yeah ive been on the budwagon since the bucks dumped him, seemingly prematurely. but he has had a miserable year this year and right now i have vogel/jenkins a tier above malone and bud
He's clearly lost the team, after losing the team in MIL... maybe Bud doesn't have the touch anymore.
On another note... the fact that Pop hasn't made a public appearance at all (I know he has been seen driving to the facility) indicates to me that he's maybe not in a state where he wants to be seen, which would certainly indicate he's nowhere near being able to return to coaching.
Two games left, hopefully this thing doesn't drag on much further than Sunday.
yeah ive been on the budwagon since the bucks dumped him, seemingly prematurely. but he has had a miserable year this year and right now i have vogel/jenkins a tier above malone and bud
That is the most telling signal we've had regarding his prospects for actually making a full time return imo. Obviously the Spurs are going to speak in as little detail as possible on Pop's (and Wemby's) medical situation, which I can understand even though it is a bit frustrating as a fan. The fact that Pop hasn't been seen publicly, no presser, not at games etc likely means he is somewhat visibly compromised physically as is common with strokes.
We are now over 5 months removed from his medical event, expecting him to be media ready for training camp opening at the 11 month mark just seems unrealistic. Pop is a strong-willed son of a , no doubt, but he doesn't exactly have youth on his side. I understand the team saying "he's earned that" when it comes to letting Pop decided what he wants to do, but that clearly reads to me as "please don't make this uncomfortable, just retire to the c-suite".
I didn't think about that as one reason Pop might not be wanting to be seen publicly. Didn't the article when the players met up with Pop at the practice facility a month or so ago say you could still see affects of it? Darn, never even thought about that as a reason.
My top choices right now if Pop doesn't come back and chooses to step down are :
Mike Malone
Taylor Jenkins
Frank Vogel (I'm not sure if I should have Vogel higher, though, as now looking at the Suns, like Spursistan said, it seems he did a great job there).
Bud's dropped right off my list. I don't think he commands attention. I think he's a very good coach, but from the outside looking in, it seems he lacks in certain areas. I don't think he has full respect from all his players.
Mitch has also stepped up to finish the season. He's done a solid job.
One reason I pick Malone is because of how well he gets on with Pop. I think if Pop doesn't want to step down yet, they could maybe sell the both of them being sort of co-coaches, or Mike being 1 and Pop still being on the bench as a 1b. (Maybe this is a silly idea, but that is my thinking. Probably a bad idea that neither coach would go for)
Last edited by Ice009; 04-10-2025 at 09:48 AM.
I don't have Malone at the top of my list but some sort of one year transition is way more preferable than Pop just coming back and wasting another year. Before the stroke. he already was in a different stage of his career, one that didn't prioritize winning.
Bend over, I still got the touch.
Agreed it's silly lol, no way a coach like Malone is coming without getting to be in control. Those kind of situations are reserved for the Mitch Johnsons of the world.
I think I'd take Jenkins as my first choice, as I'm amazed how he was able to make lemonade for so many years in Memphis when Ja would miss half the season. And then Vogel vs Malone for second is a really tough call, maybe a coin flip. Vogel coaches defense, won a le in LA, and got way more than he should have out of that Suns team while Malone is a great coach too with a lot of success in Denver with a ring to show off too.
My issue with Malone is he was at least half the problem in Denver. He and Booth essentially had one job and it was be highly paid professionals who could at least maintain a working relationship and not an adversarial one. They both failed at that (and it got weird, spying accusations etc). Malone is a great basketball mind, but his temperament is one I don’t trust. Both deserved to be fired.
Jenkins and Vogel have the highest stock right now to me. Vogel looks like a miracle worker after the season Bud has had in PHX.
If it’s actually a choice:
Jenkins
Snyder
Vogel
Malone
Mitch (with no Pop looking over his shoulder)
Bud
im mostly in line with this. i think i might still prefer Bud to Mitch because i want some independence from Pop. i still dont think Snyder will be available but who knows
See a lot of hoping for Snyder, but the Hawks went into the season with an expectation of 36.5 wins, so they've overachieved despite Jalen Johnson's injury. I don't see a way he gets fired... but I also didn't think Luka would get traded or MEM and DEN would fire their coaches right before the playoffs so who knows.
imagine pop and corso start a sports + life podcast
Pop not doing a public appearance, good plan if you don't want a public/media groundswell for him to step down
If he still can't sit in a chair and clearly answer questions without being in the gauntlet of a real game ... He must come off really badly.
If he's on camera, slurring, drooling, spitting on himself, OR taking unnatural pauses to answer questions ... Just end it
As far as I'm concerned, Snyder isn't on the list as he's not available, so I'm not sure why people keep mentioning him (unless they expect him to get fired, which I don't think he will).
Out of curiosity, can a coach be hired by another team if the coach agrees to cancel his contract to go to another team, or is that now allowed if they're under contract?
The contract protects the coach from not getting paid, but it also protects the team from him walking away. I think if both parties agree, they can terminate, but it doesn’t happen often. The last one I can remember was Bud/ATL. He had just killed it there, getting 60 wins out of a team his first year that had let their semi-star Josh Smith just walk in free agency, and no one even picked them to make the playoffs. That squad ran its course over a few years, and management/ownership decided on a rebuild. Bud wasn’t interested, so they mutually parted company.
Synder is available? I think he’d be my target if so.
Probably not. Just a wish on my part. I don’t mind will hardy either.
Snyder is 59, I wouldn't go for anyone who's older than early 50s.
I think the cocaine has kept Snyder feeling fairly spry. He's a young 59.
I still think Coach Bud would be the smartest move with Pop remaining in the front office. If Mitch got the job I wouldnt complain.
Thinking Bud's best position is the lead assistant on a good upcoming team. I think his days as a head coach are over for now.
I put a lot of stock in that part as well. The top coaches like Spoelstra and Lue were always able to do that as well as Pop when he was still in his prime.
The season is over. The longer they go without announcing Pop’s retirement, the fewer options we’ll have, and the more likely a 70+year-old-stroke victim is going to try to convince everyone he can coach an 82-game NBA season.
This joke of an organization is really going risk his life, Wemby’s third year, and a billion-dollar franchise on this? For what? Pop hasn’t even been a good coach in years.
Take the keys from Grandpa now you cowards. You’re not helping anyone—your weakness will actually hurt everyone, including Pop and his family.
Remember when Spurs were relevant?
They are inconsequential now
Because of Pop
"We don't force guys out before they're ready. That's not who we are"
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