Spot Number 21 - Top 50 Spurs

[Obstructed_View]

I agree that it's difficult to figure out where to place Doug Moe on this list. First of all, I think most people consider him a Nugget. After four years in San Antonio, he went to the Nuggets for a decade. He's now an assistant coach there.

I realize Moe was important during the transition years but how much more important was he than Albeck or Nissalke? Even someone like Larry Brown isn't that far away considering he introduced Pop to San Antonio and helped kickoff the David Robinson Era with much success.

Before Pop, the Spurs were known to go through coaches every couple of years. Usually, the drop off or improvement was minimal from coach to coach. It seems like winning and losing in San Antonio has revolved more around players and owners than coaches. In fact, the Spurs won more games the year before Moe arrived than his first year ... and they won more games the year after he left.

I think part of the problem is Pop has overshadowed the rest of the coaches in Spurs history to the point that no one else can even compare. Pop has more career victories than the next four winningest coaches in Spurs history combined (Moe, Brown, Albeck and Bass).

Moe deserves props for being a forefather and being the second winningest coach in franchise history but it is difficult to judge where he should be placed. Perhaps someone can bring up points that separate Moe from the other coaches right behind him but as it stands, I find it difficult to make a push for Moe unless I'm going to be pushing those other coaches right behind him.

Thank you. I didn't want to disrespect Moe but you pretty much nailed the way I feel about him. I wasn't a fan at the time, so there are obviously nuances that I'm missing. At least I don't feel so bad about bypassing him for someone I'm more familiar with. I personally thnk LB should get some play here pretty soon.

[Kona]

mings.

[Spurtacus]

Horry!

[MrChug]

Red.

[Obstructed_View]

Rasho!

[ShoogarBear]

The case for Moe is easy. He was the guy who guided a Spurs team that was relatively lowly-regarded a the time of the merger into a legitimate NBA power. The entire image of the Spurs as a running-gunning exciting team in the late 70s/early 80s was Moe's influence. He was the guy who turned the Iceman into the second-greatest scoring guard ever. And he was also one bad offensive foul call away from getting the Spurs into the Finals in 1978.

And he did all this with an incredible amount of character, class, and humor. I don't think it's possible to find anything bad ever said or written about Doug Moe.

[Obstructed_View]

And he was also one bad offensive foul call away from getting the Spurs into the Finals in 1978.

That must have been one of a bad call to cost him three games.

I keed, I keed.

Thank you for the additional info. I knew there was more to it.

[timvp]

The entire image of the Spurs as a running-gunning exciting team in the late 70s/early 80s was Moe's influence. He was the guy who turned the Iceman into the second-greatest scoring guard ever.

While I agree Moe should be the next coach off the list, aren't you stealing some of the limelight away from Bob Bass? From what I've read, those early years went like this:

-Spurs bring in Tom Nissalke from the NBA to coach the team.

-Drossos got bored to tears by Nissalke's coaching style.

-Drossos orders Bass to make the Spurs exciting.

-Bass coaches the 1975-76 season (his only full season as coach) and demands that the team runs as much as possible.

-Bass figures out that George Gervin should play shooting guard instead of small forward.

-The Spurs average 115.5 points under Bass during the regular season.

-Gervin goes nucking futs in the '76 playoffs and emerges as a superstar. He went from second best player on the team to playing in-his-prime Julius Erving to a standstill.

-Bass returns to GM and goes out to search for a coach who will continue what he started in terms of a high scoring offense. Bass finds Moe who had been the offensive coordinator of sorts under Larry Brown in the ABA for the Carolina Cougars -- a team that lead the ABA in scoring.

-Moe keeps the tempo high and keeps Gervin at shooting guard. The Spurs average slightly less under Moe (115) but Gervin blossoms even more and become a legend.





That's how I understood the chain of events. If my chain of events is accurate, I think saying that Moe is responsible for the run and gun image and Gervin's ascent to supers om isn't entirely accurate. I'd say Moe finished what Bass started ... who was influenced and directed by Drossos.

[angelbelow]

looks like its horry!