team over the individual. However, what moves Popovich to the top of the list, in my opinion, is his determination to get the job done year after year after year.
The Spurs have won three NBA championships since 1999, and each of those teams was significantly different from the previous championship team. Sean Elliott was a key player on the 1999 title team, but he was retired by the time the Spurs won it again in 2003. Last season, the Spurs won without David Robinson, who was a major force on the previous championship teams.
After losing those key players, Popovich didn't decide to take some time off or leave for seemingly greener pastures. He simply rolled up his sleeves and went to work.
So why hasn't Popovich gotten as much attention as other top coaches? Three reasons: He's not a high-profile former player, he's not a media entertainer and quote machine, and San Antonio is one of the smallest markets in pro sports.
Popovich, 56, also took an unusual path to the NBA. He was born in East Chicago in 1949 and attended Merrillville High School, where he starred on the basketball team. He played collegiately at Air Force and became an assistant coach for the Falcons after graduating in the early 1970s. He got his first head-coaching job at Pomona-Pitzer in California in 1979, then made the way to big-time college basketball as an assistant under Brown at Kansas eight years later.
Popovich moved to the NBA when Brown made the jump to the Spurs in 1988. After a stint as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, Popovich became the Spurs' general manager in 1994. Two years later, he replaced Bob Hill as head coach after a 3-15 start.
To those who knew Popovich when he was growing up, few, if any, expected him to become a head coach in the NBA. John Shipley, a teammate at Merrillville, thought Popovich had a different calling.
''When we were in high school, I always thought he was going to be a medical doctor,'' Shipley told the Decatur (Tenn.) Daily. ''He was brilliant. And, in fact, being a doctor is what he wanted to do. But he loved basketball, too. He had a passion for it.
''When it came to basketball, he was so aggressive. He wasn't like that off the court. But on the court, if you were in his way, he was going to the basket.''
And that's why Popovich is the best coach in the league. He's not in the business to make friends or receive pats on the back. He's there to win.