Pop endorsed Presti interview during the playoffs

Kori,
Long post but i want your real take on PJ.

You always hint that PJ isn't all he's cracked up to be.

It's true (at least as I recall) that PJ is recommended by Pop for any vacancy in the last 2 or 3 off-seasons. I always thought Pop supports PJs coaching aspirations and thinks highly of him and believes he deserves a head coaching job. I've never figured out why PJ doesn't even make the initial cut for the team looking to hire a head coach (I chalked it up to the sprewell thing and the stupidity of most basketball owners and GMs in the league.)

But the way you chuckle here whenever someone pimps PJ as a good coach, and now with the news that Presti doesn't seem to like him either, I wonder what the hell is wrong with PJ. I, along with a lot of other people at ST, always believed PJ was a damn good coach.

BUT

You aren't a fan (as far as I can tell.)
Pop seems not to be a fan.
No team has hired him and there have been a ton of open jobs.
According to this article, Presti isn't going to hire him and doesn't even like him??? I thought that would be a given that Presti takes him.
:wtf
Does he suck that bad?
If so, why doesn't Pop just fire his ass?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by texasqb2

Who cares when they get interviewed or hired......Presti or Buford interviewing or accepting a job before the playoffs, during the playoffs, or after the playoffs will have absolutely NO bearing on how the spurs do during the playoffs.

---

This isn't about the playoffs. It's about the draft.

also why wouldn't Pop want his assistant coach or assistant GM become a head coach or a general manager. The spurs are a tight group and I am sure Pop wants to see his guys who aren't at the top be allowed to start their program and become successful as a head guy...see Danny Ferry or Mike Brown

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

This isn't about the playoffs. It's about the draft.

---

well people are saying they have no problem interviewing for a job during the playoffs but not announcing it til after the playoffs....who cares?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lebowski Brickowski

Kori,
Long post but i want your real take on PJ.

You always hint that PJ isn't all he's cracked up to be.

It's true (at least as I recall) that PJ is recommended by Pop for any vacancy in the last 2 or 3 off-seasons. I always thought Pop supports PJs coaching aspirations and thinks highly of him and believes he deserves a head coaching job. I've never figured out why PJ doesn't even make the initial cut for the team looking to hire a head coach (I chalked it up to the sprewell thing and the stupidity of most basketball owners and GMs in the league.)

But the way you chuckle here whenever someone pimps PJ as a good coach, and now with the news that Presti doesn't seem to like him either, I wonder what the hell is wrong with PJ. I, along with a lot of other people at ST, always believed PJ was a damn good coach.

BUT

You aren't a fan (as far as I can tell.)
Pop seems not to be a fan.
No team has hired him and there have been a ton of open jobs.
According to this article, Presti isn't going to hire him and doesn't even like him??? I thought that would be a given that Presti takes him.
:wtf
Does he suck that bad?
If so, why doesn't Pop just fire his ass?

---

I don't know PJ on any personal level and I don't have insight into what goes on in their coaching circle. I do know that some people consider him to be very brash and hard to work with.

That being said, I don't get how he gets overlooked to even interview for jobs. There have been some horrible, scrub coaches getting hired in the past few years and the Spurs have been practically advertising that PJ is available. Therefore, it's not hard to conclude that something must be an issue, if he doesn't even get an interview.

It's far enough past the Sprewell deal now that he should be able to at least get some looks. From the outside PJ always appears personable and seems to be well liked by people around the Spurs. What goes on outside the public view, I have no idea.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by texasqb2

well people are saying they have no problem interviewing for a job during the playoffs but not announcing it til after the playoffs....who cares?

---

The Sonics draft two spots ahead of the Spurs in the second round. People have a problem with him leaving during the playoff run, distracting the team by leaving before the season has ended and also using the knowledge he acquired scouting for the draft for the Spurs to draft players for the Sonics.

And can you try to capitalize your sentences? They are hard to read.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I don't know PJ on any personal level and I don't have insight into what goes on in their coaching circle. I do know that some people consider him to be very brash and hard to work with.

That being said, I don't get how he gets overlooked to even interview for jobs. There have been some horrible, scrub coaches getting hired in the past few years and the Spurs have been practically advertising that PJ is available. Therefore, it's not hard to conclude that something must be an issue, if he doesn't even get an interview.

It's far enough past the Sprewell deal now that he should be able to at least get some looks. From the outside PJ always appears personable and seems to be well liked by people around the Spurs. What goes on outside the public view, I have no idea.

---

He's won 2 rings here, right?
Pop wouldn't keep dead weight around and he absolutely wouldn't keep someone who's not good to work with (Corporate Knowledge is the saying?)
I always thought it retarded that he isn't hired.

Of course, basketball GMs and owners have never been accused of making good decisions.

If Presti doesn't even consider PJ, I think PJ should give up trying to be a head coach and just stick around here as long as he can.



btw -- good luck Sam spreading the Gospel of San Antonio.

It looks like what happened was:

1) Bennett hires Wilkens as a token gesture to the Seattle community. Bennett hoped that by hiring the local icon, he would appear open to the idea of staying in Seattle.

2) Bennett tells Wilkens to go hire a GM. At first, this GM was to work under Wilkens as Wilkens would serve as team president and have final say in matters.

3) Bennett tells Wilkens to look at the Spurs -- specifically Buford and Presti.

4) Buford isn't interested in job for whatever reasons (control, money, lame duck status of team, whatever).

5) Pop calls Bennett to try to unload PJ. Bennett checks with Pop to make sure Wilkens did his job of talking to the Spurs' personnel. Pop tells Bennett that Wilkens never called.

6) Bennett gets pissed and decides to circumvent Wilkens and calls Presti himself. Presti impresses Bennett.

7) Bennett decides to hire Presti and to strip all power from Wilkens.

I'm not sure what the title of the thread should be, but it looks like that's what happened.

:smokin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

The Sonics draft two spots ahead of the Spurs in the second round. People have a problem with him leaving during the playoff run, distracting the team by leaving before the season has ended and also using the knowledge he acquired scouting for the draft for the Spurs to draft players for the Sonics.

And can you try to capitalize your sentences? They are hard to read.

---

So when do you want Presti to take the job then? After the draft? That's the most critical time for a GM....If he wants to be a GM and run his own show, now was the time

Every one is guessing who is sharper Presti or Buford. Facts is Manu was drafted pre-Presti. Reported by Ludden was that Buford was sold on Parker when Pop wasn't and asked Presti to put a tape togethr to convinve Pop. Presti gets credit for Mahinmi, apparently Beno and the Russian stiff.

If all that is true can't say that Presti's eye for talent loss has me too concerned. Maybe his talents were more as an accountant. The real eye for talent I believe is Pop but unfortunatley or fortunately he's so tied up going deep into the playoffs to do much talent evaluation. Also he probably wanted to defer to Buford and Presti on that responsibility.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by texasqb2

So when do you want Presti to take the job then? After the draft? That's the most critical time for a GM....If he wants to be a GM and run his own show, now was the time

---

Yeah, but the Spurs paid him for that work, the benefit of which goes to his new team. Additionally, the Spurs could be harmed by the fact that Presti knows of their plans and hopes for the draft, which could potentially interfere in any number of subtle ways. Presti won't openly screw the Spurs, but he can indicate certain things or snake us on a trade offer or any number of things.

And it's classless to announce that on the eve of the fucking NBA finals. Plain and simple. If the team that has been loyal to you and good to you by even allowing you to interview (which they have no obligation to do), the least you could do is make sure that there is nothing that could distract them.

He's got every right to take the job and of course whenever he took the job, he'd be taking valuable knowledge. It just could have been handled in a more appropriate manner.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by T Park

I would've offered up RC before Presti.

---

That's why you're running circus rides.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by T Park

The Spurs are morons.

No question.

---

Yep. Spurs = 3 rings, fixing to get #4.

Tpark = 0 rings, outside of the ring pop he bought at the 7-11.

Clearly the Spurs are fucking stupid.

Quote:

---

I really don't know why I would take PJ over either one of the many more established and accomplished coaches, or any of the younger, more promising ones.

---

Who are all the established, accomplished coaches out there ready for jobs? And while you're at it, spit out the younger, more promising ones.

Thanks.

RC is not going anywhere. I can guarantee that.

Presti is a 30 year old ballboy supervisor... WGAF?

Maybe Pop is just trying to do the right thing by everyone...

I think if Pop didn't want PJ here...he wouldn't be here. Pop doesn't suffer fools lightly.

And he probably did want Buford over Presti...Buford has been his partner for a while.

Quote:

---

Yep. Spurs = 3 rings, fixing to get #4.

Tpark = 0 rings, outside of the ring pop he bought at the 7-11

---

funny people question your intelligence based on "where are your championship rings"

You get all offended.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whottt

Maybe Pop is just trying to do the right thing by everyone...

I think if Pop didn't want PJ here...he wouldn't be here. Pop doesn't suffer fools lightly.

And he probably did want Buford over Presti...Buford has been his partner for a while.

---

I think thats exactly correct People tend to read into things too often, but it has been reported that this is Pops style. He loves to see people succeed and he's always promoting people.

When he recruited Finley he told him to do what was best for him. He does this for everyone. It just seems thats his MO. Pop rules man.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by T Park

I would've offered up RC before Presti.

---

Presti may be an up-and-comer, but I don't see how this suddenly makes RC a stale GM. It wasn't that long ago that people were touting RC as the Spurs' wunderkind and I don't recall anyone being upset when Pop stepped aside as GM to help prevent RC from jumping ship to another franchise.

Short of RC wanting to go elsewhere, I don't know why the Spurs would have replaced him with Presti and I'm not at all convinced that would have been a better move for this franchise. Pop and RC seem to make a good team and they've got history together and with this franchise. Good basketball decisions over the years and loyalty have to mean something.

I don't really care that much about all this, but look for the Sonics to steal at 31 whoever the Spurs were going to draft at 33. :lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I don't really care that much about all this, but look for the Sonics to steal at 31 whoever the Spurs were going to draft at 33. :lol

---

And hopefully Presti will go with his "instinct".

pop playin mind games again

the rich gets richer

1. How does Presti have a good relationship with Carlisle? When would those two ever get together? As far as I know Carlisle has never been on any euro scouting trips with Walsh or Bird so it's not like they could have gotten to know each other on the road.

2. Maybe the Spurs would like Carlesimo out of the #1 chair to make room for Ettore Messina, who supposedly would accept an AC job with a team like the Suns or Spurs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by objective

1. How does Presti have a good relationship with Carlisle? When would those two ever get together? As far as I know Carlisle has never been on any euro scouting trips with Walsh or Bird so it's not like they could have gotten to know each other on the road.

---

That's what I've been trying to figure out. When Presti came into the league, he wasn't close to anybody in the NBA. So sometime between 2000 and now he became close to Carlisle.

The weird thing is Carlisle has been either an assistant coach or a head coach for each of those seasons. They attended some of the same summer leagues so perhaps that's where they formed their relationship. But that'd be pretty odd to form a good enough relationship with a coach in summer league that he becomes your number one choice over a guy like PJ.

It to make it even weirder, Carlisle was PJ's assistant coach for like three years in Portland.

Right now if I had to guess, I'd guess Presti hires Carlisle.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MannyIsGod

I think thats exactly correct People tend to read into things too often, but it has been reported that this is Pops style. He loves to see people succeed and he's always promoting people.

When he recruited Finley he told him to do what was best for him. He does this for everyone. It just seems thats his MO. Pop rules man.

---

It seems that Pop's M.O. is definitely to help out whoever he thinks highly of no matter who they are. Raja Bell more than likely would still be an obscure no-name player overseas if not for Pop. I can't imagine many coaches go to those lengths to help players or coaches when he doesn't get anything of value in return. It say's a lot.