Audio: Gregg Popovich On Spurs' offseason, David Robinson

Edit: For anyone that can't listen to Pop, McDonald's bullets are in post #20.

Hit the link to hear them.

Audio: Gregg Popovich on Spurs' offseason, David Robinson
By Joe Alexander

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich met with members of the local media Tuesday at the Spurs practice facility for a question-and-answer session.

Popovich talked about the Spurs' offseason moves, including the trade for Richard Jefferson and the signing of Antonio McDyess.

He also talked about Spurs legend David Robinson, who is being inducted into the basketball hall of fame.

Audio: Gregg Popovich on Spurs' offseason moves

Audio: Gregg Popovich on David Robinson

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblog...gregg-pop.html

Thanks for posting this. I just wrote a recap of what I heard from Pop.

:pop:

RJ is Jax without the heavy drama!! :lmao

Pop also said that even though there was a trade, free agency signings and a successful draft that there were still a few spots players had to fight for. He mentioned by name:

James Gist
Malik Hairston
Jack McClinton
Marcus Williams

Pop also said they were discussing Tim/Dice/Finley sitting out back to backs throughout they year. Nothing definitive yet, but something they like to do with the older players.

Thanks for the links

very good interview. Pop said great things about RJ

What Pop said about TD knees made me happy. It looks like TD is doing really well

nice interview, I missed some parts due to the poor quality of the sound, if someone can make a sum-up it would be great.

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Originally Posted by Brazil

nice interview, I missed some parts due to the poor quality of the sound, if someone can make a sum-up it would be great.

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Originally Posted by DPG21920

Pop also said that even though there was a trade, free agency signings and a successful draft that there were still a few spots players had to fight for. He mentioned by name:

James Gist
Malik Hairston
Jack McClinton
Marcus Williams

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Originally Posted by DPG21920

Pop also said they were discussing Tim/Dice/Finley sitting out back to backs throughout they year. Nothing definitive yet, but something they like to do with the older players.

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Originally Posted by tmtcsc

Did anyone else catch the Pop interview today at the Spurs practice facility ?

He seemed relaxed and excited about the look of the team and about the prognosis on Tim's condition, Manu's health and Tony.

He said Tim's in great shape and the knee looks solid and more flexible than it ever has.

He also said that Tony's injury was very, very minor. He didn't go in to why they thought he should come back to SA to get a check up from their doctors.

He also mentioned that Manu is not playing competitive basketball but rather doing a lot of resting, walking and light jogging.

He figures that they are going to bring all the older guys along slowly during the preseason as opposed to previous years.

He is thrilled about adding RJ to the mix and described him as Stephen Jackson without all the drama. He added that SJ is still one of his favorite people.

That's all I heard.

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Nice to hear Pop.
I damn like the news on the Duncan front.

And we can pencil Gist and McClinton as training camp invites.
It won't be easy for them to get a spot (especially for Gist) but good luck to them.

Thanks DPG !

1. Marcus Williams
2. Malik Hairston
3. James Gist
4. Jack McClinton

Because Marcus can also play PG, SG and SF I say a roster spot is his to lose due to his versatility.
Hairston can over take Marcus quite easily if Marcus does not show up and Hairston shows some hard nose D.
Gist is going to have to play lights out. I think he will see another year in Europe.
Jack will not be back this year. I expect he will get the Gist treatment and sign a 1 year over seas.

Pop show, Pop show, Pop show!!!

I really want Malik to have a good camp, I want him on the team.

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Originally Posted by dbestpro

1. Marcus Williams
2. Malik Hairston
3. James Gist
4. Jack McClinton

Because Marcus can also play PG, SG and SF I say a roster spot is his to lose due to his versatility.
Hairston can over take Marcus quite easily if Marcus does not show up and Hairston shows some hard nose D.
Gist is going to have to play lights out. I think he will see another year in Europe.
Jack will not be back this year. I expect he will get the Gist treatment and sign a 1 year over seas.

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agree with everything except hairston already made the team IMO .#1

i dont see how hairston wont be on the team...i think he is the one who makes it

Hairston will make the team, Jack McClinton will be in Austin, Gist will have to stay overseas again and i could care less what happens to Williams.

McClintock!!! That is classic Pop.:lol

I think Hairston will make the team. McClinton & Gist will to the Toros training with occasional call ups for extra pay. I am hoping Williams has a good camp and can fix that 3rd string pg gap.

Edit: Updated.

Popovich gives update on Spurs
By Jeff McDonald

Coach Gregg Popovich held an informal fat-chewing session with reporters Tuesday at the Spurs' Northwest-side headquarters to discuss the state of the team coming out of the offseason.

Here are some bullet points:

* Popovich said he is not worried about the health of All-Star point guard Tony Parker, who sprained his right ankle while playing for the French national team last month. Parker has since returned to Les Bleus, and is expected to play in the Eurobasket championships next month in Poland.

"He's probably not 100 percent, strength-wise, but he's healthy," Popovich said. "His injury really was minor."

* Manu Ginobili, who missed much of last season and all of the playoffs with nagging ankle and leg injuries, is recovering as expected at home in Argentina and should be good to go by the start of camp.

"He's taking walks, going out on a run, getting on a treadmill here and there," Popovich said. "But nothing competitive. No starting or stopping or anything like that. He'll come back out of shape, but healthy."

* Likewise, the team has asked Tim Duncan to take it easy this summer as well. Coming off a season in which he battled quad tendonosis in his right knee, the 33-year-old Duncan has postponed his usual summertime routine.

Typically, Duncan would begin heavy lifting and conditioning work at the beginning of August. This summer, the Spurs have bumped that back until Aug. 31.

In the meantime, Duncan has shed 15 pounds, down to 240, which should also help ease the workload on his balky knees.

"His body is in the best shape it's been in a while," Popovich said.

* Unlike most of the players who have manned the small forward position for the Spurs recently, Popovich envisions the 6-foot-7 Richard Jefferson to be more than just a spot-up shooter.

"Since Sean Elliott, he's going to be the first wing man we've had where you can post him up," Popovich said. "You haven't seen us post up smalls or wings in a long time. Now we can do that. It adds another element to our team offensively."

* Popovich is happy with the progress he's seen from third-year center Ian Mahinmi this summer. He'd just like to see more of him.

After putting up a performance at the Las Vegas summer league that Popovich termed "not great, but good," Mahinmi is playing with Parker for the French national team this fall.

"That's the best thing he can do right now, to play with (Ronny) Turiaf and the rest of the boys there," Popovich said. "I'm as excited about seeing him in training camp as anybody else, just because I'd like to see what we have in Ian Mahinmi."

The team has until Oct. 31 to exercise its contractual option on Mahinmi for 2010-2011.

* Expectations run high among Spurs faithful for rookie DeJuan Blair, the rebounding machine from Pittsburgh who fell to No. 37 overall in the June draft amid concerns about his surgically repaired knees.

Though Blair will probably offer a better immediate return than most second-round selections, Popovich is urging caution. Blair, after all, is still just a rookie.

"It's going to be a different game for him," Popovich said. "A lot of things that came easy for him, with his skill and effort, are going to be a little bit more difficult for him in the NBA. Guys are going to be a little bigger than he's used to."

BTW, if Pop envisages to sit Finley for the second games of b2b, it likely means that he plans on giving him a significant amount of playing time.
Hairston, WIlliams or McClinton will have a damn hard time making the regular rotation.

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Originally Posted by rayray2k8

Hairston will make the team, Jack McClinton will be in Austin, Gist will have to stay overseas again and i could care less what happens to Williams.

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I agree with this statement.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

BTW, if Pop envisages to sit Finley for the second games of b2b, it likely means that he plans on giving him a significant amount of playing time.

Hairston, WIlliams or McClinton will have a damn hard time making the regular rotation.

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There was a lot of encouraging things to take from the interview, most notably the health of the Big 3, but that statement was a bit of an eye-opener for me too.

Giving Finley the second night of a back-to-back off would seem to mean he'd be playing significant enough minutes to warrant such caution.:(

Finley needs to be playing Steve Smith to RJ's Jackson of '03, so hopefully this is nothing more than the type of mindset he held prior to Jack's emergence that year..

One can only hope.

I think he was just lumping him in with "the old" group. I don't see the minutes there for him, at least not more than last year.

Didn't he sit him out against Denver last year?

No mention of Marcus Haislip? Obviously Pop doesn't surf youtube.

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Originally Posted by DPG21920

I think he was just lumping him in with "the old" group. I don't see the minutes there for him, at least not more than last year.

Didn't he sit him out against Denver last year?

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That's what I'm hoping.

The minutes would be there if Pop still envisioned Fin as the third wing or backup to RJ, however.:(

Yeah, he sat him out against Denver but only because he didn't want to force Finley to extend himself beyond his means with the Big 3 sitting; not just the standard night off for a vet on the second of a back-to-back.

Spurs.com has the video up.

Coach Pop Talks about Summer Activity

http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/090825_pop.html

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Originally Posted by BLACKJACK21

Giving Finley the second night of a back-to-back off would seem to mean he'd be playing significant enough minutes to warrant such caution.:(

Finley needs to be playing Steve Smith to RJ's Jackson of '03, so hopefully this is nothing more than the type of mindset he held prior to Jack's emergence that year..

One can only hope.

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During the regular season, Pop will likely limit Manu's and to a lesser extend RJ's minutes. I guess Spurs will play with a 4 man rotation at SG/SF with Manu, RJ, Mason and Finley all playing consistent minutes.

For the playoff, Manu and RJ will play more. One of Finley or Mason, will play significantly less minutes than in the regular season. It's up to Mason to outplay Finley.

http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/090825_pop.html

I think Pop is starting to enjoy talking to the media. Shocker.

I'm impressed with Timmy's workout. Weight lifting and swimming. No reason why Manu can't lift weights too.

Although Timmy should still be shooting jump shots, you shouldn't take him completely out of rhythm.

Great great Interview!

The national view.

Popovich: Spurs’ Big Three will be healthy
By Paul J. Weber

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili left being busy this summer to the rest of the San Antonio Spurs.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Tuesday that his two aging stars have taken it easier than usual this offseason to get healthy, while the Spurs front office was unusually active and swinging deals for major additions like Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess.

Duncan, hobbled by knee problems down the stretch and in the playoffs, has pushed back the normal start of his normal preseason regimen by a month. The 33-year-old will begin workouts next week that the All-Star typically gets going in early August.

Ginobili, meanwhile, has limited his summer activity to a treadmill and some walks after appearing in just 44 games last season because of bad ankles.

“He is healthy,” Popovich said. “He’ll come back out of shape but healthy.”

Popovich spoke to reporters Tuesday for the first time since the Spurs ended their busiest—and costliest—offseason in recent history. The typically frugal Spurs will be hit with the NBA’s luxury tax after picking up Jefferson’s remaining $29.2 million owed over the next two years in a trade with cost-cutting Milwaukee.

San Antonio also used their midlevel exception, about $5.85 million, to sign McDyess and give Duncan a hand in the frontcourt. The Spurs also signed veteran big man Theo Ratliff and drafted Pitt All-America forward DeJuan Blair.

Popovich said spending money was a necessity.

“The face of the league has changed significantly over the last two years,” Popovich said. “We’ve hung in there as long as we can, and this year we’re going to have to spend money like some other people.”

San Antonio approached the summer looking to spend and not squander the remaining years of the Duncan era. Between Duncan’s ailing legs and a weak supporting cast, the Spurs limped into their earliest summer since 2000 after a first-round playoff loss to Dallas.

Duncan sat out several back-to-backs down the stretch because of a nagging right quad injury that Popovich said has healed.

“He’s got more flexibility in that leg than he ever has,” Popovich said. “Significantly more. He’s cranking his knees during the day and at night when he goes to bed. It’s paid off.”

Tony Parker also gave the Spurs a scare this month when he hurt his right ankle playing for the French national team, but Popovich said the injury was minor.

Love everything he had to say. Especially the health of the big 3. :tu

No doubt that Jefferson will play a big role this season. I think we can rest easy knowing he'll get the bulk of minutes at sf.

I don't know what else Hairston has to do to make the team. I think it's between Williams, Gist, and McClinton fighting for the final spot.

Sounds like Finley has the backup sf position which is fine with me. We're talking about 10-15 minutes at most. Come February it might be a different story but I think they have Finley penciled in as the backup.

Q: If the spurs invite their 2nd round draft picks to training cap (e.g., Gist) and then cut him (before the regular season starts), do the spurs still retain his rights?

Great interview, I bet the reporters love to catch Pop in a good mood.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s..._new_toys.html

Popovich ready to play with new toys

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich spent much of his summer vacationing in Maine, as far away from the record San Antonio heat as he could get without leaving the lower 48 states.

He also enjoyed a working barnstorm through Europe, hitting France, Italy, Germany and Spain on a reconnaissance mission. He even spent a few days in Las Vegas, watching the Spurs' young summer league squad.

All along, Popovich wished his offseason were shorter, that it hadn't begun in April after a first-round playoff loss against Dallas. Now, he's wishing it were over completely.

After the most eventful summer of his San Antonio tenure, Popovich is ready to get back to work.

“You can only relax so much,” Popovich said during an informal fat-chewing session with reporters Tuesday at the Spurs' Northwest-side headquarters. “You can only chase players so much. My stomach is starting to churn. I'm getting anxious.”

In a sense, Popovich is like a kid at Christmas brunch. His new toys have been unwrapped. He is eager to start playing with them.

Training camp doesn't begin for another month, but the wheels have already begun to turn in Popovich's head — the neat tricks he can try with his new athletic swingman, Richard Jefferson; the new offensive elements veteran forward Antonio McDyess can bring; the raw rebounding potential inside rookie forward DeJuan Blair, waiting to be unleashed.

When the Spurs open the season Oct. 28 against New Orleans, they could boast as many as eight new faces.

“We're calling it ‘change the music,' Popovich said. “We'll come to camp with a few different faces, a different chemistry, a little bit different team personality. We'll see how that comes together.”

In a relatively quiet NBA offseason, the Spurs made arguably the most noise. If they hoped to remain among the NBA's elite, to keep the L.A. Lakers and others from running too far away from the Western Conference pack, it was noise that was necessary.

Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford told team owner Peter Holt as much, in a meeting not long after the Dallas disaster.

In order to keep the Spurs competitive in the waning years of the Tim Duncan era, they told Holt the team needed to get younger and more athletic. And to accomplish that, Holt was going to have to open up the checkbook like never before.

“He decided we were going to have to spend money like we usually don't,” Popovich said.

The pricetag for the Spurs' offseason makeover — which brought in Jefferson by trade, McDyess and veteran center Theo Ratliff via free agency and Blair, an All-American from Pittsburgh, via second-round draft pick — pushed the Spurs deeper into luxury tax territory than they'd ever been.

“The face of the league has changed significantly over the last two years,” Popovich said. “We hung in there as long as we could. Now, we're going to have to spend money like some other people.”

Holt has certainly done his part, signing off on the mega-expensive renovation project (“He took a little bit out of all of our paychecks,” Popovich quipped). It will be up to Popovich to help make sure the spending spree pays off.

After an offseason of rebuilding, the Spurs are thinking NBA title once again. Popovich won't label his reinvigorated team the team to beat in the West, not with Kobe Bryant and the defending champion Lakers still on the prowl.

Still, as Popovich told NBA.com earlier this summer, with tongue planted in cheek: “If we don't win it, I should probably be fired.”

The work toward that end begins in earnest when training camp begins Sept. 29. Until then, Popovich has about a month of offseason left to let the butterflies fester.

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Still, as Popovich told NBA.com earlier this summer, with tongue planted in cheek: “If we don't win it, I should probably be fired.”

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Wow, you mean he wasn't serious?

What's next, you gonna try and tell me that his interest in having a trade commission, one that he'd head or be involved in, was nothing more than a tongue-in-cheek quip after being asked about the Pau trade?:downspin:

great interview. If Duncan and McDyess are both going to sit in back to backs, then I see why they have Haislip. Haislip and Hairston could see big minutes in these games.

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Originally Posted by duncan228

“He’s got more flexibility in that leg than he ever has,” Popovich said. “Significantly more. He’s cranking his knees during the day and at night when he goes to bed. It’s paid off.”

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Could someone *translate what "cranking his knees" is?
When "he goes to bed."

*If this is some reference to what Finley and Pop do before bedtime i don't wish to know.

As it relates to Tim Duncs injury healing, yes. Thank you.

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"The face of the league has changed significantly over the last two years," Popovich said. "We've hung in there as long as we can, and this year we're going to have to spend money like some other people."

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What he meant to say was "LA has been kicking our ass and this year we want them to push a tad harder before we bend over again."

Wish someone had asked Pop about Marcus H.

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Originally Posted by Muser

Wish someone had asked Pop about Marcus H.

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The fact he wasn't brought up, even by Pop, is a good hint to where he stands.

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* Manu Ginobili, who missed much of last season and all of the playoffs with nagging ankle and leg injuries, is recovering as expected at home in Argentina and should be good to go by the start of camp.

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He's back to SA now.

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Manu Ginobili: My Argentine vacations for this year are about to be officially over. Flying to the states in about an hour. I'll post something from home tomorrow. (via Facebook, 12hrs ago)

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Originally Posted by Fabbs

Could someone *translate what "cranking his knees" is?
When "he goes to bed."

*If this is some reference to what Finley and Pop do before bedtime i don't wish to know.

As it relates to Tim Duncs injury healing, yes. Thank you.

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Maybe Joint Mobility Crank?

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Originally Posted by rold50

Q: If the spurs invite their 2nd round draft picks to training cap (e.g., Gist) and then cut him (before the regular season starts), do the spurs still retain his rights?

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If you sign them and cut them then you've lost all rights. Also, in order to keep their rights the Spurs have to make tender offers to Gist and McClinton by September 6th. Gist and McClinton don't have to accept those offers though, so that doesn't mean that if we don't hear about either of them signing a contract on that day that the Spurs lost their rights to them. Unfortunately I'm not sure whether you can bring them to training camp if they're not under contract. I want to say that you can't.