From My Understanding POP Will...

[MoSpur02]

Not coach the Spurs next season and will retire. I spoke with my source and there is a good amount of “we’re going to miss him” talk going around. Nothing official yet, but that is the feeling in the Spurs organization. I know a lot of people are speculating that he will retire after this past season especially after that one picture of him sitting alone so this might not be news, but thought I would share what I heard from my source.

[The Truth #6]

Thanks for the info. I love Pop, will in some ways hate to see him leave as it will be the end of an era, end of the Spurs as we know it in most ways, but it is time for someone else to bang their head against the wall and take the team in a new direction.

[exstatic]

Well, Don Nelson is his friend. He may not want to knock him off the top spot.

[Robz4000]

Great news if true tbh. GOAT coach but it's been time for him to retire for a few years.

[MoSpur02]

Well, Don Nelson is his friend. He may not want to knock him off the top spot.

Yeah I don’t think Pop cares about being at the top when it comes to wins. I’m gonna miss Pop. I became a Spurs fan when Weiss was the coach and then really liked Larry Brown, but to me Pop was the perfect fit for this organization.

[MoSpur02]

Like a lot of Spurs fans I am ready for a new coach. This young core needs a new voice.

[GAustex]

Good

[SAGirl]

Thanks for the scoop. I still think he will come back for one last season but if he truly is retiring it must be bc the tankathon is going to happen next season. I am not excited about that but it is a likely outcome...

[MoSpur02]

Thanks for the scoop. I still think he will come back for one last season but if he truly is retiring it must be bc the tankathon is going to happen next season. I am not excited about that but it is a likely outcome...

I’m not looking forward to tanking and honestly don’t think they will if they can land a key free agent, but that’s a BIG IF. I have hope that he’ll return, but I just happened to ask today and was surprised with what I heard.

[Thomas82]

Thanks for the info.....I always thought it was 50-50 that he was done after this season.

[Thomas82]

Thanks for the scoop. I still think he will come back for one last season but if he truly is retiring it must be bc the tankathon is going to happen next season. I am not excited about that but it is a likely outcome...


I’m not looking forward to tanking and honestly don’t think they will if they can land a key free agent, but that’s a BIG IF. I have hope that he’ll return, but I just happened to ask today and was surprised with what I heard.

Either way, I'm ready to see us get our next superstar ASAP.

[Russ]

Not coach the Spurs next season and will retire. I spoke with my source and there is a good amount of “we’re going to miss him” talk going around. Nothing official yet, but that is the feeling in the Spurs organization. I know a lot of people are speculating that he will retire after this past season especially after that one picture of him sitting alone so this might not be news, but thought I would share what I heard from my source.

Any info on whether Pop might stay on in another role?

[MoSpur02]

Any info on whether Pop might stay on in another role?

Good question. Not that I know of. I would assume he would stay on in the front office, but the “we’re gonna miss him” makes me wonder.

[BatManu20]

Been saying the same all season. I think he’s done. This team has missed the playoffs 2 years in a row now and is likely First Round fodder at best next season if they don’t miss the playoffs for a 3rd straight year. The glory days are behind him. I think he’s done.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Long overdue. Game has passed him by. Credit to him he decided to retire instead of insisting on staying and eventually getting fired.

[SAGirl]

I’m not looking forward to tanking and honestly don’t think they will if they can land a key free agent, but that’s a BIG IF. I have hope that he’ll return, but I just happened to ask today and was surprised with what I heard.
Derozan is out IMO, LMA was washed b4 he was BO.The guys are well coached and play hard but there is no star in the lot. White, their best all around offensive player has injury prone feet. I think people interpret the tankathon in different ways here, but they just aren’t good enough and need to fish for talent in the draft. Its not pleasant to look at. Its painful... its not even like they will suck on purpose but be prepared to lose a lot of games they should have won, or to lose a lot of games bc no one can make a basket in a close game.

A younger fresher coach may be up to the task of coaching a young team. Pop harped more than once on how much practice the team needs since its so much younger than other teams he’s coached etc. That’s another reason young teams don’t win much.

[SAGirl]

Been saying the same all season. I think he’s done. This team has missed the playoffs 2 years in a row now and is likely First Round fodder at best next season if they don’t miss the playoffs for a 3rd straight year. The glory days are behind him. I think he’s done.
This.

[FkLA]

:(

I hope hes still around in a front office role. I've always wanted him to be the kingpin like Riley is in Miami.

[baseline bum]

Always figured Pop would retire after the Olympics. Though I wonder if maybe he stuck around these last couple of years just to fulfill a promise to Lamarcus when he signed here.

[baseline bum]

Good question. Not that I know of. I would assume he would stay on in the front office, but the “we’re gonna miss him” makes me wonder.


:(

I hope hes still around in a front office role. I've always wanted him to be the kingpin like Riley is in Miami.

If Pop is retiring I think he's retiring to his vineyard in Oregon.

[Truth4sale$]

Don't be so eager to see POP leave, 20 other teams would love to have what he brings to to a team. Most teams would likely move on to a new coach after 2 consecutive years missing the playoffs. Although this is 2 years interrupted by a pandemic, which if Covid and D.White injuries never happens, this team is clearly a playoff team.
Pop would love for the team to still be successful after he retires, and after two years and the need to rebuild, it might be in the best intrest of the organization to keep a young talented coaching staff together to rebuild the Spurs, so if he leaves, he thinking in the best intrest of the organization and players not himself.

[Atl Spur]

Pop is not the problem...... a few better pieces & personality types will work wonders. Hopefully they can get him the all time mark!

[MoSpur02]

Pop is not the problem...... a few better pieces & personality types will work wonders. Hopefully they can get him the all time mark!

I feel like you’re referring to DeRozan and if so I would agree. He whines and cried a bit too much for my liking. His antics would earn him technical fouls and would kill the vibe sort of speak for the team I felt. Pop never really put up with that kind of stuff from other players in the past that I can remember. At least not from his “Star” players. Demar’s iso ball really killed the flow of offense more times than not. That to me really hurt the Spurs on offense and his defense or lack thereof was painful to watch as a fan. I can imagine what Pop felt seeing DeMar’s play on defense.

[mo7888]

Well, where do we go for the replacement? Someone from outside or from the tree... Bud, Brown, Ime?

[rjv]

Don't be so eager to see POP leave, 20 other teams would love to have what he brings to to a team. Most teams would likely move on to a new coach after 2 consecutive years missing the playoffs. Although this is 2 years interrupted by a pandemic, which if Covid and D.White injuries never happens, this team is clearly a playoff team.
Pop would love for the team to still be successful after he retires, and after two years and the need to rebuild, it might be in the best intrest of the organization to keep a young talented coaching staff together to rebuild the Spurs, so if he leaves, he thinking in the best intrest of the organization and players not himself.

1) Always be careful what you wish for. 2) I'll believe it when I officially hear it

[Robz4000]

Well, where do we go for the replacement? Someone from outside or from the tree... Bud, Brown, Ime?

Becky imo, though if the Bucks fire Bud I'd bring him aboard.

[TD 21]

Would have been nice to have seen him get the record, but it's past time. They were never going to modernize themselves with him around (although little to nothing will change if he's still pulling the strings from behind the scenes a la Auerbach).

Candidates: Hammon, Self, Udoka, Brown, Budenholzer (Bucks have to minimally play a close/long series with Nets for him to retain job), ? If Hammon doesn't get it, my guess is she goes elsewhere.

[TDMVPDPOY]

clown has been irrelevant since kawhi trade, should just retire then trying to chase records at the expense of the team and fans as a whole

u in competitive sports to compete for championships, not make up the numbers for competition...

[J_Paco]

Well, Don Nelson is his friend. He may not want to knock him off the top spot.

I thought the samething too. And honestly, would it be worth breaking if Doc Rivers will break in a matter of years (if he continues to coach)?

Sad to see Pop go, but the team needs to turn the page and they need a new voice that will push the youth.

[4lifecowboy]

Kenny Adkinson gets my vote for a replacement..

[LakerHater]

I really thought he'd break the record 7 then ride off but that doesnt seem to be the Pop way.

[J_Paco]

Well, where do we go for the replacement? Someone from outside or from the tree... Bud, Brown, Ime?

Becky, Ime or Brett if either is willing to return.

I think it's Becky's job "to lose" so to speak.

[K...]

I think it really comes down to does he want to. It's not like with tim where he medically had to. I'm sure this year was a slog, whereas last year ended on hope. I thought he might retire because of Corona but i guess he didn't want to be on a lock down. Go abroad and help the international scouts pop.

[K...]

No coach is going to fix the team. Maybe getting lonnie confidence to eat big minutes is the best we can hope for.

[jjspur]

Well, where do we go for the replacement? Someone from outside or from the tree... Bud, Brown, Ime?

I've always felt that pop has had a really rough last couple of years after literally decades of winning. The Olympics are coming up and if he doesn't win there, that would probably signal the end. If Bud in Milwaukee doesn't make the conf. finals at least , I could see him coming back to SA.

[J_Paco]

No coach is going to fix the team. Maybe getting lonnie confidence to eat big minutes is the best we can hope for.

They are a young guard/wing creator, a true starting PF & a more "modern" approach from being truly competitive.

They might not solve all those issues this off-season, but finding a coach that leads them in that direction could help.

Key word being "could," cause there is always the off chance they make a bad or the wrong hire.

[koriwhat]

Not coach the Spurs next season and will retire. I spoke with my source and there is a good amount of “we’re going to miss him” talk going around. Nothing official yet, but that is the feeling in the Spurs organization. I know a lot of people are speculating that he will retire after this past season especially after that one picture of him sitting alone so this might not be news, but thought I would share what I heard from my source.

Good! Except I want to see him in a consultant/player dev role if he sticks with the organization.

[timtonymanu]

He will be missed but it’s clearly been time to move on. Spurs basketball will be different and ugly for a while but I look forward to the changes. Please let Demar leave also.

[KobesAchilles]

Gonna be an interesting off-season. Both Bud and Brad might be available when it comes to coaching. Nate McMillan might be an interesting hire as well. Would love to have Dantoni as our coach. There’s many good candidates out there

[J_Paco]

Gonna be an interesting off-season. Both Bud and Brad might be available when it comes to coaching. Nate McMillan might be an interesting hire as well. Would love to have Dantoni as our coach. There’s many good candidates out there

Hell no to D'Antoni......

I'm not sure that Stevenson or McMillan would be available, but either would definitely be a good hire.

[PrimeMinister]

If pop is gone Spurs would lean toward the replacement being internal, someone familiar with the young players, their personalities, how they’ve developed and what the long term goals are.

[Dejounte]

Can't wait to find out who the new scapego- ahem, I mean coach will be.

[GAustex]

If they can get Snyder do it.
Not to keen on Becky. Why did not she coach when poop went to Tim HOF induction.

[RC_Drunkford]

that would be the best news for the offseason. He needs to retire. Been one of the worst coaches in the NBA for the past 2 years. With that being said, I believe it when I see it. I think he will coach another season to get the record. The thing this team needs the most is a new coach

[Degoat]

Y’all nuts! I don’t always like his decisions but he’s the only thing that’s keeps the spurs relevant! It’ll be a big blow if he’s gone unless we have someone in my mind to fill the coaching position, I personally don’t think any of the assistants would be good

[tbdog]

Y’all nuts! I don’t always like his decisions but he’s the only thing that’s keeps the spurs relevant! It’ll be a big blow if he’s gone unless we have someone in my mind to fill the coaching position, I personally don’t think any of the assistants would be good

Yes. But there are 30 head coaching jobs in the NBA and a world of candidates. There will be someone out there. Another Brad Stevens.

[timvp]

Good stuff, MoSpur02 :tu

Last season pre-COVID, many assumed throughout the league that Pop would retire after the Olympics. It hasn't been discussed as much this season but it fits with the assumption that Popovich didn't want to go into the Olympics as a retired coach.

For his sake, hopefully the Olympics actually happen and he gets enough quality players to field a strong roster, tbh.

[Dex]

I wouldn't blame him if he wants to call it quits.

These last few years have been hard on everyone. It goes beyond basketball.

I respect Pop just as much as I respect Duncan. You rarely see a father/son relationship like that in sports.

Neither one would have been as successful without each other.

I want Pop to go for the coaching record. He deserves it.

But Pop doesn't like accolades. And he could easily walk off into the sunset without fanfare, just like Tim did....and call it a career.

Either way, he will still be one of the best to ever coach in the NBA.

[exstatic]

Pop has adapted over the years, many times, but he’s balking at what needs to be done, because he hates it. SA needs to basically double their 3 point attempts. No matter how efficient your two point game is, it can’t compete with even a middle of the road 3 point offense.

[SpurSpike]

So its almost time to hang a Gregg Popovich 1310(wins) jersey in the rafters?

[SpursDynasty85]

What a run... what a run... I look forward to seeing where this team can go. There is definitely something to work with. Lots of sign and trade opportunities, free agent opportunities, or just start playing the youth movement more, (we accumulated a lot of late-rising talent and have another lottery pick to work with and they made sure to keep high-character guys in the locker room. Well done job.

Also, I’m one hundred percent sure Pop doesn’t care about the personal accolades some people here thought he might have been chasing. Let’s see what happens though. If it’s true, announcement should be made sooner rather than later to prepare for offseason. Maybe day after finals is done?

[SpurSpike]

It probably won't be made official until after the Olympics.

[objective]

It will be sad when it happens.

But also, he's been put in a terrible position this year and even last year.

What should be a pleasant twilight where he can be the figurehead and have quality, experienced assistants doing the heavy lifting has become the total opposite. Instead of just teaching the young players, Pop is also forced to teach the young assistants, and that's something I've posted before is just a bad idea.

There's no experience on the bench outside of Becky's modest half-decade. Those dudes are young enough to be Pop's grandchildren and have never done anything else. Last year he at least had Duncan to pass the time with. This is who, Songalia as the former player turned assistant? Why would Pop care about him?

I've long wanted there to be another old guy to just be there for Pop, someone he could relate to and commiserate with, to be a sounding board. Not these freckle faces who are a year away from being unpaid interns.

And what must have made it so much worse during this pandemic season is that there were no more dinners at home or on the road with other coaches and players he's known throughout the years. Just having to sit in a hotel room, alone.

If there was a way to drive him away from coaching, this season's situation with covid and the assistants was probably the most likely way to do it.

I don't think he minds the young players, hell he probably likes teaching them. But having to teach coaches?

If Pop does come back next year, I sure hope they add some people to bench with experience and a long relationship with Pop to make it as enjoyable as possible.

[NASpurs]

prayingdog.jpg

[LCM]

Don't tease me ... when he says he's done, I'll believe it. But, if he's done, he's done completely ... off the bench, out of the front office. Turn the damn page. If Becky is hired, she chooses her assistants. She runs the show. Personally, I'd let Hardy walk regardless. Everytime Pop didn't coach, Becky should have been given the reigns with no hesitation. POP did her no favors, and honestly 'disrespected' her by not showing she was in the #2 chair.

If Becky isn't hired, Kenny Atkinson, head assistant to Monty Williams in Phoenix would be my call. He turned around Brooklyn, he can teach young teams, they play hard for him, his teams play defense, shoot 3s and share the ball. He understands player development, and crafting a scheme to maximize the talent. The Suns made a great hire bringing him onto their staff.

[KobesAchilles]

Hell no to D'Antoni......

I'm not sure that Stevenson or McMillan would be available, but either would definitely be a good hire.
I don’t understand the Dantoni hate. I would get it if we were a contender but the dude is a good coach and can take you to the playoffs. Imagine the 10th seed bitching bc they got a playoff choking coach like Mike. We weren’t even close to the playoffs and with a young team full of athletes, I think Dantoni system would be great for us

[Bill Walton Saga]

If Becky becomes the coach will this be the second or thrid time in history that you'd want to fuck an NBA coach? Becky...Riley...??

[TD 21]

If pop is gone Spurs would lean toward the replacement being internal, someone familiar with the young players, their personalities, how they’ve developed and what the long term goals are.

Yeah, I suspect Hammon would be the leader in the clubhouse.



Don't tease me ... when he says he's done, I'll believe it. But, if he's done, he's done completely ... off the bench, out of the front office. Turn the damn page. If Becky is hired, she chooses her assistants. She runs the show. Personally, I'd let Hardy walk regardless. Everytime Pop didn't coach, Becky should have been given the reigns with no hesitation. POP did her no favors, and honestly 'disrespected' her by not showing she was in the #2 chair.

If Becky isn't hired, Kenny Atkinson, head assistant to Monty Williams in Phoenix would be my call. He turned around Brooklyn, he can teach young teams, they play hard for him, his teams play defense, shoot 3s and share the ball. He understands player development, and crafting a scheme to maximize the talent. The Suns made a great hire bringing him onto their staff.

Atkinson is an assistant with the Clippers.

[timvp]

Don't tease me ... when he says he's done, I'll believe it. But, if he's done, he's done completely ... off the bench, out of the front office. Turn the damn page.

Man, Spurs fans can be a weird bunch. "I won't be satisfied until all the championship knowledge is purged from this team. If he has any connection to anything positive, he needs to be jettisoned ASAP :cry"

[playblair]

@mospur02 can u confirm what ive been told that brian wright is being replaced as well...........

[MoSpur02]

@mospur02 can u confirm what ive been told that brian wright is being replaced as well...........

Haven’t asked about him or heard anything about him. Sorry.

[Spursfanfromafar]

If this is true, one of the true statesmen of our time will be calling it a day in the NBA. Pop will still be around basketball ...so that is good. Folks here dont fully understand how much of an institution builder Pop has been. Almost every team in the NBA has benefitted or sought to learn from the Spurs way. I just hope he goes to the hall of fame with Manu next year. Wouldn't that be poetic?

If Pop leaves, the Spurs must look for a clear change in emphasis in coaching, in its front office too. They won't be getting FAs now who will just want to play for Pop or for the revered Spurs organisation. Brian Wright and co..must play a more active role in the market besides scouting for a coach with modern ideas.

[tim_duncan_fan]

Gonna be an interesting off-season. Both Bud and Brad might be available when it comes to coaching. Nate McMillan might be an interesting hire as well. Would love to have Dantoni as our coach. There’s many good candidates out there

We CANNOT bring on Dantoni.

We troll Dantoni. We don't hire him.

I don't want things to change THAT much lol


I don’t understand the Dantoni hate. I would get it if we were a contender but the dude is a good coach and can take you to the playoffs. Imagine the 10th seed bitching bc they got a playoff choking coach like Mike. We weren’t even close to the playoffs and with a young team full of athletes, I think Dantoni system would be great for us

For me, it's alot about history and Spurs lore. It'd be like if Kobe had played for us. Some things just shouldn't be.

[KobesAchilles]

We CANNOT bring on Dantoni.

We troll Dantoni. We don't hire him.

I don't want things to change THAT much lol



For me, it's alot about history and Spurs lore. It'd be like if Kobe had played for us. Some things just shouldn't be.

Yeah I get that but it’s not like he ever really beat us. I think Pop is like 5-0 against him. But I think Mike works wonders with youth and teams that don’t have championship aspirations. He also does really well with athletes, fast breaks, and the 3 point ball. I just think he would be a good coach for what we have roster wise and to move into the modern NBA. I also wouldn’t mind Alvin Gentry

[JeffDuncan]

D’Antoni is 70 years old. C’mon now.

[JeffDuncan]

As for this thread, it better not be a troll.

That “teaser” thread title is not the kind of thing you usually see on honest news.

[EricB]

Pray the Bucks get bounced so Bud comes in. Otherwise this team is fucked.

[Ditty]

I wonder the interest of Tony Parker would be as our head coach. He does have two very young children and seems to be enjoying retirement on Instagram. My money will still be on Becky nevertheless. If they hire anyone outside of the organization I can see Udoka getting an interview and being one of the finalists at least.

[tim_duncan_fan]

Yeah I get that but it’s not like he ever really beat us. I think Pop is like 5-0 against him. But I think Mike works wonders with youth and teams that don’t have championship aspirations. He also does really well with athletes, fast breaks, and the 3 point ball. I just think he would be a good coach for what we have roster wise and to move into the modern NBA. I also wouldn’t mind Alvin Gentry

I second Alvin Gentry.

Yes!

[EricB]

Man, Spurs fans can be a weird bunch. "I won't be satisfied until all the championship knowledge is purged from this team. If he has any connection to anything positive, he needs to be jettisoned ASAP :cry"
Spurs fans have been begging for him to be fired for 21 years. Some things just stay the same ����

[EricB]

I second Alvin Gentry.

Yes!


Jesus Christ no

[EricB]

@mospur02 can u confirm what ive been told that brian wright is being replaced as well...........


not happening

[tbdog]

When Sir Alex Ferguson retired, he chose the coach to take United on, David Moyes. He lasted one year. I hope the selection process is seperate from Pop's departure.

[TimDunkem]

What picture of Pop sitting alone is OP referring to?

[BillMc]

D’Antoni is 70 years old. C’mon now.

This. I don't understand wanting to replace our old coach with another old one (who doesn't even believe in defense).

[Uriel]

Getting Coach Bud back would be amazing.

[KingKev]

They way he was speaking so highly off the team after a miserable season was telling. Was a great run. I suspect we are going to be very bad next year, let the rebuild begin.

[jermaine]

I want Becky as our coach

[KingKev]

I want Becky as our coach

I think she has earned the right to be in the running.

[GAustex]

Why didn’t Becky coach on Tim HOF night?

[Dejounte]

Why didn’t Becky coach on Tim HOF night?

A reporter tweeted that it was because she wasn't the assistant coach who scouted the Suns. Whoever scouted the opposing team gets to be the head coach that night.

[dbestpro]

Pop will forever be remembered as one of the best to draw up a play and one of the worst with rotations which in the end made him a mediocre coach who road the coattails of the big three. I for one will be quite happy to see him gone and hope they clean the front office too.

[KobesAchilles]

Is Mo Cheeks still a thing? I wonder how he would do

[TDomination]

A reporter tweeted that it was because she wasn't the assistant coach who scouted the Suns. Whoever scouted the opposing team gets to be the head coach that night.

i could be mistaken but I don’t remember that happening when coach bud was assistant. Once he became the top assistant wasn’t he always the coach whenever pop got ejected or missed a game? At least that’s what it felt like.

[Dejounte]

i could be mistaken but I don’t remember that happening when coach bud was assistant. Once he became the top assistant wasn’t he always the coach whenever pop got ejected or missed a game? At least that’s what it felt like.

It's been different the last couple of years. There are no top assistants on the team. The reason behind it is Pop wants each coach to grow.

[Dejounte]

As for the next coach:

My heart says Matt Nielsen, but my head thinks it's Becky... if the rumor is at all true. Mospur has been wrong before (but it doesn't take away from his reliability).

[The Truth #6]

Coach Bud at least has a track record of coming into a situation and retooling the offense to be more modern and better utilize the talent we have. Bud probably sees a job in SA with a long tenure, so that would be a draw, but the team doesn't have an obvious path, so I have to wonder if he'd want to rack up a bunch of losses on his resume. Hard to say.

[Russ]

The worst thing is I feel like we'll rarely see Pop again.

He seems like the type who will disappear -- we'll all just be reporters with dumb questions to him from here on.

He wont be like Tim, Tony and Manu who seem (in some cases hesitantly) to be making SA their permanent home. Or Gervin for that matter.

He'll be the everlasting gap in local Spurs history -- and he's one of the biggest pieces.

He's his own guy, that's for sure.

[TD 21]

Man, Spurs fans can be a weird bunch. "I won't be satisfied until all the championship knowledge is purged from this team. If he has any connection to anything positive, he needs to be jettisoned ASAP :cry"

The "championship knowledge" has long since retired. Nostalgia is clouding your judgement.

It's far more important that they modernize themselves (shot profile, player promotion, etc.) immediately than cling to mythology.

Unfortunately, Hammon's being promoted would somewhat stifle that because it would mean the continuation of the coach being the star of the team media wise.

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

I would like him to coach next season and then retire. Either way, it’s been a great run and whatever he does I wish him well.

[lefty]

Why would Bud leave Milwaukee for San Antonio?

Unless they fire him which is likely since his team won’t go far in the playoffs anyway

[baseline bum]

Pop will forever be remembered as one of the best to draw up a play and one of the worst with rotations which in the end made him a mediocre coach who road the coattails of the big three. I for one will be quite happy to see him gone and hope they clean the front office too.

Uh no, mediocrity was what we got in the 90s. I know you're a butthurt right-wing nut but Pop was an amazing coach. LOL some scrub like Bob Hill bringing the 2014 team to a title.

[SpurSpike]

@mospur02 can u confirm what ive been told that brian wright is being replaced as well...........

Maybe he is being replaced as gm because Brian Wright is going to be the next head coach lol. "Shudders"...

[MultiTroll]

Can't wait to find out who the new scapego- ahem, I mean coach will be.
The bar should be 17-47 win % the first year, right?
You know, CIA Pops record before Timmy happened.

:lol Slurpers all primed to make the bar be Championships without Prime Timmy Duncan.

[Dejounte]

The bar should be 17-47 win % the first year, right?
You know, CIA Pops record before Timmy happened.

:lol Slurpers all primed to make the bar be Championships without Prime Timmy Duncan.

Ummm what?

[Harry Callahan]

Is Mo Cheeks still a thing? I wonder how he would do

Mo Cheeks could not get out of SA fast enough when he played for the Spurs in 1989. He hated playing in SA and was shipped off for Rod Strickland. Probably not a thing for SA.

[Harry Callahan]

Coach Pop will be the Ultimate Coach in Spurs history so pretty much anyone will be a step down from his peak - that's a hard act to follow for anyone (even an experienced coach who has seen some success). I don't know if watching his team lose 50-60 games next year with a young, retooling roster will appeal to Popovich. It this year is it, I would just say "Thanks for the Memories".

As a Spurs fan growing up, I NEVER envisioned the Spurs winning five titles. That was always reserved (and manipulated by the league) for the Celtics and the Lakers back in the day. Small market NBA teams used to exist simply as fodder for the "chosen" franchises. I think things have changed at least a little bit in that regard because of the Spurs success. Even before Pop's coaching tenure, the Spurs were at least a very good team and had a shot at making the finals several times. Getting the job completely done was Pop's huge contribution - he took advantage of opportunities afforded by Robinson, Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and the quitting #2 Nephew. If not for a couple of flukey bad breaks, the Spurs could have won several more championships as well.

I would not be surprised at either one more year or retirement for Pop. The organization needs some focus overall - I'm not sure that will get done this offseason. Hopefully, a clear path going forward is started soon.

[Ditty]

Eww to both Bud and Gentry. Never liked either them as head coaches. Pop will forsure have major influence on who the next head coach will be. I could see Kerr making a call to Pop about Mike Brown :vomit:.

[NASpurs]

“Championship knowledge” :lol draft Tim Duncan with the #1 pick

[MultiTroll]

Ummm what?
Pop Sniffers are very on the defensive about any thoughts the retirement could have come like say 2015. Certainly after Zaza. Your die hard real hardkowre sniffers think the last 2 seasons were completely non Pop related.

So certainly being the extremely fair folks they are, their expectation for the new coach's first season should be no more then Pops first season.
Right?

[tim_duncan_fan]

They way he was speaking so highly off the team after a miserable season was telling. Was a great run. I suspect we are going to be very bad next year, let the rebuild begin.

Being very bad has been due since 2016. It is time to pay up by grinning and bearing it for a bit before the re-ascension.

[Dejounte]

Pop Sniffers are very on the defensive about any thoughts the retirement could have come like say 2015. Certainly after Zaza. Your die hard real hardkowre sniffers think the last 2 seasons were completely non Pop related.

So certainly being the extremely fair folks they are, their expectation for the new coach's first season should be no more then Pops first season.
Right?

I'm still confused. Who cares what other people think and why does it need to inhabit the content of your posts?

[timvp]

It's far more important that they modernize themselves (shot profile, player promotion, etc.) immediately than cling to mythology.

Spoken like someone who is spoiled to the nth degree and pays no attention to realities outside of San Antonio.

1) A Spurs fan complaining about the Spurs' ability to develop players is laughably myopic. The Spurs have a track record as good or better than any team in the league. "Player promotion" is a part of player development. If the next coach has anywhere near the success of the last 20 years or so, she'd be doing an amazing job.

2) It's not a coincidence that the "shot profile" suffered when the two players in the league who are the most addicted to mid-range jumpers and most resistant to change joined the team. The coaching staff has highlighted the need for threes but those two players refused to change. Virtually every other player beyond those two have trended the right way. In prior years, the Spurs had cutting edge shot profile. Spurs fans acting like the coaches would have Steph Curry shooting two-pointers :lol

[spurraider21]

Pop has adapted over the years, many times, but he’s balking at what needs to be done, because he hates it. SA needs to basically double their 3 point attempts. No matter how efficient your two point game is, it can’t compete with even a middle of the road 3 point offense.
meh. he had the spurs leading the league in 3's before it was cool. but the top players on the roster are all allergic to 3 point shots so thats on the team building.

[TD 21]

“Championship knowledge” :lol draft Tim Duncan with the #1 pick

:lmao :tu



Spoken like someone who is spoiled to the nth degree and pays no attention to realities outside of San Antonio.

1) A Spurs fan complaining about the Spurs' ability to develop players is laughably myopic. The Spurs have a track record as good or better than any team in the league. "Player promotion" is a part of player development. If the next coach has anywhere near the success of the last 20 years or so, she'd be doing an amazing job.

2) It's not a coincidence that the "shot profile" suffered when the two players in the league who are the most addicted to mid-range jumpers and most resistant to change joined the team. The coaching staff has highlighted the need for threes but those two players refused to change. Virtually every other player beyond those two have trended the right way. In prior years, the Spurs had cutting edge shot profile. Spurs fans acting like the coaches would have Steph Curry shooting two-pointers :lol

Why is wanting the best for your team spoiled? Only someone with a loser mentality rests on their laurels.

I'm well versed in what's going on in the league and their recent ability is overrated, which is all that's relevant to this era. "Player promotion" is things like talking up your players when they're candidates for awards and sending extensive stat packages and gimmicky items to prominent national media members who have votes (before you laugh or scoff at this stuff, this actually goes on in the league.)

Again, virtually everyone else has gotten plenty of limited - non shooters to adapt, including the Raptors with DeRozan towards the end. They've also gotten former Spurs to markedly increase their volume. "Highlighting" is not enough, you have to demand it by holding them accountable.

[timvp]

I'm well versed in what's going on in the league and their recent ability is overrated, which is all that's relevant to this era. "Player promotion" is things like talking up your players when they're candidates for awards and sending extensive stat packages and gimmicky items to prominent national media members who have votes (before you laugh or scoff at this stuff, this actually goes on in the league.)

Oh. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and believed you were complaining about the young players not being promoted to a big enough role quickly enough. Didn't realize you were complaining about the quality of the highlight videos and gift bags the Spurs send to the media :lol

[TD 21]

Oh. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and believed you were complaining about the young players not being promoted to a big enough role quickly enough. Didn't realize you were complaining about the quality of the highlight videos and gift bags the Spurs send to the media :lol

There's been various recent examples of Spurs clearly not being pleased with the lack of spotlight (Scumbag, Aldridge when he wasn't selected an All-Star in '17, Green when he finally made all-defensive team, Murray at various points).

In what's already a non glamour market, players understandably don't want their hard work reduced to the coach, "culture" and "system".

[baseline bum]

“Championship knowledge” :lol draft Tim Duncan with the #1 pick

Meh, Spurs got David Robinson with the #1 pick and Larry Brown, Jerry Tarkanian, John Lucas, and Bob Hill never delivered anything close to a title despite being gifted a first ballot Hall of Famer.

[The Truth #6]

Oh. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and believed you were complaining about the young players not being promoted to a big enough role quickly enough. Didn't realize you were complaining about the quality of the highlight videos and gift bags the Spurs send to the media :lol

They have a 90s-era mentality to tote bags. It’s shameful. Don’t get me started about our key rings...

[TD 21]

Meh, Spurs got David Robinson with the #1 pick and Larry Brown, Jerry Tarkanian, John Lucas, and Bob Hill never delivered anything close to a title despite being gifted a first ballot Hall of Famer.

:lmao Yeah, it takes real brains to run the best all around player in the league at the time into the ground and incessantly call 4-down. Who could have possibly done that or had a historic defense with two of the half dozen greatest defenders ever?

Prime Robinson couldn't touch prime Duncan in the playoffs, nor did he have the caliber of player to compliment him the way Duncan did post prime Robinson from '97-'01 (when he was still a borderline superstar - clear star) and eventually prime Ginobili and Parker.

[baseline bum]

:lmao Yeah, it takes real brains to run the best all around player in the league at the time into the ground and incessantly call 4-down. Who could have possibly done that or had a historic defense with two of the half dozen greatest defenders ever?

Prime Robinson couldn't touch prime Duncan in the playoffs, nor did he have the caliber of player to compliment him the way Duncan did post prime Robinson from '97-'01 (when he was still a borderline superstar - clear star) and eventually prime Ginobili and Parker.

Yeah David Robinson was shit right

[Russ]

“Championship knowledge” :lol draft Tim Duncan with the #1 pick

Yeah, but how did Orlando do with #1 pick Shaq (he won 4 after he GTFO).

[TD 21]

Yeah David Robinson was shit right

:lmao What? I gave you the reasons why he didn't win a championship until Duncan arrived. The point was, it wasn't coaching in either case because it never is.



Yeah, but how did Orlando do with #1 pick Shaq (he won 4 after he GTFO).

:lmao The Magic had 4 seasons and 3 playoffs with a 21-24 year old O'Neal and 22-25 year old Hardaway and made a Finals and a Conference Finals in that time. Something tells me had they had him through his prime and had Hardaway stayed healthy, they'd have done alright.

[james evans]

Meh, Spurs got David Robinson with the #1 pick and Larry Brown, Jerry Tarkanian, John Lucas, and Bob Hill never delivered anything close to a title despite being gifted a first ballot Hall of Famer.
David Robinson also played in an era in which jamal Mcglore would have never been an all star, much less a contender for all star game mvp lol.

[exstatic]

Pop Sniffers are very on the defensive about any thoughts the retirement could have come like say 2015. Certainly after Zaza. Your die hard real hardkowre sniffers think the last 2 seasons were completely non Pop related.

So certainly being the extremely fair folks they are, their expectation for the new coach's first season should be no more then Pops first season.
Right?

Uh, no. This team was fairly close to .500 and should be better with a retuned, DeRozan-less offense. What you’re suggesting would be abject failure. Pop had a record 280 player games missed that year. Hopefully, nothing like that on the horizon.

[Russ]

:lmao The Magic had 4 seasons and 3 playoffs with a 21-24 year old O'Neal and 22-25 year old Hardaway and made a Finals and a Conference Finals in that time. Something tells me had they had him through his prime and had Hardaway stayed healthy, they'd have done alright.

Yes. That's kind of the point.

They didn't have him -- they couldn't keep him.

[TD 21]

Yes. That's kind of the point.

They didn't have him -- they couldn't keep him.

Yeah because he wanted to play star in L.A. (sound familiar?). If you're going to hang that on their head, then be sure to do the same with Scumbag on PATFO's.

Or just admit that Pop got lucky with Duncan on multiple counts. It's not a knock on him, it's a commentary on the position.

[MultiTroll]

2) It's not a coincidence that the "shot profile" suffered when the two players in the league who are the most addicted to mid-range jumpers and most resistant to change joined the team. The coaching staff has highlighted the need for threes but those two players refused to change. Virtually every other player beyond those two have trended the right way. In prior years, the Spurs had cutting edge shot profile. Spurs fans acting like the coaches would have Steph Curry shooting two-pointers :lol
:cry The coaches have to give large minutes to a volume SG and another player who refuse to shoot threes. :cry

No.

[baseline bum]

:lmao The Magic had 4 seasons and 3 playoffs with a 21-24 year old O'Neal and 22-25 year old Hardaway and made a Finals and a Conference Finals in that time. Something tells me had they had him through his prime and had Hardaway stayed healthy, they'd have done alright.


And they lost him. Are you going to tell me Bob Hill or even Larry Brown was keeping Duncan here when he could have gone and teamed up with a prime Grant Hill? (no one thought his ankle was derailing his career back then)

Tim talks about his relationship with Pop all the time, how they were close from like the day after the Spurs won the draft lottery.

[TD 21]

And they lost him. Are you going to tell me Bob Hill or even Larry Brown was keeping Duncan here when he could have gone and teamed up with a prime Grant Hill? (no one thought his ankle was derailing his career back then)

Tim talks about his relationship with Pop all the time, how they were close from the day the Spurs won the draft lottery.

:lmao This is the only fanbase that you have to convince a sizable portion of that the player(s) most responsible for their ample success deserve far and away the most credit for it.

Again, they got lucky that Duncan wasn't concerned with building a "brand" in a big market, got along well with their core and that he was drafted into a situation where they could immediately contend for and win a championship before he was a free agent.

Had they had O'Neal, they'd have lost him despite Pop's attempts to build a relationship beyond basketball (and it wouldn't have been his fault).

[illusioNtEk]

good.... time to end this stupid spurs culture and start acting like a busniess.

Fuck feelings... look where LMA and DeMar took us.

[baseline bum]

:lmao This is the only fanbase that you have to convince a sizable portion of that the player(s) most responsible for their ample success deserve far and away the most credit for it.

Again, they got lucky that Duncan wasn't concerned with building a "brand" in a big market, got along well with their core and that he was drafted into a situation where they could immediately contend for and win a championship before he was a free agent.

Had they had O'Neal, they'd have lost him despite Pop's attempts to build a relationship beyond basketball (and it wouldn't have been his fault).

LOL thinking all you have to do is roll the balls out and you win after drafting a transcendent player. How well did that work in Cleveland with LeBron?

[timvp]

Number one picks in the lottery era to win a championship with the team that drafted him without leaving first: David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Kyrie Irving. And Irving is only on the list because LeBron came back. If LeBron didn't come back, Irving's Cavs would have never broke 35 wins, tbh. In the last 20 years, how many picks 2, 3 or 4 have won championships with the team that drafted him? Off the top of my head, there was Darko with the Pistons ... and that's about it. Wade won with the Heat as the fifth pick. Top five picks leading to championships in the last 20 years being Wade and Darko is a huge strike against the idea that tanking is the path to championships, if anyone cares to be honest.

Spurs fans got spoiled by Duncan and Robinson and think that all you need is a top pick and championships will follow. That's not how it works in reality, tbh.

[TD 21]

LOL thinking all you have to do is roll the balls out and you win after drafting a transcendent player. How well did that work in Cleveland with LeBron?

Except I never said or inferred that. All I'm saying is, let's not act like he didn't get extremely lucky or that he did something that almost no one else could have done.



Number one picks in the lottery era to win a championship with the team that drafted him without leaving first: David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Kyrie Irving. And Irving is only on the list because LeBron came back. If LeBron didn't come back, Irving's Cavs would have never broke 35 wins, tbh. In the last 20 years, how many picks 2, 3 or 4 have won championships with the team that drafted him? Off the top of my head, there was Darko with the Pistons ... and that's about it. Wade won with the Heat as the fifth pick. Top five picks leading to championships in the last 20 years being Wade and Darko is a huge strike against the idea that tanking is the path to championships, if anyone cares to be honest.

Spurs fans got spoiled by Duncan and Robinson and think that all you need is a top pick and championships will follow. That's not how it works in reality, tbh.

Except I've never actually heard anyone say that. You just made that up.

All we're saying is that the higher you pick, the better the odds of lucking into a superstar, which provides you with at least a conceivable path to championship contention down the road.

There are no guarantees. But I'd rather rely on that than being the team to pick the needle out of the haystack (Antetokounmpo, Jokic, etc.).

[baseline bum]

Except I never said or inferred that. All I'm saying is, let's not act like he didn't get extremely lucky or that he did something that almost no one else could have done.




Except I've never actually heard anyone say that. You just made that up.

All we're saying is that the higher you pick, the better the odds of lucking into a superstar, which provides you with at least a conceivable path to championship contention down the road.

There are no guarantees. But I'd rather rely on that than being the team to pick the needle out of the haystack (Antetokounmpo, Jokic, etc.).

No one is saying the Spurs didn't get lucky as hell with their #1 picks. I'm saying getting that #1 pick isn't enough, which you can see from the lack of success the Spurs had after drafting David Robinson and the Cavs after drafting LeBron despite having transcendent stars who really wanted to be there. I don't have faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian pulling the team together after that humiliating loss to Utah at home on NBC and basically running the table the rest of the 99 season. I don't have faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian turning shrimp ass Tony Parker into a guy who could dump 26 on Jason Kidd in a critical road Finals game or making angry ass Stephen Jackson into an elite defender. As ridiculous as Tim was in 02-03 that wouldn't have been enough to win the title that year without Pop's work with Parker and Jackson. I have no faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian being able to pull that 2013 team up after the most soul crushing loss in NBA history to be right there in position to win Game 7 and then having to start all over again, and actually win it the next year. Only thing I have ever seen like it was the 89 Pistons after having their 88 title stolen from them, and they were also guided by a legendary coach.

Pop is one of the greatest things to ever happen to the franchise. Not nearly as great as landing Tim Duncan, but still critical to having five banners up in the rafters. Thank god he didn't get fired and replaced with Doc Rivers in 1999 like was heavily rumored at the time, you want to see where coaching makes a difference look how much Rivers has underachieved with stacked rosters.

[TD 21]

No one is saying the Spurs didn't get lucky as hell with their #1 picks. I'm saying getting that #1 pick isn't enough, which you can see from the lack of success the Spurs had after drafting David Robinson and the Cavs after drafting LeBron despite having transcendent stars who really wanted to be there. I don't have faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian pulling the team together after that humiliating loss to Utah at home on NBC and basically running the table the rest of the 99 season. I don't have faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian turning shrimp ass Tony Parker into a guy who could dump 26 on Jason Kidd in a critical road Finals game or making angry ass Stephen Jackson into an elite defender. As ridiculous as Tim was in 02-03 that wouldn't have been enough to win the title that year without Pop's work with Parker and Jackson. I have no faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian being able to pull that 2013 team up after the most crushing loss in NBA history to be right there in position to win Game 7 and then having to start all over again, and actually win it the next year. Only thing I have ever seen like it was the 89 Pistons after having their 88 title stolen from them, and they were also guided by a legendary coach.

Pop is one of the greatest things to ever happen to the franchise. Not nearly as great as landing Tim Duncan, but still critical to having five banners up in the rafters. Thank god he didn't get fired and replaced with Doc Rivers in 1999 like was heavily rumored at the time, you want to see where coaching makes a difference look how much Rivers has underachieved with stacked rosters.

But these weren't just any #1 picks and there were two of them, playing at the time the most important position in the sport essentially simultaneously.

The core pulled the team together over a meeting at I believe Johnson's house because they knew they were underachieving and liked Pop and didn't want to see him get fired for it.

The rest of that paragraph is just the usual giving him the credit for the players success crap while unfairly shitting on the bi-racial coach. No specific examples of what he supposedly did or the latter supposedly didn't.

[Stump]

Number one picks in the lottery era to win a championship with the team that drafted him without leaving first: David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Kyrie Irving. And Irving is only on the list because LeBron came back. If LeBron didn't come back, Irving's Cavs would have never broke 35 wins, tbh. In the last 20 years, how many picks 2, 3 or 4 have won championships with the team that drafted him? Off the top of my head, there was Darko with the Pistons ... and that's about it. Wade won with the Heat as the fifth pick. Top five picks leading to championships in the last 20 years being Wade and Darko is a huge strike against the idea that tanking is the path to championships, if anyone cares to be honest.

Spurs fans got spoiled by Duncan and Robinson and think that all you need is a top pick and championships will follow. That's not how it works in reality, tbh.
I just ran through the last 20 years in my head, and this is surprisingly accurate. Top picks have simply not translated to championships. However, I would gently push back and assert that the previous 20 years (1980-1999) have included several good examples, listed below. Note that this covers every championship in this era except for the 1983 76ers.

Michael Jordan (3rd, 1984) 6 titles for Bulls
Scottie Pippen (5th, 1987) 6 titles for Bulls
Hakeem Olajuwon (1st, 1984) 2 titles for Rockets
Larry Bird (6th, 1978) 3 titles for Celtics
Kevin McHale (3rd, 1980) 3 titles for Celtics
Magic Johnson (1st, 1979) 5 titles for Lakers
James Worthy (1st, 1982) 3 titles for Lakers
Isiah Thomas (2nd, 1981) 2 titles for Pistons
Tim Duncan (1st, 1997) 1 title in this referenced era, but 5 total titles for Spurs
David Robinson (1st, 1987) 1 title in this referenced era, but 2 total titles for Spurs

So, how much of the change is due to the inherent variability of small sample sizes, and how much due to trends such as the increased frequency of stars moving to big markets and/or super teams? When I started writing this post, I was leaning toward the former, but now after collecting the information I think it's the latter. The shift starting in 2000 is jarring.

[baseline bum]

But these weren't just any #1 picks and there were two of them, playing at the time the most important position in the sport essentially simultaneously.

The core pulled the team together over a meeting at I believe Johnson's house because they knew they were underachieving and liked Pop and didn't want to see him get fired for it.

The rest of that paragraph is just the usual giving him the credit for the players success crap while unfairly shitting on the bi-racial coach. No specific examples of what he supposedly did or the latter supposedly didn't.

I gave you specific examples of player development Pop was part of and you ignored it. And you're going to seriously tell me Rivers wasn't a huge underachiever with the Clippers?

[MultiTroll]

The shift starting in 2000 is jarring.
1995 was the year of high school direct to NBA began to substantially increase.

Not the beginning of high school to pros (Mo Malone, Bill Willoughby) but it seemed to really pick up after Garnett was a hit and then Kobme, etc.

Pretty sure that is huge contributor.

Fagic i think was somewhat genetically freaky and an exception.
FFS even with his multi millions he's one of the few to beat HIV.

[TD 21]

I gave you specific examples of player development Pop was part of and you ignored it. And you're going to seriously tell me Rivers wasn't a huge underachiever with the Clippers?

No, you didn't. You assigned credit to him that primarily belongs to those players. Specifics would have been something like, how did he supposedly turn Jackson into an elite defender?

The Clippers never had the best team and almost always had to deal with untimely injuries to Paul and/or Griffin (as did the Celtics with Garnett or Perkins). Their collapse against the Rockets was obviously an embarrassment for all involved, but the Spurs had a few of those in their time too.

[exstatic]

I just ran through the last 20 years in my head, and this is surprisingly accurate. Top picks have simply not translated to championships. However, I would gently push back and assert that the previous 20 years (1980-1999) have included several good examples, listed below. Note that this covers every championship in this era except for the 1983 76ers.

Michael Jordan (3rd, 1984) 6 titles for Bulls
Scottie Pippen (5th, 1987) 6 titles for Bulls
Hakeem Olajuwon (1st, 1984) 2 titles for Rockets
Larry Bird (6th, 1978) 3 titles for Celtics
Kevin McHale (3rd, 1980) 3 titles for Celtics
Magic Johnson (1st, 1979) 5 titles for Lakers
James Worthy (1st, 1982) 3 titles for Lakers
Isiah Thomas (2nd, 1981) 2 titles for Pistons
Tim Duncan (1st, 1997) 1 title in this referenced era, but 5 total titles for Spurs
David Robinson (1st, 1987) 1 title in this referenced era, but 2 total titles for Spurs

So, how much of the change is due to the inherent variability of small sample sizes, and how much due to trends such as the increased frequency of stars moving to big markets and/or super teams? When I started writing this post, I was leaning toward the former, but now after collecting the information I think it's the latter. The shift starting in 2000 is jarring.

It’s not small sample size. Most of those players in the earlier phase played at least two years of NCAA ball. Jordan played three. Bird played four. It’s not a coincidence that when they decided to roll the draft back to admit HS players, it went to shit. The One and Done failed to shove the genie back in the bottle.

[SpurPadre]

Much ado about nothing. Pop is coming back.

[Chinook]

I mean, a lot of MVPs don't win titles, ever but more importantly in the year in which they win. Coaching definitely matters development matters. Just because a player has to work to improve doesn't mean that he doesn't need other guys to break down film, show him techniques, get his workout and diet routines right. Obviously, if that's true, then it's true that certain people would be better at doing those things then others. If that is true, then it means SA could employ some of those better individuals, and having those better individuals might've contributed to them developing players to a higher degree of success than their situation would project. Also, basketball isn't played on a spreadsheet, and the interpersonal aspects to coaching obviously matter. It might not've taken a genius to draft Duncan, but a shittier coach might've lost him to Orlando. After all, Doc couldn't get Tim to come over -- who knows if in the universe where he replaced Pop if he would've lost him.

This isn't to say Pop doesn't have flaws that might make him moving on in the team's best interest. His lack of 3PA attempts was bad, but the horrible three-point defense was the real killer. You can't play a high-efficiency two-pointers game if you can't stop high-powered long-distance offenses. The 2017-2018 Spurs had the defenders to do that. This past version of the team didn't, and their scheme didn't help. I've given my criticism of Pop's offensive scheme too many times to do so again. So yeah, Pop is looking mighty replaceable now. But he was great at one time, and he definitely deserves his credit. That's not some white man's burden shit (like how it is in the NCAA), so there's no need to make it one. There's a reason why Spo is still doing his thing even though he has none of the three superstars that supposedly made him anymore.

[MultiTroll]

might've lost him to Orlando.
I thought the rumor / news leak that all it took to seal the deal was to let Duncans significant other ride on the team plane and he was signing.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

This place is going to be awesome once Pops is gone and the team strings together 3 or 4 60-loss seasons in a row :lol

[J_Paco]

This place is going to be awesome once Pops is gone and the team strings together 3 or 4 60-loss seasons in a row :lol

It'll be interesting how the histrionics and narrative will change once Pop is really gone.

It seems some people bitterly attribute (or think the media does) too much of the credit to Pop or believe that somehow matters to him. Even though he's time and time again pointed to HIS PLAYERS (mainly Duncan) as the reason the team was a success.

[NASpurs]

This place is going to be awesome once Pops is gone and the team strings together 3 or 4 60-loss seasons in a row :lol

So we’re going to get better lotto picks instead of being a treadmill team drafting a bunch of role players? Sign me up!

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

So we’re going to get better lotto picks instead of being a treadmill team drafting a bunch of role players? Sign me up!

unless pop stays on in a big riley-esque way, i'm not trusting ATFO to draft or develop players

hopefully i'm wrong

[JeffDuncan]

This place is going to be awesome once Pops is gone and the team strings together 3 or 4 60-loss seasons in a row :lol

Yeah, everybody will be saying how pleased they are with the shape Pop left the team in.

[TD 21]

MVP's winning titles isn't dependant on coaching, it's dependent on surrounding talent and a modicum of luck (unless you have '03 Duncan, who somehow even rendered those irrelevant).

Coaching matters (namely player development), but coaches don't. If you want to give the Engelland's and Forcier's and more recently certain assistants who poured in extensive time with young players credit, fine.

Sure, some are better than others, but who evaluates and determines that? People just reverse engineer this stuff based on results.

"Spo" is still doing his thing because they lucked into Adebayo and are in a glamor market, which led to Butler. When he didn't have them, he was mired in mediocrity in the JV conference.

[timvp]

This place is going to be awesome once Pops is gone and the team strings together 3 or 4 60-loss seasons in a row :lol

Hint: Pop will still be blamed long after he's gone for any non-championship season until the time comes at some point in the future that every last remaining tie to the Pop era is lost.

[ducks]

List the coaches pop had under him that have won it all

[bluebellmaniac]

Hint: Pop will still be blamed long after he's gone for any non-championship season until the time comes at some point in the future that every last remaining tie to the Pop era is lost.

And ... If by chance we should win a championship, it too shall be the fault of Pop for not having won more of them prior to that championship.

[bluebellmaniac]

So doesn't matter if we win or not, Pop-haters are gonna hate.

[spurraider21]

hopefully this allows pop to become a bigger political kingpin tbh

[Chinook]

MVP's winning titles isn't dependant on coaching, it's dependent on surrounding talent and a modicum of luck (unless you have '03 Duncan, who somehow even rendered those irrelevant).

More talented teams lose all the time. Scheme can certainly can flip a game and thus a series.


Coaching matters (namely player development), but coaches don't. If you want to give the Engelland's and Forcier's and more recently certain assistants who poured in extensive time with young players credit, fine.

Coaches coach. If coaching matters, then it stands to reason some coaches can be more effective than others. Surely a horrible coach who never adjusts or can't get his guys to follow a game plan (or who can't draw up a good game plan in the first place) can be worse than ones who do those things.


Sure, some are better than others, but who evaluates and determines that? People just reverse engineer this stuff based on results.

You're making it seem like looking at stats to determine things is somehow a flawed approach that's being used at coaching. We basically judge everything, especially in sports, by stats and narrative. It's not weird that the guys thought to be the best coaches are the ones who have the most success, especially over the course of a long time with different players. Other aspects are mostly subjective, and there's no point into devolving into a back-and-forth about that.


"Spo" is still doing his thing because they lucked into Adebayo and are in a glamor market, which led to Butler. When he didn't have them, he was mired in mediocrity in the JV conference.

No. Spo is still doing his thing because they developed quite a few players, Bam definitely being one of them. I know you tend to have a very deterministic way of looking at the NBA (and believe that things that happened had to happen and happen the way they did). But not all great players were always going to be great. Sometimes, having a coach that is willing to let a player grow and might be willing to force the player to try to expand his game is important. KAT's college coach didn't let him shoot threes. Kidd made Giannis a PG when his skills weren't even close to good enough to get there. Going from a player who basically showed no floor game in college and becoming a dribble-drive, play-making center in the NBA wasn't just an inevitable change. Spo and his staff deserve a ton of credit not just for Bam, but in getting a team full of low picks and rejects to be a legit playoff competitor. In many ways, Riley screwed with the Heat's roster way worse than anything the Spurs have had to deal with, and he traded a lot of potential young talent away in the process. The Heat should've been much worse than they were basically every year since the Bosh retirement.

[Kurgan]

2) It's not a coincidence that the "shot profile" suffered when the two players in the league who are the most addicted to mid-range jumpers and most resistant to change joined the team. The coaching staff has highlighted the need for threes but those two players refused to change. Virtually every other player beyond those two have trended the right way. In prior years, the Spurs had cutting edge shot profile. Spurs fans acting like the coaches would have Steph Curry shooting two-pointers :lol

This sounds less like the players fault and more on how poor the team building has been from PATFO. if they didn't want an archaic offense, maybe they shouldn't have brought in the two most archaic "stars" in the NBA.

[Dejounte]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/amp/Very-good-dude-Matt-Nielsen-brings-out-best-15985164.php

No way in hell he leapfrogs two assistant coaches (Becky, Will). Probably has a chance though if Pop stays one more year and he gets promoted on as an assistant coach.

[Dex]

Hint: Pop will still be blamed long after he's gone for any non-championship season until the time comes at some point in the future that every last remaining tie to the Pop era is lost.

He'll probably still be blamed after that, yoo....because of osmosis or some dumb shit like that.

[K...]

I don't think pop is obtuse and knows derozan is a double edge sword. I assume pop mulled trading him. I remember, supposedly the Murray white backcourt was supposed to be fast break heaven, but lma vetoed that. Then i think everyone became too dependent on derozan.

The next coach might have some successes, just from moving on from derozan. Of course that could also lead up bottoming out, but who cares. The path back is a journey, the years outside the lottery will be short. The spurs don't have any great reason to be better then average going forward.

The only real drama, is to we buildl like sacremento or Utah.

[Truckules]

This isn't to say Pop doesn't have flaws that might make him moving on in the team's best interest. His lack of 3PA attempts was bad, but the horrible three-point defense was the real killer. You can't play a high-efficiency two-pointers game if you can't stop high-powered long-distance offenses. The 2017-2018 Spurs had the defenders to do that. This past version of the team didn't, and their scheme didn't help. I've given my criticism of Pop's offensive scheme too many times to do so again. So yeah, Pop is looking mighty replaceable now. But he was great at one time, and he definitely deserves his credit. That's not some white man's burden shit (like how it is in the NCAA), so there's no need to make it one. There's a reason why Spo is still doing his thing even though he has none of the three superstars that supposedly made him anymore.

This team didn't miss the playoffs because of the 3 pt defense. They were 12th in the league in opponent 3 pointers made per 100. Meanwhile, they were 24th in the league in offensive rebounds allowed and 29th in layups allowed. The problem on defense is that they are slow and undersized, particularly at the forward spots. Teams can just beat them off the dribble and clean the glass.

The offense was an even bigger problem than the defense though: last in 3 pointers attempted and first in long 2 attempts. I don't think this is Pop's fault though. This team is built around non-shooters. For total FG attempts, the leaders on the team are Dejounte, Demar, and Keldon. None of them are good shooters and having them shoot 3s is dumb. This team needs a major injection of scorers and shooters in order to compete.

[bigfan]

Best NBA coach ever. He has earned his retirement and I think he pulls the pin soon. Sad to see him go but wish him all the best.

[Arcadian]

:lol I hope he coaches 2 more years, just so this thread is a waste of time

[rjv]

:lol I hope he coaches 2 more years, just so this thread is a waste of time

wouldn't be the first time, or the last.

[GreekSpursfan]

He should retire as a coach only because we need to actually tank but he should retire as POBO as well because that's were he failed imo. I actually think that as a coach he did pretty good considering the talent available to him.

[Brazil]

I wonder the interest of Tony Parker would be as our head coach. He does have two very young children and seems to be enjoying retirement on Instagram. My money will still be on Becky nevertheless. If they hire anyone outside of the organization I can see Udoka getting an interview and being one of the finalists at least.

Parker as a coach ? :lol no
Parker sees himself as a business man and a future NBA GM. He is learning with his team Asvel in France for now. He never had a desire of coaching tbh... unless something changed recently

[Brazil]

:lol I hope he coaches 2 more years, just so this thread is a waste of time

:lol

Hopefully he continues so the meltdown here continues also :lol

[Brazil]

meh. he had the spurs leading the league in 3's before it was cool. but the top players on the roster are all allergic to 3 point shots so thats on the team building.

exactly... people are acting like pop is allergic to 3s is just :lmao at this point. Spurs are a big reason for the 3 pts shot attempts trend in the league

[Russ]

The only good way for Pop to retire is holding up LOB #6. Hang in there Pop, we need you.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

I’m ready for the Becky Hammon era tbh. She’s cutthroat; I can tell and she won’t put up with players like Derozan and mills either. I could see the disgust in her face when pop would play them together

[Gorepopovich]

Same question: :makemyday
What picture of Pop sitting alone is OP referring to?

[The Truth #6]

I’m ready for the Becky Hammon era tbh. She’s cutthroat; I can tell and she won’t put up with players like Derozan and mills either. I could see the disgust in her face when pop would play them together

I get the sense, a hunch, really, she wasn’t shocked when the team played better in the bubble last year due to the lineup changes. I see her reactions on the sidelines and see someone connected to reality and not afraid to voice opinions, at least as much as one can around a legend like Pop. This isn’t a bash of Pop. He IS the Spurs. But the last few years have obviously worn him down.

[timvp]

exactly... people are acting like pop is allergic to 3s is just :lmao at this point. Spurs are a big reason for the 3 pts shot attempts trend in the league

The funniest part is the same people who are now complaining the Spurs don't shoot enough threes previously complained that the Spurs shot too many threes :lol

[KobesAchilles]

The funniest part is the same people who are now complaining the Spurs don't shoot enough threes previously complained that the Spurs shot too many threes :lol
Even you have to admit though Timvp that this team quit on Pop. I mean there were plenty of games where they didn't even bother to show up at all. He has lost the locker room and that's all it takes for a coach to move on

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

i didnt see the team quit, i saw them sucking

[TD 21]

More talented teams lose all the time. Scheme can certainly can flip a game and thus a series.



Coaches coach. If coaching matters, then it stands to reason some coaches can be more effective than others. Surely a horrible coach who never adjusts or can't get his guys to follow a game plan (or who can't draw up a good game plan in the first place) can be worse than ones who do those things.



You're making it seem like looking at stats to determine things is somehow a flawed approach that's being used at coaching. We basically judge everything, especially in sports, by stats and narrative. It's not weird that the guys thought to be the best coaches are the ones who have the most success, especially over the course of a long time with different players. Other aspects are mostly subjective, and there's no point into devolving into a back-and-forth about that.



No. Spo is still doing his thing because they developed quite a few players, Bam definitely being one of them. I know you tend to have a very deterministic way of looking at the NBA (and believe that things that happened had to happen and happen the way they did). But not all great players were always going to be great. Sometimes, having a coach that is willing to let a player grow and might be willing to force the player to try to expand his game is important. KAT's college coach didn't let him shoot threes. Kidd made Giannis a PG when his skills weren't even close to good enough to get there. Going from a player who basically showed no floor game in college and becoming a dribble-drive, play-making center in the NBA wasn't just an inevitable change. Spo and his staff deserve a ton of credit not just for Bam, but in getting a team full of low picks and rejects to be a legit playoff competitor. In many ways, Riley screwed with the Heat's roster way worse than anything the Spurs have had to deal with, and he traded a lot of potential young talent away in the process. The Heat should've been much worse than they were basically every year since the Bosh retirement.

That has nothing to do with what I said and give me specific examples of a "scheme" flipping a series.

They all have similar knowledge and it's been said forever that they mostly run the same stuff, only with different terminology. Coaching (again, namely development) matters with youth, but if you think prime Jordan, O'Neal, Duncan, James, etc. needed a head coach period let alone a specific one to thrive or get over the hump, you're delusional.

It is flawed because you're making it seem like they all have the same personnel and context with which to work and it's just a matter of who's more competent.

Fair enough, but they don't get Butler if they're not in a glamor market and most of the truly great players were destined to be great.

[rjv]

Even you have to admit though Timvp that this team quit on Pop. I mean there were plenty of games where they didn't even bother to show up at all. He has lost the locker room and that's all it takes for a coach to move on

obviously, this is subjective but i never saw a team that looked like it quit at all.

[Dejounte]

obviously, this is subjective but i never saw a team that looked like it quit at all.
KobesAchilles literally admitted he barely watched any games this season. Dude is a bonafide box score watcher and has no credibility at all. Even worse now that he's a full blown liar.

[baseline bum]

Even you have to admit though Timvp that this team quit on Pop. I mean there were plenty of games where they didn't even bother to show up at all. He has lost the locker room and that's all it takes for a coach to move on

Meh this isn't a talented team at all. No stars and doesn't look like they have any real building blocks to construct a team around either. Teams this devoid of talent are inconsistent as hell.

[Seventyniner]

The funniest part is the same people who are now complaining ... previously complained ...

Fixed.

[spurraider21]

The funniest part is the same people who are now complaining the Spurs don't shoot enough threes previously complained that the Spurs shot too many threes :lol
Pop was ahead of the curve with Bonner :lol

[baseline bum]

Pop was ahead of the curve with Bonner :lol

Except for the part about using Bonner to guard Gasol back when he was carrying the shitbag on his shoulders.

[SpurSpike]

Did anyone else notice that Rudy Gay seemed upset many times on the bench the last few weeks of Spurs ball? It seemed he didn't agree with Pops rotations at times. On one of the last games it looked like he was straight up arguing with Pop to let Lonnie have that last possession, but Pop went with DDR instead even though it was completely predictable.

Iv always viewed Rudy as the Vet that sticks up for the younger players. He seems to have that kind of demeanor.

[LeBowen]

Imo, the bigger problem is that Pop is in control of everything.
Roster moves, contract extension etc.

If we had a decent front office Pop wouldn't have the chance to start Bryn for 2 years and we wouldn't have traded MVP caliber player for Demar.
Patty wouldn't get a 50 million deal etc.

When the team is good, he's still good.

But the problem is that we don't have a GM who'd get rid of all the shit on the roster, so Pop keeps trying to prove a point with his ridiculous rotations and matchups.

[KobesAchilles]

KobesAchilles (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=50221) literally admitted he barely watched any games this season. Dude is a bonafide box score watcher and has no credibility at all. Even worse now that he's a full blown liar.
Yeah I lied about the Kings we lost by 30 game or the Cavs game where we lost by 25. Doubting my credibility where you are just a shit poster who never gets anything right and likes to act like you do. Jakob Poeltl, what a great ducking starter he is. Dejounte Murray, well you’re ready to trade his ass to but you were bumping his thread earlier and talking him up in December. Not so much now. You said we were a playoff team all year long but nope we aren’t that either. Talk about my shit son when you are the biggest and most incorrect nut hugger there is

[Dejounte]

Yeah I lied about the Kings we lost by 30 game or the Cavs game where we lost by 25. Doubting my credibility where you are just a shit poster who never gets anything right and likes to act like you do. Jakob Poeltl, what a great ducking starter he is. Dejounte Murray, well you’re ready to trade his ass to but you were bumping his thread earlier and talking him up in December. Not so much now. You said we were a playoff team all year long but nope we aren’t that either. Talk about my shit son when you are the biggest and most incorrect nut hugger there is

Lmfao look at this triggered little asshole. Still the dumbest, most reactionary poster there is. What's worse is you pretend to be a hooper. Stay on the sidelines, boy.

[KobesAchilles]

Lmfao look at this triggered little asshole. Still the dumbest, most reactionary poster there is. What's worse is you pretend to be a hooper. Stay on the sidelines, boy.
Lol pretend? I just said I played high school. And I never injured myself once. But apparently that’s a big deal to some. So I’m not supposed to be reactionary after 2 years straight of missing the playoffs and having the 11th pick in the draft? Shit man you couldn’t even counter anything I said bc you know it to be true. You touted all year how fucking great Jak was and you were fucking wrong. You were wrong about the playoffs. You were wrong about DJ. You were wrong about Keldon having a breakout year. You were wrong about Pop. Hell the next time you’re right about something will be the first. Hell it’s impossible to be the dumbest with you on here by default seeing as I got atleast one thing right.

[Dejounte]

Lol pretend? I just said I played high school. And I never injured myself once. But apparently that’s a big deal to some. So I’m not supposed to be reactionary after 2 years straight of missing the playoffs and having the 11th pick in the draft? Shit man you couldn’t even counter anything I said bc you know it to be true. You touted all year how fucking great Jak was and you were fucking wrong. You were wrong about the playoffs. You were wrong about DJ. You were wrong about Keldon having a breakout year. You were wrong about Pop. Hell the next time you’re right about something will be the first. Hell it’s impossible to be the dumbest with you on here by default seeing as I got atleast one thing right.

Miss me with that BS. All I had to do was skim through your post to see how pointless it is. I couldn't care less if I'm right or wrong, and I don't get why your pathetic ass is so obsessed about that. Is it a game? Someone keeping score? Get out of here, you childish dumbass.

[KobesAchilles]

Miss me with that BS. All I had to do was skim through your post to see how pointless it is. I couldn't care less if I'm right or wrong, and I don't get why your pathetic ass is so obsessed about that. Is it a game? Someone keeping score? Get out of here, you childish dumbass.
You keep name calling yet call me childish? You called me out in the beginning too when I made no mention of you. But I’m childish. Now you backtrack.

Dejounte: I don’t care if I’m right or wrong :cry I will only call out other posters for being wrong and call them liars. Why do you care if I’m wrong :cry Also, you would have to be right once in order to care about being right.

[Dejounte]

You keep name calling yet call me childish? You called me out in the beginning too when I made no mention of you. But I’m childish. Now you backtrack.

Dejounte: I don’t care if I’m right or wrong :cry I will only call out other posters for being wrong and call them liars. Why do you care if I’m wrong :cry Also, you would have to be right once in order to care about being right.

Boy, let me spell out why I called you out: You L I E D. There's a difference between putting out your thoughts and ideas versus flat out lying. Hint: One is genuine, and the other one isn't.

[KobesAchilles]

Boy, let me spell out why I called you out: You L I E D. There's a difference between putting out your thoughts and ideas versus flat out lying. Hint: One is genuine, and the other one isn't.
Oh look more name calling by calling me a “boy” and insinuating that I’m not an adult. More nonchildish behavior by you. Also I didn’t lie. I made a thread about the team quitting on Pop on the day I thought it happened. It was in my Thank You Pop thread which I bumped 2 days ago too. I said they quit on him on the Cavs game. So I’m not sure what I’m “lying” about. This was clearly my opinion since April 6th.

[Sugus]

Did anyone else notice that Rudy Gay seemed upset many times on the bench the last few weeks of Spurs ball? It seemed he didn't agree with Pops rotations at times. On one of the last games it looked like he was straight up arguing with Pop to let Lonnie have that last possession, but Pop went with DDR instead even though it was completely predictable.

Iv always viewed Rudy as the Vet that sticks up for the younger players. He seems to have that kind of demeanor.

Rudy's had some interviews earlier this season (maybe last season too?) where he actively vouched for the youngings not only being good players, but needing to get more minutes, bigger roles, bigger shots. I can definitely see what you're saying, and of the 3 FA vets on the team, he's the one I'd like the most to be back. Patty's good and all, I don't think he's as washed as the end of this season made it seem (he could excel in a limited role just like Forbes is now doing for the Bucks), but it's obvious that Pop will never change his ways regarding him and overplaying him, not to mention SG being our most stacked position.

Rudy, OTOH, plays our position of most need, and can be a totem-in-place to ease Luka into a bigger role and minutes next season. Then as the season progresses, you leave him as bench depth/spark plug, then maybe trade him for a late 1st at the deadline. Hope we do something like this.

[Russ]

Rudy, OTOH, plays our position of most need, and can be a totem-in-place to ease Luka into a bigger role and minutes next season. Then as the season progresses, you leave him as bench depth/spark plug, then maybe trade him for a late 1st at the deadline. Hope we do something like this.

Rudy gives off the strong impression that he really likes it with the Spurs and wants to stay. (Could his wife be a part of it?) I could even see him giving a discount.

[Brazil]

The funniest part is the same people who are now complaining the Spurs don't shoot enough threes previously complained that the Spurs shot too many threes :lol

:cry meh live and die by the 3 :cry
:cry too many 3s :cry
:cry not enough 3s :cry
:cry but but 2014 :cry

[Dex]

:cry meh live and die by the 3 :cry
:cry too many 3s :cry
:cry not enough 3s :cry
:cry but but 2014 :cry

Fuck it, just bring back the Red Mamba and we are going back to the Finals

[Brazil]

Fuck it, just bring back the Red Mamba and we are going back to the Finals

yes the first real 3 and D well without the D tbh... :lol

[Brazil]

:cry but but he keeps defense honest :lol

[offset formation]

Not Becky for the love of all that's good and holy.

[MultiTroll]

Not Becky for the love of all that's good and holy.
You pretty much know where this is going.
Popped wanting adjulation for his *super woke* choice. Even tho he's shit on her the past two years.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

This thread shows me how many dumbfvcks we have on Spurstalk.

Pop was huge in creating the culture that is the Spurs. People who think Pop just stumbled into five championships don't know basketball. He created and maintained the culture that existed here. He and RC put the talent around Tim, and were able to retain it, to keep the Spurs at the top of the league for all those years. The Spurs weren't the best team in pro sports for two decades by sheer luck.

Lots of teams have talented rosters and don't do sh!t with it. We as fans had two decades of knowing we could contend for a title every year. That's unheard of in sports.

He's not perfect, but man he's given us a great era of basketball, and he deserves credit for that as much as Tim, Manu, Tony and David. It's sad that Spurs fans are so willing to kick dirt on him, now, when he's working on rebuilding a roster with late-in-the-draft players. He's earned a ton of grace in my opinion. He'll be missed if he leaves. MoSpur is a good source of info, but I hope he's wrong in this case.

[murpjf88]

This thread shows me how many dumbfvcks we have on Spurstalk.

Pop was huge in creating the culture that is the Spurs. People who think Pop just stumbled into five championships don't know basketball. He created and maintained the culture that existed here. He and RC put the talent around Tim, and were able to retain it, to keep the Spurs at the top of the league for all those years. The Spurs weren't the best team in pro sports for two decades by sheer luck.

Lots of teams have talented rosters and don't do sh!t with it. We as fans had two decades of knowing we could contend for a title every year. That's unheard of in sports.

He's not perfect, but man he's given us a great era of basketball, and he deserves credit for that as much as Tim, Manu, Tony and David. It's sad that Spurs fans are so willing to kick dirt on him, now, when he's working on rebuilding a roster with late-in-the-draft players. He's earned a ton of grace in my opinion. He'll be missed if he leaves. MoSpur is a good source of info, but I hope he's wrong in this case.

Sam Presti gets a big assist for Tony Parker and the PATFO thought so highly of Manu Ginobili, they drafted Leon Smith ahead of him in the 1999 draft and immediately traded him to Dallas, shortly before he ended up in a psych ward for psychological problems. The Spurs stumbled into Tim Duncan and he was the culture. When the culture retired, Pop lost the entire team. Suddenly, nobody gave a crap about culture and players just wanted to play basketball.

He was a great motivational leader in his prime but from an x's and o's standpoint, he was league average. He's the only goat coach I know to get backdoor swept in the playoffs twice, both times as the heavy favorites and coming off double digit win streaks. He lost to the eighth seed as a one seed. He completely flopped in 2013 NBA finals having Tim Duncan on the bench for the final shot of game 6. He couldn't make simple adjustments in the 2016 playoffs against OKC when Donovan put Steven Adams on LMA. That one move completely shutdown the Spurs in a series they were another heavy favorite. He also didn't have enough of a backbone to tell his pseudo star small forward to stop shooting the Spurs out of games down the stretch. I lost count how many games the Spurs lost because Pop let DeRozan take over in crunch time. He's also one of the worst at drawing up plays out of a time out and at the end of games.

Tim Duncan made a decent to good coach look great.

[Joseph Kony]

Appreciate what he has done and meant for the organization, but it's definitely time. Go enjoy your life Pop, let someone young and hungry take over

[koriwhat]

The Spurs stumbled into Tim Duncan and he was the culture.

Fact!

[EricB]

“Championship knowledge” :lol draft Tim Duncan with the #1 pick


typical idiotic Spurs fans who think that’s all it took.

[EricB]

:lmao Yeah, it takes real brains to run the best all around player in the league at the time into the ground and incessantly call 4-down. Who could have possibly done that or had a historic defense with two of the half dozen greatest defenders ever?

Prime Robinson couldn't touch prime Duncan in the playoffs, nor did he have the caliber of player to compliment him the way Duncan did post prime Robinson from '97-'01 (when he was still a borderline superstar - clear star) and eventually prime Ginobili and Parker.


delete your fucking account, holy Christ

[EricB]

No one is saying the Spurs didn't get lucky as hell with their #1 picks. I'm saying getting that #1 pick isn't enough, which you can see from the lack of success the Spurs had after drafting David Robinson and the Cavs after drafting LeBron despite having transcendent stars who really wanted to be there. I don't have faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian pulling the team together after that humiliating loss to Utah at home on NBC and basically running the table the rest of the 99 season. I don't have faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian turning shrimp ass Tony Parker into a guy who could dump 26 on Jason Kidd in a critical road Finals game or making angry ass Stephen Jackson into an elite defender. As ridiculous as Tim was in 02-03 that wouldn't have been enough to win the title that year without Pop's work with Parker and Jackson. I have no faith in Bob Hill or Jerry Tarkanian being able to pull that 2013 team up after the most soul crushing loss in NBA history to be right there in position to win Game 7 and then having to start all over again, and actually win it the next year. Only thing I have ever seen like it was the 89 Pistons after having their 88 title stolen from them, and they were also guided by a legendary coach.

Pop is one of the greatest things to ever happen to the franchise. Not nearly as great as landing Tim Duncan, but still critical to having five banners up in the rafters. Thank god he didn't get fired and replaced with Doc Rivers in 1999 like was heavily rumored at the time, you want to see where coaching makes a difference look how much Rivers has underachieved with stacked rosters.


Duncan 1, cause he brought championships
2 David Robinson cause he saved the franchise
3 Popovich because he turned them from a fiesta colored joke
into a dynasty, starting at the top of the front office

[K...]

There are lots of potential moves to increase the liklihood of a repeat but shorten the championship window. Pop helped with that. Duncan didn't scout the international market before everyone else, that was pafto. If Duncan is 70 percent of the cause of the 5 rings, getting parker and manu was 15 and robinson was the remainder. I guess i throw a few crumbs to Steve kerr , horry, jaren Jackson, kawhi and all the other positive role players.

Pop was part of the scouting and role player selection. Calling 4 down was not a great coaching decision, but basketball is not known for new schemes and keeping a winning team through years of defensive rule weakening is impressive.

It's debatable that pop could face down red mccolms for being cheap. He didn't have to, but to pops credit he never had to fight publicly with ownership. I think future spurs coaches won't be so lucky.

[dbestpro]

Pop probably would have not won a single ring if PJ did not have his ear.

[Chomag]

Pop probably would have not won a single ring if PJ did not have his ear. PJ was the only assistant that wouldn't back down from Pops Bullshit when he saw it but you know what...Pop listened to him.

[Degoat]

I don’t know how to copy the link (my bad lol) but on hoopshype if you look at the spurs rumors, there’s some talk from some source that said executives around the league believe Will hardy will be Pops eventual replacement. Doesn’t mean that it will be this upcoming year, but interesting if that’s the case

[exstatic]

Pop probably would have not won a single ring if PJ did not have his ear.

PJ wasn’t here in ‘99. Pop won a ring without him. He won another in ‘14.

You’re good at being wrong.

[EricB]

Even you have to admit though Timvp that this team quit on Pop. I mean there were plenty of games where they didn't even bother to show up at all. He has lost the locker room and that's all it takes for a coach to move on


drugs are bad

[EricB]

Fact!

false

[Sugus]

delete your fucking account, holy Christ

Dunning-Kruger effect is a real thing and some SpursTalk posters epitomize the phenomena, tbh.

[KobesAchilles]

drugs are bad
So is Pop's coaching atm

[EricB]

So is Pop's coaching atm


never once did the team quit on him. FOH

[KobesAchilles]

never once did the team quit on him. FOH
This is based on memory so bear with me, but I believe we lost 7 outta 10 (maybe 8) at one point and I said the team quit on Pop after we lost by 25 to Cleveland. It was a pathetic showing and the team basically stayed on the plane that day while we got blown out by a team actively trying to lose. I know losing to bad teams happens so it's not like I make a big deal out of it (though we did go 0-3 against the Thunder, lost to the Twolves, lost to the Rockets who immediately lost 20 in a row, and just about every other bad team imaginable) but this game stuck to me. They just didn't give a fuck and it looked like they quit. We had been blown out prior by the Kings and they had similar energy that day as well, but losing to a tanking team by 25, in the midst of a losing streak and getting the breaks beaten off by the Kings, made me believe the team quit on Pop. I called it out when it happened and made a thread about it

[PrimeMinister]

This is based on memory so bear with me, but I believe we lost 7 outta 10 (maybe 8) at one point and I said the team quit on Pop after we lost by 25 to Cleveland. It was a pathetic showing and the team basically stayed on the plane that day while we got blown out by a team actively trying to lose. I know losing to bad teams happens so it's not like I make a big deal out of it (though we did go 0-3 against the Thunder, lost to the Twolves, lost to the Rockets who immediately lost 20 in a row, and just about every other bad team imaginable) but this game stuck to me. They just didn't give a fuck and it looked like they quit. We had been blown out prior by the Kings and they had similar energy that day as well, but losing to a tanking team by 25, in the midst of a losing streak and getting the breaks beaten off by the Kings, made me believe the team quit on Pop. I called it out when it happened and made a thread about it

I agree to some level. That was the Murrayless spurs with derozan that got their doors blown off by a tanking cavs team, by the way.

Probably one of the more miserable watches I’ve had in some time. Totally outclassed on both ends - I think to anyone critically watching should be the obvious tell to move on from anything involving Demar derozan. His body language in particular was really, really poor. And I think reading into that shit is generally foolish- but in this particular instance it was really striking.

im sure pop is partially responsible- but demar’s presence on the floor was the primary factor in a lot of these moments where it looked the spurs couldn’t do anything right.

[koriwhat]

false

Of course it's fact considering Pop was in the FO at the time and still wasn't winning shit even with a strong ass Robinson. Robinson brought the grace but Duncan brought the culture and rings.

[The Truth #6]

Not saying Coach Bud couldn’t still get fired this year, but going up 3-0 on the Heat in dominating fashion seems to reduce the odds for a scenario of him being the Spurs coach next year, at least for the moment...

[KingKev]

PJ wasn’t here in ‘99. Pop won a ring without him. He won another in ‘14.

You’re good at being wrong.

haha sounds familiar

[exstatic]

Not saying Coach Bud couldn’t still get fired this year, but going up 3-0 on the Heat in dominating fashion seems to reduce the odds for a scenario of him being the Spurs coach next year, at least for the moment...

Supposedly, the have to make the ECFs.

[poopbox]

Not saying Coach Bud couldn’t still get fired this year, but going up 3-0 on the Heat in dominating fashion seems to reduce the odds for a scenario of him being the Spurs coach next year, at least for the moment...

If Bud doesn't get to at least the ECF and they have a tough 6 game series there is a greater than 0% chance he could be fired.

Bucks have no picks and for the immediate future are going to be paying 3 players over 400 million dollars. Anything that is not a title is a complete bust for them.

[The Truth #6]

If Bud doesn't get to at least the ECF and they have a tough 6 game series there is a greater than 0% chance he could be fired.

Bucks have no picks and for the immediate future are going to be paying 3 players over 400 million dollars. Anything that is not a title is a complete bust for them.

So like somewhere between 1 to 99% chance? That’s a, uhh, fairly big range. Not sure if you mistyped. It sounds like you’re saying ECF or bust. That would make sense. But who else would tgey get...Ty Lue? Not sure who is going to be available that will be an upgrade, though I haven’t been paying attention to available coaches, tbh.

[exstatic]

So like somewhere between 1 to 99% chance? That’s a, uhh, fairly big range. Not sure if you mistyped. It sounds like you’re saying ECF or bust. That would make sense. But who else would tgey get...Ty Lue? Not sure who is going to be available that will be an upgrade, though I haven’t been paying attention to available coaches, tbh.

When you keep banging on the door, but can’t get in, changes are made, and it’s rarely the players. You can’t keep doing the same thing, and sometimes, just a coaching change can pump 5 more wins out of a team.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

that's what we need is milwaukee's toaster leavings

when is the sheen going to wear off coach bud

[mo7888]

If Bud doesn't get to at least the ECF and they have a tough 6 game series there is a greater than 0% chance he could be fired.

Bucks have no picks and for the immediate future are going to be paying 3 players over 400 million dollars. Anything that is not a title is a complete bust for them.

I think Bud is gone if they lose to Brooklyn. I also think he's one of the best coaches in the league. He should be our next coach if he's available. I don't believe there's anybody that would be better that's available.

[Kurgan]

that's what we need is milwaukee's toaster leavings

when is the sheen going to wear off coach bud

Bud is a better option than spineless yes man Becky. Bud is the main reason why the Spurs changed up their play style in 2011 after looking archaic in the 2010 playoffs.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Bud is a better option than spineless yes man Becky. Bud is the main reason why the Spurs changed up their play style in 2011 after looking archaic in the 2010 playoffs.

becky is an unknown imo

bud is bud

i like bud but see no potential for him to be a longterm upgrade from tosbpop

[Kurgan]

becky is an unknown imo

bud is bud

i like bud but see no potential for him to be a longterm upgrade from tosbpop

Bud understands the modern NBA. He also puts out a watchable product. I don't trust anybody on the coaching staff that was a part of the current shitshow. Becky being the lead assistant on the worst Spurs team in the past 25 years should be more than enough reason to disqualify her.

[MultiTroll]

I think Bud is gone if they lose to Brooklyn. I also think he's one of the best coaches in the league.
Do you think Brooklyns roster is better then Mils?
I'm not sure either way but Brooklyn with BrooklynRef is going to be an extremely hard takedown.

Did you see the charging call on Durbetta get erased upon review yesterday? :lmao

[PrimeMinister]

from what i see on the side line and in the huddles- Becky seems to be more animated, fiery, and willing to take charge than anyone else.

she 100% strikes me as being the most assertive voice on the coaching staff. Summer league is summer league, sure, but if you watched her time coaching there it was also apparent her demeanor is that of someone to be listened to and respected. She is not afraid to vocalize frustration with players and no player has ever had a problem taking criticism from her that I’ve seen. Compared to Hardy and Johnson- she is absolutely the alpha.

I’m trying to tip toe around some of the assumptions I see people making, but damn. There is some antiquated thinking in here.

[PrimeMinister]

Bud understands the modern NBA. He also puts out a watchable product. I don't trust anybody on the coaching staff that was a part of the current shitshow. Becky being the lead assistant on the worst Spurs team in the past 25 years should be more than enough reason to disqualify her.

Shit didn’t realize Becky was also making personnel decisions from her assistant coaching position.

There was no coaching away the inherent problems of this years spurs team. I’m sorry to break it to this forum. Putting the failures of this team at the feet of Becky fucking Hammond is a hilarious leap.

[GAustex]

Yea right- an alpha steps aside when pop is at HOF cause some other scrub scouted the team.

[PrimeMinister]

Yea right- an alpha steps aside when pop is at HOF cause some other scrub scouted the team.

Let her throw a little temper tantrum in pops office so she can symbolically coach a team for one night during a lost season. What a pathetic, insignificant moment to fixate on.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Yea right- an alpha steps aside when pop is at HOF cause some other scrub scouted the team.


Let her throw a little temper tantrum in pops office so she can symbolically coach a team for one night during a lost season. What a pathetic, insignificant moment to fixate on.

a real alpha is secure in their position of power and is smart enough to defer when it is in their best interest

(ie the opposite of trump)

[PrimeMinister]

a real alpha is secure in their position of power and is smart enough to defer when it is in their best interest

(ie the opposite of trump)

The words I wanted to find but couldn’t.

[mo7888]

Do you think Brooklyns roster is better then Mils?
I'm not sure either way but Brooklyn with BrooklynRef is going to be an extremely hard takedown.

Did you see the charging call on Durbetta get erased upon review yesterday? :lmao

I didn't get to watch yesterday (driving 600 miles yesterday)... I do think Brooklyn has a better roster than Milwaukee though. I agree with you on the calls Brooklyn is going to get too. The league wants an LA-Brooklyn finale.

[exstatic]

I didn't get to watch yesterday (driving 600 miles yesterday)... I do think Brooklyn has a better roster than Milwaukee though. I agree with you on the calls Brooklyn is going to get too. The league wants an LA-Brooklyn finale.

Which is why I refuse to watch their product after the Spurs are done. Stern Fd up years ago by saying the quiet part out loud: he wanted a Lakers vs.Lakers Finals. Impossible, but you can believe that most years, he got pretty much what he wanted.

[dbestpro]

The Kings never recovered from the fix in their series.

[Dennis the Menace]

Not coach the Spurs next season and will retire. I spoke with my source and there is a good amount of “we’re going to miss him” talk going around. Nothing official yet, but that is the feeling in the Spurs organization. I know a lot of people are speculating that he will retire after this past season especially after that one picture of him sitting alone so this might not be news, but thought I would share what I heard from my source.

Praise God. 5 years too late.

[GreekSpursfan]

Not coach the Spurs next season and will retire. I spoke with my source and there is a good amount of “we’re going to miss him” talk going around. Nothing official yet, but that is the feeling in the Spurs organization. I know a lot of people are speculating that he will retire after this past season especially after that one picture of him sitting alone so this might not be news, but thought I would share what I heard from my source.

On to the tanking years then because make no mistake about it, we're gonna be tanking even if we don't want to, Pop was the reason this talentless team was fighting for a playoff spot. Thx Pop for everything, you will be missed.

[spurs1990]

If Hammon takes the Celtics job as rumored on the net, who then takes over for Gregg? Will Hardy be the Jon Scheyer for the Spurs?

[TDomination]

I just want someone that can keep the Spurs culture.

I wonder how Ime Udoka is doing? I always was intrigued in him becoming coach but not sure how good he would be. He's with Brooklyn right now.

[poopbox]

I just want someone that can keep the Spurs culture.

I wonder how Ime Udoka is doing? I always was intrigued in him becoming coach but not sure how good he would be. He's with Brooklyn right now.

The culture of losing in the first round 2 years in a row and then not making the playoffs 2 years in a row ?

[TDomination]

The culture of losing in the first round 2 years in a row and then not making the playoffs 2 years in a row ?

haha touché

more than anything, the Defense first mentality and the ball movement that we used to have. I'd rather be #1 on defense and last on offense than the other way around. I believe its easier to fix offense than to fix defense.

[spurs1990]

The culture of losing in the first round 2 years in a row and then not making the playoffs 2 years in a row ?

No no no. That's the Derozan culture Of which you speak. That will soon be ridden of once the clock strikes in free agency

[DMC]

I want to see Pop on NBA on TNT crew. Shaq, Kenny, Ernie, Charles and Pop.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

a real alpha is secure in their position of power and is smart enough to defer when it is in their best interest

(ie the opposite of trump)

Trump rolls over when he’s around a real alpha.

[EricB]

Which is why I refuse to watch their product after the Spurs are done. Stern Fd up years ago by saying the quiet part out loud: he wanted a Lakers vs.Lakers Finals. Impossible, but you can believe that most years, he got pretty much what he wanted.

an interview in what, 2001? Or 02? I can’t remember. I do remember listening to that interview. Was just amazing pretty much just confirming what every tin foil hat fan who wasn’t a Lakers fan at the time thought.

[EricB]

I want to see Pop on NBA on TNT crew. Shaq, Kenny, Ernie, Charles and Pop.


mid bet every asset in my business and life that will never happen. When he quits pop will disappear more than Duncan.

[DMC]

Poppy Fischer

[SupremeGuy]

a real alpha is secure in their position of power and is smart enough to defer when it is in their best interest

(ie the opposite of trump)a real alpha doesn't lose kawhi in a horribly one-sided trade that sets their team back years, and then keeps his own interests in front of the team

(lulz illegal immigration disaster, cyber attacks going unchecked, instability in the middle east, inflation, crime wave, etc; all while russia and china laugh at us but call us bigots((they're literally everything you accuse middle class Americans of being.))

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

a real alpha doesn't lose kawhi in a horribly one-sided trade that sets their team back years, and then keeps his own interests in front of the team

(lulz illegal immigration disaster, cyber attacks going unchecked, instability in the middle east, inflation, crime wave, etc; all while russia and china laugh at us but call us bigots((they're literally everything you accuse middle class Americans of being.))

need a tissue ma’am?

[koriwhat]

If Hammon takes the Celtics job as rumored on the net, who then takes over for Gregg? Will Hardy be the Jon Scheyer for the Spurs?

Who cares where she goes tbh... Pop and his SJW bs needs to exit the AT&T building already!

[SupremeGuy]

need a tissue ma’am?Excellent post; just as expected.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Excellent post; just as expected.

:toast

[offset formation]

Excellent post; just as expected.

says the guy with the avi.

[Twisted_Dawg]

I wonder if Pop might consider following Coach K's plan to announce he is retiring after the 2021-2022 season? That would give him the opportunity to have an emotional press conference followed by a season long retirement ceremony at each city the Spurs play in. Pre game ceremonies, speeches by hall of fame players, continuing coverage by ESPN, etc. I can definitely see this happening the narcissist that Pop is.

[exstatic]

I wonder if Pop might consider following Coach K's plan to announce he is retiring after the 2021-2022 season? That would give him the opportunity to have an emotional press conference followed by a season long retirement ceremony at each city the Spurs play in. Pre game ceremonies, speeches by hall of fame players, continuing coverage by ESPN, etc. I can definitely see this happening the narcissist that Pop is.

You know nothing at all about Pop.