Yeah...
- Pop is worse than most think
- This team, even without Derrick, is better than most think.
- Pop is slowly destroying his reputation.
- Tim Duncan might be even better we all thought.
- #itstimetoletpopgo / #popisaverage / #poplosthisteam
I think the whole Kawhi debacle really shook the old man. He now dances around criticizing his players even when its justified. Instead, he bloviates on and on about players' character and qualities and how they are pros. He was absolutely right about Tim Duncan being a God Send and a blessing to so many in the organization. That man single-handedly gifted Pop his HOF enshrinement and career. He changed lives. Without Tim, there's no Pop, there's Gregg. Without Tim, there's no 5 Championships, there's no discussion about his GOAT status in the coaching realm & there's no coaching tree. Tim meant everything to this franchise & city.
I have no idea what he's trying to accomplish anymore. This team is a collection of role players and nothing more. White can't stay healthy, he just can't. Lonnie Walker doesn't know who he is or wants to be. One day he plays well, the next he's making silly mistakes or throwing some crap off the backboard that doesn't even hit rim. Dejounte's made good improvement this year but he's still a wildcard that all too often doesn't play with much maturity or poise. Poeltl does some things really well but he's not ideal for the way the game is being played today. He just doesn't have any sort of shooting range whatsoever.
I have said it for a long time that coaching in the NBA is very overrated. The players determine 90 percent of the time who wins, coaches at best have 5 percent influence and that comes from who they play and don't play. The other 5 percent is determined by how the refs call the game. Pop was spoiled with having Duncan and over the years his ego became huge. He started believing that he had some special mojo when it came to winning when he never did. Duncan allowed him for years to get away with being stubborn and stupid for example starting trash like Blair/Bonner/Over the hill McDyees, next to Duncan from '08-'11. Spurs still manage to win 50 plus during those 3 years and one year get 60 plus. He does the same stupid lineups now with less talent players and over the hill vets and it backfires because now he doesn't have a superstar to clean up his garbage. He lucked out in having a top 5 all time great who wasn't a Diva which allowed him to get away with idiotic lineups.
Pop says without Duncan he would have never won . He says it but I don't believe he actually believes it. That's how big his ego is now. He's sticking around because he's an ego maniac who desperately wants to prove to people that he has some magical formula for winning.
How does Pop suppose to win when he his best player is the 82nd best in the NBA. Give him PHI roster and he would win a championship 1000%.
No mention that the schedule is brutal. The team is gassed.
- Nobody is saying Pop is a bad coach. He needs talent and luck to win.
- The USA Team is another example. He had great players but he did not have the right strategy and adaptations to win it all.
- Most coaches could win it all with the talent the Sixers have this season.
Been one of the worst coaches in the league for a couple years now
He was still good in 18-19 , 6th ranked offense with a heavy midrange attack and top 10 defense heading into the playoffs. That is borderline contender numbers with a roster of spare parts from a contending team.
17-18 was still an 8th net rating team even when Kawhi barely played.
Between the big 3 leaving, Kawhi and his bull , and his wife passing, I think Pop is living with a broken heart and a beaten soul. I believe the only reason he is still coaching is because his wife passed. The pain and suffering of losing your life partner is immense. I know I wouldn't want to be home alone all day alone in a house filled with her memories minus her.
Exactly. Basketball is what he has left. It’s his family. And that includes touring the country going to his favorite restaurants. That’s probably his real passion at this point, finding a new unheralded sommelier in Phoenix, so to speak.
Last edited by The Truth #6; 05-09-2021 at 07:42 AM.
Pop's biggest mistake is overplaying Mills. It's not just this year, but other years too. They paid him to be a 6th man. Unforturnely, he isn't over the course of a season. But if I was to digest the reasons why he plays so much is because of injuries. Parker/Murray/White all missed lots of time.
I thought it was 5? Dumbass
There are old guys who will take their dog to the park, every sunny day, to let the dog off the leash, and watch it run around. Doesn’t matter what the dog does, they just like watching it.
People think it’s some basketball reason. It isn’t. Pop plays Patty because he likes watching Patty run around out there.
I am not kidding.
You forgot to capitalize THIS in the le thread. Helps get the point across. My sentiments below:
- Popovich NEEDS Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobilli and Tony Parker to win
- Vinny Del Negro SHOULD have been David Robinson’s Scottie Pippen
- THIS is the reason WE ARE LOSING: our opponents are scoring MORE than us while also making us score LESS than them
- Keldon Johnson SHOULD also be Scottie Pippen or one of Giannis’ brothers
no one who really understands the game thought it was about Pop, it always was and always will be about Duncan (and about the stars that come on the court, they who create the legacy of their coaches).
I think fans here need to accept that NBA players in general are way better than they think, and the Spurs having talent shouldn't be confused with them being a talented team by NBA standards. While the Spurs especially with White are good enough to flip teams in some games, they are dependent on guys playing above their heads to give them a chance to beat good teams. It's hard to imagine them winning a seven-game series, because most clubs don't need to get as lucky to win. The Spurs are both their good and bad parts, and it's not just Pop that is responsible for them losing games.
Half of pop's playbook is based on having a passing big man. That is why he gave Gasol 100 mil after TD left.
Even Pop was the first to come out and say that he isn't some kind of mastermind....he just had Tim Duncan.
I'm sure that's Pop being gracious because you obviously don't coach a team for ~20 years, make the playoffs every year, 5 championships and many more WCFs....
But yeah, Pop knows he got dealt a lucky hand and never tried to take credit for it.
I always thought it was going to be a stretch for this team to finish at or above .500
Given the compacted post Covid shutdown, I think the current record is not bad
Will pay for 'chopped video of Pop taking Patty to play in the park. Perhaps it could be superimposed over the Spurs court during game time.
it would be cool if pop got his 30 wins here, had a big celebration and immediately left to coach the nets or philly or something. The only obvious coaching change would be to let a guard specialist come in and get a bit more out of murray lonnie etc. But there's no magic coach. People who think pop are wrecking the team should look at other teams and ask what borderline teams consistently overachieve. Basically which team without an all star has gotten deep in the playoffs. to my recall the 60 wins hawks are really the only example. And Bud had been fired from Atlanta and will be fired from Milwaukee too probably.
without tim duncan the team would expect to lose 5-10 games more than the previous year. We've had a remarkably linear and slow decline so the reasons to be mad are pretty stupid. The only reasonable argument is the accelerationist take that we should trade everyone and become the ty version of OKC. That's a dumb take because player development is a team specialty, and it's obvious they're struggling with the young talent they have.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)