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Besides the fact that Pop is going nowhere, what other coach that's available you would rather have right now? I can't think of any. Anybody?
Fire Pop? That was the last time
By Buck Harvey
I still get e-mails telling me that Gregg Popovich is clueless, and I may get more after Thursday.
How could he lose to the Jazz at home?
For some perspective, go back to the last time Popovich lost to the Jazz in San Antonio. That was Feb. 28, 1999, in the Alamodome -- when Popovich really was on the cusp of being fired.
Anyone who remembers those days realizes how silly the current talk is.
The 1999 game came more than a year after Popovich had fired Bob Hill and had taken his place. San Antonio was still infatuated with Hill; very few are any more.
But at the time Popovich was perceived as a dunce. He had both David Robinson and Tim Duncan, and he'd signed several veterans in the off-season. And he was still losing.
Sure, the lockout had shortened the season. Sure, the roster had been overhauled. But did the Spurs need weeks to find themselves?
Today's Spurs, with injuries and a rebuilt roster, hear the same.
Those Spurs went into that Utah game with a 6-7 record, and Peter Holt was worried then. He needed arena funding, and an unpopular coach didn't help. Doc Rivers, working in San Antonio then as a television commentator, was a tempting alternative.
Then came the loss to the Jazz. The Spurs were never as close as 10 points from the second quarter on. Popovich was eventually ejected and, when he left the floor to a dome of boos, was the anger aimed at the refs? Or at him?
"I believe in these guys," Popovich said afterward, but that wasn't the question. Did the Spurs believe in him?
Robinson had said earlier in the season he didn't know when to shoot and when not to, and NBC analysts brought up the issue during the telecast. If Robinson is getting six shots, they said, then it's Popovich's fault.
Mario Elie disputed that. Duncan had learned to beat the double teams, said Elie. Robinson had to. Elie also blamed himself, because he went 3 for 10 that day. Sean Elliott also went 3 for 11.
Then there's this: Utah, with Karl Malone and John Stockton, had been to the Finals the year before.
The crowd didn't care. It was the low point. Popovich was one loss, maybe two, from getting fired.
But then the Spurs won their next game, in Houston, and began a 9-game winning streak. They would win the le that season. They would later rebuild their roster with a French point guard and an Argentine marvel and win another three.
Jerry Sloan, meanwhile, wouldn't see another Finals. Yet he would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this past summer.
Popovich wouldn't lose to Sloan and Utah in San Antonio again until Thursday, when he didn't have his French point guard or Argentine marvel.
So when some wonder about him today?
Besides the fact that Pop is going nowhere, what other coach that's available you would rather have right now? I can't think of any. Anybody?
Huh? What does this article mean?
Fabbs will tell us, soon.
Maybe JVG...
I think it's tellin people in a subtle way to calm the down.
I like Jeff. I don't think he would be an improvement over Pop though, IMO
L to the F***** NO.
This article is actually really really really good. It's one of the best out of San Antonio media that I've read in a lonnng time. I think that's because of the situation that the Spurs are in that makes it so great.
I beg of each of you posting in this thread that are clueless, read the entire article, slowly, and more than once, if you have to.
Spurs fans get one of the greatest coaches of all time and they talk about firing him.
This forum just makes you think some people don't deserve all the good things the last decade has brought to this franchise. Maybe it'd be better if Pop was fired if his greatness isn't appreciated by the fanbase. I know these fools aren't the majority of the fanbase, in fact I wouldn't even call them fans, but they call themselves fans so what more can I go by? *sigh*
Only on Spurstalk will people you out if you insult Kobe Bryant, a Laker, but then talk with passion about firing Popovich and trading Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan.
Wow, another really stupid Spurmz fan. My english writing sucks but you seriously can't understand this article. No wonder the Spurmz really suck more than usual this year, they have to play and look, hear, smell, think about there stupid ass fans. They don't want to play for there gayass fans from spurstalk so they pretend they half ankel injureys.
I get, you're pretending you don't get it cuz you just want to fire Pop-a-zit. You think you're funny. Well congradulations my pathetic friend you suckseeded. You have posted more laughable about your laughable team.
Spurmztalk, don't fire pop cause nobody else will want to work with this old crappy team. Seriously can't expect someone to look at what the fans say about the team and go, "Hey I'd love to run the most petty lame pussy ass organization in basketball"
Jump off a cliff
Laker Nation
Why are you here, you front running POS? Your post is as useless as you are. Perhaps you have had a brain injury.
Here's some suggestions for you so you can feel better about youself.
- Learn about sarcasm
- Realize your best player is much much much closer to the end than the beginning with 14 years of wear and tear
- Go into your garage (hopefully you live a place that has one). Open the door of the car and make sure you have the keys. Next, shut the door of the car. Turn around and make sure the garage door is closed. Close your eyes, start the car, and dream about your beloved Lakers while taking a nice restful nap. Trust me, you'll be doing the world a favor.
ok dip ,
-my whole post is sarcasm. Dumas
-I know KB24 is near the end. I appreciate my team(the true champs) and savor every moment instead of throwing the players and coaches under the bus like you pathetic hissyfitting slits.
you es just can't stand that I hold the cracked mirror up to your ugly asses and expose you for the hypocritical fake Spurm that you are.
Looking forward to signing Manu this summer when you idiots let him go. I think he plays ballstothewall and is almost as intense as KB24.
Laker Nation:
Farmar
Kobe
Manu
Lebron
Gasol
Bynum
can't wait to see the horror on your faces when we come you up and stick your kicking shoes back in your trash talking mouths. "ooh manu sucks he always injured i hate his national loyalty rar rar rar"
and then he goes to a team that respects him, wants him, and lets him go to town and destroy his old y disrespectful team.
and don't say you haven't been begging to trade the entire team just cause you can't stay over .500 for a day.
Lation Naker, es
Probably not. He is still working on that list of coaches that he promised to Mel_13.
Wow. The kiss of death. I can feel the love in your post
lol
Great article. To those calling for Pops head, if the Spurs let him go because of this record, I know there would be many teams that would scoop him up in a hot second. Heck, the Clippers would be willing to swallow 10mil owed to Dunleavy if they could get a coach like Popovich.
And people, word to the wise, don't feed the troll; ignore it-it will eventually go away.
lol @ Doc Rivers being San Antonio's commentator. I remember that.
Pop is one of the rare people in this league that has his job as long as he wants it.
The positives always outweigh the negatives with him.
AJ barking at this current roster would work better....
Fire Pop???!!
hahaha
How is it Pops fault that Manu/Tony MUST play for his country almost every summer?
How is it Pops fault that Duncan is finally showing his age?
I really believe that LUCK has alot to do with a teams success in the NBA. Injuries are the major reason the best team will sometimes never win the championship in the NBA.
If the Spurs cant stay healthy this year it wouldnt be Pops fault.
how about jerry sloan. what does everyone think?
I was in the Alamodome that day. Had you told me on 2/28/99 that those Spurs -- basically without any changes in personnel or coaching -- would be champions, I would have laughed.
There are aspects of this start that remind me of that start in 1999. The misguided grumblings of fans about coaching is one of them.
How is Jerry Sloan available? He's employed and not likely to lose his job or leave it.
There you go again, FWD. Employing logic and whatnot in the face of emotional ranting.
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