I would’ve liked for Pop to ride down the sunset with another ring, after righting what Kawhi debacle did. But I agree that the stroke could be his body telling him to take it easy and just enjoy life with his grandkids. Nobody can take away what he’s done for the city of San Antonio and the game of basketball with his coaching tree continues to inspire other organizations how it should be done. I would like any of his coaching tree to take over. I would’ve love for Mitch to get a chance. But his on-game X’s and O’s don’t impress me. I guess after Pop it would be difficult to find another shoe that fits. Ime was my first choice, but I doubt he’s leaving after resurrecting that franchise from mediocrity. Becky would be great but would she gets the full attention of these guys? Will Hardy? Bud seemed to be the right successor way back then, but not getting KD, Booker and Beal to the playoffs seems underwhelming. Malone seems a young Pop, decisive and tough. He’s not from the tree but has connections and he looks up to Pop. With a ring to boost? I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s him.
Mike Malone was at the top of my list, but if the stories I've read on one of these past few pages are true on what he was doing in Denver, I don't really want him anymore. Sabotaging young players he didn't like, screwing with the shooting coaching thinking he's a spy from Calvin Booth, nah, that's just going way too far.
If Pop can’t let go, let him be an assistant coach. But you can’t have a head coach whose poor health could cause another stroke and derail a season.
Trading Kawhi under duress was stupid. Everyone knows if you just hang on to a star player trying to force his way out you will eventually get a motherload of picks (see the Anthony Davis trade or even the Clippers trade where Kawhi forced them to trade their entire future for Paul George). This is an example of Wright being a bad GM because all he had to do was wait and we could have done way better than Derozan, Stone Hands, and a first round pick.
Getting positive assets for Derozan means nothing to me because Derozan was only on the team because of the bad Kawhi trade Wright made. You don't get any credit for digging yourself out of your own hole. And I don't give any GM credit for getting 1st round picks when they are tanking, like we were / still are, because all it takes is for you to not care about winning games. That's not a skill, that's a mindset.
Fox wanted to leave the team he was on, wanted to come to San Antonio, said so out of his own mouth in public, and had his agent telling teams he would go to San Antonio even if they traded for him to get his bird rights. Fox traded himself to San Antonio, Brian Wright was just pushing papers.
Take away the bottom out for 1st round picks and Fox forcing himself to the Spurs Brian Wright has done what exactly? Signed Doug McBuckets, how did they work out? Not good we were awful, Doug was a sieve on defense, and he been riding benches every since he left SA. Signed Zach Collins, how did that work out? He was arguably the worst back up big in basketball and we were one of the 5 worst teams in basketball while he was here. Then stupidly gave him an extension after his body didn't fall apart after 30 games his first year. We traded for Cedi Osman, how did that work out? He was terrible and isn't even in the league anymore. Signed Chris Paul, how did that work out? Seems ok on the surface but pretty funny that of all the teams Chris Paul turned around and got to the playoffs he couldn't do it for the team that Brian Wright assembled because it was to bad.
So there is no more bottoming out for picks because the Spurs are in win now mode after the Fox trade. Their are probably not going to be anymore players who try and force their way to SA so you not going to be able to tell a team "take it or leave it he coming here in at most a year anyway" like you could do with the Kings this season. Their won't be anymore bottom of the roster toss in guys like Julian making 3 million a year cause the spurs had to hit the salary floor. Now Brian has to go compete for good players with other teams who are competing for good players, and if he trades off one of our young players he HAS to get a good player back since the team is mostly built to at least start making the playoffs next season. I'm yet to be convinced he can do that.
Nah that would undermine the authority of whichever coach they hire. Can't have a legend like Pop looking over your shoulder the entire time.
With Jenkins, Malone and Bud, there are 3 quality proven coaches available. Spurs should just sign one of them.
Spurs shouldn't gamble on a coach with no nba head coach experience. They need to start being good as soon as next season with the Fox trade and they don't need to add another question mark to their roster with a rookie coach.
Add Vogel to the list
In any other market, there would be stories and op-eds about how Pop should retire and pass the torch. But local Spurs media has spend decades paying fealty to earn access. Of course that access is never used to do their jobs (which is to report)... they like to hide what they know locked away just for them. They are special chosen insiders, us meager peon class is not worthy of knowing what they know. These guys don't want to lose that, so expect more stories to puff up what SS&E wants us believe: Pop has earned the right to be a drooling vegetable on the sidelines if that's what he wants, and Mitch has actually done a wonderful job and we should be grateful if he's our next coach.
With all that said... I'll always be a Pop fan. He's the GOAT. I hope he doesn't taint his legacy by overstaying his welcome and sabotaging the Wemby era.
Even the egomaniacal Red Auerbach had a graceful, and highly successful, transition to the front office. C'mon Pop!
what is the value in journalists getting info if they cant use it professionally to generate clicks/eyeballs? what profit is there for them?
In the case of Spurs media... I think it just makes them feel special. I have some friends who have moved away from the San Antonio market who tell me that SS&E is the absolute worst to deal with, and they treat the local media like garbage (maybe things have changed in the last 5-8 years since most of them have left). There may be some battered spouse syndrome going on... treat the media like garbage long enough they'll eventually come to appreciate the few crumbs you give them.
But it's absurd the amount of times I've seen local Spurs writers allude, or just flat out say, that they have some inside info but they aren't allowed to share it... BUT OH IF YOU KNEW WHAT THEY DID that you'd have a different opinion about [whatever]. Maybe it's all just bluster on their part?
timvp has made similar comments about the kawhi situation
i think its a way to establish trust. if a source tells them something but says "i dont want this going public" and then the journalist tweets the full scoop 30 seconds later, that person will never get an interview or access every again. its basic journalism to discuss things off the record.
My issue isn't the lack of inside information, I'm happy with the way things are.
My issue is that there's zero criticism whatsoever. Basically North Korea if we're talking Spurs reporters.
I'm not even talking about unpleasant questions being asked during press conferences and whatnot, but there are no good, in-depth articles about any of the mistakes that have been made ever since nephew ruined everything.
It deluded the entirety of casual fanbase into being the blindest homers in all of sports and it's so exhausting. If not for this place, I'd honestly have no idea where to talk about the actual state of things in this franchise, tbh.
Feels like every other relevant fanbase has at least some fans who are objective about things that aren't going well, but if we're talking Spurs, I don't think I've seen anyone post anything negative about PATFO anywhere.
Of course. In my professional career I maintain lots of journalist relationships and we have OTR conversations all the time. But I also don't expect us to have an OTR conversation and then have them go flaunt the fact that they have info they can't share. I think there are multiple shades of grey, with "There is more behind the scenes than I can share with the Kawhi situation" at the more benign end of the spectrum to "if you guys knew what I was just told, you'd think differently" being on the most absurd, worthless end.
But at some point, you'd hope all this ac ulated trust would result in some tangible insights or "scoops" - but local Spurs media never delivers that. I was following the Sacramento side of things pretty closely when the Fox rumors first popped up, and I'll say that the general vibe of their orbit is significantly more closely aligned with what I would consider to be the proper relationship between media and subject. SS&E and the inner circle of journalists are too close, IMO, and the result is a fanbase who only gets what the team spoon feeds them.
You’re ing joking, right? This place is nothing but PATFO bashing.
Yes, they go hand in hand. These guys are afraid if they criticize the Spurs they'll lose their access. It's not at all too dissimilar of what is happening in DC these days. Ironic that PATFO acts quite similarly to the administration they despise at times (and PATFO pioneered it).
You're spot on with this, and I agree that is the bigger issue. There is zero accountability for this franchise. We could miss the playoffs for another decade without any criticism from the local media brigade so long as they kept their access.
My bad, I was referring to anywhere else other than this forum.
This place (which has it's fair share of Sniffers... that term was invented to describe fellow members of ST, not people outside of it) is not indicative of the fanbase at large. Casual Spurs Fan is extremely loyal, which is great, but they're also delusional. Whether or not they are any more of less delusional than other fanbases... I don't know. Spending time around Kings fans though, they are definitely a lot more realistic... but in a way that I'm not envious of. They are hyper aware of their failings... which is not a great place to be in either (because it means you fail all the damn time)
Gotcha.
it was very refreshing to listen to the Kings reporters before and after the Fox trade. They were destroying their FO publicly and even get some FO people on the show to interview them directly. Spurs beat writers would never even try that, cause they would lose their jobs
and rightfully so, for how bad they have been for the past 7 years
Suns are f***ing stupid for firing Budenholzer. Spurs need to move fast on him.
it was very refreshing to listen to the Kings reporters before and after the Fox trade. They were destroying their FO publicly and even get some FO people on the show to interview them directly. Spurs beat writers would never even try that, cause they would lose their jobs
and rightfully so, for how bad they have been for the past 7 years
When is the last time any one from the Spurs FO or Coaching staff did any kind of interview other than standard pre- and post-game media availability?
Nico Harrison is rightfully getting destroyed today for having a no cameras/phones/recording devices session with selected members of the Mavs media today... but that still more than Brian Wright has done in the last year.
Interesting that both Sac and SA are 1 team towns (professional teams) yet their media relations/dynamics are so different. The Spurs org really has trained SA journalists to be subservient peons begging for crumbs of access.it was very refreshing to listen to the Kings reporters before and after the Fox trade. They were destroying their FO publicly and even get some FO people on the show to interview them directly. Spurs beat writers would never even try that, cause they would lose their jobs
The press gathered for the Wemby interview on Sunday were apparently "instructed" not to ask him anything medical related even though everything relevant to Wemby right now is at least tangentially medical related. Any journalist with their balls still intact would've told them to F off with that request. Ask whatever questions you want and if Wemby chooses not to answer then so be it. I'm okay with Wemby keeping details amongst himself and his medical team but jesus, let the reporters report. Reminds me of the UFC and their carefully curated press gatherings where nobody can ask real questions and if you do enjoy not getting a press credential for the next event.
I am optimistic about the roster direction right now (coaching situation has me very concerned) but lets call a spade a spade: this team hasn't sniffed a postseason appearance in 6 seasons and yet there is seemingly zero internal pressure from ownership on RC/Wright/Pop to right the ship. External pressure from media/journalists has been effectively neutered and 98% of the fan base still thinks Vassell and Sochan are "future all-stars, bro".
yep. all the major developments on that front came from their folks, not ours
22 years of continued excellence would get you that. And I’m guilty of being a “sniffer”, if believing in a system that have worked so long, no drama just excellence year after year. It’s what we call “Spurs Culture.” Not many franchise has that. The last few years haven’t been great, but fans who know, the system that brought championships and excellence would get us out of this bad situation, right? So yeah, I criticize about the Spurs not signing Scola, or not drafting Sengun, Jalen, wasted a high draft pick on Primo?? I have my fair share of criticisms, but for the most part, PATFO made the right calls, maybe not the popular calls. But in the end, they make sense. It’s never too hot, never too cold, just right. And there’s stability and longevity on those kind of calls, don’t-rock-the-boat-or-it-might-tip at ude.
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