Capt Bringdown
06-10-2007, 06:50 AM
Decent article from the Seattle Times, except for the "dust-bowl town" crack. WTF?
The San Antonio Way to success (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003741944_sanantonio10.html)
By Percy Allen
SAN ANTONIO — Some day historians trying to explain how a basketball dynasty grew in what was once a dust-bowl town will point to two dates.
May 17, 1987, and May 17, 1997.
That's when the San Antonio Spurs won the lottery and later drafted David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
And for many that will be enough to explain it all. The championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and possibly 2007 will make sense and the Spurs' decade of winning will be a footnote in the annals of the NBA.
But to end with Robinson and Duncan, perhaps the greatest pairing of low-post players in league history, would only tell half of the story and ignore the brilliance of Gregg Popovich, the patriarch of the fastest-growing family in the NBA.
"He'll never admit it, but when he's finished with this game, the thing that he'll be proudest of are the people he's worked with and the success they've had," said longtime friend Hank Egan. "Don't get me wrong, the titles will be nice, too. But he'll say that if you surround yourself with the right people, then those other things will happen."
Cleveland at San Antonio
Today, 6 p.m., Ch. 4
Perhaps that's the first tenet of the San Antonio Way, an unwritten philosophy about life, basketball and everything in between that Popovich installed in 1994 when he became vice president of basketball operations.
Much like New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who spawned a legion of disciples, Popovich has created a successful system that many around the NBA are trying to emulate. Cleveland, Dallas and Phoenix have coaches or general managers schooled in the San Antonio Way.
Thursday, the Sonics joined them by hiring Sam Presti as general manager.
"What is the San Antonio Way?" asked Presti, former Spurs assistant GM. "Well, it's hard to describe or put into words. You have to be there to understand."
The San Antonio Way begins with relationships.
Popovich and owner Peter Holt. Popovich and Duncan. Popovich and Tony Parker. Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford.
"The cornerstone is Pop talks about having a sense of humor and humility," Buford says.
"People who are willing to go to work and not skip any steps. We talk about bringing character people in here that you enjoy working with, so that when things go bad, when you're having rough times, everyone knows that they're going to work with people they enjoy."
The San Antonio Way is built on vision and patience.
"It's important that somebody has to give a vision," Buford says. "It was never a doubt when Peter came in, he allowed Pop's vision to be established, and we all followed that. If there's conflict in the vision, it's when management, ownership and coaches don't work together."
Patience is equally important. During his five-year tenure as GM, Buford has made just one midseason trade. This season was saved by the moves the Spurs didn't do early when Dallas and Phoenix raced ahead.
"It got to a point where we weren't going to worry about it [standings] anymore, and he basically put the onus on the players to turn this around," Buford says.
Said assistant P.J. Carlesimo: "Pop coaches with the big picture in mind. He will never say in November or December, 'We've got to win this one.' Never. He says get better ... every day in practice."
The San Antonio Way isn't tied to sentimentality.
The Spurs avoided the mistake many franchises make after winning championships. San Antonio doesn't reward veterans with bloated contracts or try to keep all the pieces together for another run. Miami is the most recent example.
Derek Anderson was the so-called X-factor of the 2001 championship, but bolted to Portland for a six-year $48 million deal. In '03, Stephen Jackson declined a three-year, $10 million offer from the Spurs after helping them win the '03 title. In '05, Nazr Mohammed was the key midseason acquisition that helped lead to San Antonio's third title, but the Spurs let him walk away for a five-year, $30 million deal with Detroit last year.
"Very few coaches in today's game would have allowed us to make those financial decisions in the middle of pursuing a championship," Buford says. We basically had three different teams from the '99 team to the '02-03 team to the '07 team. But along the way, how many teams would have let Jackson, Derek Anderson and some other people go when they helped us win titles?"
The San Antonio Way adheres to defense.
In 10 full seasons under Popovich, the Spurs have never yielded more than 90.5 points per game and they've been one of the top six defensive teams each year.
When Spurs disciple Avery Johnson took over in Dallas, he forced the offensively gifted Mavericks to adopt a defensive approach. This season, Dallas ranked fourth in points allowed. Former Spurs assistant Mike Brown took a similar approach when he assumed command in Cleveland, and the Cavs were fifth in points allowed.
The San Antonio Way doesn't suffer prima donnas.
"Character and talent is better than just talent," says Cleveland assistant Hank Egan, who coached eight years with the Spurs.
Another popular phrase that you'll hear in the halls of the AT&T Center is "getting over yourself."
Duncan is a three-time Finals MVP and only three coaches have a better winning percentage than Popovich, but you'd never know it. They're often left out of the greatest-of-all-time discussions, and they don't seem to care.
"He's very comfortable in his own skin," Buford says of Popovich.
The San Antonio Way attracts talent at a discount.
Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili all took less than the maximum-level contracts when they re-signed.
In 2004, Portland and Golden State offered Brent Barry about $26 million as a free agent. He declined and took a four-year, $22 million deal to play in San Antonio. Why?
"Just to win," he says. "Just to be around winning. I hadn't been around winning in a long time. No matter what the situation was, just to be a part of a winning franchise and understand what it takes. That experience is something that will live with me, obviously, for the rest of my life."
Barry, who played five seasons in Seattle, is a reserve in San Antonio and his scoring has dipped in each of the past three seasons. Yet he's also in line to win his second NBA title and many basketball people believe he'll follow the path of Danny Ferry and Steve Kerr and become a general manager, largely because of his association with the Spurs.
"My understanding of the game has definitely changed," Barry says. "I don't know if skill-wise and the things I do on the floor are necessarily better. But in terms of thinking the game, how to approach the game and the quality of my life off the court has changed immensely, and that outweighs anything else that goes on inside the square."
The San Antonio Way doesn't bend to public opinion.
In 1996, coach Bob Hill was something of a celebrity in San Antonio because he looked good on the sideline with his designer suits, well-coifed hair and a fiery demeanor. Popovich, who was the GM back then, felt the Spurs needed to play better defense.
Beset with injuries that led to a 3-15 start, Popovich fired Hill and assumed coaching duties. Many fans disliked the decision. Popovich was the anti-Hill. He had a lousy, 76-124 record at NCAA Division III Pomona-Pitzer in Claremont, Calif. Three years later, the Spurs won the first of three NBA titles.
"He was public enemy No. 1 maybe through 2002-03," Buford said. "The '99 championship didn't change a lot of people's mind, but it never bothered him. He knew there was a reason, and it was the right reason and he made the decision. That's one of the big lessons that I learned from him. That no matter if the timing is right or wrong, if the decision is right, then you'd better make it."
The San Antonio Way means thinking outside the box.
In 1988, Popovich, who joined San Antonio as an assistant under Larry Brown, convinced then-GM Bob Bass to scout players at the Euroleague championships. At Popovich's urging, the Spurs became one of the first NBA teams to seriously invest in international scouting, which led them to draft Parker and Ginobili.
Buford says he built the current collection of Spurs in the summer of 2003 for a four-year run that expires after the 2007-08 season. Next year, Duncan will be 32, and even though he's still playing at an All-Star level, his best days are behind him. Before this season, his scoring average had decreased each of the previous four years and ankle injuries caused him to miss at least 16 games in 2003-04 and '04-05.
What will the Spurs do? Are they going to build the team around Parker and Ginobili? Buford acknowledged that's a risky move, given their positions and the high probability of injuries for hard-charging guards.
Nothing lasts forever. Certainly not basketball dynasties.
"Pop has said that when Timmy retires, then he's walking out the door to be his caddy," Buford says. "When they go, I'm going with them."
Once they're gone, they'll leave behind a legacy of championships and a blueprint for winning that the rest of the league is just beginning to understand.
Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or [email protected]
The San Antonio Way to success (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003741944_sanantonio10.html)
By Percy Allen
SAN ANTONIO — Some day historians trying to explain how a basketball dynasty grew in what was once a dust-bowl town will point to two dates.
May 17, 1987, and May 17, 1997.
That's when the San Antonio Spurs won the lottery and later drafted David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
And for many that will be enough to explain it all. The championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and possibly 2007 will make sense and the Spurs' decade of winning will be a footnote in the annals of the NBA.
But to end with Robinson and Duncan, perhaps the greatest pairing of low-post players in league history, would only tell half of the story and ignore the brilliance of Gregg Popovich, the patriarch of the fastest-growing family in the NBA.
"He'll never admit it, but when he's finished with this game, the thing that he'll be proudest of are the people he's worked with and the success they've had," said longtime friend Hank Egan. "Don't get me wrong, the titles will be nice, too. But he'll say that if you surround yourself with the right people, then those other things will happen."
Cleveland at San Antonio
Today, 6 p.m., Ch. 4
Perhaps that's the first tenet of the San Antonio Way, an unwritten philosophy about life, basketball and everything in between that Popovich installed in 1994 when he became vice president of basketball operations.
Much like New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who spawned a legion of disciples, Popovich has created a successful system that many around the NBA are trying to emulate. Cleveland, Dallas and Phoenix have coaches or general managers schooled in the San Antonio Way.
Thursday, the Sonics joined them by hiring Sam Presti as general manager.
"What is the San Antonio Way?" asked Presti, former Spurs assistant GM. "Well, it's hard to describe or put into words. You have to be there to understand."
The San Antonio Way begins with relationships.
Popovich and owner Peter Holt. Popovich and Duncan. Popovich and Tony Parker. Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford.
"The cornerstone is Pop talks about having a sense of humor and humility," Buford says.
"People who are willing to go to work and not skip any steps. We talk about bringing character people in here that you enjoy working with, so that when things go bad, when you're having rough times, everyone knows that they're going to work with people they enjoy."
The San Antonio Way is built on vision and patience.
"It's important that somebody has to give a vision," Buford says. "It was never a doubt when Peter came in, he allowed Pop's vision to be established, and we all followed that. If there's conflict in the vision, it's when management, ownership and coaches don't work together."
Patience is equally important. During his five-year tenure as GM, Buford has made just one midseason trade. This season was saved by the moves the Spurs didn't do early when Dallas and Phoenix raced ahead.
"It got to a point where we weren't going to worry about it [standings] anymore, and he basically put the onus on the players to turn this around," Buford says.
Said assistant P.J. Carlesimo: "Pop coaches with the big picture in mind. He will never say in November or December, 'We've got to win this one.' Never. He says get better ... every day in practice."
The San Antonio Way isn't tied to sentimentality.
The Spurs avoided the mistake many franchises make after winning championships. San Antonio doesn't reward veterans with bloated contracts or try to keep all the pieces together for another run. Miami is the most recent example.
Derek Anderson was the so-called X-factor of the 2001 championship, but bolted to Portland for a six-year $48 million deal. In '03, Stephen Jackson declined a three-year, $10 million offer from the Spurs after helping them win the '03 title. In '05, Nazr Mohammed was the key midseason acquisition that helped lead to San Antonio's third title, but the Spurs let him walk away for a five-year, $30 million deal with Detroit last year.
"Very few coaches in today's game would have allowed us to make those financial decisions in the middle of pursuing a championship," Buford says. We basically had three different teams from the '99 team to the '02-03 team to the '07 team. But along the way, how many teams would have let Jackson, Derek Anderson and some other people go when they helped us win titles?"
The San Antonio Way adheres to defense.
In 10 full seasons under Popovich, the Spurs have never yielded more than 90.5 points per game and they've been one of the top six defensive teams each year.
When Spurs disciple Avery Johnson took over in Dallas, he forced the offensively gifted Mavericks to adopt a defensive approach. This season, Dallas ranked fourth in points allowed. Former Spurs assistant Mike Brown took a similar approach when he assumed command in Cleveland, and the Cavs were fifth in points allowed.
The San Antonio Way doesn't suffer prima donnas.
"Character and talent is better than just talent," says Cleveland assistant Hank Egan, who coached eight years with the Spurs.
Another popular phrase that you'll hear in the halls of the AT&T Center is "getting over yourself."
Duncan is a three-time Finals MVP and only three coaches have a better winning percentage than Popovich, but you'd never know it. They're often left out of the greatest-of-all-time discussions, and they don't seem to care.
"He's very comfortable in his own skin," Buford says of Popovich.
The San Antonio Way attracts talent at a discount.
Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili all took less than the maximum-level contracts when they re-signed.
In 2004, Portland and Golden State offered Brent Barry about $26 million as a free agent. He declined and took a four-year, $22 million deal to play in San Antonio. Why?
"Just to win," he says. "Just to be around winning. I hadn't been around winning in a long time. No matter what the situation was, just to be a part of a winning franchise and understand what it takes. That experience is something that will live with me, obviously, for the rest of my life."
Barry, who played five seasons in Seattle, is a reserve in San Antonio and his scoring has dipped in each of the past three seasons. Yet he's also in line to win his second NBA title and many basketball people believe he'll follow the path of Danny Ferry and Steve Kerr and become a general manager, largely because of his association with the Spurs.
"My understanding of the game has definitely changed," Barry says. "I don't know if skill-wise and the things I do on the floor are necessarily better. But in terms of thinking the game, how to approach the game and the quality of my life off the court has changed immensely, and that outweighs anything else that goes on inside the square."
The San Antonio Way doesn't bend to public opinion.
In 1996, coach Bob Hill was something of a celebrity in San Antonio because he looked good on the sideline with his designer suits, well-coifed hair and a fiery demeanor. Popovich, who was the GM back then, felt the Spurs needed to play better defense.
Beset with injuries that led to a 3-15 start, Popovich fired Hill and assumed coaching duties. Many fans disliked the decision. Popovich was the anti-Hill. He had a lousy, 76-124 record at NCAA Division III Pomona-Pitzer in Claremont, Calif. Three years later, the Spurs won the first of three NBA titles.
"He was public enemy No. 1 maybe through 2002-03," Buford said. "The '99 championship didn't change a lot of people's mind, but it never bothered him. He knew there was a reason, and it was the right reason and he made the decision. That's one of the big lessons that I learned from him. That no matter if the timing is right or wrong, if the decision is right, then you'd better make it."
The San Antonio Way means thinking outside the box.
In 1988, Popovich, who joined San Antonio as an assistant under Larry Brown, convinced then-GM Bob Bass to scout players at the Euroleague championships. At Popovich's urging, the Spurs became one of the first NBA teams to seriously invest in international scouting, which led them to draft Parker and Ginobili.
Buford says he built the current collection of Spurs in the summer of 2003 for a four-year run that expires after the 2007-08 season. Next year, Duncan will be 32, and even though he's still playing at an All-Star level, his best days are behind him. Before this season, his scoring average had decreased each of the previous four years and ankle injuries caused him to miss at least 16 games in 2003-04 and '04-05.
What will the Spurs do? Are they going to build the team around Parker and Ginobili? Buford acknowledged that's a risky move, given their positions and the high probability of injuries for hard-charging guards.
Nothing lasts forever. Certainly not basketball dynasties.
"Pop has said that when Timmy retires, then he's walking out the door to be his caddy," Buford says. "When they go, I'm going with them."
Once they're gone, they'll leave behind a legacy of championships and a blueprint for winning that the rest of the league is just beginning to understand.
Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or [email protected]