Pop Will Miss Next 2 Games Due to Family Medical Situation

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Originally Posted by Chinook

I don't think he's a bad coach. I don't even think he's a bad assistant. But something feels off when he's sitting in for Pop. I can't put my finger on it. But I feel like the team would fall off if Messina took over full-time. Maybe I think he'd overcoach. Or that he might change a lot of things about the team to put his on mark on it. Ettore is an established guy in his own right, so I don't think he'd just stick with what has worked.

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I have always had the same reaction to Messina. I don't question his resumé or his success other places. I don't doubt that he is a good coach generally - but I have always felt that there was something missing when he is coaching, and I have concluded (perhaps erroneously) that what is missing is the respect that the players give to Pop. I just don't see any good kind of interactions between Messina and the players when he is coaching. I don't know if we will win or lose the games while Pop is out (hope all is well there soon), but I don't expect it to feel as predictable or as 'clean' (can't figure out another word to use there) as when Pop is coaching.

Lots of guys, especially the older vets, know the system and know what to do. I don't get the impression that what Messina says makes any difference to them at all. I think that is the difference to me.

Mostly, I just hope we win.

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Originally Posted by Chinook

See my other response. I don't hate Messina. I just REALLY don't want him being the HC of the Spurs.

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He'll never be Pop... but that can't be a knock, I can think of anybody else that would be. Sure, he made some mistakes here or there, but even Pop has too.

Hope things are okay with the popovich family.

Respect is something Messina is going to struggle getting from a lot of players. It's clear some guys are prejudiced against coaches that they don't feel were legit players in their times. I'm sure Pop had to deal with it too, and had he not lucked into Duncan, I don't think he'd be coaching right now. Jacques Vaughn is a similar guy. Kerr and Lue have rings. Stevens seems young enough to where he probably fits well into a locker room.

I think the Spurs would be professional about it, but I do expect quite a bit of push-back for any coach that's going to replace Pop. Messina would probably be able to make it work a little. But a guy like Bud, Brown or Udoka might be better. If Ettore leaves, he'd probably get Blatted pretty early on, though. Shame.

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Originally Posted by ElNono

He'll never be Pop... but that can't be a knock, I can think of anybody else that would be. Sure, he made some mistakes here or there, but even Pop has too.

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I just feel that he's too established outside of the Spurs to make it work smoothly as Pop's replacement. He's not a guy who grew up in the team culture, so it would be surprising for him NOT to change things. But I feel like the Spurs will fall off their pedestal if too much changes, sort of like those floating magnetic pens.

Without further insight it's hard to tell whether he is respected enough or too little.

He would be a fine choice as a HC for any number of NBA teams, based on his experience alone.
Surround him with supportive assistants and I can't see someone having a problem with him on a professional basis.

In regards to him being Pop's heir, again, further insight is needed. We can speculate all we want.

Who knows what his ambitions are. Hell, he might not even want the HC job.

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Originally Posted by BillMc

Pop leaving it up to Messina to ax Matty. :lol

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:lol

Hopefully his family is okay and that it isn't serious.

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Originally Posted by TXstbobcat

Hopefully his family is okay and that it isn't serious.

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I second that. Feel a little bad posting a joke in this thread.

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Originally Posted by Chinook

he'd probably get Blatted pretty early on, though. Shame.

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Lol No. Blatt himself wouldn't have been "Blatted" if he was anywhere but that terrible franchise in Cleveland, or maybe Sac town. Blatt was openly disrespected by LeBron and the rest of the players followed suit. I doubt anyone on the Spurs would be so distasteful.

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Originally Posted by BillMc

I second that. Feel a little bad posting a joke in this thread.

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dont feel bad. I laughed at the joke when I read it.

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Originally Posted by 313

Lol No. Blatt himself wouldn't have been "Blatted" if he was anywhere but that terrible franchise in Cleveland, or maybe Sac town. Blatt was openly disrespected by LeBron and the rest of the players followed suit. I doubt anyone on the Spurs would be so distasteful.

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I mean, you cut off the part where I clearly said that it wouldn't be on the Spurs. But you think only the Cavs mutiny on their coach, I don't think you've been looking at other teams too closely. It happens a couple times every year.

^^ There's also a very overt trend of player self-empowerment led by Lebron and spreading across the league, too..

The top players in the NBA have more power than they have ever had in the past..Black activism is becoming more prevalent than at any point since the 70s, and you'll continue to see players like Lebron opting for a Black coach rather than somebody like Blatt, tbh..it probably won't be a problem for analytically-driven coaches, but Messina seems old-school..

Messina will need a co-sign from a strong, prominent figure in the organization(like Spoelstra got), but there aren't many of those in the NBA anymore..Pop, Pat Riley, Jerry West, maybe Larry Bird, but there aren't many..

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Originally Posted by Chinook

I mean, you cut off the part where I clearly said that it wouldn't be on the Spurs. But you think only the Cavs mutiny on their coach, I don't think you've been looking at other teams too closely. It happens a couple times every year.

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Who was the last coach doing well that got axed? Karl?

but why do you think Spur players would push back, I just don't see it, unless they fell off a cliff success wise post pop. Maybe Porker after he gets benched, but other than that I think we have a lot of good character guys in the lockerroom.

The prevalence of analytically-driven front offices is going to put an emphasis on coaches that excel in player-relation, too, as long as they fall in line and follow orders from the GM, re: minute allocation..

You're already seeing it in baseball, where they are reducing "bright minds" in favor of robots that will follow orders from the front office..

The remedy for this is winning early, of course..

Hope it's nothing serious. Thoughts and prayers for him and his family.

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Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37

^^ There's also a very overt trend of player self-empowerment led by Lebron and spreading across the league, too..

The top players in the NBA have more power than they have ever had in the past..Black activism is becoming more prevalent than at any point since the 70s, and you'll continue to see players like Lebron opting for a Black coach rather than somebody like Blatt, tbh..it probably won't be a problem for analytically-driven coaches, but Messina seems old-school..

Messina will need a co-sign from a strong, prominent figure in the organization(like Spoelstra got), but there aren't many of those in the NBA anymore..Pop, Pat Riley, Jerry West, maybe Larry Bird, but there aren't many..

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Besides LeBron(notoriously uncoachable) I can't think of any top players that got their cac coach axed in favor of a Mark Jackson kind of coach. KD and WB defended Scotty til the very end, and didn't protest the hiring of Donovan. Curry and Co seem to like Kerr pretty well as well. I guess you could argue CP3/Blake but Del Negro was an awful coach and deserved the axe, and they replaced him with an Uncle Tom.

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Originally Posted by 313

Who was the last coach doing well that got axed? Karl?

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I don't think Messina would come in and do as well as Blatt, even if the players embraced him. Cleveland is surviving off the best player in the world still being the best player in the world. No team that highers Blatt is going to have that talent. So I don't think the winning part will be the issue. I think the respect part will be, and players may well mail it in to get him fired, like the Nuggets did with Shaw.

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but why do you think Spur players would push back, I just don't see it, unless they fell off a cliff success wise post pop. Maybe Porker after he gets benched, but other than that I think we have a lot of good character guys in the lockerroom.

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I think the team would push back against philosophical changes, especially if it changes something that is working. The Spurs have quite a few players who have grow up in the team culture, and I don't think they'll be too happy to change. And you know guys like Diaw will straight check out if they aren't feeling it, though Boris probably won't be a factor in the post-Pop era.

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Originally Posted by Chinook

I don't think Messina would come in and do as well as Blatt, even if the players embraced him. Cleveland is surviving off the best player in the world still being the best player in the world. No team that highers Blatt is going to have that talent. So I don't think the winning part will be the issue. I think the respect part will be, and players may well mail it in to get him fired, like the Nuggets did with Shaw.



I think the team would push back against philosophical changes, especially if it changes something that is working. The Spurs have quite a few players who have grow up in the team culture, and I don't think they'll be too happy to change. And you know guys like Diaw will straight check out if they aren't feeling it, though Boris probably won't be a factor in the post-Pop era.

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Fair enough :tu

Ime is my guy.

Or Rick Carlisle

Frankly Chinook I see your concern, but this one is straight up speculation on you. I see the opposite of what you see. Although my favorite by far is Becky Hammon.

We have won games where Pop has sat and asked about plays run at the ends of games last season in a game against the Pacers when Pop had that hip surgery, he said they were all Pop plays. He's very personable, likeable and articulate with the media. I think he has clicked with young players in particular.

He's the most enthusiastic of all the coaches over good defensive plays. Like I said my opinion is maybe colored by how I have observed him interact with younger players like Slow-mo and Boban. He might return ultimately to Europe and said so himself in an interview. The Spurs figure to continue having international players anyways so it's a different culture here.

His contract is going to be up b4 Pop retires so I don't think he even fits the timeline, but I like what he's brought as an assistant coach.

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Originally Posted by HarlemHeat37

^^ There's also a very overt trend of player self-empowerment led by Lebron and spreading across the league, too..

The top players in the NBA have more power than they have ever had in the past..Black activism is becoming more prevalent than at any point since the 70s, and you'll continue to see players like Lebron opting for a Black coach rather than somebody like Blatt, tbh..it probably won't be a problem for analytically-driven coaches, but Messina seems old-school..

Messina will need a co-sign from a strong, prominent figure in the organization(like Spoelstra got), but there aren't many of those in the NBA anymore..Pop, Pat Riley, Jerry West, maybe Larry Bird, but there aren't many..

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You are taking one very unique situation in the Gilbert/LeBron relationship and saying it's spreading across the league. To say that top players want to opt for a black coach is crazy talk. But even if that were the case the owners are collectively a bunch of very successful, inpatient white dudes who will hire and fire whomever they want without giving a shit about what the players think. JB Bickerstaff is gone after this season. Did Harden get McHale fired six games in after a WCF appearance because he wanted a young, unproven coach just because he happens to be black? No. And JB will get the pink slip this year no matter what Harden thinks or does because Morey runs the personnel and Alex signs the checks and makes all final calls

trolling as usual per par...

Pop will pick his successor with RC and I believe it will be Monty Williams or Bret Brown (if he isn't coaching in Philly)

Damn, I hope it's something like Pop being there for support in say a scheduled surgery to take care of something that's under control as opposed to his wife, one of his kids, one of their spouses, etc having a heart attack or something else sudden and threatening. :depressed