Seattle Writer Takes Shot At Popovich

[Notorious H.O.P.]

In retrospect, it was a good choice to get rid of Hill although Pop wasn't completely ready to take over as coach. As timvp said, the players did some of their own coaching to start until Pop began to expand his abilities. Cutting your teeth under Larry Brown (considered one of the best teaching coaches around even with the New York fiasco and a "play the right way guy") and Don Nelson (a great, if unorthodox strategist) is a good way to get your start and not too many will argue against the idea that Pop has grown into a great coach. But Pop's move to fire Hill at the time was not without plenty of critics, including some of the "Pop is God" people that populate the forum.

The excerpt below appears in the Seattle Post Intelligencer along with other items about the Weiss firing. It also attempts to give some insight into why Hill has been blacklisted for so long.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/254398_thiel04.html


In terms of intimate, profound understanding of screw jobs, Bob Hill has it all over Bob Weiss.

His last gig as an NBA head coach was in San Antonio, which started off the 1996 season 3-15 following a 59-23 season that reached the second round of the playoffs.

Injuries to four of the team's top six returning scorers, including David Robinson and Sean Elliott, sent the Spurs into one of the great single-season collapses in NBA history.

But the day before Robinson returned from a back problem, general manager Gregg Popovich fired Hill and installed himself as coach.

Popovich obviously wasn't the answer either. He went 17-47 the rest of the way. But at least he was as lucky as he was crappy and ruthless. The Spurs won the draft lottery and took Tim Duncan.

You may have heard the Spurs have since had some success.

Multiple NBA titles in San Antonio helped obscure the fact that Popovich's intrigues are remembered by some as one of the most cynical episodes in modern pro sports. Hill was not shy about endorsing that point publicly, which made him sufficiently radioactive in the NBA to help keep him out of the league until the past fall, when the Sonics hired him as an assistant.

What happened Monday to Weiss wasn't nearly as brutal.

[dknights411]

They just want Nate McMillan back.

[pache100]

They just want Nate McMillan back.

Yes. It's hard to look in the mirror and say "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

[ChumpDumper]

Well, he could clear the whole matter up with two phone calls but it's better just to let the lie live on and start out on Hill's good side.

[Oh, Gee!!]

poor, stupid Seattle

[GoSpurs21]

sounds to me like it was Hill that posioned his own chances by speaking out so publically against Pop. It kinda like Stan Van Gundy toeing the company line so that he can get another head coaching job. It's just common sense if you want to continue to work in the field, you dont burn bridges, just take your medicine and move on.

If I were a employer I wouldnt want to take a chance hiring a coach that would one day be so childish in the media just cause he was fired.

yea Pop got lucky getting Duncan, but Duncan didnt do it all by himself, it has been the ultimate teamwork of DRob, TD, Pop and RC that has led the Spurs to were they are now.

[picnroll]

Let's see how much the Seattle media is singing Hill's praises by the end of the season.

[pache100]

sounds to me like it was Hill that posioned his own chances by speaking out so publically against Pop ... It's just common sense if you want to continue to work in the field, you dont burn bridges, just take your medicine and move on.

If I were a employer I wouldnt want to take a chance hiring a coach that would one day be so childish in the media just cause he was fired.

Precisely. On the other hand, I think everyone needs to bear in mind the way Bob Hill FOUND OUT HE WAS FIRED. That was the classless part, the part I feel was beneath the Spurs organization; I hope to never see them handle a situation like that again. As I said earlier, I really didn't have any problem with the actual firing, just with the way it was handled.

[Mixability]

I feel sorry for the Sonics come February 21, 2006.

[boutons_]

"he was crappy and ruthless"

wow, what pissed this writer off so much to use that language for an affair going back 9 years?

[ShoogarBear]

Yeah, that was pretty funny. I've never before seen a columnist use the word crappy whne he was trying to be taken seriously.

Surprised he didn't say retarded.

[ChumpDumper]

I get the feeling this is one of those guys Pop shat upon when he asked a stupid question at a press conference.

[pache100]

I get the feeling this is one of those guys Pop shat upon when he asked a stupid question at a press conference.

:tu

[ShoogarBear]

I got a snazzy headline for this: Writer Takes Pop at Pop

Whaddya think, Blaze?

[tekdragon]

I never understood the uproar over Hill's firing. It was Pop's team long before he took over as coach. He built the team, hand-selected every piece. So who knew the team better than Pop? And what had Hill proven?

History will judge Hill, and history will judge Pop.

Accurately.

[SA210]

That's it, The Sonics better go down next time we face them.

[leemajors]

SA210, correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't it a politican's job to be two faced? don't get me wrong, i am no bush supporter, but politicians lie, it's a fact... sorry to make such an off topic post everyone

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Whatever. I'm glad Pop is our coach, but honestly, it's easy to be villainized when you fire someone. Our media doesn't like complexity. Better to paint a big broad bullshit stroke (for example, the runup to our immersion in Giant Mess-O-Potamia).

The fact is, getting fired sucks, and I dispute the notion that there is a good way to get the heave. You've got two options when you get canned. You can go like Stan Van Gundy (my wife misses me in bed, etc) or you can go like Hill (those big meanies fired me!). Option one leaves you unemployed only long enough for another gig to come along that will make you want to hitch up your boxers over your Van Gundy and get back in the game. Option two is much like trying to date again after getting dumped when all you can talk about is what a bitch your ex was; you'll be suitorless for a long time.

Last fact: Bob Hill was a good coach, who couldn't find a way to get his teams to survive in the post-season (i.e. play defense). Hopefully for him, he'll have learned a thing or two during his long exile (such as just how much emphasis defense should have).

[T Park]

ive said for the longest time.

Had Hill not been sucha baby and wouldve been willing to take a step down.

Pop as the defensive coordinator, and hill the offensive coordinator, wouldve been fantastic.

But Hill is a whiney little bitch, so oh well.

[picnroll]

... and the Sonics would fire Hill tomorrow if they could hire Pop in his place.

[Texas Headliner]

Pop is a top 3 coach in the league.

He is on par with all time greats such as Phil Jackson and Pat Rieley.

I would love to have Pop coach a team for me.

[exstatic]

Hill has the Phil Jackson sized ego...without the resume. He just couldn't conceive that Pop didn't want to coach, but the Two Lefties went to him and begged him to get rid of Hill.

Hill reminds me of an ex Sonics coach: George Karl. They both have great hoops minds, but stumble when it comes to handling players. Hill loves to take the credit when his team wins, but doles out the blame to the players when they lose. That's a fatal cocktail in a player's league.

[Texas Headliner]

Hill has the Phil Jackson sized ego...without the resume. He just couldn't conceive that Pop didn't want to coach, but the Two Lefties went to him and begged him to get rid of Hill.

Hill reminds me of an ex Sonics coach: George Karl. They both have great hoops minds, but stumble when it comes to handling players. Hill loves to take the credit when his team wins, but doles out the blame to the players when they lose. That's a fatal cocktail in a player's league.


Right On!

[Rummpd]

Sent:

Mr. Art Thiel:

You are a fine writer as someone who used to live in the Seattle area but your article on Hill's hiring makes several erroneous statements.

The facts are David Robinson only played 6 games in the entire 1996-97 year that Popovich took over, and Popovich took over a team without him.

To verify this see Robinson's NBA bio and statistics on this the year before Duncan was drafted at:
http://www.nba.com/history/players/robinson_stats.html


The stated reasons given had also nothing to do with the record - rather at the time it was stated (and at least this point is accurate) that Hill's teams stressed little or no defense.

Hill also did not contrary to what you claimed handle the Dennis Rodman situation well.

Moreover, Hill also for some dubious reason refused to double Hakeem Olajuwon, when Houston was in turn doubling or tripling David Robinson on the other side. That decision probably cost the Spurs a finals shot alone.

Was it wrong to fire Hill this way? Probably, but please get the facts straight and Hill's immaturity in handling his firing (which is a common thing among NBA coaches) is perhaps unparrelled in going to the media.

The Sonics are getting exactly the type of coach they do not need in my opinion in Hill, after losing a great one in Nate McMillian in the odd front office moves of last year.

Seattle remains a team in serious trouble.

Peter Rumm, MD

[boutons_]

"You are a fine writer as someone who used to live in the Seattle area"

where does this "fine writer" live now?

[Rummpd]

Thiel is from Tacoma Way in the Seattle area (and if are referring to me I live now near Philadelphia.
Thiel is normally a decent writer - someone fed him some real BS about Pop.

[FromWayDowntown]

The facts are David Robinson only played 6 games in the entire 1996-97 year that Popovich took over, and Popovich took over a team without him.

That is not a fact. In fact, it's 100% incorrect.

Pop took over the Spurs on December 10, 1996. Here's a link to the Spurs' 2005-06 media guide (http://www.nba.com/media/spurs/mg0506_history.pdf) that has year-by-year transactions. You can confirm the firing date on page 141.

On December 10, 1996, the Spurs played a game at Phoenix (http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19961210&tm=PHO) in which David Robinson participated. He played in the 5 games that followed that one:

12/12/96 @ Clippers (http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19961212&tm=LAC)

12/14/96 vs. Dallas (http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19961214&tm=SAS)

12/19/96 @ Houston (http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19961219&tm=HOU)

12/21/96 vs. Phoenix (http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19961221&tm=SAS)

and

12/23/96 vs. Miami (http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19961223&tm=SAS)

David played in 6 games that season, and all six were after December 10. So, to say that Popovich took over a team without David Robinson is simply not right. The team that Popovich took over HAD David Robinson while the team that Bob Hill coached that season did not.



The remainder of your letter is pretty accurate, but that bit bothered me.

[Rummpd]

I made a mistake there but the fact is that Pop only had him for 6 games not the entire season as the author implies.

[FromWayDowntown]

I made a mistake there but the fact is that Pop only had him for 6 games not the entire season as the author implies.

He didn't imply that at all. He implied that Pop was an opportunist and that he sought to benefit himself by firing Hill before Robinson came back.

Anyone who knows anything about NBA basketball over the last decade or so knows that David Robinson didn't play that whole season -- indeed, Thiel acknowledges that tacitly by explaining how poor the Spurs record was after Pop took over.

Nevertheless, my point is that I'd strongly (and respectfully) suggest that before you blast a writer for factual matters, be certain that you're right about the facts.

[baseline bum]

I thought David and AJ wanted Hill out and Pop took the blame???

[mikejones99]

Things are so bad in Seattle they try to take shots at others now.

[pache100]

The fact is, getting fired sucks, and I dispute the notion that there is a good way to get the heave.

I just think everyone who is being fired deserves a face-to-face with the person/people firing them before the story is released to the media. NO ONE should find out from a parking lot attendant at the Phoenix airport that they have been fired. As I said, I had no problem with the Spurs firing Hill. I just think they should have talked to him about it before they let the story get out to the media while Hill was on an airplane. That just plain sucks.

[Clutch20]

This is a copy of an email I sent to A. Thiel:

"After reading your article I got the feeling that you were not in the mood for formulating a column based on a scaffolding of sports facts and researched-supported observations. If the main thrust of your amblings was to reveal your distasted of Greg Popovich's successes on and off the court and or his innate ability to draw the best out of his role players, then you were successful in revealing your grudge. "

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

To be fair a lot of people thought Pop was screwing Hill over at the time.


Pop as the defensive coordinator, and hill the offensive coordinator, wouldve been fantastic.

But Hill is a whiney little bitch, so oh well.


Funny, whenever I called for Pop to do similar in years past when our offense was sucking hind tit, you called me out for it and defended Pop like he was family.

Oh the irony...

[T Park]

Funny, whenever I called for Pop to do similar in years past when our offense was sucking hind tit, you called me out for it and defended Pop like he was family.



only because it

WE HEARD YOU THE FIRST GODDAMN TIME!!

WE GOT IT!!!


This all moot anyways.

Popovic has turned into one of the best coaches in history and right now is considered the best in the leauge, despite most here not having much respect for him anymore.

[Obstructed_View]

Pop fired Hill because Robinson was coming back and the Spurs had a chance to start winning, which, as we all know, would have been a disaster. If their record had started to improve it would have been more difficult to explain the firing. Hill was thrown under the bus, but the Spurs got the Bus Driver in the draft. I don't feel a bit sorry for Hill. He was a good coach, but I'd rather have Duncan.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Popovic has turned into one of the best coaches in history and right now is considered the best in the leauge, despite most here not having much respect for him anymore.

Our offense still needs some work, unless you like watching 8 point quarters against Detroit.

[Marcus Bryant]

The Sonics are committed to tanking this season.

[Obstructed_View]

The Sonics are committed to tanking this season.
If they were then they'd have kept Weiss.