I Am Less than Happy With Mr. Gregg Popovich

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2008/1/11/222414/876

I Am Less than Happy With Mr. Gregg Popovich
By Matthew Powell Section: Game_Recaps
Posted on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 10:24:14 PM EDT

From Buck Harvey's post-Piston article.

When the Pistons went on a 22-2 run to end the first quarter, Popovich never called a timeout. He chose, instead, to sip from a cup.

If this was a message for his players, it was this: You have to decide to play. Afterward he praised Tim Duncan and Jacque Vaughn and, when asked to critique others, he praised Duncan and Vaughn some more.

Look, don't get me wrong; Parker and Manu sucked and played like vajays. Duncan played well on the offensive end and Jacque Vaughn played his best game of the year. But I'm fucking tired of Pop's bullshit and it leads to a quick question.

Is ANYTHING ever Pop's fault?

For example, whose idea was it to double-team Rasheed Wallace for three-quarters of the game? That's not necessarily a bad idea. He's a tough cover. But, umm, why not try different players on him? Horry and Oberto didn't work out. Neither did Elson. But, uh, lemme see, why not put, I don't know, Tim Duncan on him?

Tim Duncan, covering Rasheed Wallace, man-to-man. What a fucking crazy idea! But, as always, Tim stands of the weak side covering the other team's least talented big man. And Pop, believing in the almighty defensive help/rotation, sends double teams at just about everybody. Rasheed Wallace. Tayshaun Prince. Chauncey Billups. That shit doesn't work against complete teams like the Pistons. They can all pass. They all know where to move with respect to the double team. They can all can the open jumper. I'm waiting for Pop to eventually send a quadruple-team at somebody like Luke fucking Walton. Hey, I'm sure everything will be fine as long the lone remaining defender sticks to the genius Pop system, right?

And please Pop, for the love of fucking Jehova, get it through your drunken wino head that Tony Parker cannot guard Chauncey Billups. This isn't about toughness. This is about simple size difference. And this is exactly what almost cost the Spurs the 2005 Finals. Pop, out of nothing more than being a stubborn crotchety bastard face, refused to put Bruce Bowen on Chauncey Billups. Despite the fact it made perfect, irrefutable sense. Bruce on Billups, Parker on Hamilton. Let the quicker Parker chase Rip off screens. The vertical size difference between the two was much less dangerous than Billups strength advantage. It took the Spurs being on the brink of losing game 7 at home for Pop to make the change. And what do you know, Bowen shut Billups down and the Spurs win the title.

Blame Tony all you want Pop, but how about you fucking put the players in position to succeed?

Like Robert Horry, for instance. You know where he could succeed right now? On the bench. In street clothes. HE CAN'T EVEN FUCKING CATCH OR DRIBBLE THE BALL ANY MORE. I don't give a flying fuck how many fucking shots he fucking hit during the fucking playoffs. Eventually everyone just gets too fucking old to play. That's Robert Horry. Too fucking old to play worth a shit. He's played 205 minutes this season during which the Spurs have been outscored by 20 points. Are you even fucking watching the games Pop?

Speaking of too fucking old, when's the last time you developed a player? Or fuck, even found a player and plucked him off another team? How come every other fucking team finds the Jason Maxiells, Leandro Barbosas, Glen Davis', Brandon Bass' and Paul Millsaps of the world while we sign the likes of Ime Udoka? And when we finally come up short for nothing more than the fact we're fucking old, who will you blame?

Wait. I actually know the answer to that question. You'll blame Manu. You fucking fuck.






Yikes. I don't think I've ever seen a such an article critical of Pop. That guy has anger management issues.

-Mars

Poundingtherock.com told me all I needed to know without reading the article.

Is aaronstampler still there? :lol

that's one fan who's about to jump off the ledge.

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Originally Posted by duncan228

Poundingtherock.com told me all I needed to know without reading the article.

Is aaronstampler still there? :lol

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I think that IS aaronstampler.

:lol

The weirdest part is the last line:

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Wait. I actually know the answer to that question. You'll blame Manu. You fucking fuck.

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When did Pop ever blame Manu for anything? :lol

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Originally Posted by ShoogarBear

I think that IS aaronstampler.

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No, it isn't.

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Originally Posted by ClingingMars

I Am Less than Happy With Mr. Gregg Popovich
By Matthew Powell Section: Game_Recaps
Posted on Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 10:24:14 PM EDT

Yikes. I don't think I've ever seen a such an article critical of Pop. That guy has anger management issues.

-Mars

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Sounds like someone needs a hug.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

No, it isn't.

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The last line sounded like him.

Although you're right. aarostampler would never say that Manu had a bad game.

:rollin

Either this guy is new to Spurs basketball and didn't watch the Pistons game ... or he wrote something to try to rile up fans and gets some hits.

I'll assume it was the latter. And if it was, it looks like he succeeded.

If he was serious, he might want re-watch and see how Duncan actually spent a lot of time on Rasheed. Pop only switched after Duncan refused to honor Rasheed's outside jumper. And why would Pop switch Bowen onto Billups when Billups wasn't doing anything offensively? Hamilton was hurting the Spurs a lot more than Billups on the offensive end.

Someone should post this article on Rob's locker.

I'd say the same for Pop, but I don't think he would give a rat's ass about it.

and last time I checked who discovered Barbossa again?

Oh wait it was the Spurs

Hilarious..

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Originally Posted by ClingingMars

Like Robert Horry, for instance. You know where he could succeed right now? On the bench. In street clothes. HE CAN'T EVEN FUCKING CATCH OR DRIBBLE THE BALL ANY MORE. I don't give a flying fuck how many fucking shots he fucking hit during the fucking playoffs. Eventually everyone just gets too fucking old to play. That's Robert Horry.

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Well, now it's been fucking said.

hallelujah!!!!

Sequ, what coach available do you want to coach?
Just curious.

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Originally Posted by T Park

Sequ, what coach available do you want to coach?
Just curious.

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Popovich of course. :D

Your out of control :lol

What a piece of shit article!

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And please Pop, for the love of fucking Jehova, get it through your drunken wino head that Tony Parker cannot guard Chauncey Billups. This isn't about toughness. This is about simple size difference. And this is exactly what almost cost the Spurs the 2005 Finals. Pop, out of nothing more than being a stubborn crotchety bastard face, refused to put Bruce Bowen on Chauncey Billups. Despite the fact it made perfect, irrefutable sense. Bruce on Billups, Parker on Hamilton. Let the quicker Parker chase Rip off screens. The vertical size difference between the two was much less dangerous than Billups strength advantage. It took the Spurs being on the brink of losing game 7 at home for Pop to make the change. And what do you know, Bowen shut Billups down and the Spurs win the title.

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1. So this guy wants TP tiring himself out running Rip down - oh yes, that makes so much sense.
2. The key minutes in 4th Q game 7 Bowen shut Chauncey down - CIA Pop all over it!

3. Pop was obviously trying to get Horry going with those starting minutes. It failed, he's gone back to Oberto.
4. Calling Pop a "wino" is totally uncalled for.

ace3g - no, Phoenix found him and we picked him for Phoenix. Truehoop covers the whole story.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

:lol

The weirdest part is the last line:



When did Pop ever blame Manu for anything? :lol

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What planet were you on when Pop said "We were one dumb foul away from winning the Dallas series" about a hundred different times last year? He even said it on the DVD last training camp. He even referenced it THIS season at the end of the last Dallas game because Ginobili tried to bother Dirk's wide open three point attempt at the end of the game.

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Originally Posted by roycrikside

What planet were you on when Pop said "We were one dumb foul away from winning the Dallas series" about a hundred different times last year? He even said it on the DVD last training camp. He even referenced it THIS season at the end of the last Dallas game because Ginobili tried to bother Dirk's wide open three point attempt at the end of the game.

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Most of the time Pop said that, it was in reference to criticism that the Spurs had suddenly gotten too old. So it wasn't a Manu bash (:dramaquee) it was more of saying the Spurs were one play away from advancing. It was probably simplifying it too much but Pop wasn't saying it to be mean to Manu :lol

And that DVD quote was understandable. Manu was told not to foul and he fouled. In training camp when Pop is trying to tell players to listen to what the coaches say, what example do you think he's going to think of?

Pop would have used that dumb foul for the above purposes no matter if it was Golden Boy Manu or Parker or Beno or whoever else. When anyone associated with the Spurs thinks about 2006, The Foul is what is going to be remembered first. Whether that's justifiable or not is another matter.

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Speaking of too fucking old, when's the last time you developed a player?

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Yeah, it took you 2 f***ing games to start a 19 year french rookie at the point, you f***ing coward !

stupid article...clearly this guy is not a dedicated Spurs fan.

He probably would like to take some of it back, at least the tone, but he brought up some solid points. The 20-2 run without a timeout seemed like something Phil Jackson would do. I wasn't a fan of that either, but if this is what the coach needs to do to get the team to wakeup then who knows. The Spurs are drifting right now. They're resting on their laurels to get it done. There's nothing wrong with that considering we just won a title, but some new ideas and energy would be helpful, either in the assistant coaching staff or in the bench.

its only january. why is anyone suprised

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Originally Posted by timvp

Most of the time Pop said that, it was in reference to criticism that the Spurs had suddenly gotten too old. So it wasn't a Manu bash (:dramaquee) it was more of saying the Spurs were one play away from advancing. It was probably simplifying it too much but Pop wasn't saying it to be mean to Manu :lol

And that DVD quote was understandable. Manu was told not to foul and he fouled. In training camp when Pop is trying to tell players to listen to what the coaches say, what example do you think he's going to think of?

Pop would have used that dumb foul for the above purposes no matter if it was Golden Boy Manu or Parker or Beno or whoever else. When anyone associated with the Spurs thinks about 2006, The Foul is what is going to be remembered first. Whether that's justifiable or not is another matter.

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Hello,

I'm a long time reader of this forum from France and something i've always noticed is the incredible indulgence which is shown towards Manu, compared to Parker by example. i definitively love manu's game and i love the spurs with the current big 4 (tim, manu, tp and bruce), but what he did in 2006 was not just a mistake, which would be forgivable and understandable with his kind of game and all the good things it brings for our team. It was a fault because he just didn't have the right to try to block Dirk. It's not about missing something, which can happen, it's about even trying something you don't have the right to try. It costed us the serie and problably the title.

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Originally Posted by adam8065

Really, last time I checked the foul tied the game it didn't end the game the Spurs had the last shot during regulation and could have won it in overtime. Manu also lead the comeback when the Spurs were down by 20 points. But those are all irrevelant because obviously Manu sucked that whole series and did nothing but foul Dirk..the whole 2006 season is Manu's fault!

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As you certainely noticed, i said that i love Manu, which is true, and i don't know where you've seen that "Manu sucked that whole series and did nothing but foul Dirk..the whole 2006 season is Manu's fault!" on my post.

But once again, it wasn't a mistake. Even if a player score 50 pts in a game on 25/25 shooting, he still doesn't have the right to kill it all with a fault like manu's one. I never criticize someone for missing the last shot (especially Clutch Manu), but he just didn't have to even try to block. Anyway, it's not about resuscitating an old thing, it's just that to think again about this play made me mad to the point of writing my first post. and, just in case you've missed it, i love Manu.

For the fans think "the whole 2006 season is Manu's fault", I guess that is because they believe Manu (neither Duncan nor Parker) is the only franchise player for this team .

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Originally Posted by kace

Hello,

I'm a long time reader of this forum from France and something i've always noticed is the incredible indulgence which is shown towards Manu, compared to Parker by example.

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Wait, Manu gets more Hate than Parker?!?

Obviously you're new, and missed all the trade Parker for Kidd rants...

LAST year. :D

Extremely articulate with a very broad vocabulary. How impressive! Time to go take a happy and chill.
I might feel something similar if this was after the RR trip but not now.

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Originally Posted by MadDog73

Wait, Manu gets more Hate than Parker?!?

Obviously you're new, and missed all the trade Parker for Kidd rants...

LAST year. :D

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My english is certainely not very good, because i wanted to say completely the contrary. It was the point of my post. Manu always has a lot of indulgence, on the contrary of Parker, especially when i saw how some people talk about this famous game against Dallas and manu's fault against dirk.

It's obvious that Manu is more loved than Parker on this board.
You had to blame the Parker's lovers for that because they don't post enough.

There are also some Manu's fans who also bash Parker or Pop. At first I found them annoying. Now I find them funny because they are so stupid and predictable.

the only thing i can agree with here is about Horry.
He pisses me off somtimes too by the way he played..