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Go Coach!!!!!!
Its really addition by subtraction. We basically have another coach with a bit of a different philosophy (Mitch) minus the old style (Pop). Even players from last year have been bumped back in minutes either through injury or lack of improvement (Wesley, Branham) in favor of two older players and a rookie. I'm not sure Pop would have ran the team the same as Mitch, but its working.
Ask yourself how many times last year, the team (even with Wemby) was 17 point behind and still won. Yeah, Mitch runs the team differently and its showing positive results even in the short run. There may be better coaches out there, but Mitch has taken advantage of his chance. It may not last long, but its certainly better than last year.
Go Coach!!!!!!
It's just absurd to change your mind after a few games, I'll wait a longer period to eventually do it.
He'll need to be exceptional, in the original sense of the term to compensate his age and lack of experience, not only as a coach but as a human being too bc he has to coach men, some much older than him.
I want to see him get out of a slump or a bad period for example, or see show he reacts under pressure etc
Right now it's just a version of Pop
Edit : Yes, of course I have a bias, I never hid it and already gave my reasons. No issue changing my views tho, I just need a lot more than a few games in a messed up league without real dominance
CP3 and Barnes have as much to do with that as anything else.
I wonder if we can maintain this situation indefinitely (and if so, whether that would be a good idea). Move Pop upstairs to the Pat Riley advisory role and let Mitch handle day-to-day coaching duties for the foreseeable future.
Lemme see the basics from Wikipedia >>>>. apologies guys,
Mitc "Mitch" Johnson[1][2] is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the interim head coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. Before that, he was an assistant coach for the Spurs from 2019 to 2024, and was an assistant coach for the Austin Spurs from 2016 to 2019. He played college basketball for Stanford Cardinal.
Johnson started his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Austin Spurs in 2016. [1] Johnson won the G League Championship with the Austin Spurs in 2018. [4][5
In 2019, the San Antonio Spurs hired Johnson to be an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich.[1] On May 15, 2021, Johnson was the interim head coach in a 140-103 loss against the Phoenix Suns as Popovich watched Tim Duncan’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. [6] Johnson was the interim head coach again in a 110-99 loss against the Indiana Pacers on March 2, 2023, as Popovich was unable to coach due to an illness. [6] On November 2, 2024, Popovich was sidelined indefinitely from coaching due to a health issue, which was eventually revealed to be a stroke, and Johnson became the Spurs interim head coach. [7][8][9] He started coaching the Spurs on November 2 in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, having been informed two and half hours before tip off that Popovich wasn’t available to coach because of illness, [10] and the Spurs won 113-103 against the Timberwolves.[11] This is also the third time Johnson has served as the interim head coach of the Spurs. [6]
From another source ......
Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson leans on lessons learned from his father
LAS VEGAS — As the son of a former NBA player, Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson knew from an early age basketball would always be a big part of his life.
“Basketball was the family business,” he said. “That’s all I knew, all I wanted to do … I would eat and sleep basketball.”
Mitch’s father was John Johnson. A two-time All-Star during a 12-season, four-team NBA career that ended in 1982, he is best known for helping the Seattle SuperSonics win the 1979 league le as a 6-foot-7, five-tool player who popularized the “point forward” position by averaging 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and team-high 4.4 assists that season.
By the time Mitch was playing youth basketball, his father was out of coaching, which allowed him to attend his son’s games and offer critiques and lessons that stick with the younger Johnson to this day.
“He always talked to me in terms of the way you see the game, the way you got to think for your teammates, the way little nuances can give you an advantage,” Mitch said. “Looking back, I think that really did help me become a coach long before I knew I wanted to be a coach. Even now, I draw upon those references all the time.”
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I am fine with Mitch being Pop's successor.
But if CP3 want to give a try as HC, I am all for it too
Only two guys I’d want more than Mitch right now are Will Hardy, and Jay Wright.
Bud won a ring, what more would you like ?
I looked up his father earlier today after Kuvai mentioned his dad played for the Supersonics Championship team. It seems he was a pretty darn good basketball player. I read what the article you posted about mentioned, that he was one of the first point forward type of players, as he set the plays for the Sonics more than their guards did. I'd say Mitch grew up learning from someone really, really good, so I think that has helped him out a lot.
By the way, how do you read these Express News articles. It says I have an ad-blocker turned on, but I don't.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J...ll,_born_1947)
In 1977, Johnson was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics and was reunited with former Iowa Hawkeye teammate Fred Brown. Johnson was a key contributor for Seattle, who went to the NBA Finals in 1977–78 and won an NBA championship in 1978–79 while possibly becoming the first point forward in league history as he was the player who more often set the plays for the Sonics rather than their star guards Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams.
Last edited by Ice009; 11-25-2024 at 07:41 AM.
So an upgrade to the most recent version of Pop?ST recency bias at its finest!
He's sill a Gleague level coach at best to me
I generally like what he’s doing out there, and guys are playing hard. How much bette does he look because of having two veterans asserting themselves better and gelling more with the younger players each game.
I’d say let’s wait and see. It’s a long season. If the Spurs don’t hire him as a HC I’d say there’s a good chance some other team will.
Last edited by Ed Helicopter Jones; 11-25-2024 at 08:38 AM.
Right now Mitch looks pretty good. It’s funny how winning helps. I didn’t think this was a group of players that could make the playoffs, and still a long way to go. I haven’t seen any coaching decisions that looked like incompetence. For all I know Bassey was throwing up prior to tip off. Until I hear a statement from Pop it’s a moot point anyway.
I'm among those who love Pop, think Spurs fans especially on ST underrate him but I also think at 75yo you can't properly do the job.
As I answered previously, an elite coach is a coach that has failed and come back, it's a coach that has shown he can lead men and manage even the strongest egos, proved he can remain poised when everybody loses it etc.
The Xs and Os, the lineups, rotations, systems etc are obviously important too but it's just 50% of the skillset to me.
Wait and see, maybe Mitch is special, who knows, but I haven't seen anything yet that would make me comfortable to give him the keys long term with such an ambitious project.
It's too much of a risk to me and I don't get the excitement of most on ST after a few games vs tired (gsw) or handicaped teams (okc).
Mitch deserves his good grade tho, but it's kinda the same type of strategy that Pop's for now and will be until he roster changes anyway,
A Pat Riley type role for Pop might not be a horrible idea at his age.
I actually don’t see Pop moving upstairs. If he’s not on the bench, I can totally see him just retiring to his winery.
Absolutely true, but both were playing for other teams last year, while we were stuck with Branham and Wesley playing important minutes in many of our losses. I'd include Champ in there, but he was actually a positive. Big big difference in players roles, minutes and coaching from last year, and it shows in the resulting wins. For all the doubters, we didn't get our 9th win until late January last year.
Last edited by jjspur; 11-25-2024 at 10:55 AM.
Let's say Pop misses the rest of the year and Mitch and the Spurs end up top six. That's like a ~+25 wins from last year. Does he get COY?
No chance if Atiknson gets #1 seed with the Cavs.
I could see him in consideration if Cavs fall off.
Has COTY ever been won by a coach who wasn't in charge at the start of the season?
i'd been a long-time defender of Pop here. imo it seems clear he had kind of checked out and just decided to hang around after they won the wemby lottery
It reminds me of Luke Walton when Kerr was out.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_Walton
Walton was named the NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month for games played in October and November, after guiding Golden State to a 19–0 start.[17] He received the award despite technically being winless, since the Warriors' record was credited to Kerr. Since Kerr was still the head coach, NBA rules stipulated that the team's record under an interim coach be credited to the head coach,[18] though the league considered altering the rule given Walton's case.[19] However, the NBA permits an interim or acting head coach to be eligible for coaching awards.[20] The Warriors extended their record start to 24–0. They were 39–4, the second-best start in league history, when Kerr resumed coaching full-time on January 22, 2016.[21] Golden State ended the season an NBA-record 73–9, and Kerr was voted the NBA Coach of the Yea
Pop is a coach that is more focused on the big picture while Johnson is more focused on trying to win games. It's obviously very logical when you look at their age and experience.
Against Suns, Wembanyama played more than his minute restriction. Pop would never have done and wouldn't have given him a single second above it even at the cost of the game.
The key point about Johnson is how long Pop is planed to be out. If it's only a few weeks, he will/should stick to what Pop has done. If Pop is out longer, he should start to bring his own ideas and this season will be a great opportunity to know what he is worth as Pop's successor.
It would be nice to have a better idea about when Pop will be back, but, given the cir stances, I respect that Spurs keep it private.
My guess is a bit before.
I think he really meant it when he said the season prior to Wemby's arrival was "the one he enjoyed the most in his career".
This "edge" that make the Greats is so consuming, it's already insane he lasted that long.
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